Customer Reviews

Terrestrial Vegetation of California, 3rd Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a seminal reference work on the California ecosystems. It is not a reading book but a resource for anybody in the field. It is cited consistently by Resource Managers, Botonists, Field Biologists and Ecological Scientists as a major environmental sourcebook. I am familier with the authors and their work and they are recognized as authorities in their field. I keep it on a nearby shelf as a very useful reference for specific scientific notes on CA ecology, and keep copies in the lab for students. Yes if you are not an ecological scientist I can see why one would find any technical book esoteric- they were not written for mass reading. I am a CA ecologist and feel that any person in this field or related field should have this on their shelf.

Third edition of an excellent text-reference that is critical to understanding California vegetation and ecosystems. This is a comprehensive look at vegetation, in the context of geography, elevation, aspect, effective moisture, perturbations such as periodic fire. Each section and the entire text is a "labor of love" in that the authors know their subject areas first-hand. The California Floristic Province, Cascades and Great Basin are too complex and large to intimately understand - but this gives you a solid reference to work from. Should be on the shelf of every student, instructor, bureaucrat and politician. I constantly refer to it to refresh what I have forgotten or should have known. Treatment of climate is weak, but then climatic water budget analysis is intimidating and demanding. This text does an excellent job of putting it all together.

I can't believe I hadn't heard about this book. It is a huge bargain at less than $40 but a little sad that the impressive effort couldn't be translated into a financial success. Even the original price would have been a bargain for a textbook, which is what it is, a great resource for botanists in graduate level programs.

I think it's fair to say that this book is one of the biggest disappointments I've ever seen, and I buy many books, particularly those concerning California history, environmentalism, native plants, California geology/geography, etc.

The only other review is very positive, but I note that this reviewer is a "biophysical geographer", whatever that is. All I can say is that the book is extremely esoteric, boring to the Nth degree, and only appropriate for someone who is very deeply into the subject matter.

Furthermore, I am quite capable of understanding "technical" information, given my earlier background in engineering and science, but the data in this book is simply too boring and inrrelevant for most of us, and so I can't recommend it.

To be even more direct, I can't quite imagine anyone really enjoying it, and I suspect if anyone buys it, they will likely return it. I don't even have any idea why the University of California bothered to support a 3rd Edition..and as for this book being a critical read for anyone "interested in California vegetation and ecosystems", I couldn't disagree more.