Customer Reviews

Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula: Fully Revised and Expanded Edition (California Natural History Guides)

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Provides an overview of the remarkable Point Reyes National Seashore Park with a thorough discussion of geologic processes, weather, oceanic cycles, birds and other flora and fauna. Maps, drawings, and bibliography complement the text. Complete species lists provided in Appendix.

A must have for those visiting the Point Reyes National Seashore. Great color pictures and well written. Provides an excellent overview for those who want a deeper understanding of the area. I highly recommend it!

The Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula is a beautifully written (in places, almost lyrical) overview of the natural world of the Point Reyes Peninsula, located just north of San Francisco on the California coast. If you are a frequent visitor to this wonderful national seashore, this book will be quite evocative, bringing forth memories of hikes along the peninsula's coastal prairie, or strolls along its beaches with the gulls' cries piercing through the roar of a stiff sea breeze. if you have never been to the peninsula, this book will give you a good, general understanding of the peninsula, its seasons, its geology, its plant communities, and especially its more obvious wildlife.

The Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula does have a few shortcomings. The book does not delve into the peninsula's insect life at all, and some classes of animals (e.g., fishes, marine invertebrates) get only fairly brief coverage. Its discussion of the peninsula's plant communities is more of a broad overview, with the author preferring to focus more on the peninsula's animal life. However, it is easy to forgive these shortcomings, as the author provides a wealth of information in a manner that is accessible to the layperson and enjoyable to everyone, regardless of their background. Maps, species lists, and impressive line drawings accompany the text, adding to the richness of the information provided by this excellent work. It should be in the library of anyone interested in Point Reyes.

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