WHAT HO!

摘要

When I was at school, in the good old days of short trousers and the cane, my science master called me "an insult to the human race". How surprised he would have been to learn that I have given 345 lectures on vaguely botanical subjects, and that I continue to write articles even if their scientific value is nugatory. He would have been even more surprised that I am, at my advanced age, trying to remedy my ignorance. What I have done is to purchase a copy of John King's "Reaching for the Sun - How Plants Work" (published by Cambridge University Press). This is a beautifully-organised, power-packed basic explanation of plant processes aimed at the general reader and at young persons intending to read botany at university level. I found this book at a school where I work, and recommend it heartily. Indeed, it has a permanent place on my sofa, so that I can learn by osmosis. Just one warning: it does not explain Crassulan Acid Metabolism, and succulence is not mentioned.