Remarkable Trees of the World

It was just a couple of weeks ago that I went back to visit some of the wisest friends I know, the 4500+ year old Bristlecone Pine trees in California. I had met them a few years earlier, they had comforted me after a death in my immediate family by giving me some perspective. A short while later, I quit my job to travel the world for a couple of years. On that go round, I also visited a grove of tall trees in Redwood National Park - which had some former world record holders. I thought I had seen it all. The oldest, tallest, and in 1997, I had visited General Sherman - the largest (In volume). All of these are noted in the book with glorious photos. Boy, was I wrong. I recently discovered another tree of distinction, also while in California. A moreton bay fig tree with a crown of 100+ feet, 75 feet tall. Magnificent. I've started to look at registers of trees, and then I found this book. I've begun to realize there are so many more trees of distinction, and not just the ones he mentions. The author has helped open up my eyes to seeing the world in another different way. His prose, descriptions, and inclusion of historical photos makes for an enjoyable read. I like to repeat - "The true voyage of discovery, is not in going to new places, but in seeing with new eyes." - Proust. The author has succeeded in having that effect on me. He finds glorious trees in Botswana, Madagascar, Morocco, South Africa / Japan, Sri Lanka, Turkey / France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden / Canada, USA, Mexico / Australia, and New Zealand. I've had the fortune of visiting 10 of these countries in my life, but other than what I noted earlier, didn't particularly make an effort to seek other trees out. I will now. My list of reasons to travel and re-visit some places is growing. Thank you Mr.Pakenham. I'm back in the Northwest US now - home of many trees, as I drive or bicycle I pay much closer attention to the friendly giants all around. I'm sure I'll lie down under one of them soon and have that daydream.

This is not a book only for tree enthusiasts, it is for everyone and I hope that everyone, everywhere will buy this book and be enriched by it. It is a blend of richly beautiful photogrophy with insightful and haunting narrative. The trees themselves come alive, sometimes as dieties. The stories behind these particular trees left me with a sense of affection for these remarkable beings. I remember reading a review and wondering what the fuss was all about. But there is much to fuss about. I know we are not to comment on other reviewers, but I must break the rules here. The reviews of this book are by far the most eloquent and beautiful I have come across. Usually there is some crank in the bunch who has awful things to say about a really good book. Not so here. It is as thought the sublime spiritual nature of the subject and the presentation brought out the best in everyone.

When I bought Pakenham's precursor to this book ("Meetings With Remarkable Trees"), I was astonished then. Now I've run out of superlatives, hence the plus sign suffixing the title of my review. As enjoyable as his poetic writing style is, that's just a bonus. The highly detailed photos in this book are, well, astonishing+. He uses a heavy, large-format camera, lugging it all around the world to photograph some of the most amazing trees on the planet. And as fine as the print quality was in "Meeting With Remarkable Trees", the print quality of this book surpasses the former. I am constantly amazed at the print quality of the best books being printed today, and this is right up there at the top of the heap. You'll swear you're looking at fine, lithographic prints. I am a fanatic tree lover to begin with, and this book is just glorious, and satisfies my wildest dreams for such a book. It gives me a sense of ecstasy over being alive.

I really like this book. I like its large format, straightforward layout, and elegant visual design. It's almost a coffee-table book, but you can still hold it and read it pretty comfortably. The book profiles many different trees, each one interesting for its own reasons. Each tree gets a full two-page spread, where one of the pages is a large, high quality photo and the other is a description from the author about visiting the tree and usually some history and description of what makes it so unique. This book really gave me an appreciation for the variety of trees around the world, the extremes that exist, and how fragile they are. It certainly made me wish to reduce logging operations, especially the final chapter about endangered trees.

Thomas Pakenham has now produced four books on 'Remarkable Trees'. They are all beautifully produced with wonderful coloured photographs, but it should be remembered that he is a very talented writer and the text associated with each photograph is well worth absorbing. I have a very full library of conventional books about trees but these by Packenham have given me a new insight into some of the most spectacular trees that can be seen in both Britain and many exotic parts of the world. The one about the Baobab is a gem. Robert huddleston

If you are trying to give a gift to someone who you really like, this book would be ideal - It's that good. Briefly, this is a book of photographs of 60 trees scattered throughout the world that appeal to the author in some way. The photos are excellent and if you have ever tried to photograph a tree you will appreciate the thought and hard work that went into this book. The author includes photos of the biggest, the oldest, the holiest, and the oddest trees in the world. Ruminating about why he chose these particular trees is as fun as viewing the photos and text. Each photo is accompanied by well-written text that fleshes out the photos with historical, biological, or cultural information regarding each tree and its setting. I found myself lost in time and space as I read this book and looked at the trees - which is probably what the author intended and why he calls these trees "remarkable". The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I read it after I had read Pakenham's first book, "Meetings With Remarkable Trees", which is even richer and better. I'm no tree-hugger but after reading these books I could be tempted.

Trees are such wonderful gifts that we have been given. They are truly treasures as the pictures in this book show. Thanks to Thomas Pakenham we can appreciate these magnificent creations even though we can't see them in person. His book is a treasure that I share with my family.

This was my 6th purchase of this book. I have one and have given the others as gifts. Remarkable Trees is a book well named. The beauty and longevity of these trees is inspiring. Despite all the environmental and human onslaught throughout the centuries, they survive. I appreciate that the author captured so many of these trees in this book. It's a beautiful gift for anyone who loves trees or anyone you wish to introduce to the world's diversity of of these life giving survivors.