Twelve Trees

And What They Tell Us About Our Past, Present and Future

Daniel Lewis

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Year: 2024
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781398518865
• Subtopic: Botany
• Index: Biological Sciences

*Chosen by Waterstones as one of their best Nature Writing Books of 2024, and by The Economist as one of their best books of 2024*

'A heartwarming guide to these fascinating giants of nature . . . A book that is full of surprises . . . Highly empathetic and informative' Independent 
'A global arboreal odyssey' Guardian
‘Marvellous' The Economist
'Enlightening, it offers hope for the future' Sunday Post

Twelve amazing species of trees that can teach us about our past, present and future.  

In Twelve Trees, professor Daniel Lewis takes us around the world – from Australia to the United States, from Easter Island and Mexico to Cameroon – and introduces us to twelve tree species that epitomise the many threats faced by our planet, from climate change, poachers and parasites, to fungi and even elephants. He celebrates their many strengths in the face of adversity, and their enduring abilities to survive – and even thrive – in an increasingly dangerous planet.

Trees are essential to all of our lives – and they need our help. In this incredible tribute to the noble tree, Lewis dives deep into the cutting-edge science and inspiring community efforts helping to keep them alive. Saving the tree, as he argues, means the saving of humanity.

Beautifully written and informative, Twelve Trees is a heartwarming and enlightening guide to some of our most fascinating trees – and why we should be working harder to protect them.

ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BOOKS TO WATCH IN 2024

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Preface
• Chapter 1: A Book Older Than God: The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine
• Chapter 2: Awesome Matters: The Coast Redwood
• Chapter 3: Earth Work: The Nearly Lost Tree of Rapa Nui
• Chapter 4: Finding Time: Amber, Insects, and a Fossil Tree
• Chapter 5: Understory Alliance: The Longleaf Pine and Its Fiery Partners
• Chapter 6: Making Folk Medicine Modern: The Road of the East Indian Sandalwood Tree
• Chapter 7: A Lawful Lot of Wood: Central African Forest Ebony
• Chapter 8: Belonging and Beyond: The Blue Gum Eucalyptus
• Chapter 9: Slippery Slopes: The Olive Tree and Its Fruit and Oil
• Chapter 10: Elephantine: The African Baobab
• Chapter 11: Waterlogged: The Bald Cypress and the Wonders of Wetlands
• Chapter 12: Tall Stories: The Mighty Ceiba Tree
• Afterword: In Praise of Recording, Reporting, and Remembering
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Notes
• Index
• Copyright