Peter Marren has more than twenty nature books under his belt, numerous articles in broadsheets and a regular column in British Wildlife magazine. He has been a BSBI member since 1975, and in 1999 he won the 'Presidents' Award' for his book Britain's Rare Flowers; the award is made each year by the Presidents of the BSBI and the Wild Flower Society to the book deemed to have made the most useful contribution to the understanding of the flowering plants and ferns of Britain and Ireland.
Peter's new book, due out this month, is Rare Plants, an account of Britain's threatened plant species; it's part of the British Wildlife Collection from Bloomsbury Publishing, who describe it as "a beautifully illustrated account of some of our most endangered plant species, exploring why they matter and what opportunities we have to protect them before it’s too late. Prize-winning author Peter Marren describes the allure of Britain and Ireland's vanishing wild flora, from the simple joy of plant hunting to the wonder and (sometimes) weirdness of the plants themselves, as well as their important place in our landscape and culture. He also explores the condition of rarity in the context of our changing world and climate: why do plants become rare, what threats do they face, and what opportunities do we have to protect them before it is too late? The book concludes with an overview of different conservation techniques, using test cases such as Lady's Slipper Orchid and Starved Wood-sedge, and asks at what point careful management becomes gardening, and how far we are justified in intervening in the life of a wild species".
Rare Plants is published in hardback on 28th November and features more than 300 colour images - check out the sample pages below. The RRP is £40 but if you're a BSBI member, you can claim 20% discount and pay only £32. Just go to the password-protected members' area of the BSBI website and follow the instructions to claim your discount. Not yet a member? Join us this month and as well as the discount on Rare Plants, you can also take advantage of our autumn membership special offer and start enjoying all these other members' benefits straight away.
