Lapland: A Natural History


Book Description

This stunning new Poyser title looks at the flora and fauna of Lapland - that area of northern Europe and northwestern Russia which lies within the Arctic circle. After general introductions, the book examines the Lapland ecosystems and species by habitat type, with one chapter dealing with freshwater habitats, another with open tundra and so on. The history of natural history study in the region, and the conservation issues affecting it today, are also discussed. The book is illustrated throughout with a wealth of the author's own colour photographs, and there are also some line drawings and a number of maps and other figures to illustrate key points. This is a wonderfully evocative book which creates a vivid sense of place for one of the planet's last wildernesses, and will appeal to anyone who loves wildlife and wild places. "A rare window onto one of Europe's most unspoiled areas, by the outstanding British field naturalist of the late 20th century." The Independent "An informative and easy-to-read text on a part of the natural world unfamiliar to many. It is a fascinating, enjoyable book." Wildlife Activist, Summer 2006




Finland at War


Book Description

In the aftermath of the Winter War, Finland found itself drawing ever closer to Nazi Germany and eventually took part in Operation Barbarossa in 1941. For the Finns this was a chance to right the wrongs of the Winter War, and having reached suitable defensive positions, the army was ordered to halt. Years of uneasy trench warfare followed, known as the Continuation War, during which Finland desperately sought a way out, German dreams of victory were dashed, and the Soviet Union built the strongest army in the world. In the summer of 1944, the whole might of the Red Army was launched against the Finnish defences on the narrow Karelian Isthmus. Over several weeks of fierce fighting, the Finns managed to halt the Soviet assault. With Stalin forced to divert his armies to the race to Berlin, an armistice agreement was reached, the harsh terms of which forced the Finns to take on their erstwhile German allies in Lapland. Featuring rare photographs and first-hand accounts, this second volume of a two-part study, publishing in paperback for the first time, details the high price Finland had to pay to retain its independence and freedom.




Finnish Lapland


Book Description

This new Crossbill Guide to Finnish Lapland is fully revised and updated. It describes the nature and wildlife of Finnish Lapland, one of the last great wildernesses of Europe. Lapland is Finland's northernmost province and lies almost entirely above the Arctic Circle. A visit to Finnish Lapland is an experience that is hard to capture in words. The land is vast and roads are few. Deep in this wilderness, animals, such as Brown Bear, Wolverine, Wolf, Lynx and Elk, roam. Huge expanses of coniferous forests, impenetrable bogs and vast open fells make up this awe-inspiring landscape. As any Crossbill Guide, this title gives 22 detailed route descriptions and 23 site descriptions. Topics include: Landscape history " Ecosystems " Geology " Flora and Fauna " Where to watch birds " Finding orchids and other wildflowers. The Crossbill Guide to Finnish Lapland and the Kuusamo region introduces you to a fascinating northern wilderness and provides you with itineraries so you can discover the area at your own pace.




Lapland


Book Description

"This stunning new Poyser title looks at the flora and fauna of Lapland - that area of northern Europe and northwestern Russia which lies within the Arctic circle. After general introductions, the book examines the Lapland ecosystems and species by habitat type, with one chapter dealing with freshwater habitats, another with open tundra and so on. The history of natural history study in the region, and the conservation issues affecting it today, are also discussed. The book is illustrated throughout with a wealth of the author's own colour photographs, and there are also some line drawings and a number of maps and other figures to illustrate key points. This is a wonderfully evocative book which creates a vivid sense of place for one of the planet's last wildernesses, and will appeal to anyone who loves wildlife and wild places. "A rare window onto one of Europe's most unspoiled areas, by the outstanding British field naturalist of the late 20th century." The Independent "An informative and easy-to-read text on a part of the natural world unfamiliar to many. It is a fascinating, enjoyable book." Wildlife Activist, Summer 2006 "Truly an excellent book, providing both pleasant reading as well as a fine work of reference ... I would recommend anyone planning a trip to Lapland to read this book first, from cover to cover." Alula, 2007"--Bloomsbury Publishing.













Natural History


Book Description




Cultures of Natural History


Book Description

This copiously illustrated volume is the first systematic general work to do justice to the fruits of recent scholarship in the history of natural history. Public interest in this lively field has been stimulated by environmental concerns and through links with the histories of art, collecting and gardening. The centrality of the development of natural history for other branches of history - medical, colonial, gender, economic, ecological - is increasingly recognized. Twenty-four specially commissioned essays cover the period from the sixteenth century, when the first institutions of natural history were created, to its late nineteenth-century transformation by practitioners of the new biological sciences. An introduction discusses novel approaches that have made this a major focus for research in cultural history. The essays, which include suggestions for further reading, offer a coherent and accessible overview of a fascinating subject. An epilogue highlights the relevance of this wide-ranging survey for current debates on museum practice, the display of ecological diversity and concerns about the environment.