To Sneeze or Not to Sneeze

To Sneeze or  Not to SneezeEric Caulton and Gina Angus

Arthur H Stockwell, £8.99

There's more to pollen than hay fever and bees. This book gives a concise guide to everything you need to know about pollen from the structure and dispersal of pollen grains to its importance in the diet of humans.

To Sneeze or Not to Sneeze introduces many interesting facts about pollen and pollen dispersal, from prehistoric times to the present, and describes how the study of pollen (palynology) has been able to ease the suffering of hay fever victims.

With recent estimates revealing that a third of the UK population will develop an allergy to pollen in their lifetime, it has never been timelier to delve deeper into the issue.

For hay fever sufferers to truly manage their problem, a more thorough understanding of pollen is needed, and this book steps away from the 'high', 'moderate' and 'low' style of pollen count used by the media in the summer.

The authors Eric Caulton and Gina Angus are pollen experts at the Scottish Centre for Pollen Studies, but you don't need to be a specialist to understand and enjoy this book. With humorous cartoons and topical pictures throughout, information is given in bite size chunks.

Whether you are a hay fever sufferer or not, I would recommend To Sneeze or Not to Sneeze, as it offers thoughtful insight into this topical and wide-reaching scientific issue.

Sophie Robinson MSB