Review of ‘‘The Flora Sheffielder’ and The Peak District Journal of Natural History and Archaeology’, by Melvyn Jones and Ian D. Rotherham

This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper, on 8th April 2002, and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.

The two latest journals from Wildtrack Publishing will appeal to all who have an interest in the ecology, natural history and archaeology of the Peak District.

'The Flora Sheffielder' is the title of a book supporting an interactive project for local people in and around the Peak. The aims of the new venture are simple - to encourage and record cultural knowledge of plants, such as gardening, herbal medicine and folklore. In fact editors Ian D. Rotherham and Janet Alton want to hear about anything to do with plants and people.

Taking a similar approach to the hugely successful Flora Britannica run nationally, they hope to learn more about such topics as the way we use herbs for cooking, also local knowledge of the region's flora, especially from older people who perhaps remember using herbal cures for illnesses. The ten-year project depends very much on input from readers. The first journal gets off to a fascinating start with 14 subjects as diverse as Some Uses of Garlic, St John's Wort, Memories of Herbal Cures and Two Smelly Ones ...

'The Peak District Journal of Natural History and Archaeology', edited by Melvyn Jones and Ian D. Rotherham, is now in its second edition. This annual publication is devoted to all aspects of wildlife, nature, history and archaeology, and related conservation issues. The editors describe their aim as an academically robust publication but also interesting and relevant to the more casual reader.

Volume 2 of the journal contains titles dealing with the presence of deer in the region, ancient coppice woods, the Peak's millstone industry - with a reappraisal of the industry in the Hathersage area - and the impressive Ashblack slug! With almost 100 pages and a wealth of illustrations.

Volume 1 was reviewed on 11th September 2000.

Review by Julie Bunting