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BOOK REVIEW: COLLECTION OF ESSAYS ON PTERIDOPHYTES
From: Adolf Ceska [aceska@telus.net]
Moran, Robbin C. 2004. A natural history of ferns. Timber Press, Portland, OR. 301 p. ISBN 0-88192667-1 [hard cover] Price: US$ 29.95 Available from: Timber Press, Portland, OR http://www.timberpress.com/This is a magnificent collection of essays that covers the yes! - natural history of ferns. Some of the essays were originally published in the Fiddlehead Forum (a newsletter of the American Fern Society) and one in its British equivalent, Pteridologist. Two of them (In search of the fern seeds and Nardoo) were also posted in BEN.
Thirty three essays cover all aspects of ferns and the so-called fern allies. The book is richly illustrated with 145 figures and 25 colour plates, and the illustrations are an integral part of the book. There are not too many nor too few, just right for the treated topics. As a matter of fact, when I posted two of Robbin Moran's essays in BEN, I had a hard time finding some that could stand on their own without their accompanying illustrations. "This book relies heavily on illustrations," writes Robbin Moran in the Acknowledgements and he thanks Haroto M. Fukuda for preparing many of the drawings. With quite a few drawings taken from the published literature, the author (and I assume Haroto M. Fikuda as well) managed to combine different styles very well. The result is a uniform visual feast, not a hodgepodge of pictures randomly thrown together.
This is a beautiful book. Get it, read it, and become a pteridophyte addict. I warn you, this is a dangerous obsession. Pteridophytes are like cats: you have to like them, you are always amazed by them, but you will never understand them. Good luck!