Natural History Author and Expert Reader
My recent titles as author are shown below. They give an idea of my range of interests. I also write for a range of magazines, including British Wildlife, World of Animals and How It Works.
Click here for titles as contributing author
I have also provided services as an expert reader on natural history books, especially for younger readers, to several publishers including Heinemann and Raintree Perspectives.
I am always interested in new commissions for books or magazines, or to provide guidance as an expert reader on other titles. Please contact me initially to discuss options. My full publications list is on my CV here.
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MOUNTAIN FLOWERS Michael's new book on Mountain Flowers (number 4 in the British Wildlife Collection, published by Bloomsbury Publishing; ISBN 978 1 47292 982 2) was published in August 2016, priced at £35.00. The illustration on the left shows the delightful cover painted for the book by Carry Akeroyd. Please go to my news page here for a link to order the book from Amazon. |
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SCOTTISH WILD FLOWERS My original field guide from 1995 has now been republished in a fully updated edition by Birlinn Ltd of Edinburgh at £9.99. It is aimed at locals and visitors to Scotland who are interested, but not expert, in wild flowers. Arranged according to habitat, it covers more than 350 of the wild flowers most commonly found in Scotland, with information on their habitats and distribution. It also features 35 of the best places to look for wild flowers in Scotland. The smaller Mini Guide (£5.99), ideal for the pocket, car glovebox or rucksac, covers the same range but in less detail, and excludes some features of the main guide, including the 'Places to Visit' section. Please go to my news page here for links to order the books from Amazon. |
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WALK & EAT: CAPE TOWN Publisher: Sunflower Books, 2007 ISBN: 978-1-85691-331-7 Written jointly with my wife, Sue Scott, this is a guide to some of our favourite walks around Cape Town, combined with some great restaurants to eat in, before or after the walk! All the photographs in the book are our own. [Order it from Amazon, and look at sample pages Walk & Eat
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THE NORTH HIGHLANDS: A DYNAMIC ECONOMY IN A LIVING LANDSCAPE Publisher: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), 2007 ISBN: 978-1-85397-525-7 This was commissioned as a guide for visitors to the north Highlands of Scotland, as well as residents in the area, to show how much the magnificent landscapes of this part of the world have been influenced by human activities – and how their maintenance still relies on the economic viability of the region. [Order it from SNH here]. |
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A STRONG COHERENT VOICE: REFLECTIONS ON THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS Publisher: Scottish Environment Link, 2007 (no ISBN) A commissioned report reflecting on the history of the network organisation for environmental non-governmental organisations in Scotland, and drawing lessons for the future. [You can download the full report as a 3.3MB PDF file here.] |
AWARD-WINNING TITLE! |
YOUNG OXFORD BOOK OF ECOLOGY Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1994, 1996 (now out-of-print) Original ISBN: 0-19-521167-7 Definitely my best seller, this book has been translated into at least 10 languages (including German, Spanish, Russian, Polish and American English!). The German edition, Young Oxford: Die Natur, published by Beltz & Gelberg, 2000 (ISBN: 3-407-75304 -7), won the Umweltpreis für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur 2001 ('Environmental Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature'). [Second hand copies may still be available from Amazon The Young Oxford Book of Ecology (Young Oxford Books)
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FLOWERS OF THE FOREST Publisher: Plantlife International, 2001 ISBN: 1-872613-26-8 An example of the more technical-style reports which I enjoy writing. Commissioned by Plantlife, this is a guide on how to manage Scottish woodlands for wild plant biodiversity, produced as a project under the Millennium Forest for Scotland. [More information about Plantlife Scotland is available here.] |
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