Autumn: The Architecture of Leisure and Recreation, 1870 to 1930

As with everything Peter J. Marchand has written, this book combines a deep and broad knowledge of ecology and ecosystems with the sentiment of one who loves the natural world. This book clearly discusses and defines the changes taking place as we move from the warm and intense months of summer into the transition period of autumn. Excellent for both the scientist as well as the natural history buff.

Peter Marchand's "Autumn," an accessible account of the biology of fall, describes the many changes that define my favorite time of year.As in "Life in the Cold," Marchand does his best to describe sometimes complex processes in plain language, and for the most part he succeeds. His depictions of leaf senescence, cold adaptation, and migrations are excellent. I especially appreciate the literary contributions (from Thoreau and others), which help balance the generally technical presentation.For most of us, autumn is a time of contrasts, with brilliant colors fading to winter's gloom. So Marchand's decision to use black-and-white photographs, intended to help us "see beyond the sometimes distracting color of the season," is a bit puzzling. His photographs are beautiful, but I can't help but wonder how they would have looked in color. Apparently black-and-white is distracting!Minor quibbles aside, Peter Marchand has once again proven that he has a gift for helping us see the obvious and understand the unseen. I can't wait for "Spring!"