Collins Tree Guide (Collins) - Owen Johnson

.../> ===What is it?===
Collins Tree Guide is a book that describes over 1500 trees. This is the largest single-volume ever included in a field guide. The book has a black cover with white and gold text with a solitary tree illustrated in the centre of the cover. The book is stunning and feels like a prized possession in your hand. The cover is very well designed but we all know the saying, never judge a book by the cover!

Inside ...
...I have never found a Collins Guide that has poor illustrations and this book is no exception. The Illustrations are very accurate and every species is portrayed in fine detail. Seasonal changes are considered along with flowers and fruit. (N.B. in botanical terms fruit refers to the seed).
===Summary===
I think it fair to say that this is a very comprehensive guide to the trees of Britain and Ireland. The author acknowledges that not ... more

Collins Tree Guide - by Owen Johnson and Illustrated by David More

The Most Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Europe
===What is it?===
Collins Tree Guide is a book that describes over 1500 trees. This is the largest single-volume ever included in a field guide. The book has a black cover with white and gold text with a solitary tree illustrated in the centre of the cover. The book is stunning and feels like a prized possession in your hand. The cover is very well designed but we all know the saying, never judge a book by the cover!

Inside the book you are confronted with the Contents page, followed by a How to Use this Book page and then a detailed Introduction. The book caters for beginners and has a page dedicated to botanical names (Commonly known as Latin or scientific names). Botanical names do consist of Latin but not solely, they are often a mixture of languages from around the globe.

The next section of the book is made up of several pages of illustrated keys. The keys are a basic guide to common or easily recognised trees. These are very handy for a quick identification. There are only three illustrated keys but they are divided into boxes according to type. It is very well presented and saves space.

• Winter Shoots
• Conifers
• Leaf Shapes of some Broadleaved Trees

From this point onwards the book uses the same layout for each page. The left-hand page has a grey banner to denote the beginning of a new section with white text. A standard page has black text and no grey banner. Left hand pages always display at least two thirds of text on the page over two columns. The lower third of the page displays illustrations of key diagnostic features. The right hand page is used to illustrate the text from the left-hand page. This means that when the book is open all the information is in front of you so there is no need to flick through the pages for an illustration. I like this aspect of the book it makes it easier to use than similar books in my collection. Species descriptions include the following information.

• Common Name
• Scientific Name
• Natural Distribution and Status
• Frequency in Britain and Ireland
• Scientific family name
• Appearance
• Bark, Shoots and Buds.
• Flowers and Fruit (or Cones)

Illustrations

There is a long standing argument as to whether photographs are better than illustrations. I am not going to try and settle this argument here but it is my opinion that illustrations are generally better for identification. An illustration has no background interference and is usually drawn for an intended purpose. In saying that, this is only the case if the illustrations are exceptional. I have never found a Collins Guide that has poor illustrations and this book is no exception. The Illustrations are very accurate and every species is portrayed in fine detail. Seasonal changes are considered along with flowers and fruit. (N.B. in botanical terms fruit refers to the seed).

Summary

I think it fair to say that this is a very comprehensive guide to the trees of Britain and Ireland. The author acknowledges that not all trees could be covered in a book of this size but he has managed to get an incredible amount of information into this book. To accomplish this, the text has been made very small and is therefore not easy or inviting to read. It does however make enough space for the illustrations which are beautifully drawn and very realistic. My only criticism of this book would be that it is very much crammed which gives a congested feel to the books content. It is also available in a more expensive hardback edition that has a dust cover. I would recommend this book (and the hard back edition) to anyone who is interested in studying or identifying trees.

(www.harpercollins.co.uk)

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