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The Secret Life of Trees: How They Live and Why They Matter (Penguin Press Science)Snagging.org In association with Amazon.co.ukOnline Shop | Property Guides | Kitchen & Home | Garden Tools | Power Tools | Consumer Electronics Get the Snagging Checklist Here!  List Price: £8.99 Amazon.co.uk's Price: £6.99 You Save: £2.00 (22%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackEAN: 9780141012933 Edition: New edition ISBN: 0141012935 Label: Penguin Manufacturer: Penguin Number Of Pages: 464 Publication Date: July 06, 2006 Publisher: Penguin Studio: Penguin Related Items:
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - interestingi in places but badly editedI've just finished reading this book, and it took me a long time. I like trees, and was looking forward to read the book to improve my knowledge about them, but the way the subject is presented really makes it a difficult and ponderous book. The book is divided in three parts, the second being a long review of all the tree families. This is the longest and heaviest going section of the book. You are bombarded for about 150 pages with a constant barrage of facts, latin names and anedoctes about an enormous range of trees, most of which you probably never heard about. The erudition and passion of the author is never in doubt, but the presentation is numbing. The final part of the book is the most interesting, it deals with the evolution and the mechanics of tree life, although it never seems to be as involving as promised. The notes on agroforestry are quite stimulating, despite the vaguely preachy tone that creeps in every now and then when linking to the (controversial) subject of global warming. I would certainly have put the second section last. In this way, the book would have had a first part about matters that are common to all trees, and a second part replete with the specifics of all particular species, to be used as a reference by the interested reader. Overall, four star for the content but two for editing, which gives a total rating of no more than 3 stars for me. Rating:  - All you ever wanted to know about trees but never thought to askErudite yet accessible, Colin Tudge has written a marvellous small volume about the "big plants with sticks up the middle" with which we are all so familiar and yet which we in danger -- real danger, as Tudge explains in the last section of his book -- of overlooking. Not only does Tudge describe what we know of the evolution of trees, their uses, their abilities and their important place in the ecology of the planet, as he does so he illuminates diverse topics such as the difficulties of scientific classification and the impact of DNA studies upon the field, the intricate interrelations between trees and other organisms, the often harmful consequences of commercial monocultures and exploitation, large-scale geographical systems and the risks of global warming. He does this by writing in a wholly engaging and balanced manner. The book is neither a modern homily nor a lecture, yet all who read it are likely to come away much better informed and with much to think upon, having enjoyed the experience. I recommend this book to you strongly not merely if you are interested in trees, wonderful though they are, but also because of its insights into life on this planet in general. Tudge has done a fine job of melding his material into something readable and informative. Rating:  - Warning: another intelligent design book...The idea to write a book about trees is great, and the book cover is great too. However, not only the author is often vague in his arguments, but he keeps going on about his belief in God, and (it becomes clear after a few pages) intelligent design. Indeed page 54 he uses the well known intelligent design wrong argument, claiming that creationism (as in Genesis) and atheism are both extreme positions ("Neither of these extreme positions is valid"), and that the truth lies in the middle etc... This "argument" is of course wrong, and for 2 reasons : 1. The author chooses what he wants to appear as a moderate position (intelligent design), and then two other positions so that his position is in the middle. He then claims that the two other positions are "extreme" and comes up as a moderate by believing in the middle position. Using the same argument he could say "Norway is neither North of the Tropic of Cancer, nore is it South of the Tropic of Capricorn, these are two extreme positions. The truth lies in the middle and Norway is indeed inbetween the two tropics, near the Equator". 2. The second reason for which this argument is wrong is that either God exists, or God does not exist. There are only two possibilities. And the author makes it look like if there were three (by dividing the "God exists" possibilities in two possibilities)!!! The first one being "God doesn t exist", the second one "God exists and Genesis is true", and the 3rd one "God exists but Genesis is wrong". Of course the intelligent design people need to do this in order to use the argument in the previous paragraph as the arguement requires three possibilities, not two. I have just talked about one particular shocking argument in the book. Even if it was the only one, that should be enough to put you off, rightly. But there are many more.... ("Many biologists believe in God" !!! etc...) So, one star, for the book cover, which - I say it again - is great. Rating:  - You really have to be a tree anorak, and even then....I have no doubt Colin Tudge is committed to trees and knows them intimately. His book does have astonishing facts and anecdotes about the inner workings of trees around the world and I truly enjoyed those bits. But first, the book bludgeons you with endless chapters on Latin taxonomy. Only in the last third does he see fit to write about the trees themselves in any accessible way. I'm utterly perplexed by the reviews... Good science writing should not be pedantic. Both he and his editor should ask themselves how they could waste so many trees and come up with something so dense and dull! Rating: - Pure Delight I have said before that I am a fan of Colin Tudge's writing and my enthusiasm is increased by this lovely book. It is always a pleasure to read a book by someone who loves what they are writing about, and Tudge's admiration for trees comes through so clearly in this work. He manages to cover pretty much everything, ranging effortlessly across the botany of trees, covering (surprisingly thorughly) all the major families, noting their particular features, the curious nature of some reproductive techniques (and some really are curious!) and touching on the economic and historical importance of some species. Finally he looks at the ecological role of trees and how they fit into the jigsaw of life in a wider sense. I cannot see how this book could be improved - the writing is fluid and entertaining and the science clearly explained. A wonderful gift to anyone interested in the natural world. Certainly I now look much more closely at the hedgerows and woods that I pass while walking the dog! Highly recommended.  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