E. C. Pielou (1924–2016)

Superlative, non-technical communique of inevitable natural change. This is a book that can only be written and hand-illustrated by a life-long student of natural history. There are many threads to pull from the fabric of this narrative. One of my favorites is how the fish got over the mountain. E.C. Pielou is a tenured scientist who never loses sight of her audience, the general public.

Ever wonder how the forests spread after the glaciers melted? What was here then and what came after?
The scattered refugiums that were the home of the relict populations of hardwoods and creatures…It happened
over and over. This is a book that is a key. The doors it opens are wondrous…

Smart book by a smart author, now deceased.

The Interpretation of Ecological Data: A Primer on Classification and Ordination

FROM THE PUBLISHER
A detailed introduction to the methods used by ecologists--classification and ordination--to clarify and interpret large, unwieldy masses of multivariate field data. Permits ecologists to understand, not just mechanically use, pre-packaged programs for multivariate analysis. Demonstrates these techniques using artificial data simple enough for every analytical step to be understood.