How to Read the Landscape: A crash course in interpreting the great outdoors is certainly no academic field guide but this should not deter lay-geomorphologists and geologists. The foreword clearly explains the purpose of the book: to allow people to understand their physical surroundings when on holiday, for instance. Having a consultant editor with a solid academic background and current working position in earth sciences, more specifically, physical geography, the reader should feel confident that the information delivered is both accurate and reliable. Robert Yarham is a professional natural science writer, often published in The Guardian, making this book accessible to the geology-geomorphology enthusiast.

Colour photographs and pencil drawings adorn nearly every page and text is kept to short, sharp statements. The photographs are beautiful and depict stunning examples of geomorphological and geological phenomena and, in some ways, are too good. The reality is that in the Highlands of Scotland one is more likely to chance upon a poor, vegetated example of patterned ground rather than the spectacular examples illustrated from Iceland.

We are introduced to the book by some vague and airy statements about human beings wanting to connect to the natural landscape in a primeval way. Academics may find this type of ‘spiritual connectivity’ statement, though pleasant in sentiment, somewhat irritating and completely unnecessary. However, for some, this may be the type of introduction that inspires them to read on.

Following the introduction, the book pursues a logical structure. Part one: Understanding the Landscape introduces how rocks form and then discusses the deformation and destruction of rocks through tectonics, weathering and erosion, with illustrations of the plethora of landforms associated with these processes. Fossils are also included in the processes section, which at first seems odd but makes sense when one realizes that it is the process of fossilization that is being discussed.

Part two: Reading the Landscape forms the bulk of the book and provides the reader with a selection of landforms that are categorized into Uplands, Lowlands, Coast, Karst, Other Landscapes and Artificial Landscapes. The author does try to emphasize that these categories are not exclusive. Of note, ‘Other Landscapes’ describes the climatic control on landscape structures and forms and how the current landscape may contain relict features from previous, different climatic regimes. These are rather complex concepts to grasp, particularly for what is essentially a field guide, but the authors have done well in portraying the long- and short-term dynamics of the Earth at different scales.

The ability to read and interpret different types of maps and locate oneself in the hills is vital in the Earth Sciences. It is, therefore, very encouraging to have this covered in the final section of the book, Mapping the Landscape. The brief introduction to the history of mapping is informative and sets up the chapter well, more so than the preceding chapters. This final section is also a ‘quick start’ guide to navigation in the hills and demonstrates that the author has been responsible in recognizing the need to educate the reader in the tools necessary to operate safely in the outdoor environment.

The generic topographical and geological maps in this final section are illustrative but lack contour heights and grid lines. Given that this is a guide to geomorphological features, it would have been more informative if examples of these features on topographical maps were also used alongside the photographs. Directing the reader to online resources for geological maps is a welcome initiative to persuade the reader to seek more material themselves. Unfortunately, topographical maps aside, as an introduction to reading a geological map, many useful interpretative details are omitted. Symbols on the geological maps, representing folding, intrusive features and lithological unit abbreviations, are not referred to at all; a simple comprehensive legend would have solved this issue.

Despite the text being short, snappy and generally informative, the reader occasionally chances upon a certain phrase that has a literal scientific meaning but has been misconstrued: ‘… so much of the landscape has been altered by humans since we evolved into farmers’ (p. 41). I await with eagerness the paper that formally describes this new species of Homo farmer. Additionally, there are also some simple errors in location names, for example, ‘Mount Snowdon’ rather than the correct ‘Snowdon’.

Careless ambiguities, probably a result of keeping the book accessible, further compound the lack of accuracy. Some of the titles for landforms can be misleading. For example, ‘River Islands’ is used to headline how braided rivers form. This is inaccurate if applied to all islands found in rivers.

A glossary can be a most effective tool, allowing the author to explain a complicated term only once thus freeing up text space for more information. Like a dictionary, many people may consider the glossary definition to be absolute, thus the need for careful and appropriate choice of words is paramount during its construction. Unfortunately, some of the definitions given are, again, ambiguous, inaccurate or wrong. For instance, lineation simply is not ‘an arrangement of any features found in a rock’.

The index has been constructed so as to try and anticipate what the target audience may look for when they observe a structure or feature. ‘Steps in rock’ directs the reader to a section on waterfalls and upland river rapids, but I wonder if people will be misled into thinking that some anthropogenic steps carved into rock are the product of waterfalls or upland rapids.

How to Read the Landscape is a collection of titbits of information on the subjects of geology, geomorphology and geography. With bold pencil drawings and impressive photographs, this would be a suitable revision tool for secondary school students. However, this guide appears to be targeted at those who want to recognize and understand the rich variety of features found in landscapes, at home and abroad, without formal study. To this end, it serves its purpose and the errors encountered are likely to be missed by many through ignorance alone without any great damage to their understanding. However, I think that in a publication attempting to explain complex ideas in a simple and clear way there should certainly be a stronger emphasis on accuracy without casual errors slipping though the editorial net.

• © 2012 Scottish Journal of Geology