In Praise of Plants - by Francis Hallé (Paperback)

About the Book

Readers will find their ideas about plants fundamentally altered and their appreciation enhanced thanks to this intriguing look at the qualities that make plants unique.

Book Synopsis

What do we know about plants, really? Through a rich array of examples, many illustrated in the author's elegant and distinctive style, this book offers a new look at botany. This scholarly yet fun book examines the qualities that make plants unique, so different from animals. Experienced in both the academic and in-the-field sides of science, the opinionated Hallé delightfully makes the case that plants differ so profoundly from animals that questions are raised about the meaning of individuality and the nature of life and death.

This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.

Review Quotes

"You may not always agree with the author, but it is a fascinating book."
--John Van de Water, Newark Star-Ledger, February 2, 2003

About the Author

Francis Halle is a professor of botany at the University of Montpellier, France. A previous book, Tropical Trees and Forests: An Architectural Analysis (1978), coauthored with Roelof Oldeman and Barry Tomlinson, is one of the most frequently consulted in tropical botany. Professor Halle is a pioneer in exploring life in the treetops of tropical forests, using a blimp-borne inflatable raft that rests on the tops of the trees of the canopy.