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SECRET LIFE OF AN OAKWOO
Includes photographs of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and plants in an oakwood. This book looks at the English oakwood as an increasingly threatened wildlife heritage. The images are accompanied by captions and essays on each of the four seasons.
- GenresNatureNonfictionAnimals
160 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 1986
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 25, 2024
The Secret Life of an Oakwood is subtitled A Photographic Essay, thus making it clear that the focus (excuse the pun) is squarely on the phenomenal photographic studies of nature by Stephen Dalton.
Stephen Dalton is famous for his high-speed flash photography, as seen in several earlier books such as “Borne on the Wind”, “The Miracle of Flight”, “Caught in Motion” and “Split Second”. Here though he includes photographs across the whole range; many close-ups, some landscape shots, both medium and long distance, and a few of those dramatic high speed shots with their sharp crystalline focus against a deep black background. They are stunningly beautiful photos of an English oak wood in all its aspects, throughout the course of one year.
Broadleaved deciduous woods, once covering so much of England are now much reduced in area, always competing with the increasing demand for human settlements and facilities. The woods once nearly covered southern Britain, and the photographs in this book are all taken in a small fragment of that area surrounding a reservoir, which is now a nature reserve in Sussex. As well as all aspects of the trees themselves, the book includes photographs of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and other plants which are all part of this protected environment. Stephen Dalton has used natural light as much as he can to chronicle all four seasons in an oak wood, at all times of day and night. It gives an absorbing and often new perspective of this lovely corner and its biodiversity. The interlinked habitats show the delicate balance of our increasingly threatened wildlife heritage.
There is an introduction on the history and ecology of English oak woods. followed by four sections on the seasons, each preceded by an essay. The freelance writer and naturalist Jill Bailey has written these, but they are a little too flowery for my taste; like an overblown rose compared with say, the simple close-up panorama of fallen oak leaves in Autumn carpeting the forest floor, which is used for the end papers. I much prefer the informative captions which accompany each image. It is not clear whether Jill Bailey or the photographer Stephen Dalton wrote these, but the style is quite different.
After the chapter on Winter, there is a further short one-page section titled “Notes on the Photography” which has technical details on the lighting, film and various equipment used. This is of particular interest to photographers, particularly those who remember the pre-digital days of film. This book was originally published in 1986, but the photographs and production values remain superb and could not be bettered.
The Secret Life of an Oakwood is a large format heavy book, using top-grade glossy photographic paper. Some images overlap a little on to the opposite page, some are full page and some half a page or less. Occasionally they spread over both pages. This design makes for an easy and interesting read.
It would be ideal for someone who does not have access to, or can no longer walk in a wood. Equally, it makes any reader look again with fresh eyes at what may have previously seemed familiar.
My rating is four stars, solely because I would have preferred a less romanticised commentary. The images and design format deserve five.
Stephen Dalton is famous for his high-speed flash photography, as seen in several earlier books such as “Borne on the Wind”, “The Miracle of Flight”, “Caught in Motion” and “Split Second”. Here though he includes photographs across the whole range; many close-ups, some landscape shots, both medium and long distance, and a few of those dramatic high speed shots with their sharp crystalline focus against a deep black background. They are stunningly beautiful photos of an English oak wood in all its aspects, throughout the course of one year.
Broadleaved deciduous woods, once covering so much of England are now much reduced in area, always competing with the increasing demand for human settlements and facilities. The woods once nearly covered southern Britain, and the photographs in this book are all taken in a small fragment of that area surrounding a reservoir, which is now a nature reserve in Sussex. As well as all aspects of the trees themselves, the book includes photographs of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and other plants which are all part of this protected environment. Stephen Dalton has used natural light as much as he can to chronicle all four seasons in an oak wood, at all times of day and night. It gives an absorbing and often new perspective of this lovely corner and its biodiversity. The interlinked habitats show the delicate balance of our increasingly threatened wildlife heritage.
There is an introduction on the history and ecology of English oak woods. followed by four sections on the seasons, each preceded by an essay. The freelance writer and naturalist Jill Bailey has written these, but they are a little too flowery for my taste; like an overblown rose compared with say, the simple close-up panorama of fallen oak leaves in Autumn carpeting the forest floor, which is used for the end papers. I much prefer the informative captions which accompany each image. It is not clear whether Jill Bailey or the photographer Stephen Dalton wrote these, but the style is quite different.
After the chapter on Winter, there is a further short one-page section titled “Notes on the Photography” which has technical details on the lighting, film and various equipment used. This is of particular interest to photographers, particularly those who remember the pre-digital days of film. This book was originally published in 1986, but the photographs and production values remain superb and could not be bettered.
The Secret Life of an Oakwood is a large format heavy book, using top-grade glossy photographic paper. Some images overlap a little on to the opposite page, some are full page and some half a page or less. Occasionally they spread over both pages. This design makes for an easy and interesting read.
It would be ideal for someone who does not have access to, or can no longer walk in a wood. Equally, it makes any reader look again with fresh eyes at what may have previously seemed familiar.
My rating is four stars, solely because I would have preferred a less romanticised commentary. The images and design format deserve five.
June 2, 2021
This is a very enticing book which did prove enjoyable overall, with some quibbles. The framing with short seasonal essays by Jill Bailey was a good idea but I was rather unmoved by the writing and preferred Dalton's captions. Some unnecessary comments jarred... there is plenty to say about the grey and red squirrel issue but I found the assertion that greys are 'much less attractive' a rather questionable statement (aesthetically and the dubious point that seemed to be implicitly made)
I also felt that, whilst I enjoyed the beautiful photographs, too high a proportion of them were of that style in which the subject is lit so as to appear against a black background.
I also felt that, whilst I enjoyed the beautiful photographs, too high a proportion of them were of that style in which the subject is lit so as to appear against a black background.
August 31, 2025
A gorgeous picture book of an Oak forest in Sussex, which could well be regarded as an ecological introduction into the living community of such a forest. But it's first and all an eulogy. The pictures are amazingly well done, the text is lyrical. Accompanying texts to the photographs are well-informed, they contained for me surprising new facts about any species that happened to be portrayed.
I loved the book the more because I am a regular visitor of a similar Oak forest just near to my home. It made me experience it with new eyes.
The book is from 1986, and it was a second-hand copy that we bought, for only two pounds, in a charity shop in Cambridge. What a luck!
I loved the book the more because I am a regular visitor of a similar Oak forest just near to my home. It made me experience it with new eyes.
The book is from 1986, and it was a second-hand copy that we bought, for only two pounds, in a charity shop in Cambridge. What a luck!
April 20, 2025
Beautiful lyrical text and soul feeding photos :)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews