"First published as a three-volume boxed edition in India in 2006 for Reliance Industries Pvt. Ltd"--T.p. verso.

"Includes the first two volumes of the original edition: Volume I, The nature of biodiversity in India and Volume II, National parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 849-851) and index.

v. I: THE NATURE OF BIODIVERSITY IN INDIA: Humankind and the web of life -- The biodiversity of India -- The nature of the Indian wilderness -- India's floral heritage -- India's rich faunal heritage -- v. II: NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES OF INDIA: Five decades of travels in the Indian wilderness -- National parks and wildlife sanctuaries -- The cold desert of the Ladakh Plateau and the lofty Himalayas -- The Himalayan foothills, the Terai and the North-East -- Arid and semi-arid regions of the West -- The Sal Forests of Central India -- The Teak Forests of Central and Peninsular India -- The Deccan grasslands and scrublands -- The forests of the Western Ghats -- The Teak Forests of South India -- The Sholas, evergreen hill forests and moist evergreen low forests -- The waterside: rivers and lakes -- The coastal waters and river deltas -- Emerald islands.