"My first 'nature book' was The Lapwing by Eric Ennion. It was published in 1949 as the first in a series of Field Study Books With Ennion as general editor. l can still remember the pleasure which I had from handling this book, mainly because of the cover – a montage with an Oystercatcher, some beetles, Sycamore seeds, frogs, crabs, an orchid, archaeological remains and so on. Now I realise how much lustre is added to this book, and others in the series, by Ennion's delightful illustrations."