The Society's Publications

London's Changing Natural History: Classic papers from 150 years of the London Natural History Society
Edited by Mark Burgess

Chosen from the many important contributions to the Society's journals, these papers range from 1916 to 1997, and cover taxa from algae to mammals.

Other papers cover topics such as a survey of four London churches made before World War II. Bomb damage to the city provided a window of opportunity to survey the succession of plant and animal life which the members eagerly seized and wrote about. The same was true of the bomb craters at Bookham Common, a site the Society has been surveying for over 60 years. The rivers hidden under London streets, the disappearance of starlings from Trafalgar Square, the effects of air and water pollution with their later amelioration, and the evidence for climate change are also the subjects of papers included in this volume. Photographs of some past members are included.

Most papers are preceded by commentaries by present members. Notable among these is a reminder of the many contributions that members of the Society have made and continue to make to Collins's New Naturalist series. Other commentaries provide a valuable conspectus of the present state of nature in London and highlight the challenges of the twenty-first century.
VIEW LIST OF CONTENTS (PDF)

264pp (November 2008) ISBN 0 901009 25 3 Soft-back, 15 x 21 cm. Price £5.00 includes p & p.
For details of where to send payment see HOW TO ORDER section at foot of this page.

Distribution Atlases

In recent decades the Society published a number of distribution atlases. These are the product of enormous effort by the Society's members and others in collating biological records, and provide important baseline data against which we can monitor future changes. 'Flora of the London Area' (1983) 'Butterflies of the London Area' (1987), 'Larger Moths of the London Area' (1993), 'The Natural History of Buckingham Palace Garden' (1999), are now out of print. The following is still available:

The Breeding Birds of the London Area

Edited by Jan Hewlett. £10.00 including p & p
294pp. (2002) ISBN 0 901009.12.1
Recording the bird life of London and its surrounding rural fringe, this important book traces changes in the capital’s breeding birds in the last 30 years of the 20th century, a period of major environmental change in both town and countryside. It compares maps of breeding distribution in 1988-94 with earlier surveys and documents both the success of species such as the Great Crested Grebe, Magpie and Sparrowhawk in colonising new areas and the decline of once-familiar species such as the Barn Owl and Yellowhammer in the London Area. Line drawings illustrate most species. Foreword by R.S.R. Fitter, historical perspective by E.M.Nicholson.

The Society's Journals

For many years the Society has produced two annual journals: The London Naturalist and London Bird Report. These are sent free to members each year. Current issues can be purchased separately. A standing order facility for receiving journals on publication with an invoice is available.
For details of availability and cost of current and back issues, submitting orders, and other enquiries about our publications see HOW TO ORDER section at foot of this page.



The London Naturalist


The London Naturalist contains scientific papers and articles about many aspects of London's biodiversity. The latest edition is No. 88 for 2009. VIEW LIST OF CONTENTS OF NO. 88.
It is available for £8, plus £1 p&p for despatch to addresses in the UK.




A full list of contents of the London Naturalist and its predecessor from 1915 to 2008 can be downloaded here:

- As a pdf file (381kb, 37 pages); download this PDF VERSION if you wish to read on-line or make a printed copy. Text of this list of contents is fully searchable. (To read you will need the Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded free from the Adobe Downloads site.)

- As a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (259kb); download this XLS VERSION if you wish to edit or
re-sort the entries, or load into a database. (For this you will need Excel or a compatible spreadsheet package.) Also fully searchable.

The full text of the London Naturalist itself is not available on-line. Please visit our LIBRARY page for details of access to our library where you can read this journal.

All back issues of The London Naturalist from 1966 onwards are available for purchase, - please enquire from the address at the foot of this page for further details.

You can read about the changing face of LN Covers over the years on our HISTORY page ...


London Bird Report


This contains articles and information about the current status
of bird species in the London area. It is compiled from records submitted by some 500 or more people.
The latest edition is No. 71 for 2006 (published May 2009).
VIEW LIST OF CONTENTS OF NO. 71
It is available for £8 plus £1 p&p for despatch to addresses in
the UK.



A full list of contents of London Bird Reports from 1936 to 2005 can be downloaded here:

- As a pdf file (193kb, 20 pages); download this PDF VERSION if you wish to read on-line or make a printed copy. Text of this list of contents is fully searchable. (To read you will need the Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded free from the Adobe Downloads site.)

- As a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (138kb); download this XLS VERSION if you wish to edit or
re-sort the entries, or load into a database. (For this you will need Excel or a compatible spreadsheet package.) Also fully searchable.

The full text of the London Bird Report articles themselves is not available on-line. Please visit our LIBRARY page for details of our library where you can read this journal.

Many back issues of London Bird Report from the 1950s onwards are available for purchase - please enquire from the address at the foot of this page for further details.

Editorial Correspondence

Full instructions to contributors are given inside the back cover of each journal. To enquire about submitting content for a future edition of a journal please write to the editor: current details are given on our CONTACT page.

How to Order:
Please make cheques payable to ‘London Natural History Society’ and send to:
C. Schmitt, 4 Falkland Avenue, London N3 1QR
Please note that the Society does not have facilities to accept on-line payments