Trees of Life

by Max Adams

A captivatingly informative and visually beautiful survey of the tree species – from all over the world – that human cultures have found most useful. Each tree species is the subject of a concise text centred on a story – or stories – about the tree in question, and is depicted by means of a photograph, painting or other aesthetic artefact. The species will be organized thematically according to the virtues they impart, be that in the form of timber, nuts, fruit or medicine. The bloodwood tree, a native of central America, is a tree that made a nation. Its wood produces a brilliant and lucrative bright red dye and was imported to Europe for use in dyeing fabrics. The 17th and 18th-century logging camps established by the British later became the modern nation of Belize, and the bloodwood tree appears on its national flag. From the bloodwood to the breadfruit and from the cinchona to the peach, these are trees that offer not merely shelter, timber and fuel but also medicines, dyes, foods and fibres. They are very special trees, and Max Adams, author of The Wisdom of Trees, has a plethora of such fascinating stories to tell about them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2019

About the author

I am an archaeologist, woodsman and traveller. I live in the North-east of England where I write about landscape and history. My next non-fiction work, to be published in Autumn 2017, is called Alfred's Britain - a history and archaeology of the British Isles in the Viking Age. The King in the North has been a non-fiction bestseller since its publication. In the Land of Giants, my latest non-fiction book, is a series of journeys, mostly on foot, through Dark Age landscapes.

In May 2016 I published my first novel, The Ambulist.

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning publication. Shocked at how many people have this on shelf! Hardly any! Goes well alongside my other tree themed books.

[Elizabeth M · Rating 5 out of 5]

So descriptive and in narrative format. Felt so easily digestible and inspiring as a gardener and natured informed therapist. Especially during soggy, wet winter months, this book was so uplifting to read! The artwork alone is STUNNING! I originally got it from my local library and have renewed my check out so many times they asked for it back. Will be buying this soon for my home collection.

[Lady and the Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The colour photographs and sketches are delightful in this book, and the level of detail about trees is nicely varied between local belief, practical usage, scientific thought, nutritional and medicinal benefits, and more. There are only a couple of pages or so devoted to each tree, but that does feel adequate for the purpose.