Twelve Trees
And What They Tell Us About Our Past, Present and Future
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- $30.99
Publisher Description
*Chosen by Waterstones as one of their best Nature Writing Books of 2024, and by The Economist as one of their best books of 2024*
'A heartwarming guide to these fascinating giants of nature . . . A book that is full of surprises . . . Highly empathetic and informative' Independent
'A global arboreal odyssey' Guardian
‘Marvellous' The Economist
'Enlightening, it offers hope for the future' Sunday Post
Twelve amazing species of trees that can teach us about our past, present and future.
In Twelve Trees, professor Daniel Lewis takes us around the world – from Australia to the United States, from Easter Island and Mexico to Cameroon – and introduces us to twelve tree species that epitomise the many threats faced by our planet, from climate change, poachers and parasites, to fungi and even elephants. He celebrates their many strengths in the face of adversity, and their enduring abilities to survive – and even thrive – in an increasingly dangerous planet.
Trees are essential to all of our lives – and they need our help. In this incredible tribute to the noble tree, Lewis dives deep into the cutting-edge science and inspiring community efforts helping to keep them alive. Saving the tree, as he argues, means the saving of humanity.
Beautifully written and informative, Twelve Trees is a heartwarming and enlightening guide to some of our most fascinating trees – and why we should be working harder to protect them.
ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BOOKS TO WATCH IN 2024
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Every species of tree offers lessons to the world," according to this enchanting study. Lewis (Belonging on an Island)—a curator at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Southern California—expounds on the biology and ecology of African baobabs, Great Basin bristlecone pines, and Central African forest ebony, among other tree species. Explaining the extraordinary abilities of California's coast redwoods, Lewis notes that the trees "generate some two million pounds of negative pressure" to pull water from their roots to their uppermost branches, a journey that takes weeks to complete. Lewis also explores trees' relationships with humans, discussing how the Indian government has implemented strict bureaucratic rules controlling the growth and sale of East Indian sandalwood trees, which are often poached and sold for huge sums because of their importance to traditional Asian medicine ("When a farmer has approval to harvest, a government official must come in person to uproot the entire tree"). The plentiful trivia fascinates, and Lewis has a talent for complicating conventional wisdom. For instance, he contends that despite California residents' denigration of the invasive blue gum eucalyptus as the "nation's largest weed," it provides crucial shelter for migrating monarch butterflies, whose needs aren't met by native vegetation. The result is a loving paean to all things arboreal.
