Seeds: Time Capsules of Life

There's no denying that this is a beautiful book--the seeds are strange and wonderful and the photography is peerless. It is also chock-full of information, which is why I acquired it. The level of detail (including careful explanations of exceptions and anomalies) is impressive.I cannot give the book a rave review, however, because of the editing and the layout. I strongly suspect that an editor waded into this mass of information and injected a subhead every few paragraphs--the content/tone of these subheads is usually somewhat helpful (e.g. "Homage to the gymnosperms--at least they look good on paper" and "Creeps and jerks") but at odds with the precise scientific information that follows. Consequently the book is jarring to read (and I would venture to guess that the author of the body text was not always pleased).The book is also jarring to read because of the design. The type is VERY small (maybe 5 or 6 points?); even with reading glasses, I find myself peering at the words. They are made even harder to read by the design. On one page the tiny words are in white or orange type (!) on a black page, then as you continue and turn the page, there is an abrupt shift to black type on a white page, or a purple page. Distracting at best. Oy vey.Overall a marvelous achievement, but not very well-served by the production. WITH THE EXCEPTION of the photo quality: the photos are truly sharp and glorious.

I am biased as all get out. Even though electron microscope work tends towards more art than the nitty gritty ID plates we scientists are so often seeking this book as well as the Pollen companion helps show my friends & family why I'm so passionate about seeds. Especially the microscopic sized itsy ones. It's a lovely book to lay out on your coffee table or on your guest room night stand. It sooths your senses now and again when you need a break away from the grind of actual seed work. Awe these bizzare colors and beautiful images magnified hundreds if not thousands of times yet crisp and focused. Such a delight and treat now and again...sitting outside on a calm day relaxing with a glass of ice tea. I'm so glad I have this book and the Pollen one too. I find the price listed here today a bit over the top. And no I don't want to re-sell my copy back to Amazon or at all for that matter. I got my copy for under 30.00 just two years ago and though a used copy it was like brand new. Not a book to use to ID but one to inspire.....relax and enjoy and yes even relish when you are a seed person.

Beware! This is a "compact edition" -- meaning shrunk! The original editions were approximately 1 x 12 x 11; this is 1 x 9 x 8.5. The photographs are still amazingly beautiful, but you may need a magnifying glass to read the print!

I own "Pollen" and "Fruit" and have long wanted "Seeds" in the same series. I was very disappointed as this book seems to have been much reduced in size from the original size of the other two books so that the text is practically illegible.

Gorgeous photos, truly inspiring. We have nature and great microscope technology and photographers to thank. Lovely arrangement of the images on the page. BUT!!!! Terribly difficult to read because the graphic designer used extremely small, light-colored type on black background with too much leading between the lines. The designer was trying to be "artistic" and original but did not make the text easy to read. Same problem with "The Bizarre and Incredible World of Plants" by Stuppy, Kessler, and Harley. Maybe reduce the number of words and enlarge the font size.

I was a bit disappointed in that it seems to focus on highly unusual seeds. Type is very small and book format is small. I have the Pollen book, and was anticipating that size format, which this is not. It's like a small coffee table book, yet the layout is like a full size book, in a small size format. Shrunk down book. Otherwise is good. Nice condition. Good price for what it is, and glad I didn't pay more.

This beautifully illustrated and very well written book will keep you coming back to marvel over the amazing seed. As a biology major 40 years ago I endured the required botany course. This book lured me in with the spectacular photosmicrographs and the simply written text taught me more about the plant world in one weekend than a whole semester.....but this not an academic book per se. My only criticism is that the font was too small and that reading white on a black background or atop an illustrated background made the reading way more difficult than it had to be. In my opinion this book should have been published in in a larger traditional " coffee table" size. The extra cost would have been worth it and there would have been room for more reasonably sized font and all text could have been dark on white or light colored background without sacrificing the way the colored seeds pop against the dark background. Maybe in the second edition ??

Seeds is a very nicely done book, for the price. The photography is excellent, and the printing does it justice. The colors are vibrant and rich, especially against the black backgrounds. The paper is a medium-weight semi-gloss.The book is surprisingly small though. At 9" x 8", there just isn't a lot of it to hold onto, and each photograph is relatively small. It would have been nice to see the beautiful seeds blown up to at least 12" x 10".However, at under $25, this is very nice little book on a unique subject matter that anyone who enjoys gardening or plants in general will definitely enjoy.

A lovely reference book and the images are superb. Great inspiration for artists too.

Fantastic book, definitely one for the wish list. If you haven’t looked inside, check it out you will be blown away with its beauty.

Fantastic. Great influential book for source material for textural wrapping of sculpture.

When I first looked at dandelion seeds through the microscope I was blown away by the detailed sculpturing. Great to find that the intricacies of nature's engineering have been made accessible to a wider audience!

Smaller than expected but the photographs are still beautiful. It was bought as a gift and the recipient, a keen botanist, loved it.