Around the World in 80 Trees

Description

"Beautiful to behold and to read" - THE SUNDAY TIMES "An arboreal odyssey" - NATURE "One of the most quietly beautiful books of the year" - DAILY MAIL "Jonathan Drori's deep-seated love of nature is contagious in this tree-by-tree journey across countries and continents. A book to take your time over" - WIRED Jonathan Drori's number one bestseller, now available in paperback! Bestselling author and environmentalist Jonathan Drori follows in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg as he tells the stories of 80 magnificent trees from all over the globe. In Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of human life, from the romantic to the regrettable. From the trees of Britain, to India's sacred banyan tree, they offer us sanctuary and inspiration - not to mention the raw materials for everything from aspirin to maple syrup. Stops on the trip include the lime trees of Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard, which intoxicate amorous Germans and hungry bees alike, the swankiest streets in nineteenth-century London, which were paved with Australian eucalyptus wood, and the redwood forests of California, where the secret to the trees' soaring heights can be found in the properties of the tiniest drops of water. Each of these strange and true tales - populated by self-mummifying monks, tree-climbing goats and ever-so-slightly radioactive nuts - is illustrated by Lucille Clerc, taking the reader on a journey that is as informative as it is beautiful. The book combines history, science and a wealth of quirky detail - there should be surprises for everyone. Perfect for fans of Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees, this new book will certainly whet the appetite of any tree lover to take an around-the-world trip, or simply visit your local botanic garden. The perfect travel guide for nature enthusiasts. Winner at the Woodland Books of the Year Awards 2018. "An irresistible mix of science, culture, botany, history and vicarious travel" - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Jonathan Drori CBE is a Trustee of The Eden Project, an Ambassador for the WWF and was for nine years Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and The Woodland Trust. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society and the Zoological Society of London, and a former documentary filmmaker with the BBC.

Energetic writing accompanied by captivating illustrations that evoke the wonder and magic of trees meant I couldn't put this book down until I'd absorbed every beautiful page. Funny and informative, it's a heartfelt and personal look at the world's best known trees, their links with humanity and role in the natural world. It's hard to look at these towering plants without sharing the same love Drori and Clerc have clearly poured into Around the World in 80 Trees. * Jack Wallington, The Telegraph * Around the World in 80 Trees is one of my most treasured volumes in the rather massive library of tree books that I accumulated over the years that I researched and wrote The Overstory -- Richard Powers, Pulitzer Prize winning author