Remarkable Trees of the World Paperback – September 17, 2003

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

Fabulous photograph and information about the individual trees and their surroundings.Set on time and arrived promptly.

Beautiful photos of amazing trees that I hope will survive human ignorance.

Excellent read and photos of magnificent trees.

Buscaba un libro de fotografías de árboles majestuosos. El libro en sí está muy bien, pero espero que algun día se haga otro más grande con fotos que abarquen ambas páginas.

Delighted with this lovely book. Interesting and well presented and in excellent condition. Also a bargain because I bought it second hand!