How Flowers Changed

If you haven't read Eiseley, you're missing a marvelous combination of style and information. He infused a sense of serene intimacy into an essay about science. He conveyed that he not only knew the subject, but cared. (Professor Eiseley died in 1977.) This small book is about the evolution of our planet from a time before flowers to become a world that's easier for human survival. The photographs are beautiful, but don't suit the text because they are anachronistic. They are like a grand dame (the text) dressed in the current fashion fad (modern plants). They are decorative, not illustrative. Botanical watercolors would have been better aligned with the subject. Nevertheless, the book is a beautiful little coffee table piece that contains well-written information that stimulates the intellect. It's not just eye-candy.