Recommended Reading

Below is a list of books which I have found invaluable in my natural/cultural explorations. The linked titles will take you to the Green Shopping site where you can buy on line. The green shopping site is run by Permaculture Magazine and as well a being an ethically based enterprise it has a great range of books and equipment. (They’re not paying me I’d just rather your money went there than to some Global corporation like Amazon).

Plant and Fungi Guides and Identification

The Wild Flower Key by Frances Rose
Warne, 2006
Very comprehensive guide to flowering plants in Britain and Ireland

Plants for a Future – Edible & Useful Plants For A Healthier World by Ken Fern
Permanent Publications
This pioneering book takes gardening, conservation and ecology into a new dimension.

Mushrooms by Roger Philips
Macmillan, 2006
The classic and best guide to fungi and mushrooms of Britain.

Mycelium Running – How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World by Paul Stamets
Ten Speed Press, 2005
Not so much a guide to mushrooms as a manifesto for mycelium – a fascinating book by a dedicated mycophile.

Wild Food

Food for Free by Richard Mabey
Collins
My first introduction to wild foods, The classic guide to foraging first published in 1972 and still in print

Landscape

The Living Landscape – How To Read It & Understand It by Patrick Whitefield
Permanent Publications, 2009
A great and comprehensive book by a one of Britain’s leading Permaculture practitioners.

GEOLOGY EXPLAINED IN THE SEVERN VALE AND COTSWOLDS, By William Dreghorn
David and Charles, 1973
A great introduction to the geology of the area. Seems to still be in print or available second hand.