Conifers are known to everyone as a conspicuous kind of evergreen trees or shrubs that feature prominently in gardens and parks as well as in many managed forests in the cool to cold temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Numerous books have been written about them and continue to appear, mostly with a bias towards these uses in Europe and North America. This second edition, revised and updated, of A Handbook of the World's Conifers is departing from this traditional approach in that it includes all the world's 615 species of conifers, of which some 200 occur in the tropics. It gives as much information about these and the Southern Hemisphere conifers as about the better-known species, drawing on research into the taxonomy, biology, ecology, distribution and uses by the author over nearly 35 years. The result is a truly encyclopedic work, a true handbook of all the world's conifers, richly illustrated by the author with his line drawings and photographs taken from the natural habitats of the species.
Please note: this 2-volume set weighs in 3.9 kg.
Aljos Farjon, FLS is a botanist who studied the taxonomy and ecology of conifers at the University of Utrecht, Oxford University and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew where he is currently (after retirement) Honorary Research Associate. He has published 11 books and 55 scientific papers on conifers since 1984.