David Douglas was one of the most important botanical collectors there has ever been. Thanks to his heroic and often unimaginably arduous explorations, during which he collected and discovered over 200 species, our forests and gardens are immeasurably richer. Not only is the Douglas fir named after him, but also many of our most established conifers, like the Sitka spruce, Grand and Noble firs and the Monterey pine were introduced to Britain by him. Modern-day suburban gardens would be without the flowering currant, lupin, penstemon, alpines, lilies and primroses had Douglas not travelled so widely. He grew up on the Scone Estate near Perth, studied at the Botanical Gardens in Glasgow under William Hooker, the greatest botanist of the nineteenth century, and then made his name through his remarkable excursions to western Canada - once walking nearly 10,000 miles between the Pacific coast and Hudson Bay. His premature death at just 35 was in keeping with the rest of his life, falling into a wild-animal trap in Hawaii.

This is an extraordinary book about trees. It's an account by a veteran science journalist that ranges to the limits of scientific understanding: how trees produce aerosols for protection and 'warnings'; the curative effects of 'forest bathing' in Japan; or the impact of trees in fertilizing ocean plankton. There is even science to show that trees are connected to the stars. Trees and forests are far more than just plants: they have myriad functions that help maintain the atmosphere and biosphere. As climate change increases, they will become even more critical to buffer the effects of warmer temperatures, clean our water and air and provide food. If they remain standing. The global forest is also in crisis, and when the oldest trees in the world suddenly start dying - across North America, Europe, the Amazon - it's time to pay attention. At the heart of this remarkable exploration of the power of trees is the amazing story of one man, a shade tree farmer named David Milarch, and his quest to clone the oldest and largest trees - from the California redwoods to the oaks of Ireland - to protect the ancient genetics and use them to reforest the planet.

When young Arlo accidentally drops a book on the Mayor’s head, the Mayor decides books are dangerous and destroys all the books in town! But thanks to Arlo’s imagination and perseverance, the Mayor finds that suppressing stories cannot stop them from blossoming more beautifully than ever. This timely allegorical tale will be a useful tool for starting conversations with children about the power of activism and the written word.

Showcasing the newest generation of black women writers, this collection gathers 23 voices that came of age in the wake of the civil rights, black arts, gay rights, and feminist movements.

Once upon a time there was a war . . . and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American, and who wished to be neither, who wanted instead to be the Wise American, or the Good American, but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as simply the Fucking American. That’s me. This is the story of Skip Sands—spy-in-training, engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong—and the disasters that befall him thanks to his famous uncle, a war hero known in intelligence circles simply as the Colonel. This is also the story of the Houston brothers, Bill and James, young men who drift out of the Arizona desert into a war in which the line between disinformation and delusion has blurred away. In its vision of human folly, and its gritty, sympathetic portraits of men and women desperate for an end to their loneliness, whether in sex or death or by the grace of God, this is a story like nothing in our literature. Tree of Smoke is Denis Johnson’s first full-length novel in nine years, and his most gripping, beautiful, and powerful work to date. Tree of Smoke is the 2007 National Book Award Winner for Fiction.

When Joe, Beth and Frannie move to the countryside, they discover that their new house lies next to the Enchanted Wood! And in that wood stands the Magic Faraway Tree. This is no ordinary tree - it is home to more magical lands full of elves, pixies, talking creatures and wonderful adventures than the children ever imagined possible!Join the children and their new friends Moon-Face, Saucepan Man and Silky the Fairy as they explore this most magical of all fairytale worlds in the three original Magic Faraway Tree novels by beloved author Enid Blyton.

From stately old oaks to beautiful forests and woods, The Book of the Tree is a collection of depictions of trees by artists, photographers and illustrators. Interspersed throughout the illustrations are short texts about the artists and their interest in particular trees, from Egon Shiele's delicate watercolors of chestnut trees, to Rousseau's exotic forests and Hockney's tree-lined groves. A wonderful collection for both art-lovers and lovers of the great outdoors.

One of the most celebrated scientists and explorers of his day, David Douglas devoted his extraordinary energies to the exploration of the wild, unknown Pacific Northwest. This was the heroic age of botany, when European collectors scoured the globe for new species, and scientists and gardeners alike had an insatiable appetite for the exotic trees and plants of Asia, North America and Australia. In 1824 David Douglas set out on a journey to the area that will be forever associated with his name -- western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, which had first been explored by Lewis and Clark only 20 years before. For the next ten years, Douglas devoted himself to the exploration of this vast and virtually unknown land, to the collecting and classification of its flora, and to recording the life of its Native American population. The tree which bears his name was only one of 200 species which he was the first to collect and describe, and far from the only one which was to become of economic or horticultural importance.

Deep within the Enchanted Wood stands the magical Faraway Tree. Climb up with Jo, Bessie and Fanny, meet the tree's curious inhabitants and visit ever-changing lands! FEATURING THE STORIES: The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree

Trees capture the imagination of the stoniest hearted, and enjoyment of them extends way beyond a core interest in plants and gardening. They represent permanence and longevity and have become symbolic of the health of our planet. People plant trees to mark events of public and private importance, and parks and arboretums attract thousands of visitors each year to witness the annual spectacles of spring and fall — or simply to enjoy the trees. In this book, Toomer explores the fascinating subject of collecting trees from a historical, practical, and philosophical standpoint and in doing so illuminates the very special relationship that exists between humans and trees. What inspires so many of us to become tree collectors? How do we choose what to collect, and what makes us narrow it down to witch hazels or magnolias? And he looks at the different motivations behind tree collections ranging from aesthetic criteria to collections planted for education value or for scientific research. For those interested in planting a handful of trees, for armchair tree collectors, for those who collect trees on a large scale — in private and public gardens, cemeteries, urban landscapes, schools, and, of course, arboretums — this is a hugely inspiring, well-structured, comprehensive treatment of the subject that provokes thought and provides practical advice on everything from budgets and maintenance to plant selection, labeling, and public safety.