In the original dustsheet. Red cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

Accompanying a David Attenborough series on BBC Television, and with the aid of time-lapse photography, this book reveals hidden events and phenomena of plant-life throughout the world.

Review: This is the author’s first “Life Of” books and sets a pattern for those that followed.

The main point made in this well written and researched book is that plants enjoy many of the activities of animals but on a totally different timescale that can stretch to decades or centuries.The author delves into characteristics and secrets of plants that most people never give a second thought e.g. travel and parasitism.

There are 6 main chapters covering a)travel-how plants can travel over long distances b)feeding and growing-the necessity of light and water c)flowering – illustrations from the smallest bloom to the giant Tilam arum

d)the social struggle-the fight for plants to survive in various environments e) living together-the association of plants and animals particularly in the water environment and f)surviving-how plants need water, light,warmth and minerals to survive.

A book to be recommended.

Sir David Frederick Attenborough (born 8 May 1926) is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series forming the Life collection, a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth.

Attenborough was a senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s. First becoming prominent as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, his filmography as writer, presenter and narrator has spanned eight decades; it includes Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth franchise, The Blue Planet and its sequel. He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black and white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolution. Over his life he has collected dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Narration.

While Attenborough’s earlier work focused more on the wonders of the natural world, his later work has been more vocal in support of environmental causes. He has advocated for restoring planetary biodiversity, limiting population growth, switching to renewable energy, mitigating climate change, reducing meat consumption, and setting aside more areas for natural preservation.

On his broadcasting and passion for nature, NPR stated he “roamed the globe and shared his discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating”. He is widely considered a national treasure in the UK, although he himself does not embrace the term. He is the younger brother of director, producer and actor Richard Attenborough, and older brother of motor executive John Attenborough.