My favourite nature book(s) of 2014

There's been a few purchases on the nature book front this year. Probably too many but I guess that's the nature of the hobby.

My favourite of the year has been Britain's Habitats: A Guide to the Wildlife Habitats of Britain and Ireland from WildGuides.

The blurb says it all really

"A photographic guide to habitats, this lavishly illustrated book provides a comprehensive overview of the natural history and conservation landscape of Britain and Ireland. In essence a field guide, Britain's Habitats leads the reader through all the main habitat types, with information on their characteristics, extent, geographical variation, key species, cultural importance, origins and conservation. It aims to help visitors to the countryside recognise the habitats around them, understand how they have evolved and what makes them special, and imagine how they might change in the future."

It's been sat by the bed for the last month, being dipped into on occasion, and while not earth shattering in its content is just a rather lovely overview of the habitats of these islands. It just makes me want to get back out there and discover some more bits and pieces. And that has to be a good thing.

The book that came a close second was Slugs of Britain and Ireland: Identification, Understanding and Control.

I really like what AIDGAP is setting out to achieve, and this book is the best of the lot.
The layout is really well thought through and is a joy to use and (dare I say it) comes close to making slugs sexy.

Hopefully Christmas may bring a few more additions to the ever burgeoning bookshelves!