My favourite non-fiction book this year...[a] highly readable history of the last half-billion years on earth Oliver Sacks, Observer Books of the Year David Beerling tells two stories in parallel. Both are eloquently and engagingly merged in a scholarly, yet generally accessible book...Beerling provides for the reader a fascinating history of the discovery of fossils and the inferences drawn from them...this book is a wonderful example of the nascent field of Earth systems science. Paul Falkowski, Nature ...of great value and relevance to all interested in plants, climate and, equally, the future of our 'emerald planet'. John MacLeod, RHS Professor of Horticulture, Garden David Beerling's fascinating new book offers a new global perspective on the evolution of our planet...[a] vivid account...The environmental legacy of the plant kingdom upon our world can only be better appreciated after reading this book. Louis Ronse De Craene A beautifully detailed account...a gorgeous book. Steven Poole, The Guardian (Review) [A] fascinating overview of green evolution. Karl Dallas, Morning Star Within these pages is one of the greatest stories ever told ... It is as fascinating as it is important. New Scientist The Emerald Planet is a serious talking-to about why plants must not be ignored. Jonathan Silvertown, TLS

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Leaves, genes and greenhouse gases; 3. Oxygen and the lost world of giants; 4. An ancient ozone catastrophe?; 5. Global warming ushers in the dinosaur era; 6. The flourishing forests of Antarctica; 7. Paradise lost; 8. Nature's green revolution; 9. Through a glass darkly; Notes; Index