Verified Company
Book review: Dutch association of wood collectors (www.nehosoc.nl)
Described in the quarterly magazine the Wood Collector (Houtverzamelaar)
The book is organized by the first botanical name in alphabetical order, for example Dalbergia. (and Family name). Then for some species alphabetically by the 2nd botanical name, for example Dalbergia baronii Baker ect.
200 types of wood are included.
The general texts are versatile and broad in knowledge. There are many photos of both beautiful drawings of wood and end products in the form of bowls, pens and statues. Photos of all types of wood have also been added, ranging from ¼ sheet to an elongated photo of 1/3 or ¼ page.
All main species have an identification key and a macroscopic round photo.
For some species with a second botanical name, no identification key has been added, but a photo of the flat side and an end photo are included.
Geography distribution is clearly visible on the world map. IUCN status is indicated in black letters, the disadvantage is that this is adjusted annually and so it quickly becomes outdated.
The graphs are clear, but take some getting used to. The identification key is a nice addition to delve more into what you see and what names are given to it.
Overall, I think it is a nice book with clear information and beautiful photos. It is not a wood vademecum as we know it in the Netherlands, but certainly a good addition. The many photos make it a light-hearted book with a lot to see (and read). The index is clear and concise and makes searching by trade name or botanical name very easy.
Ron Metz Secretary Nehosoc Netherlands
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Willem van de Groep
Discussion macroscopic wood features
Ron Metz gives excellent information about the contents of the book LIGNA MUNDI in his book review. Because I am interested in the macroscopic characteristics of the wood species collected, I ordered the book through Ron Metz. Because I do not manage to do microscopic research on my wood species because I am not able to make good sections.
After receiving the book I was pleasantly surprised by the way the book is bound. Because of the descriptions accompanying the species, I took in the determination program and accompanying information. After studying this information and test-driving the determination program, I became deeply impressed with the work of both authors.
Checking the characteristics of the species listed in the book revealed the value of the determination program. After checking a characteristic, the program gives an overview of all species containing that characteristic. In the case of checking the characteristics, the genus and species name were known. If then an attribute was accidentally checked that did not belong to the species then the species disappeared from the list of species. Checking also revealed that two species from the book were not included in the determination program. The species in question are: Alstonia scholaris and Berchemia zeyheri. Of the species Chlorocardium rodiei, the program omits characteristics 12, 24, 25 and 26. Furthermore, for genera such as Dalbergia and Diospyros, the program sometimes gives one or more species with the result of the determination according to the program. This is because the species of these genera have many macroscopic similarities. Further literature research can then help.
Through this book, the determination program and the accompanying information, the pleasure in collecting and finding out the genus and where possible the species name has increased.
