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fishtopus's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, but I wish he had spent less time describing who owned what manor house and had spent more time on the details of the woods themselves.
domani's review
4.0
Entertaining, chatty, and informative... Richard Fortey at his best, writing about something obviously close to his heart and bringing close to the reader.
darrin's review against another edition
5.0
When I grow up I want to be like Richard Fortey.
I noted early on that when I first started reading this book I thought I would grow bored of reading about the natural history of a forest in the UK. Boy was I wrong.
I loved this book because, if you know me, or at least are friends with me on FB, you know how much I like taking photos of the flora and fauna that inhabit our back yard. If I had my druthers, I would stay home and catalog it, learn to draw it, and explore the inner workings of how it all creates an ecology behind our garage and under the 100 year old oak tree with it's beautiful canopy.
My intention fresh out of high school as a newly minted freshman at the University of Michigan was to major in the biological sciences or failing that, paleontology. Well, that never happened and now I sit here with a Russian Language and Literature degree that has no relevance to what I currently do, event planning for a 5 star hotel here in my hometown. All the same, nature and natural history still hold a fascination for me and Richard Fortey, the now retired British paleontologist, formerly of Oxford University has written a book that encompasses the natural history and human history of Grim's Dyke Wood, a small forest that he and his wife, Jackie, purchased in 2011.
He is a captivating writer with a dry wit and seemingly natural aptitude for describing his explorations in minute detail. The story, or rather history, is told in vignettes, roughly starting with the earliest history of the area to modern times. Each chapter is a month, starting with April and proceeding through the year. The vignettes weave the story of the seasonal flora and fauna, human habitation and exploitation of Grim's Dyke Wood and the area that surrounds the wood and the impact it has and has had over time. At the end of it all the story he tells is a continuous and seamless whole.
Books like this one lead me to explore other interests and to find other books, which I already have. I am also inspired to take more photos, take more notes and find out more about the little patch of wilderness in my own backyard.
I noted early on that when I first started reading this book I thought I would grow bored of reading about the natural history of a forest in the UK. Boy was I wrong.
I loved this book because, if you know me, or at least are friends with me on FB, you know how much I like taking photos of the flora and fauna that inhabit our back yard. If I had my druthers, I would stay home and catalog it, learn to draw it, and explore the inner workings of how it all creates an ecology behind our garage and under the 100 year old oak tree with it's beautiful canopy.
My intention fresh out of high school as a newly minted freshman at the University of Michigan was to major in the biological sciences or failing that, paleontology. Well, that never happened and now I sit here with a Russian Language and Literature degree that has no relevance to what I currently do, event planning for a 5 star hotel here in my hometown. All the same, nature and natural history still hold a fascination for me and Richard Fortey, the now retired British paleontologist, formerly of Oxford University has written a book that encompasses the natural history and human history of Grim's Dyke Wood, a small forest that he and his wife, Jackie, purchased in 2011.
He is a captivating writer with a dry wit and seemingly natural aptitude for describing his explorations in minute detail. The story, or rather history, is told in vignettes, roughly starting with the earliest history of the area to modern times. Each chapter is a month, starting with April and proceeding through the year. The vignettes weave the story of the seasonal flora and fauna, human habitation and exploitation of Grim's Dyke Wood and the area that surrounds the wood and the impact it has and has had over time. At the end of it all the story he tells is a continuous and seamless whole.
Books like this one lead me to explore other interests and to find other books, which I already have. I am also inspired to take more photos, take more notes and find out more about the little patch of wilderness in my own backyard.
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