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In Trees: An Exploration
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Expected 7 Apr 26From the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller On Trails comes a wondrous new journey through the wilds of nature and the gnarls of history, exploring how trees—from the mightiest sequoia to the tiniest bonsai—can teach us to grow wise.
To truly grasp the wisdom of a tree, you need to begin thinking like one…
One day, on a whim, Robert Moor set out to climb a tree near his home—unwittingly embarking on what would become a decade-long, globe-spanning adventure of intellectual and spiritual transformation. Pursuing the hidden wisdom of trees, he scales to the very top of a giant sequoia while filming a nature documentary with David Attenborough; he treks through swamps in Papua to reach a treehouse-dwelling tribe of hunter-gatherers; and he journeys to a remote research camp in Tanzania, where he spends a memorable night sleeping in a chimpanzee nest, seeking to understand our deep evolutionary history. Eventually, having gained a radical new outlook on both our gnarled past and our ever-branching future, he joins an intrepid clan of climate activists risking everything to halt construction of a new oil pipeline and save an ancient forest.
Along the way, Moor learns the art of “tree-thinking,” which, he discovers, has the power to break open some of humanity’s oldest What is the secret to truly growing old? How do we set down deeper roots in an increasingly chaotic world? Most importantly, how should we—as individuals, as communities, as stewards of the earth—live?
A witty and relentlessly curious excursion through philosophy, history, and science, what begins as an ode to the miracle of trees blossoms into a joyous, daring, fiercely hopeful endeavor to arborize humanity.
To truly grasp the wisdom of a tree, you need to begin thinking like one…
One day, on a whim, Robert Moor set out to climb a tree near his home—unwittingly embarking on what would become a decade-long, globe-spanning adventure of intellectual and spiritual transformation. Pursuing the hidden wisdom of trees, he scales to the very top of a giant sequoia while filming a nature documentary with David Attenborough; he treks through swamps in Papua to reach a treehouse-dwelling tribe of hunter-gatherers; and he journeys to a remote research camp in Tanzania, where he spends a memorable night sleeping in a chimpanzee nest, seeking to understand our deep evolutionary history. Eventually, having gained a radical new outlook on both our gnarled past and our ever-branching future, he joins an intrepid clan of climate activists risking everything to halt construction of a new oil pipeline and save an ancient forest.
Along the way, Moor learns the art of “tree-thinking,” which, he discovers, has the power to break open some of humanity’s oldest What is the secret to truly growing old? How do we set down deeper roots in an increasingly chaotic world? Most importantly, how should we—as individuals, as communities, as stewards of the earth—live?
A witty and relentlessly curious excursion through philosophy, history, and science, what begins as an ode to the miracle of trees blossoms into a joyous, daring, fiercely hopeful endeavor to arborize humanity.
- GenresNonfictionNatureScience
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 7, 2026
5 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 15, 2026
What is a tree? Before reading I’d say it’s those things outside. BUT NOW…everything is a tree. So move over John Green, no longer is everything tuberculosis…really everything is a tree.
Whether it’s a sequoia or bonsai or even the path of the human brain, everything can be a tree.
In Trees is a truly magical read for nature lovers and philosophers alike. Drawing on the author’s travels, historical research, and scientific insight, it weaves these elements together into a thoughtful and engaging exploration of trees. By the end, you’ll likely walk away with a deeper appreciation not only for trees themselves but for the wonder of the natural world around us.
Grounded in history, science, and philosophy, this book might just be the ultimate work on trees. The many references to major works throughout are a valuable resource on their own, but when paired with the author’s personal adventures and reflections, they transform the book into something truly enchanting.
It is clear so much research and love went into this book!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Whether it’s a sequoia or bonsai or even the path of the human brain, everything can be a tree.
In Trees is a truly magical read for nature lovers and philosophers alike. Drawing on the author’s travels, historical research, and scientific insight, it weaves these elements together into a thoughtful and engaging exploration of trees. By the end, you’ll likely walk away with a deeper appreciation not only for trees themselves but for the wonder of the natural world around us.
Grounded in history, science, and philosophy, this book might just be the ultimate work on trees. The many references to major works throughout are a valuable resource on their own, but when paired with the author’s personal adventures and reflections, they transform the book into something truly enchanting.
It is clear so much research and love went into this book!
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Robert Moor for allowing me to read a free ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.
Although the book's title is Innocuous and Uninformative, "In Trees: An Exploration" is anything BUT a boring succession of tree facts. It is instead an expansive view into many different aspects of trees. The author starts with some broad editorials on what trees mean to him and how he came to write this book. He then takes the reader with him on explorations into barefoot tree climbing in England, Bonsai tree pruning and growing in Japan, his own family "tree" in Alabama, climbing Sequoias in California on the set of The Green Planet with Sir David Attenborough, climbing into vertiginous tree houses with the Korowai Tribe in remote Papua, our evolutionary "tree" of three million year old humaniod fossils in Tanzania, sleeping in trees like chimpanzees, living in a tiny makeshift tree house to protest the destruction of forest to build a petroleum pipeline in British Columbia, and finally to the Fairy Creek area of Vancouver Island where protesters spent years living in the trees to protest clearcutting of the old-growth forest ecosystem. In among each of these fascinating journeys are woven tales that relate to climate change, the science of carbon capture/release, wildfires, increasing urbanization of population causing widespread mental stress, American racial prejudice, Indigenous land rights, and single crop and chemical agriculture poisoning the land.
What a fun and interesting journey! Highly recommend!
Although the book's title is Innocuous and Uninformative, "In Trees: An Exploration" is anything BUT a boring succession of tree facts. It is instead an expansive view into many different aspects of trees. The author starts with some broad editorials on what trees mean to him and how he came to write this book. He then takes the reader with him on explorations into barefoot tree climbing in England, Bonsai tree pruning and growing in Japan, his own family "tree" in Alabama, climbing Sequoias in California on the set of The Green Planet with Sir David Attenborough, climbing into vertiginous tree houses with the Korowai Tribe in remote Papua, our evolutionary "tree" of three million year old humaniod fossils in Tanzania, sleeping in trees like chimpanzees, living in a tiny makeshift tree house to protest the destruction of forest to build a petroleum pipeline in British Columbia, and finally to the Fairy Creek area of Vancouver Island where protesters spent years living in the trees to protest clearcutting of the old-growth forest ecosystem. In among each of these fascinating journeys are woven tales that relate to climate change, the science of carbon capture/release, wildfires, increasing urbanization of population causing widespread mental stress, American racial prejudice, Indigenous land rights, and single crop and chemical agriculture poisoning the land.
What a fun and interesting journey! Highly recommend!
March 29, 2026
I expected 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴: 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 by Robert Moor to be a nature book but it’s so much more than that. It’s about human nature, curiosity, and our deep (often overlooked) connection to the natural world.
Moor spent years immersing himself in this subject, and you can feel that dedication on every page. From learning to climb trees in the UK to sleeping in a chimpanzee nest in Tanzania, to visiting people who live in trees in Papua, his journey is as much personal as it is exploratory.
He even delves into his own family tree, tracing connections through generations, and then zooms out further back to explore the human family tree itself reaching all the way back to Lucy in Ethiopia, which adds a powerful perspective.
He also spent time staying in trees in protest against pipelines, something that hit especially close to home for me, as I live near where that took place in BC.
This isn’t a book that just gives you facts; it invites you to see and understand trees and our relationship with them differently.
Now I definitely need to pick up his other book, 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴.
Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for this physical arc. I had fun taking it out on a photo shoot in trees. This is one I’ll likely reread in future.
Moor spent years immersing himself in this subject, and you can feel that dedication on every page. From learning to climb trees in the UK to sleeping in a chimpanzee nest in Tanzania, to visiting people who live in trees in Papua, his journey is as much personal as it is exploratory.
He even delves into his own family tree, tracing connections through generations, and then zooms out further back to explore the human family tree itself reaching all the way back to Lucy in Ethiopia, which adds a powerful perspective.
He also spent time staying in trees in protest against pipelines, something that hit especially close to home for me, as I live near where that took place in BC.
This isn’t a book that just gives you facts; it invites you to see and understand trees and our relationship with them differently.
Now I definitely need to pick up his other book, 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴.
Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for this physical arc. I had fun taking it out on a photo shoot in trees. This is one I’ll likely reread in future.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
In Trees: An Exploration.
What seemed to me like an unusual premise at first, pursuing the hidden wisdom of trees, this new work by Robert Moor quickly became one of my favourite pieces of modern philosophy. In his search for how trees relate to and influence our lives, Moor explores themes of climate change and environmental impact, social and economic mobility, modernisation, exploitation, and loss of indigenous cultures, as well as family ties, personal growth and the hunt for the meaning of life. These themes are intertwined with individual tree-themed stories, even one of which would be the hit of any dinner party conversation. Moor allows his personal anecdotes to feel both fantastical and grounded, and relishes in taking the reader along for a front seat ride in his adventures and intimate realisations during each new journey. I enjoyed a deeper level of thinking, laughed and gasped while reading, and highly recommend “In Trees”.
What seemed to me like an unusual premise at first, pursuing the hidden wisdom of trees, this new work by Robert Moor quickly became one of my favourite pieces of modern philosophy. In his search for how trees relate to and influence our lives, Moor explores themes of climate change and environmental impact, social and economic mobility, modernisation, exploitation, and loss of indigenous cultures, as well as family ties, personal growth and the hunt for the meaning of life. These themes are intertwined with individual tree-themed stories, even one of which would be the hit of any dinner party conversation. Moor allows his personal anecdotes to feel both fantastical and grounded, and relishes in taking the reader along for a front seat ride in his adventures and intimate realisations during each new journey. I enjoyed a deeper level of thinking, laughed and gasped while reading, and highly recommend “In Trees”.
February 25, 2026
In his newest book, a decade in the making, Robert Moore sets out to answer the question: Why do trees in particular have such a mythic hold on our imagination? Alongside that, with this cultural entanglement we have, how do trees transform and shape us?
His book is truly an exploration of trees. He begins in nature focusing on specific species like the sequoia and the different view of trees and the world when you climb them. Then, Moore branches out through the trees he explores and stories of the people he meets, sharing wisdom and observations of family trees, protests, and how we are connected. Perhaps most importantly, Moore shares the wisdom of rootedness from an indigenous tradition.
I enjoyed In Trees: An Exploration as a meandering meeting and discovering. Moore is a beautiful storyteller, perfect for lazy days or a fresh start to your morning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
His book is truly an exploration of trees. He begins in nature focusing on specific species like the sequoia and the different view of trees and the world when you climb them. Then, Moore branches out through the trees he explores and stories of the people he meets, sharing wisdom and observations of family trees, protests, and how we are connected. Perhaps most importantly, Moore shares the wisdom of rootedness from an indigenous tradition.
I enjoyed In Trees: An Exploration as a meandering meeting and discovering. Moore is a beautiful storyteller, perfect for lazy days or a fresh start to your morning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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March 15, 2026 5 stars
I was given an arc of this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
I think most people depending on their interest would give this a 3-4. I had to give it a 5 however. I loved how the author dove into this topic from many angles. It talked about trees in spiritual realms and history. It gave their impact in the environment and to each other. It told of how it relates to all living things in many ways. I both learned and resignated over parts of it. I already had an interest in trees and not even half way into the book I was ready to buy it. This has made me want to go read the authors other books. I feel this is not one you rush through but instead you read slowly. Savor it while learning. If you dont understand a part google it and learn even deeper. I loved the topics in this book.
I was given an arc of this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
I think most people depending on their interest would give this a 3-4. I had to give it a 5 however. I loved how the author dove into this topic from many angles. It talked about trees in spiritual realms and history. It gave their impact in the environment and to each other. It told of how it relates to all living things in many ways. I both learned and resignated over parts of it. I already had an interest in trees and not even half way into the book I was ready to buy it. This has made me want to go read the authors other books. I feel this is not one you rush through but instead you read slowly. Savor it while learning. If you dont understand a part google it and learn even deeper. I loved the topics in this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I genuinely expected a book about trees their ecology, history, and philosophy to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me.
As an Ecologist in Canada (and notably, the author’s home country), much of the scientific and environmental content felt familiar rather than insightful. That’s not necessarily a flaw, readers without that background will likely find it far more informative and engaging.
Where I’d hoped to gain something new was in the historical and philosophical sections. However, those often drifted into territory that felt overly abstract and, at times, a bit too “hippy-dippy” for my taste, which made it difficult to stay fully invested.
Overall, the book is well written and well researched; I just don’t think I’m the right audience for it.
As an Ecologist in Canada (and notably, the author’s home country), much of the scientific and environmental content felt familiar rather than insightful. That’s not necessarily a flaw, readers without that background will likely find it far more informative and engaging.
Where I’d hoped to gain something new was in the historical and philosophical sections. However, those often drifted into territory that felt overly abstract and, at times, a bit too “hippy-dippy” for my taste, which made it difficult to stay fully invested.
Overall, the book is well written and well researched; I just don’t think I’m the right audience for it.
March 31, 2026
The subject matter (trees) is deciptively simplistic. In many ways, Robert Moor's In Trees reads like an expanded New Yorker article and this book was ten years in the making. Trees (literal and figurative) are the connective tissue but, as a reader, I go along for the ride as Moor explores tree climbing, tree houses, family trees, tree huggers, tree growth and topics that expand from there - history, politics, environmentalism, the conservation movement, land management, agriculture, colonization, industrialization...He takes us around the world and across different terrain, climates, cultures and we meet incredible people along the way. Many are quirky, some are flawed, and all are passionate in some way. This is the kind of story where you learn something new at each turn or where you are introduced to a new way of looking at something that you might have taken for granted. In Trees was a contemplative and, at parts, meditative, read for me even as I absorbed a ton of information. Wow.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews