The aim of this series is to interest the general reader in the wildlife of Britain by recapturing the enquiring spirit of the old naturalists, encouraging unusual and original developments of forgotten or neglected facets of British natural history. Collins are delighted to announce the republication in facsimile form of the first editions of the very first volumes in the New Naturalist Library. Originally planned in the darkest days of World War II and first published in 1945, this series is the longest running nature series in the world. It is a reflection of the quality of the authors and the books they wrote, that they are still sought after 73 years later. The books will be identical in every way to the original first editions, including the iconic jackets by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis. It would be difficult to find an area of comparable size anywhere in the world with such a variety of physical conditions, scenery and consequently of plant and animal life as the British Isles. Our homeland is indeed a geological museum, epitomising in miniature the geological history of the globe.Each hill and valley, each plateau and plain reflects the underlying geological structure or build. This volume attempts not only to describe the surface features, but also to sketch the long and complex series of events which have given the land its present form -- the building of the British Isles. It thus deals with the physical background, the stage on which the drama of life is played and which provides the fundamental environment for plants, animals and man.

Author Biography

1898-1966. Geographer, writer and university teacher. Editor of New Naturalist series 1943-66 and author of Britain's Structure and Scenery (1946), Man and the Land (1955), The Common Lands of England and Wales (1963 with W.G. Hoskins) and Nature Conservation in Britain (posth. 1969). Best-known geographer of his generation through authorship of textbooks on geography and development of land-use studies.