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The Hidden Life of Trees: The Illustrated Edition
A visually stunning journey into the diversity and wonders of forests.
In his international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben opened readers’ eyes to the amazing processes at work in forests every day. Now this new, breathtakingly illustrated edition brings those wonders to life like never before.
With compelling selections from the original book and stunning, large-format photographs of trees from around the world, this gorgeous volume distills the essence of Wohlleben’s message to show trees in all their glory and diversity. Through rich language highlighting the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems, the book offers fascinating insights about the fungal communication highway known as the “wood wide web,” the difficult life lessons learned in tree school, the hard-working natural cleanup crews that recycle dying trees, and much more. Beautiful images provide the perfect complement to Wohlleben’s words, with striking close-ups of bark and seeds, panoramas of vast expanses of green, and a unique look at what is believed to be the oldest tree on the planet.
Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.
In his international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben opened readers’ eyes to the amazing processes at work in forests every day. Now this new, breathtakingly illustrated edition brings those wonders to life like never before.
With compelling selections from the original book and stunning, large-format photographs of trees from around the world, this gorgeous volume distills the essence of Wohlleben’s message to show trees in all their glory and diversity. Through rich language highlighting the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems, the book offers fascinating insights about the fungal communication highway known as the “wood wide web,” the difficult life lessons learned in tree school, the hard-working natural cleanup crews that recycle dying trees, and much more. Beautiful images provide the perfect complement to Wohlleben’s words, with striking close-ups of bark and seeds, panoramas of vast expanses of green, and a unique look at what is believed to be the oldest tree on the planet.
Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published August 28, 2018
About the author
Peter Wohlleben
107 books2,021 followersPeter Wohlleben is a German forester and author who writes on ecological themes in popular language.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
June 4, 2019
This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever had the pleasure of holding in my hands and looking at with awe.
I live in the woods, so I'm biased, but, really, the photography is exquisite. I was a photographer for about 40 years before eye problems forced me to other pursuits.
But, it's more than that. The choice of the paper, the size, and the arrangement is not American, and I mean that as a compliment. What books have become in this country is truly disappointing. Shiny paper is not optimal, but it's cheaper, I guess, than the quality of this book.
What I read of the text made me want more. When I found out that this is an abriged version of the printed version, I decided to go for the full monty. I'm on hold for the audiobook. Review to follow, if they let me review two versions, oh mighty GR gods.
I live in the woods, so I'm biased, but, really, the photography is exquisite. I was a photographer for about 40 years before eye problems forced me to other pursuits.
But, it's more than that. The choice of the paper, the size, and the arrangement is not American, and I mean that as a compliment. What books have become in this country is truly disappointing. Shiny paper is not optimal, but it's cheaper, I guess, than the quality of this book.
What I read of the text made me want more. When I found out that this is an abriged version of the printed version, I decided to go for the full monty. I'm on hold for the audiobook. Review to follow, if they let me review two versions, oh mighty GR gods.
May 4, 2025
An early Christmas present - a coffee table book version of Wohleben's observations on trees and forests. Gorgeous!
March 11, 2026
Equally gorgeous and informative, this book combines selections from Wohlleben's classic The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World with stunning photos and top-of-the-line production to make this a "must have" for every amateur naturalist or woodland hiker out there.
THE TEXT: I'm sure the full-length original was even more fascinating, but this condensed version contained more than enough info to blow my mind on nearly every page. Without going into what would likely be endless detail or examples, the book summarizes the many ways in which trees form a true arboreal (and surprisingly human-like) society. They communicate with and defend/support each other; they think, strategize and have memories; they even have distinct personalities and emotions. Indeed, I couldn't help being constantly reminded of Sue Burke's excellent sci-fi novel Semiosis about sentient alien plants on a distant planet...because the "aliens" are already right here among us, and have been for millennia! This should almost be called "The Hidden Life of Forests," because this is really more about the endless interactions between trees themselves and the various networks of microbes, fungi, animals, that tie it all together — the "wood wide web." (That all said, I can't personally vouch for any of the science here; the one fact I was able to check [and seemingly prove wrong] was Wohlleben's claim that the human body sheds 10 billion skin cells each day...which certainly sounded high, and indeed the internet corrected this to somewhere between 50-500 million — which granted, is still a helluva lot — so there may be other factual errors here as well.)
THE PHOTOS: Just stunning, every one — but not the work of any particular photographer; just an outstanding collection of shots from various sources and stock photo shops. But still, just...wow.
Like pretty much all such nature books from the past 20-30 years, there is a depressing undertone here when discussing the future — the escalating cycle of deforestation and climate change; the replacement of old growth forest with cheap "shit wood;" etc. I personally live in one of those Northern Virginia housing developments built on what was previously unbroken forest, obviously all gone now but for the one (non-native) cherry and (non-native) maple stuck in the front yard, and which I now can't think of as anything but "orphans" living in lonely isolation, cut off from any sense of community and with their roots quietly crying out into the silent and disconnected underground void... 😥
Flowers may be the flamboyant prima donnas of the plant world, but give me a good forest over a garden any day!
THE TEXT: I'm sure the full-length original was even more fascinating, but this condensed version contained more than enough info to blow my mind on nearly every page. Without going into what would likely be endless detail or examples, the book summarizes the many ways in which trees form a true arboreal (and surprisingly human-like) society. They communicate with and defend/support each other; they think, strategize and have memories; they even have distinct personalities and emotions. Indeed, I couldn't help being constantly reminded of Sue Burke's excellent sci-fi novel Semiosis about sentient alien plants on a distant planet...because the "aliens" are already right here among us, and have been for millennia! This should almost be called "The Hidden Life of Forests," because this is really more about the endless interactions between trees themselves and the various networks of microbes, fungi, animals, that tie it all together — the "wood wide web." (That all said, I can't personally vouch for any of the science here; the one fact I was able to check [and seemingly prove wrong] was Wohlleben's claim that the human body sheds 10 billion skin cells each day...which certainly sounded high, and indeed the internet corrected this to somewhere between 50-500 million — which granted, is still a helluva lot — so there may be other factual errors here as well.)
THE PHOTOS: Just stunning, every one — but not the work of any particular photographer; just an outstanding collection of shots from various sources and stock photo shops. But still, just...wow.
Like pretty much all such nature books from the past 20-30 years, there is a depressing undertone here when discussing the future — the escalating cycle of deforestation and climate change; the replacement of old growth forest with cheap "shit wood;" etc. I personally live in one of those Northern Virginia housing developments built on what was previously unbroken forest, obviously all gone now but for the one (non-native) cherry and (non-native) maple stuck in the front yard, and which I now can't think of as anything but "orphans" living in lonely isolation, cut off from any sense of community and with their roots quietly crying out into the silent and disconnected underground void... 😥
Flowers may be the flamboyant prima donnas of the plant world, but give me a good forest over a garden any day!
November 22, 2021
I am somewhat obsessed by trees. This beautiful edition of Wohlleben’s work on the ways that trees are connected and work together for the good of the collective group has been calling to me. It’s been a busy fall and we’ve not been able to spend the time hiking that we normally would. Spending a few hours with this fascinating work, full of gorgeous photography helped ease the longing I had for time spent wandering in the woods. This is a perfect combination of science and art . . . And would be an ideal gift for someone who looks at the cover and reflexively finds themselves taking a deep breath.
March 29, 2026
I don’t usually read non-fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Wohlleben uses very simplistic and fun language, making it so easy to read while gaining a lot of information. Def recommend, you’ll never look at trees the same😉
January 7, 2023
Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. Wohlleben explains the latest scientific findings about trees and their forest community in a clearly understandable (and often mind blowing) way. This edition couples the science with stellar beautiful photos of forests and trees. Would highly recommend.
August 18, 2024
This is such a beautiful book. I absolutely loved it. The science of trees - how they communicate, depend on each other, and survive - is just unbelievably cool. And the photographs in this illustrated edition really add to the beauty of the book. I would like to read the full version one day!
“The [Swiss] constitution reads, in part, that "account [is] to be taken of the dignity of creation when handling animals, plants and other organisms."
“The [Swiss] constitution reads, in part, that "account [is] to be taken of the dignity of creation when handling animals, plants and other organisms."
January 18, 2021
Illuminating and enriching.
March 28, 2026
This book exceeded my expectations and will easily fit onto my “2026 Top Ten Best Reads of the Year”, I am sure.
First, I have a confession to make. I clicked on the “illustrated” edition of this book by accident. As I was updating my progress, I finally realized that there WAS an illustrated edition of this book! To be true, although I had been thoroughly enjoying the 2015 hardbound edition, I ordered the “abridged” illustrated edition from my local library, to see what wonderful illustrations that I had been missing.
Now, here my review gets strange.
For the first time that I can remember, I found the illustrated edition to be lacking. It was somehow weaker than the plain text hardbound copy. The pictures were nice, but they were foreign, taken at various locations around the world, whereas the text of the book, the stories shared, were mainly confined to the German and Austrian forests that the author was so familiar with, and had been describing all through the book.. It seemed that the pictures actually distracted from his fascinating stories and observations. Again, the illustrated edition is an abridged edition so that some of the valuable text is missing, edited out.
After examining the pictures, I returned to the comfort of my complete, unedited edition.
The author Peter Wohllben has been managing forests in the Hummel, Germany forest for over 40 years. He is engaged in the same type of work as the Canadian Professor of Forest Ecology, DR. Suzanne Simard.
So how do trees communicate and support each other in the forest, and how can we be sure? Read this book and find out.
I believe that my favorite chapter in this book is “Street Kids”, how trees planted in urban settings have to fight extra hard to survive.
First, I have a confession to make. I clicked on the “illustrated” edition of this book by accident. As I was updating my progress, I finally realized that there WAS an illustrated edition of this book! To be true, although I had been thoroughly enjoying the 2015 hardbound edition, I ordered the “abridged” illustrated edition from my local library, to see what wonderful illustrations that I had been missing.
Now, here my review gets strange.
For the first time that I can remember, I found the illustrated edition to be lacking. It was somehow weaker than the plain text hardbound copy. The pictures were nice, but they were foreign, taken at various locations around the world, whereas the text of the book, the stories shared, were mainly confined to the German and Austrian forests that the author was so familiar with, and had been describing all through the book.. It seemed that the pictures actually distracted from his fascinating stories and observations. Again, the illustrated edition is an abridged edition so that some of the valuable text is missing, edited out.
After examining the pictures, I returned to the comfort of my complete, unedited edition.
The author Peter Wohllben has been managing forests in the Hummel, Germany forest for over 40 years. He is engaged in the same type of work as the Canadian Professor of Forest Ecology, DR. Suzanne Simard.
So how do trees communicate and support each other in the forest, and how can we be sure? Read this book and find out.
I believe that my favorite chapter in this book is “Street Kids”, how trees planted in urban settings have to fight extra hard to survive.
February 12, 2023
Amazing and beautiful.
July 28, 2026
Slightly bummed as I didn’t realize this was an abridged version of the original, which I had listened to on audiobook and loved. Funny they call this an illustrated edition, as it’s all photographs. Beautiful photographs, though! Certainly adds to the experience.
Wood wide web 🤣
Woah, fungus is the largest known living organism in the world. Oregon has one 2400 years old and 2000 acres.
Fly amanita seems to be the cartoonized red and white mushroom
“A tree contains almost as much liquid inside it as we do.”
“A dead trunk is as indispensable for the cycle of life in the forest as the live tree.”
“A fifth of the animal and plant species in Central European forests—that’s about six thousand of the species we know about—depend on dead wood.”
“It seems trees need their rest just as much as we do, and sleep deprivation is as detrimental to trees as it is to us…4% of oak deaths in one American city happened because trees were subjected to light every night.”
“The air in young pine forests is almost germ free, thanks to the phytoncides released by the needles. In essence, then, trees disinfect their surroundings.”
Wood wide web 🤣
Woah, fungus is the largest known living organism in the world. Oregon has one 2400 years old and 2000 acres.
Fly amanita seems to be the cartoonized red and white mushroom
“A tree contains almost as much liquid inside it as we do.”
“A dead trunk is as indispensable for the cycle of life in the forest as the live tree.”
“A fifth of the animal and plant species in Central European forests—that’s about six thousand of the species we know about—depend on dead wood.”
“It seems trees need their rest just as much as we do, and sleep deprivation is as detrimental to trees as it is to us…4% of oak deaths in one American city happened because trees were subjected to light every night.”
“The air in young pine forests is almost germ free, thanks to the phytoncides released by the needles. In essence, then, trees disinfect their surroundings.”
June 5, 2026
I 100% borrowed this from the library to look at beautiful tree pictures and I'm not disappointed.
August 4, 2026
amazing amazing gorgeous photos with my favorite topic TREES, what more could I ask for.
January 28, 2019
The illustrated version of the book is also an abridged, condensed version of the original translation. That being said, the combination of Peter's narrative and visually compelling photos of trees and other flora drives home the message - that the "hidden life" of trees is that they are not solitary sentinels but a community that thrives on interaction and interdependence. Communication between trees are recently found to exist in the form of scents, transmitting warning signs or coordinating signals to bloom flowers simultaneously in the spring. A tree is also only as good as the forest it lives in, with quality increasing with age as the decay from older trees nourishes the young trees and also the communities of fungi and animals that shares the ecosystem. The structures of trees is also discussed, and how trees who lives in close proximity can sometimes support one another in weathering a storm or a bad drought. The next time a reader walks through the woods, they will be observing the trees and their surroundings in a whole new light.
September 29, 2024
After reading The Overstory I immediately wanted to read much more on the tree science behind that novel, for which Hidden Life of Trees has been given mush of the credit. I thought I had ordered the text version of this book, but what I got was a very nice to look at coffee table book with gorgeous photos but very diluted content.
An undeniably beautiful book, but the text, which is what I wanted, was very skant on facts or details and mostly a fluffy celebration on why trees are great. Which is fine, but somewhat less than what I was expecting. There was a bit too much "this could possibly result in", "this might effect" etc etc. Clearly a very passionate book about trees and a basic primer for the original version. I'm waiting eagerly for the text version to arrive as even the slightest detail from this illustrated version has made me view my own patch of native forest in a very different way.
An undeniably beautiful book, but the text, which is what I wanted, was very skant on facts or details and mostly a fluffy celebration on why trees are great. Which is fine, but somewhat less than what I was expecting. There was a bit too much "this could possibly result in", "this might effect" etc etc. Clearly a very passionate book about trees and a basic primer for the original version. I'm waiting eagerly for the text version to arrive as even the slightest detail from this illustrated version has made me view my own patch of native forest in a very different way.
March 19, 2024
A strong coffee table book that's actually worth picking up and reading as well as looking at, even if all the pictures seem to be random stock images from iStock.com. It's a breezy read, Wohlleben dumbs things down in a way I find incredibly helpful. I actually did not realize that the illustrated edition is an abridged version of a full text, which was a bit of a bummer—I was reading this because I was interested in trees, not because I wanted cool pictures. I imagine if you're genuinely interested in learning more information about trees, the unabridged version is what you're really looking for. But I don't regret picking this up at all.
May 5, 2024
This review is for the illustrated hard cover edition. In the Afterword, the author noted that this publication is an abridged edition of the original book he wrote with the same title. Not sure if it is worthwhile to read the unabridged version. I enjoyed the photographs but I noticed in the credits that most are stock photos and not particularly related to the particular types of trees or environments he is describing in the book.
August 15, 2018
Review coming soon on https://booksnooks.wordpress.com/ , but I loved this book with my whole soul!
June 16, 2024
Now I’m even MORE amazed by trees
December 28, 2024
Christmas gift from Tyler. Never has a book stirred so much awe and wonder in me. I am thrilled Wohlleben has several more books to feast on.
August 28, 2025
Buy the book for its magnificent photography and enjoy the descriptive life of trees, you will be enlightened.
May 9, 2026
I think the true purpose of nature is to teach us.
Every living thing—a tree, an insect, an animal, a river, a rock, the ocean, even the silence of the forest—seems to carry wisdom waiting to be noticed.
Whenever I find myself alone in nature, I often look closely at one small thing near me and ask myself: If this were meant to teach me something, what would it be?
And somehow, there is always an answer.
That is what made The Hidden Life of Trees such a treasure chest for me.
Beyond the fascinating scientific discoveries, this book quietly reminds us that so much in life is communicated without words. Trees support one another, protect one another, adapt, communicate, survive, and coexist in ways that mirror lessons we humans are still struggling to learn.
This book deepened not only my admiration for nature, but also my sense that we are constantly surrounded by silent teachers—if only we slow down enough to listen.
Every living thing—a tree, an insect, an animal, a river, a rock, the ocean, even the silence of the forest—seems to carry wisdom waiting to be noticed.
Whenever I find myself alone in nature, I often look closely at one small thing near me and ask myself: If this were meant to teach me something, what would it be?
And somehow, there is always an answer.
That is what made The Hidden Life of Trees such a treasure chest for me.
Beyond the fascinating scientific discoveries, this book quietly reminds us that so much in life is communicated without words. Trees support one another, protect one another, adapt, communicate, survive, and coexist in ways that mirror lessons we humans are still struggling to learn.
This book deepened not only my admiration for nature, but also my sense that we are constantly surrounded by silent teachers—if only we slow down enough to listen.
March 7, 2026
Interesting information with beautiful photos of trees. This really makes me rethink my relationship with the trees on my property.
April 13, 2026
definitely changed my perspective on trees a bit anthropomorphic but maybe thats what needed for a mindset shift
May 15, 2026
An abridged version of The Hidden Life of Trees, with beautiful color photographs from around the world.
Did Not Finish
May 20, 2026I would like to revisit this when I’m in the mood for some dense non-fiction but I’m not in that mood now!
May 30, 2026
Not sure on the science, but it was a great read!
June 14, 2026
Lovely but maybe should have read the not abridged version because it felt a bit rushed. Very cute tho. Love trees. Go trees.
May 1, 2026
I'm buying copies for my friends.
July 16, 2026
The translation didn't always make for the most smooth read but it was fascinating and the pictures are stunning.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews