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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a redwood book with facts to match its pictures, January 23, 2002
This review is from: Coast Redwood: A Natural and Cultural History (Hardcover)
Coast redwood is the world's tallest tree. It is also one of the most useful,rapidly producing enormous volumes of high-grade timber that satisfies many of man's structural and esthetic needs. It grows in very wet habitats that support high biodiversity. And the land it grows on is often fragile and easily eroded with disastrous consequences. For these reasons, and some others, the management and conservation of coast redwood has for well over a century been a focus of popular passions and public policies. From the fraudulent land-grabs of the Timber and Stone Act days to the tree-sit of Julia Butterfly Hill, this valuable and beautiful tree has excited those who would destroy it,those who would preserve it, and those who would use it sustainably.Coast redwood is also a botanical curiosity, from its hexaploid genome to its clonal habit; and much has been learned of its paleohistory. Finally, it is probably the tree that is known of by more people than any other, famous almost everywhere in the world. It is not surprising that much ink has been spilled over the years because of this tree. It has probably inspired the writing of more books than any other woody species, and the publication of more pretty pictures. Unfortunately, most of those books were written when little was known of the science of redwood; or when environmental photography had few practitioners; or by authors who knew a good sales opportunity but had little knowledge of their subject. Well, finally a redwood book has emerged that has the facts to match its utterly stunning pictorials. Though team-written by six authors, its expertise is unquestioned, and its smooth editing lets you glide without bumps from one topic to another. And the topics are comprehensive: origins and distribution, life history, ecology, wildlife, harvest and utilization, history of preservation, and conservation and management. Before writing this review I focused mainly on the biology, and found it nearly impeccable, and far more detailed than what is available elsewhere. But I found myself frequently turning pages to admire the color photos, or the nineteenth century black-and-whites, or the fascinating sidebars on a wide variety of subjects. So maybe I missed an overstatement, or even a blunder somewhere. Maybe. But since this is hands-down the most sumptously illustrated, factually rich monograph of any single tree species ever written for a popular and professional readership, I can only recommend you buy it. But only if you have an interest in forestry, botany, the environment, conservation, history, or wildlife. And if you think you can keep friends and family members from snatching it when your back is turned.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read. Great photographs., March 10, 2006
This review is from: Coast Redwood: A Natural and Cultural History (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful book on the magnificent redwoods and is a great read. It covers the ancient history and scientific aspects of the redwood forest as well as the cultural history from the glutinous, pillaging past to the environmental inspiration and discoveries that may help save some small remnant of this tiny but magestic portion of our planet.
In addition, the photos are not a publishers quick picks of stock photos to fill the book, but are high resolution photo art from great photographers. I recently moved to the Mendocino area and wanted to get up to speed on the area that has fascinated me so much. This book was the perfect choice.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This and Lanner's "Conifers of California" are both gems..., June 13, 2007
This review is from: Coast Redwood: A Natural and Cultural History (Hardcover)
This is another incredibly beautiful (both the text and the photos) book by Cachuma Press (this review refers to the 1st Edition hardbound copy)!
Anyone living in California or interested otherwise in native conifers, has to have both this book and Ronald Lanner's "Conifers of California".
Each of these books is a remarkable gem, and you will never loan either one out to friends, though you will recommend both to your friends and family.
The paperback version of each is cheaper, slightly, but I think it's well worth getting the hard bound of each book. The binding will hold up much better, trust me. You can buy one paperback copy of each from one of Amazon's outside sellers, used or new, and loan that copy out to your friends, LOL.
Also, check out Ronald Lanner's review here on Amazon, of this Coast Redwood book. He is right-on, regarding how beautiful the book is, but he forgets to mention that his own "Conifers of California" is equally fantastic!
Cachuma Press has done it again, as they did with their book on California Oaks, and with Mr. Lanner's book on conifers...they deserve all the praise they receive!
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