What do you think?
Rate this book
Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History
Diana Wells, author of 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names now turns her attention to something bigger—our deep-rooted relationship with trees. As she investigates the names and meanings of trees, telling their legends and lore, she reminds us of just how innately bound we are to these protectors of our planet. Since the human race began, we have depended on them for food, shade, shelter and fuel, not to mention furniture, musical instruments, medicine utensils and more.
Wells has a remarkable ability to dig up the curious and the captivating: At one time, a worm found in a hazelnut prognosticated ill fortune. Rowan trees were planted in churchyards to prevent the dead from rising from their graves. Greek arrows were soaked in deadly yew, and Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth used “Gall of goat and slips of Yew” to make their lethal brew. One bristlecone pine, at about 4,700 years old, is thought to be the oldest living plant on earth. All this and more can be found in the beautifully illustrated pages (themselves born of birch bark!) of 100 Trees.
Wells has a remarkable ability to dig up the curious and the captivating: At one time, a worm found in a hazelnut prognosticated ill fortune. Rowan trees were planted in churchyards to prevent the dead from rising from their graves. Greek arrows were soaked in deadly yew, and Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth used “Gall of goat and slips of Yew” to make their lethal brew. One bristlecone pine, at about 4,700 years old, is thought to be the oldest living plant on earth. All this and more can be found in the beautifully illustrated pages (themselves born of birch bark!) of 100 Trees.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 18, 2010
76 people are currently reading
756 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 11, 2010
Well, crap. This is not a book that really gives much insight into the "Lives of Trees." This is a sort of not-thorough-or-informative-enough diminutive encyclopedic look at trees. In a different publishing house, this might have been a big coffee-table book with more drawings (the ones in here are fantastic; they are just extremely limited) and fact-oids, and maybe photos... and then we would forgive it the fact that it doesn't really delve into the "Life" of x tree because it would be so pleasing to look at and see those drawings of the willow leaves or pine-cone cut-in-half-view, etc. Or, in another publishing house, this might have been a book actually about the lives of trees, more narrative, still wildly informative, but also lyrical. Really giving us more depth about X tree, etc.
Sadly, it does neither. The book is set up in an encyclopedia style (trees entered alphabetically... alphabetically!!! Not by genus, or region, or even by comical category, but by alphabet... sigh). It has 1-3 short pages about the tree in general, but no consistency of the type of facts across trees (so you don't learn the same things about all the trees) or really enough facts in general to be a satisfying sort of little "book look-up". And there is the occasional related folklore about a tree (Adam and Eve and the apple tree, huh?... wow, that's a big surprise). But not enough to make this book consistently interesting or useful. It needs to be one or the other. It's neither. Sad clown :(
I did learn one interesting fact: the avocado is a dichogamy (basically hermaprodidic). It's flowers open twice a day as the opposite gender as the time before. E.g. "A" flowers open once in the morning as "female" flowers, and then in the afternoon as "male" flowers, "B" flowers do the reverse, etc. That's why you need a whole orchard so you can be sure some are males in the morning while others are females in the morning, etc. Just goes to show: it takes a village.
Sadly, it does neither. The book is set up in an encyclopedia style (trees entered alphabetically... alphabetically!!! Not by genus, or region, or even by comical category, but by alphabet... sigh). It has 1-3 short pages about the tree in general, but no consistency of the type of facts across trees (so you don't learn the same things about all the trees) or really enough facts in general to be a satisfying sort of little "book look-up". And there is the occasional related folklore about a tree (Adam and Eve and the apple tree, huh?... wow, that's a big surprise). But not enough to make this book consistently interesting or useful. It needs to be one or the other. It's neither. Sad clown :(
I did learn one interesting fact: the avocado is a dichogamy (basically hermaprodidic). It's flowers open twice a day as the opposite gender as the time before. E.g. "A" flowers open once in the morning as "female" flowers, and then in the afternoon as "male" flowers, "B" flowers do the reverse, etc. That's why you need a whole orchard so you can be sure some are males in the morning while others are females in the morning, etc. Just goes to show: it takes a village.
July 15, 2012
I don't see what there there is not to love about a book about trees. Random factoids dot each alphebetized chapter, albeit rather haphazardly, but containing relevant information such as folklore, etymology, and edibility and uses. This books straddles the line between coffee table book and encyclopedia, but sits rather on the side of those with an informative purpose, not really with the book-shaped drink costers.
November 25, 2010
It was difficult for me to read this book straight through. I think it would be better to keep on a table near a cozy chair, and flip through it as your mind wanders. The encyclopedic information about trees is sorted by species. It's not a biology-focused book. There is plenty of natural history, anecdotal, colloquial information, etc. The problem I had was that there was no major narrative to draw me through the book, and the individual anecdotes were not engaging enough to make me want to read more. I know it has one author, but it read like an anthology, with widely varying quality of information in each section. If I bought this it would be a coffee table book that I would rarely leaf through, and we don't have a coffee table! So god(dess) bless the public library for letting me figure that out & save my dollars.
March 13, 2012
Received as a gift this book was a pleasant surprise. It's a light reading encyclopedic look at the biology and origins of just a few of the common trees of North America. This book will not qualify you as an arborist nor is it required reading for a biology class, but it is a clever little book that provides a handy primer on almost any tree you'll see on your next walk through the forest. I keep it on my bookshelf but it could also serve you well on the coffee table or in the lav for your next sit down study session. It's like the Cliff notes of trees wrapped up in a cute green hardcover. Informatively adorable!
February 5, 2021
This is a simple but good book, not academic. I loved the myths, the names, and the history. It’s small in size and doesn’t have the glossy photos I associate with coffee table books but probably best read in small doses. The simple black and white prints fit the book perfectly.
December 31, 2014
A collection of obscure but interesting information about different trees, grouped by the common name of the tree.
March 31, 2024
While there were many fun facts in this book and the writing was pretty good, sometimes it would get confusing as a different tree would be talked about quite a bit that wasn't the tree the chapter was about. I think it also would have benefitted from more illustrations. The included pencil drawings of some leaves and a flower were nice, but not all that helpful when some very interesting identifying features were mentioned.
To fully enjoy this book I think you need to read it very slowly, just a few trees a day. And ideally have someone to share the interesting facts with.
To fully enjoy this book I think you need to read it very slowly, just a few trees a day. And ideally have someone to share the interesting facts with.
April 27, 2021
DNF?- I read about 25% and then just skipped around to trees that sounded interesting to me. Unsure why I thought I could read a 400 page book about trees cover to cover.
May 28, 2011
If you have an interest in horticulture, and in particular the history of plants, this should be fascinating for you. In 2 or 3 pages, you will learn how each tree got its name, where it's native, what its purpose in history has been, what diseases a tree might be subject to... all kinds of very interesting information that gives you a new respect for a Chestnut, the lowly Alder and Thujas, Junipers, from around the world.
Even the Monkey-Puzzle tree is given a spot. The Araucaria, Monkey-Puzzle, is native to Chile. Five nuts were "pocketed" and germinated on the ship, HMS Discover, as it made its way to Kew Gardens. The story goes on but I'll leave the final secrets to you. I really enjoyed the book. It's more of a fun reference book than a sit down and read it cover to cover. It's a fun read.
Even the Monkey-Puzzle tree is given a spot. The Araucaria, Monkey-Puzzle, is native to Chile. Five nuts were "pocketed" and germinated on the ship, HMS Discover, as it made its way to Kew Gardens. The story goes on but I'll leave the final secrets to you. I really enjoyed the book. It's more of a fun reference book than a sit down and read it cover to cover. It's a fun read.
October 16, 2018
I took my time reading Lives of Trees by Diana Wells. Each chapter contains history and stories about specific trees, listed in alphabetical order. The chapters are independent, so could actually be read in any order. I read the book on my Kindle and only saw a small sketch of leaves at the beginning of each chapter. I found myself looking the trees up online, to get a better image of each tree as I read. It was an interesting and informative read, but would have appreciated accompanying photos or good illustrations.
January 27, 2019
As a voracious reader when it comes to nature, plants, and their history, I enjoyed the idea of this book but didn’t love how the author would often spend half a chapter talking about a different species than the one the chapter is about.
December 7, 2018
Boring and incredibly disjointed. Couldn’t finish it, not even good as a reference work. And I’ve never left a book unfinished!
January 24, 2019
This book was a deeper dive into botany than I have gone before, but it was a rewarding experience. This is, in some ways, more of a reference book more than anything else, and the only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is that there was no narrative woven throughout.
I love trees, and the books I have read over the last several years make that obvious. I get out and saunter (as John Muir would call it) and enjoy trees as often as I can. But, I am kind of woefully uninformed about science, so slowly learning to get into tree classification more in recent years has been a fun challenge. This book for sure helps me with all that, and I was particularly interested in the pieces of stories of the European colonial-explorer-botanists who made so many of these trees known to the Western world. I also find the etymology of trees fascinating, and simultaneously infurating. It is very hard to improve at tree classification as a novice like myself becuase there are so many different names for trees, and for that matter, trees that are different types yet seem remarkably similar. This book sort of made me feel better about myself becuase apparently even the experts can't make up their names about tree names or types.
Finally, thus far, I have mainly gone in for what most of us would call trees--the really tall things with bark. But this books goes into detail about many ornamental, shrub, fruit, or tropical varieties that we often don't really think of as trees, and some of these aren't technically trees, such as the palm or the saguaro. But they do in many ways function as trees, and they are just interesting to learn about either way. This part of it was also fun for me having traveled at least some in the world, so I have seen, for example, some middle eastern varieties of trees in person that would have been only vaguely known to me otherwise.
I will for sure keep reading more about trees, but I do enjoy books about trees that are more woven into narratives, like Deakin's Wildwood for example.
I love trees, and the books I have read over the last several years make that obvious. I get out and saunter (as John Muir would call it) and enjoy trees as often as I can. But, I am kind of woefully uninformed about science, so slowly learning to get into tree classification more in recent years has been a fun challenge. This book for sure helps me with all that, and I was particularly interested in the pieces of stories of the European colonial-explorer-botanists who made so many of these trees known to the Western world. I also find the etymology of trees fascinating, and simultaneously infurating. It is very hard to improve at tree classification as a novice like myself becuase there are so many different names for trees, and for that matter, trees that are different types yet seem remarkably similar. This book sort of made me feel better about myself becuase apparently even the experts can't make up their names about tree names or types.
Finally, thus far, I have mainly gone in for what most of us would call trees--the really tall things with bark. But this books goes into detail about many ornamental, shrub, fruit, or tropical varieties that we often don't really think of as trees, and some of these aren't technically trees, such as the palm or the saguaro. But they do in many ways function as trees, and they are just interesting to learn about either way. This part of it was also fun for me having traveled at least some in the world, so I have seen, for example, some middle eastern varieties of trees in person that would have been only vaguely known to me otherwise.
I will for sure keep reading more about trees, but I do enjoy books about trees that are more woven into narratives, like Deakin's Wildwood for example.
December 31, 2022
I was enjoying reading a little bit of tree lore everyday, until I realized I still had 3 books to go to hit my goal this year. I finished reading about the last 12 trees in the book just now.
This book is like chatting with an older experienced gardener who knows a lot about the histories of trees. One memory leads to another, not always about the same tree, or even the same family of trees. It's a mildly structured ramble through an arbitrary alphabet forest of trees. But it is a quite amiable ramble, and an easy read.
Note, all the "discoverers" of these trees, after whom so many are named, weren't native to the places where they "found" the trees. But they are part of the stories about these trees, and often about how the trees came to travel around the world. Imagining what that all means is fascinating.
Now, I have to try to finish one more book this year ...
This book is like chatting with an older experienced gardener who knows a lot about the histories of trees. One memory leads to another, not always about the same tree, or even the same family of trees. It's a mildly structured ramble through an arbitrary alphabet forest of trees. But it is a quite amiable ramble, and an easy read.
Note, all the "discoverers" of these trees, after whom so many are named, weren't native to the places where they "found" the trees. But they are part of the stories about these trees, and often about how the trees came to travel around the world. Imagining what that all means is fascinating.
Now, I have to try to finish one more book this year ...
May 30, 2022
Have you ever had someone start telling you a story and then some detail causes them to split off in the middle and start another story, and maybe even wander off into a 3rd before circling back to the original? That's what reading this book is like. Each chapter is ostensibly about some particular tree. But Wells will hare off about some other trees that might be related or was once thought to be related or has a similar name but is otherwise totally unrelated or has similar leaves or... You get the idea. While all seems factually correct, I found this wandering style unsatisfying. But that is purely a matter of personal taste. If you are interested in trees, you could pick worse books.
August 16, 2019
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. Reading it once from the library wasn't enough so I bought the book as well. As a plant biologist, this book fills a particular niche for me. It isn't a technical read (the author admits to this in the intro); instead, the book compiles a variety of facts, stories, and thoughts that make each chapter individually charming. I will be revisiting this book many more times.
December 13, 2021
This is a long series of very short chapters each about a different tree. There are some mildly interesting facts but in the end it’s not very deep, not very interesting and not really well written. It’s kind of like the author googled the name of each tree and compiled what she found in two or three pages of text.
Read
January 21, 2025Much more a coffee-table book than I was expecting, which is to say: hard to digest in one go. Certainly I won't retain much of the fire-hose of widely ranging detail about individual trees this author selected to investigate (historically, culturally, etc). I eventually dipped in randomly, hopping around as though I had forever to read, retain, finish.... which I didn't.
March 8, 2018
I have loved trees since I was a little girl. I remember naming all the trees in the park next to my school. I treated them as my friends and I would take care of them after school. With that, I so enjoyed this book with all the history and legends of the trees.
November 6, 2019
An intriguing mix of etymology, mythology, history, and how trees are used by humans.
The scientific names of many trees share a common theme: some white dude "discovers" a tree, names it after himself or his rich patron.
The drawings are gorgeous.
The scientific names of many trees share a common theme: some white dude "discovers" a tree, names it after himself or his rich patron.
The drawings are gorgeous.
December 2, 2021
This book has a lot of curious facts and historical footnotes about nearly every variety of tree you could of heard of.
Its not told as a narrative but instead a series of 100 distinct chapters, each about a different tree.
I enjoyed it but it didn't change my life.
Its not told as a narrative but instead a series of 100 distinct chapters, each about a different tree.
I enjoyed it but it didn't change my life.
January 15, 2015
Chock full of tales of trees. Informative and funny.
But don't buy this for your friends into horticulture, botany, dendrology, or taxonomy (in fact the book says this itself). It will drive them wild with it's mix of historical references to plant explorers, folklore, science bits, and outlandish pronouncements.
But it was a fun and light read. It might have helped if there were actually more drawings, especially when the text wanders widely - like the segue from cottonwood (shown) to cotton (not pictured). And there was a segue as odd in pretty much each section - non related trees, shrubs, flowers, politics, what-have-you. But maybe it was a lack of the Kindle edition rather than the book.
And why 3 not 4 stars? As entertaining as it was, the wording or phrasing was odd. The text didn't flow easily from paragraph to paragraph; often there was an abrupt change within a paragraph. I thought for the longest time that the book must have been written in a different language and translated (badly) into English. I just found the phraseology too jarring to really love the book.
But don't buy this for your friends into horticulture, botany, dendrology, or taxonomy (in fact the book says this itself). It will drive them wild with it's mix of historical references to plant explorers, folklore, science bits, and outlandish pronouncements.
But it was a fun and light read. It might have helped if there were actually more drawings, especially when the text wanders widely - like the segue from cottonwood (shown) to cotton (not pictured). And there was a segue as odd in pretty much each section - non related trees, shrubs, flowers, politics, what-have-you. But maybe it was a lack of the Kindle edition rather than the book.
And why 3 not 4 stars? As entertaining as it was, the wording or phrasing was odd. The text didn't flow easily from paragraph to paragraph; often there was an abrupt change within a paragraph. I thought for the longest time that the book must have been written in a different language and translated (badly) into English. I just found the phraseology too jarring to really love the book.
September 10, 2011
Saw this one at the bookstore today, while at lunch. what I think of quirky history along with my interest in plants and the environment. Just ordered it and can't wait to read it.
page 14 Alder Tree: "There were also legends of alder women - beautiful young women who lured and trapped men, then turned into gnarled old hags.""
ever hear of the Baobab tree? Me either, it grows in African deserts which they call the upside down tree. "They have the capacity to store large amount water in their soft, spongy trunks." . One Swahili saying, "As secure as an elephant bound with Baobab rope""
I found this to be a quick and interesting read. learned about the monkey puzzle tree, from the Ghost and Mrs Muir, I've wondered about it. Lots of other interesting facts and histories of varies trees.
page 14 Alder Tree: "There were also legends of alder women - beautiful young women who lured and trapped men, then turned into gnarled old hags.""
ever hear of the Baobab tree? Me either, it grows in African deserts which they call the upside down tree. "They have the capacity to store large amount water in their soft, spongy trunks." . One Swahili saying, "As secure as an elephant bound with Baobab rope""
I found this to be a quick and interesting read. learned about the monkey puzzle tree, from the Ghost and Mrs Muir, I've wondered about it. Lots of other interesting facts and histories of varies trees.
April 18, 2014
Overall I really liked this book. I thought that there was a good balance, usually, between anecdotes and factual information for each of the entries. The author tried to end each entry with an emotional tug - "We are reminded that just as a new live tree can sprout from seemingly dried out willow branches, so could the souls of the two lovers rise from the ashes and fly away, free as birds." (p.342) - which I found contrived and rather annoying. The little sketches of each tree's leaves, flowers, or overall form were delightful. Basically a nice little reference book that reads better than a reference book.
Want to read
January 7, 2010I've been wanting a book that could better familiarize me with trees for a long time now because well, I'm a damn hippie. This is the first book I've heard about that seems to capture the spirit of what I wanted from a book about trees. It isn't very scientific, it's easy to read, it's got pictures, and it's full of fun facts and interesting historical information regarding the big brown buddies of mine that I barely know. The interview with the lady mentioned the willow tree, if this book also mentions Magnolias, then I will be forever satisfied.
January 28, 2016
I've been reading this book off and on since I ordered it in June last year. Mostly because it's sort of encyclopedia-like, and it's hard to pick it up and read through it once you stop. Which is not the book's fault, because it is charmingly written, with a good balance of scientific and anecdotal. Charming is the only word I can think of to describe it properly.
I'm very, very glad I ordered it; I'm very, very glad I read it; and I'm very, very glad I finished it, after 7 months.
I'm very, very glad I ordered it; I'm very, very glad I read it; and I'm very, very glad I finished it, after 7 months.
April 11, 2012
This is a quirky and fun book. It's fun to leaf through, but will stay on my desk as a reference. I learned that one of my favorite trees, the tulip poplar, is the tallest hardwood on the continent, among other tidbits. I didn't read it cover to cover, but just breezed through to read bits about trees I know.
June 29, 2013
Well... this book was interesting, but in the end just plain old too long, considering the subject matter. 100 trees. I like trees, I do... but reading about the histories of 100 of them was too much and by the end I was dying for this book to be over.
3 stars because the information is good, there's just too much of it and too dryly written about.
3 stars because the information is good, there's just too much of it and too dryly written about.
June 7, 2013
Another one of those summer books that is great for browsing - it's all 2-4 page essays on major species of trees -- historic use, classical stories about them, a bit of folklore. I liked it a lot, but if you don't care about trees you won't want to read this.
alphabetical
June 21, 2010Just the sort of thing I like. I can skim through and find the tree that interests me and learn about it. Example: Linden, Ginko, Tree of Heaven, Willow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews