The Old Country by George Seddon ISBN 0521843103, published in 2005 by Cambridge University Press, hard cover, 270 pages Price $A49.95 plus $A11 postage within Australia, overseas postage please request a quote

The Old Country tells us stories about our natural landscape. We discover how much of our history has been tied up with plant exploration, from William Dampier’s first forays at Shark Bay in Western Australia to the amazing recent discovery in the Blue Mountains of the Wollemi Pine, representing a whole new genus. We learn about the statuesque boab of the Kimberley and its interesting relations, and the allure the banksia family holds for artists.

George Seddon believes that the better we understand the delicacy and beauty of our natural environment, the more ‘at home’ we will feel as Australians. He explores garden design, and wonders whether the present trend to Mediterranean plants creates more problems than it solves. He looks at what ‘native’ or ‘exotic’ or even ‘a weed’ might mean, and concludes that these notions are surprisingly fluid. This passionate, wise and witty book, enriched with breathtakingly beautiful illustrations, suggests that the answers to our water problems lie here, at home.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• First encounters
• The boab
• Learning
• The conifers
• The banksias
• Mediterraneity
• On being deciduous
• By design
• Weeds
• Epilogue
• Notes, bibliography, list of illustration, index

About the author

George Seddon AM is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Melbourne and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Western Australia. He has held chairs in four disciplines and taught in universities across Europe and North America. His recent books include Landprints: Reflections on Place and Landscape (Cambridge University Press, 1996).