Combining witty comment with meticulous research abounding in historical & cultural detail, Jezernik reveals how from the mid 16th to the late 20th century ” The Balkans” have been perceived by west European travellers & experts, many of whom have seen it as part of Asia & sought accordingly to inform their contemporaries of its ”exotic”, ”outlandish” & ”primitive” ways. The rich source material

Includes:: citations from naturalists, geographers, historians & social scientists: from Joseph de Tournefort & Henry Blount via Karl Baedeker, William Gladstone & Paulina Irby, to Edith Durham, Rebecca West & Julia Kristeva. Exploring over 1000 first-hand reports & comparing narratives spanning almost five centuries, the author demonstrates how the project of observing other people in their environment mirrors the observers` own culture & environment. Thus the impressions passed down through the ages about the Balkans say more about Western Europe in most respects than about the lands & people in question.

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From the Mojave Desert in the USA to the Italian Dolomites, & from South Africa's Cape National Park to the Stirling Ranges of Australia, this book showcases the most spectacular displays of wild blooms on the planet. Each site account begins with a locator map & info panel detailing timing, key species, etc. This is followed by an informative & readable account by the expert author (who has personally visited nearly all of the sites covered) accompanied by a handful of stunning images of each location showing the displays of flowers. In addition there are chapters on the animal life that can be found at these sites, & on the conservation status of the locations covered in the book. Many people travel widely in search of spectacular displays of flowers, but are guided only by word-of-mouth information, or by what organised tours are available. This book sets out to rectify this gap. However, it aims to be much more: the most 'flowery' places in the world are exceptionally spectacular at their best, & the book will provide a visual feast for armchair naturalists as well as more active travellers. ...

The ideal portable companion, the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look & updated material. This is the perfect pocket guide for nature enthusiasts keen to identify the wild flowers they might encounter on a walk along the coast or in the mountains, or a ramble through woodl&, fields or wetlands. Authoritative text, beautiful photographs & detailed illustrations show the parts of the flower, stem, leaf & fruit, including both common & scientific names of each wild flower. in addition, each entry features illustrations & description of appearance & colour, details on size, type of habitat, geographical range & flowering season, along with helpful information on herbal medicinal uses of each flower. ...

Discover the rich tapestry of wild flowers that is woven into the landscape of the British Isles with this handy new spotter's guide as your expert companion. Whether your trail begins just outside your front door or leads you through unspoilt countryside, turn to this reference book for on-the-spot identification & fascinating facts from the origins of names to preferred habitats. ...

This full-colour guide is designed to make wildflower identification as easy as possible for the walker or rambler. The flowers are categorised in eight sections, according to the one or more habitats in which they are found: seashore & coastal fresh water heaths & moors marshes, fens &?bogs arable & waste land grassland & meadows gardens, paths &?walls woodland & hedgerows. Each habitat section has a set of introductory photographs for easy identification, & larger photos alongside essential information which

Includes:: the botanical name month of flowering, & particular characteristics of the species. The 860 colour plates cover a total of 250 species.

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This is an innovative & remarkably user-friendly guide to the identification of the flowers of Britain & northwestern Europe. By organising the species by their colour group first (and by family within that colour group), this guide enables those less familiar with flower taxonomy to quickly & easily find what they are looking for
- a great improvement on the often-frustrating business of trawling through a conventionally-organised guide. The lovely artwork by acclaimed illustrator Marjorie Blamey, with a neat, focused & simple text, makes this book a joy to use.
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Featuring 280 species that the amateur naturalist might expect to see in the field or garden, this user-friendly introduction covers geography, climate, habits, taxonomy & nomenclature, bird topography, & the best places to watch birds, in a way that doesn't assume prior knowledge of the subject. It

Includes:: a list of useful addresses & contacts.

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This indispensable guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain & Europe is part of the new Black`s Nature Guide series. Over 450 species of wild flower are covered, each beautifully illustrated with detailed paintings & clear photographs. The images not only show you what the plant looks like in its habitat, but also focus in on specific features such as the leaves or flower head, to aid identification. Clear & concise information is provided, such as when the plant is in flower, the approximate petal size & preferred habitat. ...

The is the first fully-illustrated & fully-mapped guide to the British & Irish flora, covering more than 1900 species. Its restriction to the British Isles alone allows far more detail & more local information, & identification is made easier with the inclusion of maps for most species. Specific details about plants appearing in certain areas & accurate maps are designed to make location & identification easy, & this book also

Includes:: details of local specialities for the Isles of Scilly. Also featured is an illustrated survey of recently disappeared British & Irish plants, some of which may return. With over 5000 detailed colour paintings & more than 1600 maps, this is the most extensively illustrated wild flower guide to Britain & Ireland yet. Coloured, boxed keys to plants in complex or difficult groups are provided to assist identification. The Wild Flowers of Britain & Ireland also features information about grasses, which are often omitted in other, shorter books, along with sedges, rushes, horsetails & clubmosses. Ferns, though not strictly speaking flowering plants, are also included. This new edition is fully revised to take into account recent taxonomic changes, as well as changes in status & distribution.

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This book describes most of the flowers & trees found from Southern Scandinavia down to the Loire Valley in France, & from the Atlantic eastwards to include all of Germany, totalling 1400 species found in the region. Included are over 720 colour photographs supplemented by 200 line-drawings, concise descriptions enabling easy identification, & details of preferred habitat, distribution & flowering time. ...