What do you think?
Rate this book
The Life of
The Private Life of Plants
Accompanying a David Attenborough series on BBC Television, and with the aid of time-lapse photography, this book reveals hidden events and phenomena of plant-life throughout the world.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
39 people are currently reading
4118 people want to read
About the author
David Attenborough
174 books2,756 followersSir David Frederick Attenborough is a naturalist and broadcaster, who is most well-known for writing and presenting the nine "Life" series, produced in conjunction with BBC's Natural History Unit. The series includes Life on Earth (1979), The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds (1998), The Life of Mammals (2002), Life in the Undergrowth (2005) and Life in Cold Blood (2008).
He is the younger brother of director and actor Richard Attenborough.
Photo credit: Wildscreen's photograph of David Attenborough at ARKive's launch in Bristol, England © May 2003
He is the younger brother of director and actor Richard Attenborough.
Photo credit: Wildscreen's photograph of David Attenborough at ARKive's launch in Bristol, England © May 2003
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
January 8, 2022
I really liked the format and the way it was written. Made !e excited for the next book by David Attenborough I've got on the go. However plants isn't really something I'm overly interested or excited over but it was an pleasant experience anywho
July 23, 2023
Ho hum... another 5 star book by Sir David Attenborough. He has the unique ability to make the most humdrum interesting. "The author reveals to us the aspects of plants' lives that seem hidden from view, such as fighting, avoiding or exploiting predators or neighbors, and struggling to find food, increase their territories, reproduce themselves, and establish their place in the sun." There are only 6 chapters: 1.) Travelling; 2.) Feeding & Growing; 3.) Flowering; 4.) The Social Struggle; 5.) Living Together; and 6.) Surviving. Combined with the large number of excellent photographs, the book is remarkably short.
But take for example, the chapter on Flowering. On the 1st page of the chapter, he presents magnified photos of 12 different types of pollen from 12 species of plants from ragweed to sycamore. Each pollen grain looks nothing like the others. They are beautiful. In fact, all the photos in this edition are beautiful. He also covers the symbiotic relationship between plants and their pollinators. It isn't just bees, but a myriad variety of various bugs, reptiles and birds that depend upon one another.
I wish this book had been available to me as a pre-teen, as it would certainly appeal to a youngster wanting to know more about the natural world than what is in a textbook. I don't know what kid who isn't interested in learning about how the Venus Fly Trap digests its victims alive, for example.
Great photos and a superb narrative. Highly recommended.
But take for example, the chapter on Flowering. On the 1st page of the chapter, he presents magnified photos of 12 different types of pollen from 12 species of plants from ragweed to sycamore. Each pollen grain looks nothing like the others. They are beautiful. In fact, all the photos in this edition are beautiful. He also covers the symbiotic relationship between plants and their pollinators. It isn't just bees, but a myriad variety of various bugs, reptiles and birds that depend upon one another.
I wish this book had been available to me as a pre-teen, as it would certainly appeal to a youngster wanting to know more about the natural world than what is in a textbook. I don't know what kid who isn't interested in learning about how the Venus Fly Trap digests its victims alive, for example.
Great photos and a superb narrative. Highly recommended.
June 27, 2018
I throughly appreciated this colorful plate laden book. The explanations were easily understood. I never had to Goodgle anything as their were color plates carefully chosen to show what Attenborough was describing. I feel as though I have read an enjoyable beginning botany text book. I will not likely re-read, so 4 Stars. But I do plan to watch his series on YouTube.
Read this month honor of Earth Day April 22.
Read this month honor of Earth Day April 22.
November 4, 2016
The written counterpart to Attenborough's television series of the same name. If you are looking for a bunch of "are you shitting me" moments, this is your book. Highlights for me include the migration of the sea-bean and the elaborate nectar bribes of the Bucket Orchid.
August 2, 2015
Fantastisch boek. Heel wat info kende ik al, maar op sommige momenten stond ik met open mond naar het boek te staren. Geniaal hoe ver planten gaan om hun overlevingskansen te vergroten en zich voort te planten.
De grappige opvatting dat planten misschien wel kunnen denken (inleiding), lijkt niet zo veraf als je het boek uit hebt... Zoveel mechanismen die je versteld doen staan van de wonderlijkheid van de natuur...
De mens het verst geëvolueerd? Lees eens dit boek en je krijgt respect voor je groene buren...
De grappige opvatting dat planten misschien wel kunnen denken (inleiding), lijkt niet zo veraf als je het boek uit hebt... Zoveel mechanismen die je versteld doen staan van de wonderlijkheid van de natuur...
De mens het verst geëvolueerd? Lees eens dit boek en je krijgt respect voor je groene buren...
January 8, 2020
Another Attenborough classic:
David Attenborough makes the point right at the start of The Private Life of Plants that plants aren't boring, they just live on a different timescale than us humans. With this book he thoroughly justifies this; plants travel thousands of miles by their seeds, crawl and brawl over each other with plants such as brambles engaging in open warfare with their competitors, and trick a panoply of animals into pollinating them or dispersing their seeds. There are so many fascinating plants in this book it is difficult to say which is my favourite; I like the window plant which stays submerged in the desert to conserve water and channels light to its photosynthesising cells via clear crystals of oxalic acid. I also like the sequoias just for their sheer size. I guarantee that if you read this book you will never look at plants in the same way again!
David Attenborough makes the point right at the start of The Private Life of Plants that plants aren't boring, they just live on a different timescale than us humans. With this book he thoroughly justifies this; plants travel thousands of miles by their seeds, crawl and brawl over each other with plants such as brambles engaging in open warfare with their competitors, and trick a panoply of animals into pollinating them or dispersing their seeds. There are so many fascinating plants in this book it is difficult to say which is my favourite; I like the window plant which stays submerged in the desert to conserve water and channels light to its photosynthesising cells via clear crystals of oxalic acid. I also like the sequoias just for their sheer size. I guarantee that if you read this book you will never look at plants in the same way again!
February 8, 2018
Absolutely brilliant book! If you want your mind to be wildly exploding, you will want to read this.
In this Attenborough paints a vivid picture of the plant world, and shows the most amazing examples of creatures within. It's hard to say whether it's just the format of it, but it felt like the book-version was for me easier to follow than the documentary films, and I could easily re-read the parts that shocked and surprised me the most. It was still the same old Attenborough, and nothing was going too far into the detail, so in case you really want to know more about some specific thing, you will need to find it out by yourself. It's both lovely and merciless, as you really would wish he could tell you all of it, right now, but.. I guess that's a good sign!
The only difficulty for me in the book (besides not wanting it to end, ever) was the partly shaky translation of his down-to-earth writing. And that's only because of the finnish language, I think (as I've seen this problem a few times before, when a writer uses their english in a very distinctive way, and it shows trough as awkward and trying-too-hard-vibes in finnish).
The book is meant to be read by anyone, and therefore it's vocabulary has been altered and stripped down of any difficult, so basically scientific terms. I still have to admit that at the same time as I really do respect the low treshold, because anyone with any level of knowledge really could use this information, sometimes the easy metaphors and childish verbs made me feel like the reader is considered a bit too simple.
Most of the time the reading was still very enjoyable, and the text flowy!
It's hard to criticise something so lovely, but I want to keep my over-selling in a relatively normal level. Because all in all this was one of the best decisions I've made reading-wise, ever and forever.
It gave me a huge amoung of new perspective and child-like wonder, and that's something everyone needs in their lives. I was constantly shaking my head laughing because of our leafy loller-friends and their unbelievably stunning, ridiculously genious weird wonders, as it was as hard to believe as all the other craziness on this planet. Which means: really hard.
It's going to get a violent recommendation-boost in the near future!
In this Attenborough paints a vivid picture of the plant world, and shows the most amazing examples of creatures within. It's hard to say whether it's just the format of it, but it felt like the book-version was for me easier to follow than the documentary films, and I could easily re-read the parts that shocked and surprised me the most. It was still the same old Attenborough, and nothing was going too far into the detail, so in case you really want to know more about some specific thing, you will need to find it out by yourself. It's both lovely and merciless, as you really would wish he could tell you all of it, right now, but.. I guess that's a good sign!
The only difficulty for me in the book (besides not wanting it to end, ever) was the partly shaky translation of his down-to-earth writing. And that's only because of the finnish language, I think (as I've seen this problem a few times before, when a writer uses their english in a very distinctive way, and it shows trough as awkward and trying-too-hard-vibes in finnish).
The book is meant to be read by anyone, and therefore it's vocabulary has been altered and stripped down of any difficult, so basically scientific terms. I still have to admit that at the same time as I really do respect the low treshold, because anyone with any level of knowledge really could use this information, sometimes the easy metaphors and childish verbs made me feel like the reader is considered a bit too simple.
Most of the time the reading was still very enjoyable, and the text flowy!
It's hard to criticise something so lovely, but I want to keep my over-selling in a relatively normal level. Because all in all this was one of the best decisions I've made reading-wise, ever and forever.
It gave me a huge amoung of new perspective and child-like wonder, and that's something everyone needs in their lives. I was constantly shaking my head laughing because of our leafy loller-friends and their unbelievably stunning, ridiculously genious weird wonders, as it was as hard to believe as all the other craziness on this planet. Which means: really hard.
It's going to get a violent recommendation-boost in the near future!
April 5, 2018
Whimsy is often thought of as something fantastical and other worldly, but this book has filled me with a sense of whimsy that rivals the likes of Terry Pratchett. I've always loved David Attenborough. His documentaries and how he focuses on these humanizing tiny details within nature, bring that childlike sense of wonder about the world. Admittedly, I adored watching Jeff Corwin and Steve Irwin as a child (I totally had a crush on Jeff when I was 8 <3) and ecology has been the first science that I've loved (which I think is true of a lot of children) and I think as I read this, I felt myself being transported to a time where I wanted nothing more than to be a scientist studying the rainforests of Costa Rica. If you are interested in world-building or creating a fantasy universe, this book serves as great inspiration.
February 26, 2023
Fascinating book.
July 3, 2018
Having read "the hidden life of trees" by Peter Wohlleben, this book was quite a visual delight. The plant phenomenon detailed by Sir David in the book weren't new to me thanks to the other book but the versatility and flourish with which the books details them is surely very enthralling. The visual details for every point and example adds to the experience.
At times, one could almost hear him speak as one looked at those pictures as if watching the BBC series itself.
At times, one could almost hear him speak as one looked at those pictures as if watching the BBC series itself.
June 26, 2009
If you love to marvel at the creation and the intracacies of the web of life, this is a great walk-through book with fascinating but never tendentious text and lavish photographs illustrating many of the wondrous plants and creatures it explains.
Whether David Attenborough actually wrote the text or just lent his name to the enterprise, this is a good book drawn from a PBS series. You can learn everything from how orchids tempt some bees to pollinate them by displaying a petal that looks like a female bee in heat, to desert plants that hide most of their leaves underground to avoid the blistering sun but have clear tips above the ground with lenses to gather the light for sustenance, to plants that trap beetles in underground chambers so they can get the nutrients from their carcasses to how a mature oak tree can host more than 100 species of moths.
Just wonderful stuff.
August 16, 2011
I liked the bits of new information I was able to pick up, and the photos were fantastic, but I found myself feeling frustrated most of the time, as I usually do if I watch TV. I suppose it should be no surprise that since this went along with a TV series, it should be written in little "TV bites." A little tidbit of information, and then on to the next subject, leaving me still wanting to know more. Even though David Attenborough's style of writing is very entertaining, I still felt somehow unsatisfied.
June 21, 2014
The book is absolutely fantastic and full of high quality photographs. I would undoubtedly give it five stars if it weren't for the Polish edition that I have read, which is more sloppy that I would ever expect. The text contains very basic punctuation mistakes (I would guess that the punctuation form the English original has been preserved) and occasional grammar errors.
February 6, 2008
the man can do no wrong. really.
September 16, 2014
Another "top shelf" favorite! David Attenborough makes every topic he chooses captivating, intriguing, and altogether enjoyable, even those topics many people might call dull or boring,
January 2, 2017
Excellent book, just as fun to read as it was to watch the series. I highly recommend this book to any plant lover.
November 25, 2021
This books gives you more respect for plant life because it makes plants cooler and shows that no plant is the same you become more acknowledged of the fact that there is more diversity and differences all those weird australian plants that only open with fire or the weird algae fungus plant things or the flower that grows underneath the dirt on the edge of dirt and air and survives on termites. David attenborough is one of the most positive people I know off im a real fan because his life is a work of real love. You dont have to be a hippy to like nature you need to be yourself and do what interests you and helps others ! Im happy to have read this book and gave it to a library.
August 19, 2019
Unlike the documentary, this book requires imagination. But as a book, this encyclopedia is closer to a story book than an actual encyclopedia. It is just facts, but the way Sir David Attenborough wrote the book; it more or less resembles a story book, with the seemingly most boring of life actually more closer to warfare, than just waiting. My favorite part was the beginning, when the movement of plants was being explained. That really opened my eye to the movement of simplistic plants.
January 4, 2023
So it turns out plants are pretty awesome.
"It is a marvellous demonstration that plants, in the form of seeds, are not only unexcelled travellers in space, but also incomparable travellers in time".
"Leaves are the food factories of a plant. The raw materials they use are of the simplest. Carbon dioxide, water, and a few mineral ingredients".
Last but not least....It's David Attenborough!
"It is a marvellous demonstration that plants, in the form of seeds, are not only unexcelled travellers in space, but also incomparable travellers in time".
"Leaves are the food factories of a plant. The raw materials they use are of the simplest. Carbon dioxide, water, and a few mineral ingredients".
Last but not least....It's David Attenborough!
June 25, 2021
This book highlights some of the most astounding plants in our world. Every time I found myself thinking "but what on earth does that look like?" there was a beautiful, clarifying picture waiting for me on the page beside it.
The only problem with this book is that sometimes it was so relaxing imagining things like the growth of a forest over decades that it put me to sleep.
The only problem with this book is that sometimes it was so relaxing imagining things like the growth of a forest over decades that it put me to sleep.
January 18, 2022
Excellently written and beautifully illustrated with photos. Covers
many different aspects of plant life like survival. flowering, etc.
My only negative is that the book tends to focus on plants that are
unusual and life under extreme conditions like arctic cold or desert
heat. I would like to read more about plants that humans encounter
on a daily basis. A worthwhile read nonetheless.
many different aspects of plant life like survival. flowering, etc.
My only negative is that the book tends to focus on plants that are
unusual and life under extreme conditions like arctic cold or desert
heat. I would like to read more about plants that humans encounter
on a daily basis. A worthwhile read nonetheless.
November 21, 2018
The book is based on a BBC nature film, and it's chock full of wonderful color photos and strange and interesting facts about plants, their relationships with one another and with fungi and animals. A really fun and interesting read.
January 24, 2018
David Attenborough can do no wrong. This book was brilliantly informative without being tedious and covered a good amount of information.
March 3, 2018
Easily one of the best books I've ever read. Intelligent and informative, and best of all, I can hear Attenborough's beautiful voice in every word.
October 25, 2018
This book is wonderfully and engagingly written! It describes the wide variety of adaptations and lifestyles of plants around the globe and brings drama to plants.
February 28, 2019
Wonderful!
May 20, 2019
Reading this in the voice of Attenborough was quite the treat
August 26, 2019
Technically, I have not read this book but I have recently watched the BBC series that it is based on.
I simply adore the different BBC natural series with David Attenborough as narrator.
I simply adore the different BBC natural series with David Attenborough as narrator.
Want to read
May 9, 2020Source: A Walk in the Woods
May 20, 2020
we need more focus on all the rad non-animal life
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews