A series of dialogues about British trees, each chapter named after a type of tree.

Born in 1793, John Clare lived and worked during the Golden Age of British poetry, the time of Shelley, Byron, Keats, and Coleridge. In the grand tradition of English nature writing, he stands alongside Wordsworth as a poet of extraordinary humanity and great spirit. Clare was 18 years old when the first Luddite riots occurred. He was deeply resistant to the first years of England's Enclosure, and he offers a contemporaneous look at what the world was like for those struggling with the impact of the first Industrial Revolution. Uneducated but remarkably well read, Clare was briefly celebrated in London, only to spend his final years in a lunatic asylum. He died in one on May 20, 1864, almost exactly one year before William Butler Yeats was born and the world set out on the path to Modernism. As James Reeves, an early critic and admirer, has said, "The existence of Clare the poet is, of course, a miracle . . . This is its most precious gift. Clare was a happy poet; there is more happiness in his poetry than in that of most others. This was no mere animal contentment of body and senses, but a quiet ecstasy and inward rapture. Such happiness is not to be had except at a price." Tom Pohrt's drawings and watercolors have been widely admired. There are few alive whose sensibility more properly matches Clare's—it's as if Samuel Palmer had taken the commission to illustrate a selection of the peasant poet. Pohrt has himself made the selection of poems from the vast quantity that survived Clare's chaotic life. Robert Hass joins the project to place Clare's work in the larger context of nature poetry in the West. The result is a book sure to please those who know already of Clare's fine poems and those for whom this book will be their exciting introduction.

American author and respected dog breeder Albert Payson Terhune was so enamored of his handsome, loyal collie Lad that he was inspired to feature the furry fellow in a series of short stories. Originally published in magazines, the Lad stories became so popular that they took on a life of their own. Lad: A Dog, the first collection of Terhune's Lad tales, is sure to please dog lovers of all ages.

America’s Great Forest Trails is an unprecedented showcase and practical travel guide to the finest woodland hiking opportunities, calling us to get out “into the woods” but also reminding us of the importance of leaving no trace through these fragile ecosystems. No other book combines the hiking-boots-on-the-ground guidance found here with spectacular photography and narratives that describe, motivate, and inspire the hiker in all of us. Featuring 100 outstanding hikes lasting from one day to several weeks, this photo-packed book is an inspirational bucket list for anyone looking to escape into America’s finest areas of wild beauty and to experience both the excitement and serenity of being among the trees—from armchair traveler to day hiker to experienced backpacker. America’s Great Forest Trails introduces readers to 100 hikes of a lifetime, from legendary trails to some that are scarcely known. The trails included range across the country: from the ancient Appalachians and the Pacific Coast’s uplift, to the Rockies, Desert Ranges, Sierra Nevada, Cascade Mountains, Olympics, and beyond to the wild terrain of Alaska and the islands of Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Readers get practical details about each trail and guidance on how to protect these special places so they remain alluring and rewarding to the generations ahead who seek both solace and adventure.