Around the World in 80 Trees

by Jonathan Drori, Lucille Clerc Narrated by Tania Rodrigues

Overview

"An arboreal odyssey" - NATURE

"One of the most quietly beautiful books of the year" - DAILY MAIL

Discover the secretive world of trees in Jonathan Drori's number one bestseller...

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 takes 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.

"An irresistible mix of science, culture, botany, history and vicarious travel" - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

"Reads like a love song to the natural world, brimming with ancient anecdotes contained within the earth" - CULTURE TRIP

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Dominique Browning

…exquisite…Beautiful illustrations by the French artist Lucille Clerc, strewn generously throughout, have the limpid calm of vernal pools…[Jonathan Drori's] sunny prose sparkles with authority…[Around the World in 80 Trees] abounds with discoveries.

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/11/2018
Former BBC documentary filmmaker Drori and French artist Clerc take readers around the world in this fascinating volume on trees of all sorts. Drori begins in London, his hometown, before venturing through all the other continents save Antarctica. A lifelong nature lover who grew up near the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Drori says he chose the 80 trees he profiles “for their interest and their diversity” and encourages readers “to contemplate the trees they encounter” every day. He describes the London plane, for instance, as “a tree of pomp and circumstance,” planted throughout the capital during the 19th century to complement its “imposing squares and thoroughfares” and now as much a part of London’s architecture as its buildings. Brief and accessible chapters highlight such trees as the Leyland cypress, slim, upright, used primarily to create privacy; the European box, popular for topiary; the cork oak, whose bark is stripped for cork; the sweet chestnut, whose “starchy, tasty fruit” is “nutritionally similar to wheat”; and the ornamental cherry tree, dazzling in full bloom. Each discussion is accompanied by Clerc’s meticulous drawings, which offer a level of detail even photographs might not easily reveal. This exploration is both educational and visually exceptional. Illus. (May)

From the Publisher

"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

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175787154
Publisher:	Octopus Books
Publication date:	03/10/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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