The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession

by Amy Stewart

Fifty gorgeously illustrated vignettes of remarkable people whose lives have been transformed by their obsessive passion for trees--from Amy Stewart, the New York Times bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist.

The Japanese practice of forest bathing, shinrin-yoku, changes the levels of stress and pleasure hormones in the body, decreasing cortisol and increasing serotonin. And if being around one tree feels good, imagine how a hundred trees would feel. In her first botanical nonfiction in more than a decade, Amy Stewart brings us captivating stories of people who spend their lives collecting trees and asks what drives one to collect something as enormous, majestic, and deeply-rooted as a tree?

In her gentle, intimate, slyly humorous way, Stewart brings fifty of these people to life, organizing their stories into categories. There are the community builders--like Shyam Sunder Paliwal who, after the death of his daughter, began a movement in his Rajasthan village to plant 111 trees whenever a girl was born--who do the remarkable work of knitting people together under an arboreal canopy. There are seekers who have taken their passion for trees around the world, or even into space. There are visionaries--the former poet laureate, W.S. Merwin, who planted a tree a day for over three decades, until he had turned a barren estate into a palm sanctuary. And there are healers--like Joe Hamilton, who plants trees on land passed down to him by his formerly enslaved great-grandfather--who have found a way to heal their own lives, the lives of others, or even wounds of the past, by planting trees.

Vivid watercolor portraits of these extraordinary people, populate this lively compendium along with with sidetrips to investigate more about trees, famous tree collections, necessary terms, and even "tips for unauthorized forestry." This book will be a gift for the hundreds of thousands of readers who have come to Amy's previous nature books and a delightful, informative, and often poignant treat for a whole new audience.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Essays, Gardening, Environment, Plants

336 pages, Hardcover

Published July 16, 2024

About the author

Amy Stewart is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including Girl Waits with Gun, Lady Cop Makes Trouble, The Drunken Botanist, and Wicked Plants.

She lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer.

Stay connected with Amy via her newsletter , where she offers cocktail recipes, creative inspiration, book recommendations, and more!

Reviews

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tree Collectors is a non-fiction book written and illustrated by NYT best-selling American author, Amy Stewart. After encountering one tree collector, then another, then reading about a third, Stewart began actively seeking them for their stories, finding that no two were completely alike.

She presents fifty different collectors from all over the world who have fifty different reasons for collecting, whose focus is in fifty different areas, and who have equally diverse ways of collecting. They are driven by highly individual desires and instincts.

She found that “When you ask people to tell you about the one activity they do not for money, not out of necessity, but to indulge their deepest passions and their wildest curiosities – well, you’re in for an intimate conversation.”

Whether they aim to conserve threatened species, restore the land, surround themselves with beauty, make memorials or create art, each is interesting. And “Tree planting is a way to both renew then land and the person doing the planting.” Stewart arranges her collectors into ten meaningful categories, and the vignettes are interspersed with related and useful lists: tree terms, tree societies, non-human seed collectors, bonsai size classification, types of grafts, and collective nouns for trees.

“How to” instructions also feature: make a leaf collection, plant a tiny forest, move a large tree, or measure your tree. There are tree-related places to visit: historic trees, Olympic oaks, moon trees, private arboreta, champion trees, wood collections, corporate tree collections, and seed distributors helping who help prevent extinction. And there are people who contribute/d: botanist explorers, and celebrity tree collectors.

The collections vary widely: acres of real trees, megabytes of virtual trees shared on social media, those championing rare, endangered or historic trees, a tree museum, a Noah’s Ark of plants, labs researching tree genetics, wood samples, bonsai trees, pine cones, and seeds.

Each story is of interest. Notable are: a mental health facility in Poland whose patients benefit from hands-on involvement with tree cultivation; a man whose youthful desire to plant a tree in treeless Greenland resulted in an arboretum; a Toyota engineer who became an engineer of tiny forests; a man who slowly, sneakily planted an forest in his suburban yard; a childhood habit of collecting seeds that became a seed collection and distribution service; a man who sculpts trees into a very different topiary; and a man who landscapes Oakland median strips.

Collectors: grow fruit trees to share in the community; preserve Ethiopian church forests; restore Native American peach orchards; have a soft spot for ailing trees; try to preserve apple varieties; and try to produce blight-resistant American chestnuts. And that’s just a small sample.

Stewart applies her artistic talent to illustrating the trees and other aspects of the story in gorgeous colour, and each vignette of four to six pages includes a watercolour of the collector in their element. Delightful to dip into, never dry or boring, this volume is informative, inspirational and so, so beautiful.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Text Publishing.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea there were so many people around the world obsessed by trees. What a great thing they are all doing for us, preserving species and urban planting. I wish I had my own property to plant. Of course there was the one guy who planted on traffic islands. Hmmm.
Written and illustrated by the author this book is inspirational.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

All about the people who collect trees. Short vignettes of about 50 people around the world who love trees. Some are professionals, some are amateurs, all are passionate.

I did like Stewart's effort to be global in scope. While the people skew from the US, there are some people from Asia, South America, Australia, Europe and I think one or two from Africa. I was kinda disappointed there weren't as many people featured who collected firs, though, or more people from Oregon (Stewart lives in Portland).

The illustrations are gorgeous and there is much to be learned about arboreal conservation efforts.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio, which was not the best way to read this book. I have a print copy on hold and will reassess this book once I get a chance to view that copy.

[CatReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy Stewart is an American fiction and nonfiction writer; I've previously listened to the audiobook version of her 2013 work The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks and was unfortunately not a fan. I'm unfortunately also not a fan of the audiobook version of 2025's The Tree Collectors, for the exact same reason: presented in audiobook format without the illustrations in the print version, this is basically like listening to a dictionary (read: extremely repetitive and dry). The topic of The Tree Collectors is people who collect trees, either as their main career or as a hobby, which is fascinating to think about -- however, it's less fascinating to listen to when each story lasts around 5-10 minutes of narration time and there are dozens being presented in random sequence without attempts to weave them together in a compelling narrative. This is one of those books that I think would be better served without an audiobook edition. This was a DNF at 50% for me.

Further reading: off-the-beaten-path collections
The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy by Paige Williams (dinosaur bones, real and counterfeit)
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean (orchids)

My statistics:
Book 256 for 2025
Book 2182 cumulatively

[Peter Tillman]

Here's a publisher's excerpt: https://lithub.com/in-praise-of-ginkg...
No art, sadly. I'll take a look when the library gets a copy. I did like her The Drunken Botanist. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[J.J. Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un delectable y bellamente ilustrado libro que habla de una serie de amantes de los árboles: botanistas, silvicultores, coleccionistas, artistas y organizadores comunitarios cuyo propósito es hallar, conservar, coleccionar todo lo relacionado al mundo del árbol. Desde agricultores de frutas tropicales hasta descubridores, pasando por personas decididas a retornar variedades perdidas por la agricultura y la deforestación.

Me llamó mucho la atención el libro cuando lo vi en un Barnes, entonces lo compré (a precio íntegro de portada). Aunque la cantidad de personas descritas lo hacen más idóneo para leerse por ratos, me gustó. Ojalá hubiese llegado a las cinco estrellas.

PD. Tres de estos coleccionistas de árboles descritos en el libro son o fueron mexicanos

[Tamara York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful niche book. If you are interested in trees, I highly recommend this beautiful book. Not only is it gorgeously illustrated, it’s highly readable and interesting. I find myself wanting to start a tree collection.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book like this with short stories on a specific theme - deep dives into niche, unique topics that are all super entertaining. Some of them were not as interesting as others - in certain sections I got tired of hearing about people who just wanted to preserve this type of tree or this other type of tree like I didn’t care after a while, but then some were like wow this is awesome. I didn’t know Apple actually had apple trees!

Even cooler after seeing the author talk! She said she collected all these stories over zoom and was talking about how she has gotten to meet a lot of them and see their trees on this book tour. I definitely appreciate arboretums and trees in a different way now - it makes me want to plant one myself :)

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession

‘A beautiful mix of love letters to trees and practical tree facts. Amy Stewart is as curious about people as she is about trees.’
Sophie Cunningham

‘After spending time in this varied commonwealth, you’ll undoubtedly experience an intense desire to recline under the shade of a leafy canopy. But something even more profound is happening here: by creating a space for people to talk about something they love, Stewart made me feel more tender-hearted toward my fellow humans.’
Scientific American

‘An inspirational guide to those who love trees and grow them for a reason.’
HortWeek

‘While we tree collectors need little encouragement, reading this book will make us feel more normal.’
Aust Garden History Society

‘Delightful.’
Radio New Zealand

‘In this slyly humorous, informative, often poignant volume, Stewart brings us fifty captivating stories of people who spend their lives in pursuit of rare and wonderful trees and are transformed in the process.’
Bella Mackey, Readings

‘These delightful, quirky, moving stories testify to a powerful urge to bring the wild wisdom of trees back into our lives.’
Age

‘The mix of history, culture, science and skilled storytelling, interspersed with Amy’s delightful watercolour illustrations, makes for an engrossing read.’
Gardening Australia

‘Delightful…I happily wandered from one of Stewart’s charming and vivid stories to another, much like I meander from tree to tree in the woods…A charming, browsable book that’s filled with the colour and surprise of an actual forest.’
Washington Post

‘[I was] charmed, moved, comforted and inspired as I read on. Amongst other things, this book is a source of information, a rallying cry for conservationists and, for tree folk, a gateway into a world of like-minded spirits…The act of reading this book is to find yourself among friends.’
Stephen Tong, Scottish Forestry

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently I dragged my family to the International Forest of Friendship during the beginning of a storm. Because of that I only found trees for three of the 50 states so we'll be going back. The real reason was to see one of the Moon Trees from seeds that was taken to space on the Apollo 14 Mission by Stuart Roosa. Roosa made it into this book and my daughter was excited to read about this man and the Moon Trees.
I love our local arboretum and all the trees and so tree collecting sounds like an interesting hobby. I would love to go and see all these unique places and wandering through them discovering new trees. That brings up a topic that seemed to be mentioned a few times but never in depth which makes it appear to be unimportant. We should be discussing the importance of using native plants when creating gardens and parks. I don't think it's right to kill an ecosystem or habitat because you wanted a tree that's rare or because you don't have one yet. Trees that are considered invasive seems to also be missing which is just as important as learning what trees are suitable for your area.

[Books, Brews & Booze · Rating 4 out of 5]

His wife Paula said “William’s true life, that he truly loves, is writing poetry in the morning, and that involves reading and thinking and drinking tea and looking out at the palms, and then potting and planting… planting trees.”

[Julei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely stories!

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction novel would appeal to anyone who connects deeply with trees. This is a newer thing that developed personally about ten years ago which is why I was drawn to this book which tells the individual stories of people who collect trees! (I had no idea). The author has created an in-depth account sharing stories of how trees changed the lives of 50 different people. She has sections called: healers, ecologists, seekers, preservationists, and visionaries. This artful book also has beautiful pictures of people and trees.

[Syn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea how lovely, beautiful, and moving this book would be. Within the pages of this book are people who have a love of trees that borders on obsession. But it seems that maybe it’s quite possibly the best obsession to have.

I loved everything about this book. It’s little windows into people’s lives and the joy that trees have brought them. It’s quite magical.

[Mary Camille Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a few happy months this was my bedtime book, each brief tale of arboreal obsession a soothing tonic before falling asleep. It consists mostly of three-page profiles of quirky, passionate people all over the world who love trees so much they grow collections of them: an artist who developed a horticultural therapy program at a nursing home in Poland, an engineer in Bangalore who gave up his career to plant tiny forests on unused land, a visual artist in Singapore who collects fallen leaves and repairs their cracks and tears with her needle and vintage Japanese silk thread, a man in India who convinced his fellow villagers to plant 111 trees on the outskirts of the village every time a girl was born. Bonus #1: Stewart’s charming watercolor illustrations. Bonus #2: tips for readers on how to make a leaf collection, plant a tiny forest, and how to collect without owning a single tree.

[Pam Hurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting facts. Not quite what I was expecting or hoping for. I really am not that interested in folks collecting a bunch of non indigenous trees. However, it was pointed out that with climate change, some folks are planting for the expected future climate.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just absolutely lovely. Very much understand all the different ways people fall in with trees!!!

[Marianne Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't quite remember how this title caught my attention, but I am glad it did. I surely did not know that there were so many people in the world who loved trees and worked diligently to preserve and propagate them. There are several stories included that I found fascinating, including the planting of the Stanford campus and the famous cherry trees from Japan in Washington DC. I learned that if you plant some small groupings of trees, you make a critically important contribution to the local ecosystems. A whimsical water color portrait is included of every collector. Irresistible! Recommended with 5 🌟 stars.

[Donovan Mattole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored this beautiful book over the past six months, periodically reading one or two stories at a time. It was like the combination of multiple passions into one beautiful book. My love of trees is deep and goes back to the worlds largest madrone tree that was at the end of our road growing up and the many trees I loved on our land - madrone, bays, oaks, redwoods and dogwoods. My love of collecting. My love of peoples stories and memoirs. Of history. And, hey, the fact the author is from Portland, one of my favorite cities! All of these combined into a beautiful illustrated collection of 50 tree collectors meant a book that I have enjoyed and savored for many months. I will miss it and I highly recommend it to you!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable collection of tree related people. From an indigenous woman trying to restore peaches that were destroyed in an effort to starve her people out, to an Olympian and an astronaut a diverse collection of people united by their love of trees and the stories they tell

[Mazie Rudolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super sweet and interesting collection of short stories about plant lovers but more specifically tree lovers. I enjoyed this a lot it was an easy and warm read

[David Mcnaughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique, brilliant, delightful!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by Amy Stewart is a delightful book of short essays about arboreal enthusiasts around the world and across time, whose lives have been transformed by their passion for trees. Introducing each essay, and interspersed among the pages, are the authors own beautiful watercolors of trees and the people who love them, making it appealing to the eye, the heart and the spirit. I simultaneously wanted to devour the book in one sitting and also savor every single page. The author highlights the importance of trees to those who crave personal healing, a sense of community, conservation of our natural world, and a sustainable legacy for the generations to come. Pick this up if you want a charming book for your coffee table, if you are a nature lover, or if you simply want to be moved by inspirational stories.

[Matt Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book you can judge by its cover

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the uplifting short descriptions of the men and women interviewed for the book. Easy and great feel good book

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of stories about people who love trees are as varied and delightful as the trees the adore.

[anchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

首先，這是一本很酷的書，介紹了世界各地的樹木收藏家，作者還以圖畫的方式記錄收藏家們與他們引以為傲的收藏，缺點有兩個，一是板式電子書，因為插圖太多，所以建議買紙本書，二是知識含量很低，書籍主要著重在收藏者的人生故事，輔以一些小知識，因此只給三顆星。

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

now i want to raise a tree

[C.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inconsistently fascinating.