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The Oak Papers
Thrown into turmoil by the end of his long-term relationship, Professor James Canton spent two years meditating beneath the shelter of the massive 800-year-old Honywood Oak tree in North Essex, England. While considering the direction of his own life, he began to contemplate the existence of this colossal tree. Standing in England for centuries, the oak would have been a sapling when the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.
Canton examines our long-standing dependency on the oak, and how that has developed and morphed into myth and legend. We no longer need these sturdy trees to build our houses and boats, to fuel our fires, or to grind their acorns into flour in times of famine. What purpose, then, do they serve in our world today? Are these miracles of nature no longer necessary to our lives? What can they offer us?
Canton tells the story of this tree in its ecological, spiritual, literary, and historical contexts, using it as a prism to see his own life and human history. The Oak Papers is a reflection on change and transformation, and the role nature has played in sustaining and redeeming us.
Canton examines our long-standing dependency on the oak, and how that has developed and morphed into myth and legend. We no longer need these sturdy trees to build our houses and boats, to fuel our fires, or to grind their acorns into flour in times of famine. What purpose, then, do they serve in our world today? Are these miracles of nature no longer necessary to our lives? What can they offer us?
Canton tells the story of this tree in its ecological, spiritual, literary, and historical contexts, using it as a prism to see his own life and human history. The Oak Papers is a reflection on change and transformation, and the role nature has played in sustaining and redeeming us.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 16, 2021
136 people are currently reading
4037 people want to read
About the author
James Canton
19 books82 followersJames Canton teaches the Wild Writing MA course at the University of Essex, exploring the fascinating ties between literature and the landscape of East Anglia. He has run workshops to encourage writing on nature and landscape and is the author of Out of Essex: Re-Imagining a Literary Landscape, which was inspired by rural wanderings in the county.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
March 4, 2021
In response to the end of a relationship which left him foundering, the author sought out a means to find some peace, some emotional equilibrium in his life. As a man with a leaning toward the natural world, Canton decided to look closer at some of the monumental oak trees that lived not far from him, particularly the Honywood Oak, which, at 800 years old, has witnessed so much of English history.
From the start, Canton asks permission to be physically close to this tree, a tree that has a small protective fence around it. He respects it and its caretakers and his respect deepens to something more as he returns again and again at different times of day, throughout the seasons, the year, then years, and learns of the true family of one oak tree and the family of creatures it supports. He learns and experiences the life cycle of all. He has written this book in a diary format of those visits.
And as he learns, he also finds himself changing emotionally. And he seeks out others who are naturalists, woodsmen or the like to learn of their experiences and more about trees and nature. Some of the information, both new and old, is really fascinating. I didn’t know that trees communicate to each other!
The personal journey is the meat of this book and the key takeaway for me is that it appears to be a journey each of us can take with necessary modifications, of course. I think my tree climbing days are well behind me so I would skip that.
I recommend this for those looking for a meditative book on the natural world.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
From the start, Canton asks permission to be physically close to this tree, a tree that has a small protective fence around it. He respects it and its caretakers and his respect deepens to something more as he returns again and again at different times of day, throughout the seasons, the year, then years, and learns of the true family of one oak tree and the family of creatures it supports. He learns and experiences the life cycle of all. He has written this book in a diary format of those visits.
And as he learns, he also finds himself changing emotionally. And he seeks out others who are naturalists, woodsmen or the like to learn of their experiences and more about trees and nature. Some of the information, both new and old, is really fascinating. I didn’t know that trees communicate to each other!
The personal journey is the meat of this book and the key takeaway for me is that it appears to be a journey each of us can take with necessary modifications, of course. I think my tree climbing days are well behind me so I would skip that.
I recommend this for those looking for a meditative book on the natural world.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
January 31, 2021
I'm a huge tree lover, so a book about studying trees and especially one that played a role in a major historical event in medieval England. The author James is drawn to this tree after experiencing a relationship breakdown and The Oak Papers is in diary format, writing about nature and speaking to those who use the exploration of nature as a coping tool for mental health and research. I enjoyed this, pure escapism!
August 19, 2020
It is said that an oak grows for 300 years, lives for another 300 and then takes 300 years to die. Those, of course, are the lucky ones, most live around 150 to 200 years. The oldest oak in my part of the world, Dorset, is the Wyndham’s Oak near Gillingham and is 10m wide. I’ve not seen it yet, one day though. However, I don’t have a tree nearby that I have the same affinity with that James Canton does. but there is some tree in my locale that I take time to walk by and admire as the seasons grind past each year. I love the way that they constantly change through the days as the light transforms the way that they look.
Canton’s tree is called the Honywood Oak and is a magnificent tree. It has a girth of 28 feet and is thought to be around 800 years old. It is one of the last survivors of the 300 or so oaks that were once in the 130-acre park at the Marks Hall Estate. One of the others left has the fantastic name of the Screaming Oak. Just imagine if most of them were still there and hadn’t been cut down. He was to spend two years of his life with this tree.
Getting your head around a tree that can still be alive around at 10 times your life span takes some doing. They are almost timeless; to think at oak speed means slowing ourselves down to the speed that this tree operates at. Appreciating the imperceptible changes that take place to the tree over the year, without contemplating it in the context of minutes and seconds or the latest social media notification, takes a fair amount of self-control, but it was something that Canton managed to do. In fact, it was something that he needed to do as this oak became something of a crutch in supporting him through an emotional time dealing with a breakup.
But there is more to this than his time spent with this particular tree. It is often considered to be our national tree and it had helped shelter us, we have built boats and ships from it and even further back in our history it had a strong spiritual and ritual element especially those that had mistletoe growing in the branches. He speaks to knowledgeable people who know much more about the local woods that he could ever know and takes the time to glean details from them.
Tentatively I close my eyes.
Time passes.
A calm creeps over me as though a blanket has been wrapped around my shoulders.
A numinous peace descends.
When I open them, there is only the oak framed before me, the grey bark ridged and still, so still. I feel bewitched.
An obsession with a particular tree could be seen as being slightly dysfunctional, but in these strange times in 2020 people have been taking the time to walk out in their locality and connect with places, woodlands and people have begun to reconnect with the natural world once again. If I am looking for a particular peace then I know I will find it alongside water and in among trees. I have a particular affinity for the oak too, as my name is derived from the French for oak, le chêne. I really liked this, the writing feels natural and at other times intimate. I liked the diary format that was used in some parts of the book, it didn’t feel overbearing, just fitted right in with the wide topics that he is writing about in his exploration of oaks in our culture and folklore. If you have a thing about trees then this would be one to read.
Canton’s tree is called the Honywood Oak and is a magnificent tree. It has a girth of 28 feet and is thought to be around 800 years old. It is one of the last survivors of the 300 or so oaks that were once in the 130-acre park at the Marks Hall Estate. One of the others left has the fantastic name of the Screaming Oak. Just imagine if most of them were still there and hadn’t been cut down. He was to spend two years of his life with this tree.
Getting your head around a tree that can still be alive around at 10 times your life span takes some doing. They are almost timeless; to think at oak speed means slowing ourselves down to the speed that this tree operates at. Appreciating the imperceptible changes that take place to the tree over the year, without contemplating it in the context of minutes and seconds or the latest social media notification, takes a fair amount of self-control, but it was something that Canton managed to do. In fact, it was something that he needed to do as this oak became something of a crutch in supporting him through an emotional time dealing with a breakup.
But there is more to this than his time spent with this particular tree. It is often considered to be our national tree and it had helped shelter us, we have built boats and ships from it and even further back in our history it had a strong spiritual and ritual element especially those that had mistletoe growing in the branches. He speaks to knowledgeable people who know much more about the local woods that he could ever know and takes the time to glean details from them.
Tentatively I close my eyes.
Time passes.
A calm creeps over me as though a blanket has been wrapped around my shoulders.
A numinous peace descends.
When I open them, there is only the oak framed before me, the grey bark ridged and still, so still. I feel bewitched.
An obsession with a particular tree could be seen as being slightly dysfunctional, but in these strange times in 2020 people have been taking the time to walk out in their locality and connect with places, woodlands and people have begun to reconnect with the natural world once again. If I am looking for a particular peace then I know I will find it alongside water and in among trees. I have a particular affinity for the oak too, as my name is derived from the French for oak, le chêne. I really liked this, the writing feels natural and at other times intimate. I liked the diary format that was used in some parts of the book, it didn’t feel overbearing, just fitted right in with the wide topics that he is writing about in his exploration of oaks in our culture and folklore. If you have a thing about trees then this would be one to read.
August 30, 2020
Written by a lecturer in “Wild Writing” at the University of Essex, presumably to the same formula he is teaching his students, i.e. find yourself a slightly offbeat topic, throw in a few words nobody knows, wax lyrical about the birds you recognise, repeat stuff endlessly (eg how many times do we need to be told that ancient stags head oaks resemble a bolt of lightening?), make up supposed verbatim conversations, get a bit sentimental/ new-agey/ spiritual and tell the reader how you ‘found’ yourself. Oh, and most importantly, pinch pages and pages of other authors’ work, and fit in as many reports of visits to unheralded experts as you can...
Sorry to be so negative, but I found the whole book too contrived. I get that the author loves trees, especially oaks. So do I, having spent a lifetime working with and around them, but I don’t need to spend 8 years sitting in them trying to work out WHY I love them.
Finally, for a far better book on a single ancient oak tree, read BB’s “Lord of the Forest”.
Sorry to be so negative, but I found the whole book too contrived. I get that the author loves trees, especially oaks. So do I, having spent a lifetime working with and around them, but I don’t need to spend 8 years sitting in them trying to work out WHY I love them.
Finally, for a far better book on a single ancient oak tree, read BB’s “Lord of the Forest”.
January 24, 2022
slow moving book about the author's relationship with this oak tree with bits of poetry added
August 13, 2020
From BBC Radio 4:
Jonathan Keeble reads a fascinating account of the history and symbolic power of oak trees, by James Canton.
When a relationship breaks down, James Canton begins to spend time with an ancient oak tree near where he lives in Essex - the 800-year-old Honywood Oak.
“I began to visit the oak as one might visit a friend. From the first meeting there grew a strange sense of attachment I didn’t consciously recognise until I began to realise the significance that trees, and oak trees especially, can have in our lives.”
Spending time at the tree, James finds solace from his distress. More than that, he begins to feel bewitched by the power of the tree. It is then that he begins an exploration of the history of oak trees, and their vital importance in history and myth.
“As I’ve dug deeper into the historical and cultural layers of ancient Europe, I have begun to realise just how common the veneration of oak trees was.”
He meets people who work with oak, and artists who have been inspired by oak trees. And, as he sits at the oak, he records in detail the sounds and sights of the natural world around him.
“A wren pipes up, a staccato tic, tic, tic from somewhere in the centre of the oak. A hare appears on the path, all ears, lean and jittery, only to disappear into the long grasses and ferns that cover the soft slopes of the stream valley. It is a slice of time laid bare, a moment when the normal flow of life is frozen.”
Beautifully-observed nature writing and fascinating history, with a soundscape of the natural world, and music by Max Richter.
Produced by Elizabeth Burke.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00...
Jonathan Keeble reads a fascinating account of the history and symbolic power of oak trees, by James Canton.
When a relationship breaks down, James Canton begins to spend time with an ancient oak tree near where he lives in Essex - the 800-year-old Honywood Oak.
“I began to visit the oak as one might visit a friend. From the first meeting there grew a strange sense of attachment I didn’t consciously recognise until I began to realise the significance that trees, and oak trees especially, can have in our lives.”
Spending time at the tree, James finds solace from his distress. More than that, he begins to feel bewitched by the power of the tree. It is then that he begins an exploration of the history of oak trees, and their vital importance in history and myth.
“As I’ve dug deeper into the historical and cultural layers of ancient Europe, I have begun to realise just how common the veneration of oak trees was.”
He meets people who work with oak, and artists who have been inspired by oak trees. And, as he sits at the oak, he records in detail the sounds and sights of the natural world around him.
“A wren pipes up, a staccato tic, tic, tic from somewhere in the centre of the oak. A hare appears on the path, all ears, lean and jittery, only to disappear into the long grasses and ferns that cover the soft slopes of the stream valley. It is a slice of time laid bare, a moment when the normal flow of life is frozen.”
Beautifully-observed nature writing and fascinating history, with a soundscape of the natural world, and music by Max Richter.
Produced by Elizabeth Burke.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00...
October 26, 2020
The Oak Papers is a diary written in the present tense. James Canton sets out to fall in love with the great old oaks of England, and he succeeds. It is an ode to oaks.
The main focus of his attention is the Honywood Oak. He doesn’t locate it for readers, but it is on an estate northeast of London, two-thirds of the way to Ipswich. There are other famous oaks in the region, notably the Screaming Oak, which has three huge holes that could have come from The Scream by Edvard Munch.
The book is melding of observation and references. Canton teaches descriptive writing of the wild, “the ties between literature, landscape and the environment,” and he freely associates his every sighting and feeling throughout the book. From the whorls of the bark to the insects in the air, birds, bats, the weather and the emotions he feels, the book is a prose poem to oaks.
There are references and quotes of poems and poets, as well as some history of what the oaks have “witnessed” in their time. The Honywood Oak is 800 years old, but there are many over a thousand.
For those who have not had the pleasure, English oaks can live for several thousand years. They become official landmarks. Their boughs can be incredibly long and gnarly. Their trunks, which can be 30 feet around, can hollow out, and people can enter them, literally standing inside the tree. It is not only amazing that they can be this old, but that they can survive at all in such a condition. Yet they thrive, given half a chance. It is the magic of English trees and forests that has led to so many great tales and literature. Trees are an inspiration, just by being there.
Canton discovers, as readers will quickly surmise, that the oaks, and the Honywood Oak in particular, have become his obsession and first love. He admits his human spouse and he are breaking up, and his notably many visits to the tree are good indicator that things are better there than at home. There is peace and quiet at the foot of the oak.
The book suffers from far too few images. What little there are are chapter openers, drawings of acorns, oak leaves and anonymous trees, when photos would have been breathtaking. Especially since he spends so much time describing named trees.
Most of the tree books I have reviewed over the past couple of decades are less focused and more varied. This one is locked on English Oaks, but it does not break any new ground. Canton does (barely) mention the new science of neurobiology, in which scientists are determining how trees communicate within themselves and with other trees. This book does not seek to be authoritative, comprehensive, or even a useful reference. It is a collection of diary entries from Canton’s endless visits over a couple of years. As such, while it is quite lyrical, it is quite flat, and not very useful.
David Wineberg
August 11, 2020
6 AUG 2020 - spied on Laura's feed. I have a deep affinity for trees and their stories. I will really enjoy this listen-to. Many Thanks, Laura
From BBC Radio 4:
Jonathan Keeble reads a fascinating account of the history and symbolic power of oak trees, by James Canton.
When a relationship breaks down, James Canton begins to spend time with an ancient oak tree near where he lives in Essex - the 800-year-old Honywood Oak.
“I began to visit the oak as one might visit a friend. From the first meeting there grew a strange sense of attachment I didn’t consciously recognise until I began to realise the significance that trees, and oak trees especially, can have in our lives.”
Spending time at the tree, James finds solace from his distress. More than that, he begins to feel bewitched by the power of the tree. It is then that he begins an exploration of the history of oak trees, and their vital importance in history and myth.
“As I’ve dug deeper into the historical and cultural layers of ancient Europe, I have begun to realise just how common the veneration of oak trees was.”
He meets people who work with oak, and artists who have been inspired by oak trees. And, as he sits at the oak, he records in detail the sounds and sights of the natural world around him.
“A wren pipes up, a staccato tic, tic, tic from somewhere in the centre of the oak. A hare appears on the path, all ears, lean and jittery, only to disappear into the long grasses and ferns that cover the soft slopes of the stream valley. It is a slice of time laid bare, a moment when the normal flow of life is frozen.”
Beautifully-observed nature writing and fascinating history, with a soundscape of the natural world, and music by Max Richter.
Produced by Elizabeth Burke.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Listen here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00...
11 AUG 2020 - Mr Canton expresses exactly how I feel in the company of majestic trees - deeply respectful, in awe, and wishing the trees could share with me their stories.
From BBC Radio 4:
Jonathan Keeble reads a fascinating account of the history and symbolic power of oak trees, by James Canton.
When a relationship breaks down, James Canton begins to spend time with an ancient oak tree near where he lives in Essex - the 800-year-old Honywood Oak.
“I began to visit the oak as one might visit a friend. From the first meeting there grew a strange sense of attachment I didn’t consciously recognise until I began to realise the significance that trees, and oak trees especially, can have in our lives.”
Spending time at the tree, James finds solace from his distress. More than that, he begins to feel bewitched by the power of the tree. It is then that he begins an exploration of the history of oak trees, and their vital importance in history and myth.
“As I’ve dug deeper into the historical and cultural layers of ancient Europe, I have begun to realise just how common the veneration of oak trees was.”
He meets people who work with oak, and artists who have been inspired by oak trees. And, as he sits at the oak, he records in detail the sounds and sights of the natural world around him.
“A wren pipes up, a staccato tic, tic, tic from somewhere in the centre of the oak. A hare appears on the path, all ears, lean and jittery, only to disappear into the long grasses and ferns that cover the soft slopes of the stream valley. It is a slice of time laid bare, a moment when the normal flow of life is frozen.”
Beautifully-observed nature writing and fascinating history, with a soundscape of the natural world, and music by Max Richter.
Produced by Elizabeth Burke.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Listen here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00...
11 AUG 2020 - Mr Canton expresses exactly how I feel in the company of majestic trees - deeply respectful, in awe, and wishing the trees could share with me their stories.
June 23, 2021
This book is a memoir and ode to one of the most majestic living things on Earth—the oak tree. After a tough time in his relationship, the author spends two years sitting and meditating under an eight-hundred-year-old oak tree that saw the English Civil War. What started as a study of the oak tree and its habitations and the creatures that live in it changed into something that was far more human-centered.
I loved how the author did this in a journal form with the different days. This whole book was an exercise in mindfulness and made you feel in the moment with him. By writing it in the present tense, we were there with the author studying the mysteries of nature and understanding the healing role nature plays in our lives. The way he wrote about oaks was beautiful, but this book was not just about trees and nature. It was about our relationship with the world around us. It's not just about the history of trees. It's about what it means when we spend time in nature and when we are with a tree and what it does to our own reflection when things around us sort of pause. Interestingly, this comes out at the end of the pandemic, where things have actually paused for a while.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/jam...
I loved how the author did this in a journal form with the different days. This whole book was an exercise in mindfulness and made you feel in the moment with him. By writing it in the present tense, we were there with the author studying the mysteries of nature and understanding the healing role nature plays in our lives. The way he wrote about oaks was beautiful, but this book was not just about trees and nature. It was about our relationship with the world around us. It's not just about the history of trees. It's about what it means when we spend time in nature and when we are with a tree and what it does to our own reflection when things around us sort of pause. Interestingly, this comes out at the end of the pandemic, where things have actually paused for a while.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/jam...
August 3, 2021
Honestly the only thing that kept me reading was that mentally I can’t not finish books. It was basically a 220 page long poem like ode to the authors love of oak trees. You could skip 20 pages and not know you had skipped anything. Nothing really happened it was just a discussion of his connection with the oak tree.
December 3, 2021
Beautifully written reflections on being with oaks. I could see in my mind's eye the scenes described in this book. I wonder if the desire to connect with creation and the calm it gives are vestiges of what life was like in Eden.
February 13, 2021
A love letter to an 800-year old oak tree in North Essex, England, and moving a meditation on nature's beauty, curiosities, and healing powers. James Canton writes poetic descriptions along with a history lesson of this great tree. His journal entries detail changes in the air, the birds, and the insects who inhabit, feed on, and nurture the tree. I could write on and on about the majesty of the tree and more so on the joy of reading Canton's discoveries and what he's learned about this colossal tree (that would have been a sapling when the Magna Carta was signed.) Treat yourself to an ode to the natural world with this perfect companion for walks in the woods, bird watching, or simply embracing the beauty and mysteries of old trees.
October 17, 2021
This is a beautifully written, passionate, involved ode to the Oak.
Canton's writing here is tender, honest and revealing. I love the descriptions of how oaks and trees in general can provide us with a distinct sense of peace and calm that no other entity can give us.
I totally understand the feeling of awe, wonder and reverence that is experienced from being in the presence of a tree which has stood for more years than we are able to comprehend.
Inspired, natural, real writing here that I highly recommend.
Excuse me while I go trawl the bibliography for more great finds................
Canton's writing here is tender, honest and revealing. I love the descriptions of how oaks and trees in general can provide us with a distinct sense of peace and calm that no other entity can give us.
I totally understand the feeling of awe, wonder and reverence that is experienced from being in the presence of a tree which has stood for more years than we are able to comprehend.
Inspired, natural, real writing here that I highly recommend.
Excuse me while I go trawl the bibliography for more great finds................
May 9, 2021
3.5 stars. "To gaze at the stars, to be in the company of oaks that will live so far beyond us, gives us peace, gives us the capacity to see ourselves in the context of a world so much more infinite, more significant than our own." James Canton spent two years visiting and sitting with an 800 year old oak in North Essex, England. The tree is so old, it existed when the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. Canton explores the idea of the sacred in nature, almost completely centered around his experiences with this oak as well as others. These ancient trees are rare -- humanity's desire for productivity and greed has eliminated many of them. Where this tree is located, there used to be around 300 ancient trees until the 1950's when they were all cut down for the value of their lumber. Canton's writing and descriptions are beautiful - this is a meditative reading experience, one worth slowing down and savoring. Nature has always felt holy to me, the calm and serenity that I experience when spending time in the forest or desert is captured in his descriptions of his time with the trees. If you are a birder, there is a bonus with this one as Canton reflects often on the other wildlife, especially birds, that he encounters when he is with the oaks.
October 2, 2022
Poetic, meditative book about the author's deep and profound relationship with an oak tree while he is getting over a failed relationship.
If that sounds silly to you, you most likely will not like this book. If you get it, and get the idea of "visiting" trees, finding solace being near trees, and the truth of having a deep connection with a tree (particularly oak trees), you might like it. It's slow-moving but so is an oak's lifespan--the oak in question that the author spends many hours with is 800 years old. How many human generations has this oak seen?
The author talks to a number of other people who feel the same way, and each has their own take on it. He also talks to a scientist to try to find a scientific basis behind people's connection to trees, something he feels deeply to be true but wants scientific backup.
If you liked Vesper Flights, that's a good indicator you might like this. It's a similar type of writing--poetic meditations on nature.
If that sounds silly to you, you most likely will not like this book. If you get it, and get the idea of "visiting" trees, finding solace being near trees, and the truth of having a deep connection with a tree (particularly oak trees), you might like it. It's slow-moving but so is an oak's lifespan--the oak in question that the author spends many hours with is 800 years old. How many human generations has this oak seen?
The author talks to a number of other people who feel the same way, and each has their own take on it. He also talks to a scientist to try to find a scientific basis behind people's connection to trees, something he feels deeply to be true but wants scientific backup.
If you liked Vesper Flights, that's a good indicator you might like this. It's a similar type of writing--poetic meditations on nature.
August 26, 2022
Ich weiß nicht ob ich dieses Buch vor ein paar Jahren gemocht hätte. Erst in den letzten Jahren habe ich eine Sehnsucht nach Entschleunigung entwickelt und zu Meditieren begonnen. In der Stadt lebend hat sich diese Sehnsucht vor allem in regelmäßigen Aufenthalten in Parks unter Bäumen verwirklichen lassen und es hat sich ein tiefergehendes Interesse und Verbundenheitsgefühl mit und an der Natur entwickelt. Canton beschreibt dieses nahezu spirituelle Erweckungsgefühl mit Tiefe und Klarheit. Er verbindet persönliches mit historischem und erzeugt starke Bilder vor dem inneren Auge. Ein ungewöhnliches, aber empfehlenswertes Buch.
July 25, 2025
This small book is written in a calendar/journal format with entries describing the trips that the author took over two to three years to find solace under an 800 year old oak tree in Essex. His observations are dreamlike and include literary references (Pliny the Elder, Keats, Milton, Tolkein, T. S. Eliot) since the author's background is literary, rather than scientific. However, he is a naturalist and his references to birds (chiffchaff, green woodpecker, blue tits, heron, sparrow hawk) and insects are colorful and detailed. As an environmentalist, he is hopeful that this book will encourage others to be grateful for the trees we have and preserve them. He does a good job of that.
August 3, 2021
The Oak Papers is an ode to oaks. The author shares thoughts and observations he formed while spending time with an 800-year old Honywood Oak on an estate in Sussex, England. He also writes about the uses and abuses of oaks throughout history. Sadly, while reading this book, my hometown was hit with a devastating ice storm that damaged many of the remaining oaks in the area.. It was a painful event made even more so by reading this book. Seeing what we are losing and cannot replace is heart-breaking. I have always loved our oak trees. I hope readers of this book form the same affection and are inspired to act to preserve our precious oaks.
February 7, 2022
A very well written book. It is part memoir, part history, part science, part philosophy with the parts adding to something more than a simple sum.
February 25, 2024
Overall fascinating and well written book which isn’t like anything else I have read. Can be a little dull and repetitive at times but overall a well written book that is worth a read.
March 13, 2021
This a book that should be read among the trees.
Read
June 12, 20223,5 Sterne
Zwischendurch etwas "zäh", Aufmachung (alla Tagebuch) ist sehr gut gewählt, aber irgendwie fehlt etwas im Buch... So wirkliche "Weißheiten", wie der Untertitel suggeriert fehlen. Also nett zu lesen, aber kein "muss man gelesen haben"
Zwischendurch etwas "zäh", Aufmachung (alla Tagebuch) ist sehr gut gewählt, aber irgendwie fehlt etwas im Buch... So wirkliche "Weißheiten", wie der Untertitel suggeriert fehlen. Also nett zu lesen, aber kein "muss man gelesen haben"
December 23, 2022
Too many cliched nature writing descriptions for my liking. There were some nice sections in there though.
April 2, 2021
Good for:
* Calm app users
* Those who can’t meditate during yoga
* Taking a long walk in the woods
* Wishing to climb a tree
Why: I consider myself to be environmentally minded - I hike, I get excited by changing leaves, and I get anxious when I think of how much plastic I consume. Canton is outdoorsy in such a calm manner which is totally devoid of the regular bustling movement we in the US embody.
I will go on hikes for 4-5 hours, cover mile after mile, and spend only 15 minutes actually at the peak before turning around and schlepping back down. Canton takes a whole different approach - spending years connecting with a specific ancient oak.
Throughout the Papers he explores his growing connection to the natural world, and the solace which he receives from the tree. The book is graced with a variety of characters, all who have the same slow gravity of Canton, but who bring a variety of perspectives to the healing he receives from the Honywood Oak. These were my favorite parts. Canton’s discussions with others felt like therapy and were relatively fast paced compared to other passages of him describing the days under the oak.
Papers is a calming, but occasionally sleepy, book. I wished I could have heard more about Canton’s motivation to seek out the oaks, but I loved his ongoing research about the combined history of humans and oaks. The intricate details he picks out - from the bark to the creatures who live within the oak - will make me slow down on my next hike.
* Calm app users
* Those who can’t meditate during yoga
* Taking a long walk in the woods
* Wishing to climb a tree
Why: I consider myself to be environmentally minded - I hike, I get excited by changing leaves, and I get anxious when I think of how much plastic I consume. Canton is outdoorsy in such a calm manner which is totally devoid of the regular bustling movement we in the US embody.
I will go on hikes for 4-5 hours, cover mile after mile, and spend only 15 minutes actually at the peak before turning around and schlepping back down. Canton takes a whole different approach - spending years connecting with a specific ancient oak.
Throughout the Papers he explores his growing connection to the natural world, and the solace which he receives from the tree. The book is graced with a variety of characters, all who have the same slow gravity of Canton, but who bring a variety of perspectives to the healing he receives from the Honywood Oak. These were my favorite parts. Canton’s discussions with others felt like therapy and were relatively fast paced compared to other passages of him describing the days under the oak.
Papers is a calming, but occasionally sleepy, book. I wished I could have heard more about Canton’s motivation to seek out the oaks, but I loved his ongoing research about the combined history of humans and oaks. The intricate details he picks out - from the bark to the creatures who live within the oak - will make me slow down on my next hike.
August 24, 2022
Non-Fiction
A man going through stuff is drawn to an 800-year-old oak tree. The first half of the book is present tense diary entries as he sits with the tree for over a year, in all sorts of weather. Lots of cute animals romp around, and the health of the tree is discussed, as well as the fate of oak trees, and their power throughout the ages and their use in literature, from Virginia Woolfe to Shakespeare.
The second half delves more into his search for understanding as to why he was drawn to the tree, and why it helped him during his challenging times. There's a lot of discussion with scientists and other oak-minded people.
This was recommended to me by a library patron, and as with a lot of non-fiction, this very well may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it. I also found it soothing as I went through my own stuff, and I also have a tree (a towering pine tree over my back fence) that I watch, and admire.
I also learned, which is another reason I enjoyed it. Both from what's in the book, as well as additional google searching I did on oaks, which are so fascinating.
A man going through stuff is drawn to an 800-year-old oak tree. The first half of the book is present tense diary entries as he sits with the tree for over a year, in all sorts of weather. Lots of cute animals romp around, and the health of the tree is discussed, as well as the fate of oak trees, and their power throughout the ages and their use in literature, from Virginia Woolfe to Shakespeare.
The second half delves more into his search for understanding as to why he was drawn to the tree, and why it helped him during his challenging times. There's a lot of discussion with scientists and other oak-minded people.
This was recommended to me by a library patron, and as with a lot of non-fiction, this very well may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it. I also found it soothing as I went through my own stuff, and I also have a tree (a towering pine tree over my back fence) that I watch, and admire.
I also learned, which is another reason I enjoyed it. Both from what's in the book, as well as additional google searching I did on oaks, which are so fascinating.
December 28, 2020
Wonderful meditation on connecting with nature on such a deep level. Giving voice to a part of nature that maybe we just walk by without acknowledging it’s importance. The author dives deep into the history of the oak and why it should be valued. Much like the documentary “My Octopus Teacher”. Nature lovers, mindfulness practitioners, and those who do shinrin-Yoku will enjoy this book.
November 22, 2023
A lovely lyrical and reflective book, beautifully observed. Added poignancy that while reading this, the beautiful tree at Sycamore Gap was butchered. Great book to read under your own favourite tree
February 11, 2022
EVERYTHING THAT HAS A NAME EXISTS...
‘No one can be un-cheered by a balloon.’ – Winnie-The-Pooh.
Well…no one can be un-cheered by a tree, either. They give a feeling of such joy and happiness to us. They move us emotionally and spiritually, the more so the bigger and spectacular the tree. So on these islands the Oak is King. Lord of all Fauna.
And James Canton, in his wonderful book, ‘The Oak Papers’ has written about not just some of our local fauna, but three oak trees in particular, (with one stand out star, called The Honywell Oak) in a way I have never read before in a ‘nature’ book. Oh, and that first part is pronounced ‘honey’ by the way. Sweet.
We know many things live on this still beautiful planet of ours…but Canton brings the oak alive. I first encountered the idea of oaks – and thus perhaps other plants – ‘communicating’ with each other in the fabulous BBC documentary, ‘Oak Tree: Nature’s Greatest Survivor.‘ It was a wonderful hour and a half about a year in the life of an oak tree.
If this all sounds like nonsense, then remember…so much of what we now know is true, fact…when once we used to think of certain things as nonsense or impossible. The wee section in the book about plant ‘intelligence’ is fascinating…and a little troubling, too. Can they actually know when we are hurting them? Can they emit, if not a sound, a smell as we cut or kill them?
But mostly this is a wonderfully poetic and gentle book about one man’s association with three particular trees, though others crop up in the book too. Of one man’s getting to know these oaks…and I wouldn’t think it too silly to say becoming friends with them…at least he to they! What they think of this human sitting up them for hours on end we’ll never know…unless we can learn to decipher and understand…oakish. But I bet they love it.
It’s a spiritual book too in the way that reading it lifts you, calms you, and leaves you feeling better, enlivened even, once you have put it down. And then when you next pick it up and begin reading it again, that nice sensation comes over you once more.
We have always felt like that. Remember as a child after playing or whatever you’d climb a tree and just relax and be at peace? We didn’t know it then but that was the tree affecting us. We just thought we were tired…but we were also at peace. Forest bathing before it was ever given a name.
Here’s another thing. I could pick many quotes to use from the book or tell you about a couple of things I’ve learnt, but the book’s too poetic to pick and choose, and I learnt so much but in such a gentle way that it’d be unfair to highlight this or that.
But I will mention my favourite new thing I learnt in the whole book. It wasn’t just a brand new word, (so some brand new knowledge to me) but something I’d often had what I’ll call a ‘daydream’ of or a ‘yearning’ that it existed. A whisper of… It’s impossible to go into detail here or explain, but at least with this new ‘thing’ I realise I may not be as stupid as some folk – including me! – think I can be.
It’s this: amongst many new words I read this one. Hamadryad. And dryads. Put very simply – and this is my very abridged explanation – it is a Greek mythological creature that lives in trees. An entity. A spirit.
I travel to the Basque Country a lot. It is most definitely a land of forests. In the Basque language Euskera (the Basque for oak is ‘haritz’ by the way) they have a saying: Izena duen guztia omen da. ‘They say that everything that has a name exists.’ So it follows in my way of thinking that everything that exists has a spirit. A deity. A god.
I love that: the idea that trees, plants…all flora…may have their own spirits. Their own deities, perhaps. Their own spirits. Their gods…
And I love this book.
‘No one can be un-cheered by a balloon.’ – Winnie-The-Pooh.
Well…no one can be un-cheered by a tree, either. They give a feeling of such joy and happiness to us. They move us emotionally and spiritually, the more so the bigger and spectacular the tree. So on these islands the Oak is King. Lord of all Fauna.
And James Canton, in his wonderful book, ‘The Oak Papers’ has written about not just some of our local fauna, but three oak trees in particular, (with one stand out star, called The Honywell Oak) in a way I have never read before in a ‘nature’ book. Oh, and that first part is pronounced ‘honey’ by the way. Sweet.
We know many things live on this still beautiful planet of ours…but Canton brings the oak alive. I first encountered the idea of oaks – and thus perhaps other plants – ‘communicating’ with each other in the fabulous BBC documentary, ‘Oak Tree: Nature’s Greatest Survivor.‘ It was a wonderful hour and a half about a year in the life of an oak tree.
If this all sounds like nonsense, then remember…so much of what we now know is true, fact…when once we used to think of certain things as nonsense or impossible. The wee section in the book about plant ‘intelligence’ is fascinating…and a little troubling, too. Can they actually know when we are hurting them? Can they emit, if not a sound, a smell as we cut or kill them?
But mostly this is a wonderfully poetic and gentle book about one man’s association with three particular trees, though others crop up in the book too. Of one man’s getting to know these oaks…and I wouldn’t think it too silly to say becoming friends with them…at least he to they! What they think of this human sitting up them for hours on end we’ll never know…unless we can learn to decipher and understand…oakish. But I bet they love it.
It’s a spiritual book too in the way that reading it lifts you, calms you, and leaves you feeling better, enlivened even, once you have put it down. And then when you next pick it up and begin reading it again, that nice sensation comes over you once more.
We have always felt like that. Remember as a child after playing or whatever you’d climb a tree and just relax and be at peace? We didn’t know it then but that was the tree affecting us. We just thought we were tired…but we were also at peace. Forest bathing before it was ever given a name.
Here’s another thing. I could pick many quotes to use from the book or tell you about a couple of things I’ve learnt, but the book’s too poetic to pick and choose, and I learnt so much but in such a gentle way that it’d be unfair to highlight this or that.
But I will mention my favourite new thing I learnt in the whole book. It wasn’t just a brand new word, (so some brand new knowledge to me) but something I’d often had what I’ll call a ‘daydream’ of or a ‘yearning’ that it existed. A whisper of… It’s impossible to go into detail here or explain, but at least with this new ‘thing’ I realise I may not be as stupid as some folk – including me! – think I can be.
It’s this: amongst many new words I read this one. Hamadryad. And dryads. Put very simply – and this is my very abridged explanation – it is a Greek mythological creature that lives in trees. An entity. A spirit.
I travel to the Basque Country a lot. It is most definitely a land of forests. In the Basque language Euskera (the Basque for oak is ‘haritz’ by the way) they have a saying: Izena duen guztia omen da. ‘They say that everything that has a name exists.’ So it follows in my way of thinking that everything that exists has a spirit. A deity. A god.
I love that: the idea that trees, plants…all flora…may have their own spirits. Their own deities, perhaps. Their own spirits. Their gods…
And I love this book.
May 8, 2022
The Oak Papers by James Canton Review
This book is a beautiful tribute to the power of nature and the exquisite, unexplainable connection that exists between trees and humans, and the interconnectedness between trees and all kinds of wildlife that depends upon the trees for shelter and food. Mr. Canton’s words flutter off the page like one of the birds he so carefully observes in the boughs and branches of the great oaks. I found his lyrical, almost poetic style of writing to soothe and relax me and I found myself completely and utterly entranced by his lush descriptions or flora and fauna. I, too, felt as if I was climbing into the sanctuary of the Honywood Oak and clambering up to find solace and peace from a world that seems to have gone mad in its chaos and unsettling and disparaging choices that have embraced hatred over peace and disparity over love. Oh that it was as simple as climbing up the branches of a mighty oak to forget the world for a while and feel the peace that its sturdy hardiness promises in its very touch, smell, sounds, and the gaze upon which you are transfixed.
James Canton says, “I am seeking oak knowledge. I have experienced what so many people know – that being by an oak tree has some kind of calming effect. I know this. Whether I am staring at the ancient glory of the Honywood Oak, or sitting by the far younger frame of the Field Oak, or tucked in the boughs of the Stag-Headed Oak upon Two Oak Hill, being with those oaks has made me feel better. My mind is stilled. I feel less anxious. I feel more secure in my own skin. I am able to accept the present, am able to be myself more easily. And in those moments I do not seek answers as to why that is. I simply accept the composed balm that the presence of oaks offers…”
What is it about being in the simple beauty and rest of nature that brings our frail hearts such joy? The author reflects that ‘You’re next to a being that will live for hundreds of years. It gives us a sense of our own impermanence…To gaze at the stars, to be in the company of oaks that will live so far beyond us, gives us peace, gives us the capacity to see ourselves in the context of a world so much more infinite, more significant than our own…’
This book is a beautiful tribute to the power of nature and the exquisite, unexplainable connection that exists between trees and humans, and the interconnectedness between trees and all kinds of wildlife that depends upon the trees for shelter and food. Mr. Canton’s words flutter off the page like one of the birds he so carefully observes in the boughs and branches of the great oaks. I found his lyrical, almost poetic style of writing to soothe and relax me and I found myself completely and utterly entranced by his lush descriptions or flora and fauna. I, too, felt as if I was climbing into the sanctuary of the Honywood Oak and clambering up to find solace and peace from a world that seems to have gone mad in its chaos and unsettling and disparaging choices that have embraced hatred over peace and disparity over love. Oh that it was as simple as climbing up the branches of a mighty oak to forget the world for a while and feel the peace that its sturdy hardiness promises in its very touch, smell, sounds, and the gaze upon which you are transfixed.
James Canton says, “I am seeking oak knowledge. I have experienced what so many people know – that being by an oak tree has some kind of calming effect. I know this. Whether I am staring at the ancient glory of the Honywood Oak, or sitting by the far younger frame of the Field Oak, or tucked in the boughs of the Stag-Headed Oak upon Two Oak Hill, being with those oaks has made me feel better. My mind is stilled. I feel less anxious. I feel more secure in my own skin. I am able to accept the present, am able to be myself more easily. And in those moments I do not seek answers as to why that is. I simply accept the composed balm that the presence of oaks offers…”
What is it about being in the simple beauty and rest of nature that brings our frail hearts such joy? The author reflects that ‘You’re next to a being that will live for hundreds of years. It gives us a sense of our own impermanence…To gaze at the stars, to be in the company of oaks that will live so far beyond us, gives us peace, gives us the capacity to see ourselves in the context of a world so much more infinite, more significant than our own…’
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