REMARKABLE TREES

Thames & Hudson, £24.95 ISBN 978-0500021927

Every plant has a story, and this is a book of exploration into the fascinating history of trees and the impact they have made on our civilisation. Reviewer Steve Edney is head gardener at The Salutation.

Trees are one of the longestliving organisms on the planet, and as such you quickly realise how our fate is bound to their fate. The tree of life appears in almost all civilisations, depicting eternity or everlasting life; without wood to make fire we would never have risen to be the dominant species on Earth, and right up to today there is a growing awareness of the vital role they play in benefiting our environment and climate. As a former arborist I’m only too delighted to sing their praises.

If you are looking for a book on tree identification, this is not it. There are already quite enough books that do a great job of that. This is a book of exploration into the richness and diversity that the natural world has to offer in the domain of trees, and the epic stories they have to reveal.

What a rare treat to read a book by experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Tony Kirkham and Christina Harrison have written this book intelligently, breaking it down into chapters you can dip in and out of, such as Body and Soul, and Building and Creating. Each section takes you on a very personal journey into how trees have shaped our world, from trees that have provided us invaluable food and medicine, to trees that have built our boats of exploration, to how closely trees are linked with many of our traditions and celebrations – all of which is testament to just how potent they have been on shaping our civilisation, history and everyday lives.

The illustrations are mainly from the Kew archives, with each picture a work of art – these wonderful drawings as remarkable themselves as the trees they depict, adding extra depth for the readers journey through the world of trees.