The Field Guide to Fields: Hidden Treasures of Meadows, Prairies, and Pastures

by National Geographic Society

For millennia, fields in their myriad forms have been among the most fundamental elements of the landscape of human civilization. Illustrated with 300 photographs and handsome linocut-style prints, the book explains how different landscapes, climates, and cultures produced a variety of field types, from the terraced rice paddies of Southeast Asia to the impenetrable hedgerows of Northwest Europe, each reflecting both ancient traditions and agricultural progress. We see how Old World methods were adapted to new environments like the American prairie, the Australian outback, the African veldt, and the Argentinean pampas. We trace the development of the implements we’ve devised to work our fields, from hand tools to modern tractors and mechanical harvesters.

And as we learn to recognize various types of fields, we also explore their characteristic flora—wildflowers, grasses, and nourishing plants like grains, herbs, mushrooms, fruits and berries— and fauna, from tiny but indispensable bugs to field-mice, sheep, cattle, and more. Detailed identification guides catalog a wealth of plant and animal life, and wide-ranging sidebars discuss everything from how to plow a field and sow seeds to how to plant a hedge, build a dry stone wall, and shear a sheep.

Here too the rich diversity of field folklore, from rural superstitions, fairy rings, and crop circles, to local legends, weather lore, folk remedies, and more. Both a thoughtful and colorful gift and a practical, informative reference, The Field Guide to Fields portrays an intriguing no-man’s-land between true, chaotic wilderness and the orderly arrangement of human communities.

Genres: Guidebook, Nonfiction, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because the title made me laugh. It's simply ridiculous and I love it. Curious, I started it thinking it would just be a dry narrative on the history of different types of fields.

I didn't expect a colorful and no holds barred history of agriculture that includes dialogue on slavery, global warming, the exploration of the workers of the land, and cooperate greed. This book held absolutely no punches when it discussed the opium trade and history of plantations or the destruction of the rain forests.

Listen, this wasn't the most lively read. You can probably read it in a single sitting, but it is my no means enthralling to the point of not wanting to put it down. But it was informational and reminded me a lot of the things I learned in my anthro classes about the evolution of agriculture and how it has basically been the catalyst for civilization as we know it. The language was extremely readable and the artwork stunning -- I would love to purchase a few of those prints, no joke.

[Lisa Daleiden-Brugman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly skimmed this book. It was pretty cool to see how much of civilization revolves around fields. Would make a cool interdisciplinary unit for school.

[Joyce]

This is just the kind of book I like to read while falling asleep: meandering, varied, but full of real interest in a subject that's rarely written about. You can dreamily leaf through a whirlwind history of agriculture in the form of a calendar ("By [March] that most serviceable of animals, the pig, had been brought under domestication in China"), finally learn what emmer wheat is, and enjoy the very nice original (I think, it's uncredited) art throughout the book.

My edition had substantial editorial problems in the last couple of chapters -- like leaving out chunks of text while printing other bits twice -- but at least it's not like there was a storyline to be ruined.

[Mark McTague · Rating 1 out of 5]

The term "Field Guide" suggests careful taxonomic organization complete with enough descriptive detail to help one to see particular differences within general patterns, in short, much more of an agronomic discussion. This is not that book. What one does find are pages and pages of general information about the history of fields within human history, and as such one doesn't learn much that is new (unless one is a twenty-something computer guru who has read almost nothing that isn't connected to programming, IT, and related fields [pardon the pun]). There are some tidbits of information one hasn't encountered before (e.g., the word "denim" derived from the French phrase "serge de Nimes," after the town where such cotton fabric first was produced to popular acclaim), but these are too few and too far between to justify the time spent plowing through page after page of "Yes, I learned that a long time ago, thank you." So if you know absolutely nothing about fields or human natural history, this would be a profitable read for you. Otherwise, ...

[Eeee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I learn about the world, the richer it becomes, and the more I find myself enjoying my place in it! Beautiful pictures, easy to parse through writing, but I gotta deduct points for misprints and editing errors :(