Trees: Woodland and Western Civilization

by Richard Hayman

In this book, Richard Hayman traces the different values and virtues people have seen in trees and forests over the course of history, reflecting the changing use of woodland and the effects of deforestation and urbanization. Tacitus, followed by Romantics and historians of liberty, located freedom in the German forests. Medieval forests were both protected hunting parks and the refuge of Robin Hood. Shakespeare contrasted the simplicity of life in the Forest of Arden with the artificial manners of the court. Since the 18th century, poets such as Wordsworth, Clare, and Hardy have drawn inspiration from trees. How we see trees today will dictate how trees are treated in the future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 17, 2004

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the book's subtitle is "Woodlands and Western Civilization," it is almost entirely limited to English woodlands with one chapter each concerning Germany and North America. While that wasn't a problem, but I did go into the book expecting a broader survey. Some chapters read a bit too much like lists of events and people with little discussion of passing examples, but Hayman is at his best when more thoroughly exploring individual people, places, and events.