Nature Handbook: A Guide to Observing the Great Outdoors

By Ernest Herbert Williams

Nature is full of fascinating stories, stories that attract our attention at a young age and keep us amazed throughout our entire lives. The need to understand nature draws us back to its simple beauty again and again, yet underneath this simplicity lies a complex web of associations and patterns. The Nature Handbook does what no other field guide does: explores and explains nature through these connecting patterns, revealing them to the many different types of nature lovers.
All naturalists-- from birders to gardeners, hikers to environmentalists, wildflower enthusiasts to butterfliers-- will appreciate the different approach of the Handbook, even those whose interest in the natural world is just beginning to develop. Naturalists who are already well versed in one group of organisms--birders, for example--will find new explanations and patterns for their favorite group, as well as new patterns all around them that they had previously overlooked. Observations in the Handbook are arranged in the three main sections of plants, animals, and habitats. These sections are then connected through discussions of the relationship of size and shape, adaptations, distribution patterns, behavior, and diversity of life. Since the emphasis is on patterns rather than individual species, each chapter has cross-references to related topics. For example, tree-related topics such as leaf shape, treelines, and fall colors, are all discussed in different chapters even though they are related. Leaf shape is associated with trees as organisms, and therefore is in Chapter 2: Trees; treelines are most associated with mountains, so their description is in Chapter 8: Mountains; fall colors apply more broadly to forests than to individual trees, and they are discussed in Chapter 9, Forests.
Approximately 500 color photographs help make the more than 200 patterns apparent and recognizable for readers, and each pattern is accompanied by a detailed description and a brief list of sources. The book is designed to invite browsing, and readers will gain a rich ecological perspective and insight. Curiosity about the world around us is a basis for human learning; The Nature Handbook serves to aid all nature lovers in their quest for understanding the many stories that our living world provides.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195171942
• ISBN13: 9780195171945
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Oxford Univ PR
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Original, intelligent, entertaining approach to nature writing

Short version: A first-rate, fun, informative, beautifully designed book. Long version: It seems difficult to find books about the life sciences written for a general audience that are both substantive and fun to read. I often come home from a walk or a hike (or a movie) wanting to read more about what I just saw. But much nature writing seems to be either overly abstract, philosophical, and memoir-y -- or set up like a catalog, with small square pictures next to small square descriptions of individual animals or plants without any explanation of how they relate to each other. I start out all excited to learn something, and before I know it I'm overwhelmed and bored. This book, on the other hand, has engaging short discussions of major themes (protective coloration, nest design, sand dune formation) with a good mix of abstract (how a process works) and concrete (examples from the plant or animal world). It has the kind of fun factoids you like to tell your friends (how many earthworms are crawling around the average acre of land, why animals' eyes glow in the dark). The photos are small enough to keep the price down but large enough to be attractive, and each is well chosen to illustrate a point in the text. Above all, the book focuses on the interactions *between* species (for example, sea otters, kelp, and sea urchins) rather than listing each species as if it were a vase standing alone on a shelf in a museum. It is divided into three sections: plants, animals, and habitats. Details are judiciously chosen to keep the picture manageable for the beginner or lay person. I've never seen a book structured quite this way, and I thought it was a fantastic format for introducing complex subject matter to a general audience. It's not at all sentimental and it doesn't push a point of view on you, but it leaves you with a sense of the magnificence of nature. Three cheers. Well done.

The Nature Handbook by Ernest H. Williams, Jr.

Professor Williams explores and lucidly explains a host of nature's interlocking patterns for the casual or dedicated amateur naturalist. Lucid brief vignettes and superb photos reveal the startling ecological fabric that you can observe and ponder in your own back yard or on your travels - making what you may have casually noticed suddenly become alive with new understanding. Each section is cross-linked to others and backed up by references to the scientific literature.

Nature Studies

This handbook fills a space between the field guids and a class with a teacher. It gives you things to look at and see how they could have came about. You may not always agree with what is said, but it will give you a place to start working on your own ideas. A really helpful book to have on the shelf. Covers many different areas of study.

Unique nature guide

This handbook is unlike any other nature guide, instead of the usual book which is limited to a single aspect of nature, Ernest Williams has collected 227 descriptions of his observations in the field over the past several decades. The topics are wide ranging, with five general themes: relationship of size and shape, adaptations, distributional patterns, behavior and diverstiy of life. It is organized in three chapters: plants, animals and habitats. The topics are interesting little morsels, 1-2 pages each, illustrated by 500 excellent photos. It makes great bedside or bathroom reading! But I read most of the book on a day of travel. This will be a great addition to any nature observer's library.

One of a kind

This book is a comprehensive guide to the world around us. It has everything and anything you might want to discover in the great outdoors.