Customer Reviews

Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
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Like many other things about the soil, this book has far more relevance than it first appears. On the surface, it is a fine reference work about the soil and the living things in it. Good soil will have bacteria and fungi by the millions in every square foot, not to mention plant material and worms, insects, spiders, and other critters. Nardi discusses at length what it takes to make a crumbly loam that will soak in water, resist erosion, and provide the nutrients that crops need. If you're interested in studying wildlife without traveling further than your local backyard or park, Nardi also gives the basics of how to study the animals of the soil. He includes a section on soil problems, including preventing erosion and salinization, and how to maximize the benefit of any fertilizer that is applied. He emphasizes that pesticides can often do more harm than good. In a time of rising prices for fertilizer and pesticides, it is good to know that paying attention to your soil can bring dividends that chemicals won't. Highly recommended for gardeners, farmers, and environmentalists.

Nardi is low-key about the economic importance of his work, and says nothing about politics. He's not out to promote a cause; he's explaining what productive soil is, where it comes from, and how to keep it that way. The fact is, though, that soil degradation is a root cause of an astonishing number of conflicts around the world today. Nardi says nothing about Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Somalia, or Sudan, but all of these countries have extremely degraded soil. I know of no book more important than Nardi's for persons interested in reducing poverty worldwide to have on their bookshelf. Ditto for anyone, whether in the military or not, who wants to promote peace. Studying a bucket of soil from a local farm can tell you more than anything else about why violence erupts again and again in some parts of the world. Solving soil problems before they get to the disaster stage can also play a major role in preventing conflict and upheaval--and the U.S. needs to look at its own soil in this context.

As a gardener, I really appreciated this look at the very complex world of the soil. Very few gardening sources go beyond describing the soil environment as wet/dry, clay/sand, acid/alkali. This instead is a window into the extremely mysterious and complex and lively world that our plants live in. Some of the creatures described are better than science fiction. It makes a great read and a great reference book. I wish I had time to carry out all the observations it suggests.
I have one editorial quibble - the book has very good illustrations, but the way they are called out in the text frequently doesn't really reflect what the illustrations show. Perhaps a further edition can fix this.
Beyond this, I've been recommending this book to every gardener I know.

We enjoyed this comprehensive and well written summary of the many organisms found in soils. It is full of fascinating information about soil organisms, is written for the layman, and includes several nice experiments which would be fun to do with children.

I was completely surprised at how interesting I found this book. After all, it's a book about soil science and its subsequent food chain - from microbes to vertebrates. Through reading 'Life in the Soil' I gained a respect and appreciation for what I previously only thought of as annoying bugs and creepy crawlies. The authors writing style makes absorbing the technical information easy and enjoyable, and the illustrations and photos are outstanding. I liked this book far better than `Teaming with Microbes'.

This is an excellent, well illustrated, introduction to the animals in soil. It is not such a good introduction to microorganisms in soils. It does have a good discussion of the roles of plant roots and mycorrhizae in the acquisition of plant nutrients from soils.

The book is easy to read, and is broken down in short segments. The information is easy to memorize. There are really nice pencil drawings as well as color photographs.

Length:: 4:29 Mins

Hi, this is Joanne, a bioengineering instructor at the University of Illinois. I read science books and review them. [...]

Dr. Nardi is a meticulous, thorough and knowledgeable researcher in the field of entomology and a fantastic artist as well. This book has beautiful line drawings produced by him. A marvelous reference for any of us working or observing the soil.

An excellent well written introduction to the amazingly complex world of soil biology. Clear, understandable language and a logical presentation makes the subject matter completely accessible. I did, however, start to fade out during the second half of the book that concerns itself with specific organisms. Essential reading for gardeners, farmers, horticulture enthusiasts, landscape architects and anyone else who might appreciate the complexity of life on the plant and wish to have a better, more nuanced understanding of it. Buy it. Read it. Grow.

This is a most fascinating and useful book - full of unexpected tidbits - information and explanations which are very well presented, very readable and extremely well Illustrated. I recommend it highly!

Sheila

What a great book to learn about the life below. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to appreciate all that happens beneath our feet and therefore, in our own bodies. The book acts as a sort of field guide for the bacteria, fungi, and beyond explaining how a farmer or gardner can monitor this life and use this information to gauge how healthy the soil is.