This collection of essays, presented to Professor Godwin to mark his retirement in 1968, is a set of case-studies of the history of British vegetation during the last million years or so, a time of rapid climatic changes associated with the Ice Ages. The topics discussed include the study of plant remains, both pollen and larger fossils such as leaves and seeds, land and sea-level changes, the relation of archaeology to vegetation history and the evidence for vegetation change. The book sets out in essay form the many recent advances in the subject, the present state of knowledge and suggests lines for future research. The techniques and principles discussed are pertinent to Quaternary Research elsewhere and the book should be of interest to workers overseas as well as to those in Great Britain.

Recent developments in Pleistocene research have prompted the authors to produce this up-to-date, concise account of environmental changes during the past two million years. Well-illustrated and referenced, it possesses a unique position in the literature on Pleistocene events in the British Isles.

The first systematic and comprehensive account of the vegetation types of this country.

The first comprehensive, single book on plant communities in the British uplands, providing concise descriptions of all currently recognised British upland vegetation types. The book brings together all of the upland communities described in the National Vegetation Classification.

Originally published in 1990, The Biogeography of the British Isles is devoted to the biogeography of the British Isles and surrounding shelf seas. Bringing together a wealth of diverse information, it is thoroughly referenced and well illustrated, and will be invaluable to students of geography, environmental science, ecology, botany, and zoology. The book traces the development of British biogeography over the last two centuries, examining key topics such as ecosystems, habitats, and niches in the context of plant and animal distribution. The book gives a detailed account of the development of biogeographical mapping and recording systems, and describes modern-day distributions, both in the countryside and in urban areas against the backcloth of human activities.

The analysis of vegetation history is one of the prime objectives for vegetation scientists. In order to understand the recent composition of local floras and plant communities a second knowledge of species com position during recent millenia is essential. With the present concern over climate changes, due to human activities, an understanding of past vegeta tion distribution becomes even more important, since the correlation between climate and vegetation can often be used to predict possible impacts to crops and forests. I was very fortunate to receive the help of Drs. Webb and Huntley to compile this volume on vegetation history. They have collated an impres sive set of papers which together give an account of the vegetation history of most of the continents during the late-Tertiary and Quaternery periods. There are, however, gaps in the coverage achieved, most notably Africa, and Asia apart from Japan. The information in this book will nonetheless certainly be used widely by vegetation scientists for the regions covered in the book and much of it has relevance to the areas not explicitly described. The authors of the individual chapters have done their best to cover recent topics of interest as well as established facts. It is intended that a separate volume will be produced in the near future covering the vegetation history of Africa and Asia. I thank the editors of It fits well into the this volume for their commendable achievement.