Book Review - Common Lichens of the Upland Southeast: Appalachia and the Piedmont - Princeton Field Guides

 

     It is probably a broadly accurate statement that lichens are familiar to everyone, but understood by few, and identified by almost no one! This is the book to rectify this serious shortcoming in your life as a naturalist.

     Armed with a device as simple as a hand lens, the text will enable you to identify virtually any lichen you are likely to encounter. The book is devoted to the lichen-rich area of the southeastern regions of the United States, but the principles enunciated in it are broadly applicable to lichens anywhere. 

     Lichens are a symbiosis of two organisms in one. Already this should pique your interest! Lichens are fungi, but uniquely have photosynthesizing cells of algae or cyanobacteria embedded within them. They thrive on almost any surface, even under extreme conditions, from scorching desert to polar barrens, on rocks, trees, soil, the discarded junk of humankind - virtually everywhere. They are the principal source of food for the great herds of caribou eking out an existence in an arctic winter.

     The book has an extensive introductory section, mostly devoid of technical language, enabling a total novice to gain a complete understanding of lichens. The structure of the organism is fully explained and the key ways to clinch identification laid out for you. A few practice sessions with a lichen familiar to your area would boost your confidence in very short order.

     The incredible range of coloured photographs reveals the lichens of the Upland Southeast in all their glorious diversity. For people who reside in these areas, or spend vacation time there, a whole new realm of nature awaits your investigation, and the mysteries of that red growth on a glacial erratic will be revealed. Lichens abound in cities, too, so exciting discoveries and expanded knowledge are available to everyone.

     Like all other life forms on Planet Earth lichens are facing threats to their continued existence, some hitherto unknown. The Anthropocene is ushering in perils not seen before, not the least of which is rising temperatures. We need to allocate the same dedication and resources to preserving lichens as we do to other organisms. 

     In 2024, Princeton University Press published The Lives of Lichens: A Natural History, a constant source of reference for me. With the addition of this present work you will be well equipped to become the lichenologist in your group!

     And you'll have fun doing it!

Common Lichens of the Upland Southeast: Appalachia and the Piedmont - Princeton Field Guides

James Lendemer and Jason P. Hollinger

Paperback - US$35.00 - ISBN 9780691230733

496 pages - 5.875 x 8.25 inches (14.69 x 20.625 cm)

1,000 + colour photographs - 350 maps

Publication date: 29 September, 2026

Book Review - Marine Life of the Caribbean Sea - Princeton University Press

      Whether you are a diver, scuba diver, snorkeller, or simply a beachcomber probing tide pools and rocky shores, this is the book for you.

      The marine life of the Caribbean Sea is revealed in all its glorious, colourful diversity. Our guide is the renowned Scottish author and underwater photographer, Lawson Wood.

      All of the riches you will locate in this subtropical,  watery realm are covered in this field guide - fish, coral, marine reptiles and mammals, crustaceans, tubeworms, nudibranchs, and everything else! 

     Even those tourists who stay at an all inclusive resort, where nature study is not uppermost on their minds, will benefit from this book. A brief stroll along the beach, or wading out into shallow waters reveals hitherto unknown wonders. Scuba diving packages often form part of a preplanned winter getaway to the warmth of Caribbean sun and sand.

     Each organism is represented by superb photographs taken by Wood, accompanied by a brief description, quite terse but adequate to facilitate identification, which is, after all the purpose of this guide.

     Going back to the storied days of Jacques Cousteau, and in more recent years the documentaries of Sir David Attenborough, a fascination with life beneath the waves has developed and expanded. Its beauty is appreciated like never before, yet the fragile nature of marine ecosystems is now known to be at serious peril from humankind's flagrant disregard for the health of the oceans.

      This book will alert you to what we stand to lose unless we change our ways - and soon. 

Marine Life of the Caribbean Sea - Princeton University Press

Lawson Wood

Paperback - US$29.99 - ISBN 9780691292458

224 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25 cm)

700+ colour photographs and illustrations - one map

Publishing date: 08 September, 2026

Book Review - Costa Rica's Rainforests: The Natural History of the Plants and Animals of La Selva - Princeton University Press

      On this Earth there are mere mortals, and those exalted beings who have spent time at La Selva! I count myself among the latter. There is magic in the air in Costa Rica - always, everywhere - but the magic is elevated to its pinnacle at La Selva.

     Scott Wesley Shumway has done a terrific job in writing a complete account of La Selva's biodiversity and its place in contemporary tropical studies. In addition to being a world-renowned, distinguished research facility, La Selva welcomes ecotourists and spares no effort in disseminating information to all who visit. If you are present when it pours rain they will explain hydrology and transpiration to you!

     Many casual visitors are birders and the birding genie is let out of the bottle immediately upon arrival!

     Species that are elusive elsewhere seem to be especially cooperative at La Selva; no doubt the fact that the guides know exactly where to look plays a major role in this. I remember as though it were yesterday having prolonged views of Great Tinamou and my first ever Great Curassows perched in a tree above my head. Shumway reports, "As of 2021,480 species of birds have been identified by researchers and resident naturalists at La Selva." These same resident naturalists always seem to have the time to provide information and answer questions.

     There is more than birds, of course, and Shumway has done a magnificent job in pulling together all the component parts of an integrated neotropical ecosystem.

     This book is a field guide, a first class field guide in fact, but it is much more than that. From page to page, cover to cover, it is filled with information. Want to know about hummingbirds? Then obviously you'll need to understand the flowers they feed on. Did you know that mites travel from flower to flower on hummingbird bills? How about the mechanism by which they collect nectar? All of this kind of information is provided for every taxa covered in the book. The superb photographs do aid in identification but it is the cornucopia of information that sets this book apart.

     Shumway writes with a fluid, easy style, combining his years as a teacher with an intimate knowledge of the biology of this region, and, perhaps most importantly a deep love for it. All its creatures are special, all have their role to play, all are acknowledged in all their glorious diversity and individuality.

     I have visited Costa Rica four times and it is unlikely that I will do so again, but rest assured that should it happen, this book will be my constant companion. It is a resource par excellence. A complete guide, not only to La Selva, but the entire ecosystem of this region of Costa Rica.

     I have been an admirer of Alexander Skutch, that scion of Costa Rican ornithology for as long as I can remember, and have paid homage twice at his home in Los Cusingos. He would have applauded this work and championed it - and there could be no better endorsement than that.

Costa Rica's Rainforests: The Natural History of the Plants and Animals of La Selva - Princeton University Press

Scott Wesley Shumway

Paperback - US$45.00 - ISBN 9780691251998

480 pages - 7.5 x 9.5 inches (18.75 x 23.75 cm)

812 colour photographs - 7 tables - 6 maps

Publishing date: 11 August, 2026

Plants of the Pacific Northwest: From Alaska to Oregon, including British Colombia and Washington - Canadian Science Books

     Permit me to state up front that I consider this work (based on thirty years of new research) a magnum opus, a tour de force, a tome of extraordinary merit, well conceived, superbly written, meticulously researched, well designed, and executed to perfection. Few books have pleased me as much in recent years.

     A few general comments are merited before delving into the species accounts. It seems to me that the pinnacle of responsible publishing is manifest here.  "Canadian Science Books is a brand of Talk Science Communications Inc. Talk Science is a WBE Canada Certified Women Business Enterprise, a CGLCC Certified 2SLGBTQ+ owned business and a Certified Living Wage Employer." Furthermore, "We return a percentage of company profits to the original stewards of this land through South Island Reciprocity Trust."

     Respect for and recognition of the enduring contribution of Indigenous peoples is a significant theme throughout the book, and the participation of an Indigenous author, Leigh Joseph (Styawat) provides important ethnobotanical context.

     The principal authors, Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, are legends in the botanical and plant sciences of their region, respected and revered, and are joined by two younger colleagues, plant taxonomist Jamie Fenneman and the aforementioned Styawat of the Squamish nation.

     The introductory notes deal with the current minefield of taxonomic changes. Thank goodness for that! This is a minefield that is no sooner cleared than it is planted with more explosives! The pace of taxonomic change is unlikely to slow down any time soon.

     The species accounts are superbly done. First there is a general statement about the taxa about to be covered, concise but instructive, acting as a guide post for what is to follow.

      In addition to a text that elucidates the species under consideration, an incredible array of full colour pictures accompanies each account. My wife, Miriam, submitted one of her photographs, featured at the top left of page 40.

     Many other photographers contributed pictures and the sheer volume is impressive, to say nothing of the high quality of the images. 

     I was happy to see the issue of foraging addressed. While it is understandable that people seek the goodness of the land, it is a simple fact that few people forage wisely or efficiently and many barely know what they are doing. Other than in the context of ancestral indigenous food-gathering, plants are better left untouched. A mushroom performing its ecosystem function in the forest is far more valuable to me than it is on my plate. And so it should be for all of us.

     No one has ever claimed that field identification of plants is easy, but this book comes as close as it is possible to making it easy. The descriptions, the pictures and the informative text synergistically come together to give you the best chance possible of correct ID.

      Here is a sad commentary on the circumstances we now face in North America. Unfair, unreasonable and unwarranted tariffs affect everything we do. It was with dismay that I saw the following statement on the website of the Royal BC Museum.

 

PLEASE NOTE Due to the US suspending the de minimis threshold with the result that all shipments now require pre-payed duties, we are unable to ship to US destinations at this time. We apologies for this inconvenience as we work through this process.

     I hope that many of our American friends will drive up over the border to get their copy. 

      The next time I visit the West Coast, Plants of the Pacific Coast will be the first thing in my backpack. My binoculars and camera will nestle alongside it. With my hiking boots on my feet all else is discretionary. 

     I will be set to go!

Plants of the Pacific Coast: From Alaska to Oregon, including British Columbia and Washington - Canadian Science Books

Jim Pojar, Andy MacKinnon, Leigh Joseph (Styawat) and Jamie Fenneman

Paperback - $34.95 CAD (Canada), $29.95 USD (USA) - ISBN 9781069158208 

1,300 photographs - 180 line drawings - 740 range maps

Publishing date: On or around 20 August, 2026

Book Review - How Our Climate Works: A Brief Guide in Seven Lessons - Princeton University Press

     In a time of climate crisis, with the dire consequences of continued neglect, indifference or fatuous denial, there is little more pressing than an understanding of how the climate works. We all need to know this; we need a factual basis on which to challenge our political "leaders" in order to tackle the existential crisis of our time.

     Paul I. Palmer has produced a terrific book enabling us to do just that. As a scientist he delivers climate facts, untarnished by opinion, speculation or bias, without political attribution or blame, in a manner that is accessible to the reader lacking scientific training or prior knowledge. The text is presented in easily readable fashion (although I had to go over a couple of sections a second time!), and chapter builds on chapter, truth builds on truth, plausibility conquers doubt.

     

     Palmer moves us along effortlessly through chapters on Temperature, Energy, Air, Water, Cycles, Time, and Uncertainty. One topic slides seamlessly and builds onto the next. You really do get a sense that you are starting to understand the complexities of climate science in a way that enables you to enter the conversation at a different, more detailed level.

     Every reputable climate scientist in the entire world agrees that the crisis is real. It is not a hoax, it is not "just a cycle." It is happening now, literally daily in the Anthropocene and affects us all. The background rate of extinction is one to ten thousand times the historical record, and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are ballooning. Carbon dioxide alone exceeds by 32% the start of the industrial age; methane pours into the atmosphere from melting permafrost and belching livestock. We know what is happening, we are crystal clear what it will likely portend for the future, yet we are reluctant to act in any meaningful way. Summers are becoming hotter, with each season setting a new record for heat, wildfires burn out of control, floods and drought decimate landscapes, one hundred year storms become five or ten year events.

     In the face of this overwhelming, irrefutable evidence the leader of the largest per capita polluter in the word denies that the climate crisis is real, and actively promotes actions to reverse the minimal progress that has already been made, aggressively reinforcing and expanding the use of fossil fuels and cancelling clean energy projects and installations. It defies logic at even the basic level. It is madness writ large.

     Palmer has written a book that is a product of its time. It is much needed, welcome, educational, eye-opening; indeed it is vital. 

     Don’t imagine for a moment that you cannot make a difference in your own life. Small actions by many produce major results. Now it’s up to you.

 How Our Climate Works: A Brief Guide In Seven Lessons - Princeton University Press

Paul I. Palmer

Hardcover - US$27.95 - ISBN: 9780691181257

296 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25 cm)

4 black-and-white illustrations

Publication date: 22 September, 2026

Book Review - Marine Crustaceans of Britain and Ireland - Princeton University Press

 

     I remember well, as a young boy on infrequent visits to the seaside, being fascinated by tidepools and spending my time probing in them. The life forms  were both exotic and amazing and cemented my lifelong love of such habitats and the creatures they contain. The scope of this book, of course, expands far beyond tidepools, but the fascination remains the same. From the beach to deep offshore waters the crustaceans of these ecosystems are revealed in glorious detail.

    It is the work of three distinguished marine biologists with a passion for their subjects. All have vast experience around the world and it shows. The focus of this book is the British Isles but expertise and knowledge gained internationally raises the bar.

     The involvement of Seasearch, an organization dedicated to marine conservation and management is of material value in this book. All three authors are, or have been, Seasearch coordinators.

     The result is a first rate field guide crammed with information, accompanied by stunning pictures taken by the authors, but also submitted by enthusiastic divers and recreational crustacean enthusiasts. Your expertise will be enhanced whether you are a seasoned marine biologist or an amateur sleuth anxious to expand your own knowledge and contribute as a citizen scientist.

     When you progress to the species accounts you will be presented with the common name, scientific name, a general description, key features, similar species, abundance and distribution, and taxonomic notes. It is important to recognize that some species are very difficult to identify and it is a mark of maturity to assign the organism to the highest level you feel confident with; nailing down an organism to the generic level is often a major accomplishment!

     When one contemplates the years of research Charles Darwin allocated to barnacles one knows that he would have rejoiced in their inclusion in an august field guide such as this. Mister Anthrobalanus has found his place in the sun!

     The section on Hermit Crabs was a vivid reminder of my visit in February to Eleuthera Island in The Bahamas. These entertaining and highly interesting crustaceans are found in Britain too, and the geographic separation is shrunk in an instant. 

     There is a universality to these organisms and everyone can benefit from this book. Whether on a beach in The Seychelles, diving to a coral reef in the Caribbean or hunkered down on a rocky shore in Newfoundland, there are crustaceans. 

     You may never look at a crab the same way again!

 

Marine Crustaceans of Britain and Ireland - Princeton University Press

Lin Baldock, Charlotte Bolton and Iain M. T. Dixon

US$35.00 - ISBN 9780691274744

320 pages - 300 colour illustrations - 5.88 x 8.25 inches (14.70 x 20.625 cm)

Publishing date: (US) 04 August, 2026

                           (UK) 02 June, 2026

   

Book Review - Sacred Plants of the Americas - Princeton University Press

     The juxtaposition of science and indigenous knowledge has long been a subject of great interest to me, particularly as it concerns our relationship with nature in its many and varied guises. Not least among these is the supreme importance of plants  throughout The Americas and their connection to the spiritual lives of aboriginal people, whether influenced by a shaman or as an act of personal reverence. And this does not even touch on the intimate knowledge of the therapeutic and pharmacological qualities of sacred plants.

     Much of this knowledge, passed down from generation to generation,  has been under threat since the very first encounters between white explorers, conquistadors, capitalists and mercenaries; some indeed has been lost along with native land, languages and cultural identities. The authors are correct when they state, "Christianity and extraactivist economies have been operating together with devastating consequences for Indigenous peoples in the Americas for centuries."

     Fortunately, these attitudes are undergoing change, albeit slowly and piecemeal, but change nonetheless, with a recognition that Indigenous wisdom has much to offer, reviving and rehabilitating knowledge dismissed out-of-hand by colonial arrogance. My bookshelves contain works by Wade Davis (and through him a connection to perhaps the greatest ethnobotanist of all time, Richard Evans Schultes), Monica Gagliano, Stefano Mancuso, and the most eloquent of all, Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose Braiding Sweetgrass should be required reading for  everyone who cares about the planet. 

     This book is an incredibly valuable addition to the literature, with its dazzling images that leave me breathless. In addition to "simple" photographs of the plants, seemingly innocent of the powerhouse of stimulatory and medicinal compounds they contain, confocal microscopy is used to deliver images as psychedelic as the plants themselves!

     Briefly, confocal microscopy is an optical technique for increasing optical resolution and contrast of a micrograph by means of using a spatial pinhole to block out-of-focus light in image formation. Capturing multiple two-dimensional images at different depths in a sample enables the reconstruction of three-dimensional structures within an object. (Wikipedia).

     Surely the brightest stars in the galaxy could barely compete with the brilliant beauty of these images.

     I have turned the pages of this book many, many times, and still I am left in awe of this hitherto hidden beauty.

     This book would make a fine coffee table book, and should be displayed for all to see. But it is more than that. It contains a wealth of information on each of the more than fifty plants featured, in addition to cultural references, historical facts, the present state of the plant and its uses, and speculation as to what the future holds from ethnographic and curative perspectives. 

     I am indebted to Jill Pflugheber and Steven F. White for sharing their work with us, enabling us to benefit from their concern and compassion.

     You will not be displeased, I am sure, if I end this review on a personal note. My wife, Miriam, is an accomplished quilter with a great eye for symmetry, colour matching, design, creativity and all that goes into the completion of a work of art. Even though I am exposed to her formidable skills daily, I never cease to wonder how she does it. 

     When I showed her the confocal pictures in the book she immediately exclaimed, "Wouldn't that make wonderful fabric!" Indeed it would, and I can only imagine what she could do with it. But I can assure you that it would be great, inspired in no small part by a deep respect for Indigenous people everywhere; a heartfelt tribute to maligned humans for whom justice has been delayed far too long.

Sacred Plants of the Americas - Princeton University Press

Jill Pflugheber and Steven F. White

Hardcover - US$45.00 - ISBN: 9780691296074

264 pages - 10 x 11 inches (25 x 27.5 cm)

200+ colour illustrations - 48 maps

Publishing date: 11 August, 2026

Book Review - A is for Amoeba: The Story of Life in a Single Cell - Princeton University Press

 

     A is for Amoeba, but A is also for admiration, appreciation and applause. Who could imagine that a book about the allegedly lowly amoeba could be both educational and entertaining, fun to read yet packing a storehouse of knowledge.

     If there is such a person as an amoebaphile I have become one! And if I have coined a word, so much the better!

     Nicholas Money writes with his characteristic wry humour, while simultaneously conferring the benefit of his impressive credentials as a biologist of note. He even provides juicy bits about the array of deviant scientists who have contributed to amoeba research over the centuries. It is all done in a manner that makes the book a joy to read.

     I had not thought much about amoebas in many a year and I suspect that is true for you too. After all, who dwells on a microscopic blob, invisible without the aid of powerful optics, that doesn't even have a sex life and clones itself in perpetuity? 

     In fact amoebas influence our lives in more ways that we might imagine, having the largest genome of any organism. They have the potential for both great good and devastating harm in the treatment of human illnesses. Researchers are trying to replicate the beneficial actions of amoebas in the quest for cures to types of cancer that still resist all treatments so far devised. With AI and robotics in the ascendancy, artificial amoebas may hold the key to defeating intractable illnesses that cause great suffering to humans. 

     If the narrative of a microbe can grip the reader, this is the book to do it. I found it hugely satisfying.

A is for Amoeba: The Story of Life in a Single Cell - Princeton University Press

Nicholas P. Money

Hardcover - US$27.95 - ISBN: 9780691266985

240 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25cm)

10 black-and-white illustrations

Publication date: 11 August, 2026

Book Review - Tyranny For You: Spot the Warning Signs, Decode the Lies, Stop Authoritarians Before It's Too Late

 "Democracy is fragile. It can die in a day."

Steven Lvitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

     These are disquieting times. Rightwing populism in its various guises is on the ascendancy throughout the world and, as has been the trend throughout history, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries, people are easily beguiled by its seductive simplicity, its promise of earthly heaven under the benign guidance of one enlightened leader. 

Buyer's remorse comes later! 

     Poor Richard, that erstwhile enlightened thinker, has emerged to produce this truly excellent book, alerting us to the signs, trends, dangers and consequences of authoritarianism. For those who might not be familiar with Poor Richard, he was a character created by Benjamin Franklin, used to great advantage to reach the popular audience of the day.  No less a goal is the raison d'être of this book. In the interests of full disclosure let me state up front that I know the author of this work, a dedicated social democrat and a fierce defender of democracy and a free, pluralistic society.

     In North America, we have particular reason to pay close attention to the potential ascendancy of tyranny, for it is present on our doorstep. Fascism has a foothold in the United States and we have no reason for complacency in Canada. All the hallmarks of autocracy are as clear as the words you are reading on this page. Rewriting history to eliminate what doesn't align with your message is always a good start.

     There is no shortage of role models for the would-be dictator. History is replete with charismatic figures professing the salvation of their country and its people, morphing into ruthless tyrants bent on their own aggrandizement, and megalomaniacal control of every aspect of life. Think only of Stalin, Hitler, Franco, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin Dada - add your own names to the list.

     The tyrant always has a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. No blame for anything bad is ever acknowledged and there is never a shortage of groups to be targeted; if none are right at hand, create one.

     Of course, Jews and people of colour never go away, and can be blamed for anything and everything ad infinitum.

     Institutions that do not tow the line are to be savaged and dismantled if necessary.

     A free press, political satirists and comedians are especially reviled and should be dealt with harshly.

     Is this all starting to sound familiar?

     The means of repression are chilling and numerous. Your neighbours disappear in the night; Argentine wives and mothers are still seeking information on the desaparecidos of the brutal régime that terrorized that country. Barbarism becomes the norm.

     Expertise is not required for appointment to the highest levels of government. Slavish, sycophantic loyalty is the only requirement.

      Is it sounding even more familiar?

      Democracy is messy and disorganized by its very nature - but it works. Political opponents are not enemies and compromise is not a dirty word. Honest, open dialogue gets things done, not always quickly or cleanly, but always to the benefit of society and not for personal gain. A free press is recognized as a cornerstone of an open society, to be cherished, supported and vigorously defended, even if you don't like what they print sometimes.

      The lure of autocracy never goes away and a gullible public always seems ready to embrace the idea of one charismatic figure able to solve their problems. But it always turns sour and societal gain is erased for years to come.

      This book is written with the voter in mind. It is clear, concise and to the point. There is great merit to lengthy tomes, polemics and academic dissertations, but few are going to read them. Here, set out for you, is the blueprint for tyranny, the ways to spot the warning signs, the means to exit before the lights are flashing red and the sirens blaring. In the computer age, with artificial intelligence looming large on our knowledge base, with conspiracy theories at every turn, an authoritative, fact-based work is especially critical.

     It is very modestly priced (around $15.00) and I brook no accusation of hyperbole when I contend that every citizen should read this work thoroughly and critically before casting a vote in the next election. 

     The future is up to you.

Tyranny For You: Spot the Warning Signs, Decode the Lies, Stop Authoritarians Before It's Too Late 

Poor Richard

Independently published - ISBN: 979-8268357929

178 pages - 6 x 9 inches (15 x 22.5 cm)

Publishing date: 04 October, 2025