If I read in the small print that the pages of this book had been impregnated with chemicals to protect them from fungal and insect invasion, then I wouldn't be at all surprised.

Colourful as coral, yet dense as what we used to call jungle, this compact volume is designed for the rucksack rather than the coffee table. Which makes it doubly appealing to the armchair traveller.

Why? Because like all field guides, this book exudes authority.

When it tells me that the combined weight of the termites and ants in Malaysia is greater than that of all the hoofed animals added together, I am inclined to believe it. And when it explains how mangrove swamps work, what makes an atoll and why the savanna is burning, I am all ears.

It matters little that I have no practical use for this information at present. Simply reading about it fills me with wonder, and encourages me in the belief that, one day, I might find myself in the back of a 4x4, swatting mosquitoes and excavating larvae from my legs.

Are there snakes in this grass? Should we feed these elephants? What will happen if we take a swim and meet an electric ray? "Hang on," I shall say. "I brought this little book along. Now, run those questions past me again."