Book excerpt: This comprehensive guide to the ferns of southern Africa (covering South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia) throws new light on a fascinating category of plants that is little known by the general public . User-friendly and accessible, it will enable quick and sure identification of all 321 ferns known to occur in the region. Each species features a double-page spread with a full plate of photographs (including close-ups); informative line drawings where necessary; clear text descriptions; tables that highlight differences between similar-looking species; and distribution maps based on years of intensive fieldwork. In addition, there are identification keys to families, genera and species. To compile this book the authors travelled extensively and took some 30 000 photographs, even finding several new species of fern. They are all treated in this guide – some described here for the first time. This unique and beautiful volume will become the standard reference book on the ferns of southern Africa.