naturalhistory

AllDebooks

The Life of Mammals | David Attenborough

#Naturalitsy

A new series from BBC with Sir David Attenborough, can't wait. ❤️

https://www.bbcearth.com/shows/mammals

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Robotswithpersonality

The Tree: A Natural History of What Trees Are, How They Live, and Why They Matter | Colin Tudge

so-so

Not sure this book knew what it wanted to be.
It succeeded at being a book about trees written by a zoologist who seems just as happy to talk about other living things.
First part does have tree history, right back through evolution, but it does seem to get snagged up in the greater story of the evolution of life.
The second part has at least as many mentions of beings in Orders that are not trees, as trees themselves. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Also wasn't really expecting the frequent listing of all the uses that humans put the various tree parts to, apparently there are lots and lots of different timber with different colours and patterns. This makes a bit more sense linked to the point made in the last chapter about a tree-based economy, but it's a long time between evidence and argument. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? First and second parts could be a reference guide, if colour photos were added.
I think I'd excerpt into a separate paper the many mentions/discussions of the recategorization and renaming of various levels of trees and tree families (order, genus, etc), because it comes up a lot, and isn't necessarily helpful in keeping straight what a tree is, or how it relates to other trees.
I just needed a one time disclaimer that 'this may be out of date in five years and won't match up with older sources based on the ongoing science.' 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? The author seems happy to list encounters with various trees, pleasant and unpleasant, which I think would have been suited better to a brief memoir of his traveling and encountering various trees in various parts of the world; I would have loved to read it. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 5/6 Probably written with the understanding that people may dip in and out of the book, but it makes a fun fact less fun when I kept encountering them in duplicate.
I think part three was mostly what I thought this book would be, but even it reflects the problems listed above. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/6 I will always be grateful for works written by scientists with last chapters that end with hopes, with suggestions for the future, but I'd rather it not be the only bright spot in a long DRY spell. 3mo

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