This new book, edited by Professor John Catt, and now published by the Hertfordshire Natural History Society, was planned as long ago as 1950, with a first draft started by Percy Evans, who died in 1973 before it was finished. The project was revived by John, who persuaded several specialists to complete their long-promised contributions, with the last arriving in April 2010, 37 years after it was originally requested a county geology book, it is unusual in covering not only the basic buried and surface geology of Hertfordshire, but also the implications for landscape development, soils, ecology, agriculture, archaeology, water supply, waste disposal, civil engineering, canals, mineral resources and church building stones.
As John points out on the HNHS Website: “This will be a landmark publication for Hertfordshire, which until now has lacked an authoritative work on the county’s geology and how this influences the landscape as we see it today. It also highlights the vital importance to modern day life of our geological resources and their exploitation.” The new Hertfordshire Geology and Landscape has 370 A4 pages, with over 100 colour photos and over 100 colour figures and maps, largely the work of Miles Irving, of the UCL Geography Drawing Office. Until December 15th it is available on pre-publication offer of £29.50 (cover price £39.50) through the Hertfordshire Natural History Society www.hnhs.org
