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Book review: ‘The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland’ by Clifton Bain
You might remember that, back in the summer of last year, I wrote about the oak woods of Taynish in Knapdale. These are one of the last remnants of Britain’s temperate rainforests, having flourished in the mild, moisture-laden climate of the west coast for around 7,000 years. It’s an enchanting, invigorating place: in spring, as you walk in dappled shadow beneath the freshly-emerging canopy of leaves, you feel as if you’re breathing the same air as Argyll’s ancient ancestors. I was therefore delighted to come across a new book entitled ‘The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland – A Traveller’s Guide’. Written by Clifton Bain and published by Sandstone Press, it…
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‘Bonnie Scotland’ by A R Hope Moncrieff and Harry Sutton Palmer
“The tartans are dyed by the blood of a hundred battlefields, as by memories of green braes and purple moors.” One of the presents that I was given for my birthday was a lovely old book called ‘Bonnie Scotland’. Published in 1905, it’s written by A R (Ascott Robert) Hope Moncrieff, an Edinburgh-born author who wrote a number of Black’s travel guides in the early part of the 20th century. But what makes it truly special are the colour illustrations, taken from watercolour paintings by Harry Sutton Palmer. There are 75 of them, each one an absolute joy. They seem to have a glow of nostalgic beauty, unashamedly romantic but…
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A new treasure: ‘Trees and How They Grow’ by G Clarke Nuttall
At a show last weekend I picked up this gorgeous old book from a second-hand book stall. Written by Gertrude Clarke Nuttall, it’s called ‘Trees And How They Grow’ and is dated 1913. Inside are 15 colour plates called ‘autochromes’ and 134 black-and-white photographs. A total of 24 species of trees are described in detail – among them alder, hornbeam, larch, poplar, horse chestnut, willow, wayfaring-tree – and the natural history is mixed with wonderful legends and folklore. This book is in fact a natural history specimen in its own right, because someone has collected leaves from the trees and pressed them carefully in the relevant chapters. These are now alarmingly fragile, especially the sprig of lime which still has…
by Jo Woolf
