Customer Reviews

The Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Book: A Short Natural History and Cautionary Account

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Update: I had ordered several more copies of this book, to share, and while two of them arrived a while ago, the third had been delayed, and I have just (2 Nov 2008) received notice from amazon that they will not be able to acquire it for me. I cannot find the publisher online, yet, and am concerned that this very useful book may become unavailable. It is the sort of book -- an accessible mixture of fact, science, history and anecdotes, with illustrations -- that is both useful to the public and all too rarely seen.

I live in the woodsier part of suburban NY, and while I've always known about poison ivy and its cousins, I'm constantly surprised by how many of my neighbors and acquaintances can't recognize it on sight. It's become a sort of part-time mission to point it out to people, and show them its different guises and seasonal looks. I stumbled across this book in the library, and it's really marvelous. It might be more information than some people need, who just want to be able to get a basic ID of the stuff, and go buy something for the itch -- but once you get interested, it's like any other gory subject, you find yourself wanting to know more.

This book has lots of detailed line illustrations, and a number of interesting photos. The text varies from anecdotal and amusing (did you know that there is a town in California with an annual poison ivy festival?) to challenging and scientific (discussions of the body's immune response to poison ivy -- which may surprise you) and mostly opens with engaging science history (discovery and taxonomy).

Good luck, and if you got anything out of this review please tick the box. (Ticks, now, they are another matter entirely.)

I was weed whacking poison ivy and throwing the oil onto myself, mainly my legs. I was out in Kansas City MO at the time and found this book at the Public Library and ordered it as soon as i moved back to Cincinnati, Ohio. This book is the best out of many poison ivy books because it really goes into lots of details and facts about not only poison ivy,oak and sumac but into other plants and trees such as the Cashew Tree and it's effects on the skin. Get this one, you will love it. I learned so much from it. Top Notch work.

The author does NOT recommend the only poison ivy remedy that works for me - Prednisone. Yes, it's a steroid. Yes, it has side effects. But I don't care. It's a miracle drug.

This book blew me away as it listed all the different shapes these plants can take. I'll never learn them all. I guess the only solution is to use caution and "live with it" as the author suggests. Poison ivy will never keep me from venturing into the great outdoors. I feel much better prepared to recognize it after reading this book. I don't want to ever have to take another round of Prednisone if I don't have to.