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Welcome new edition of this rich and fascinating account of ancient British woodland that is of equal interest to botanists and historians, both professional and amateur. Rackham looks at woods both as natural ecosystems, having a life of their own, and as the products of human management. He shows how how the species composition of woodland has changed over the years and how the variety of woodland types still relates to the original mosaic of wildwood. He gives detailed historical and ecological accounts of both individual woods and a range of woodland types from prehistoric times to today and, supplementing these with documentary and archaeological evidendence, Rackham shows how slowly changing woodland management regimes, responding to current social and economic demands, have maintained and sometimes modified the woods. Rackham has added 9 brand new chapters since the first edition was published in 1980, and photographs have been re-scanned to improve reproduction.