The Oak and The Larch: A Forest History of Russia and its Empires

'To tell Russia's story through its forests, from the ent-like leshy of medieval folklore to the way Ukraine's forests became bastions of defence against Putin's invasion, is a glorious act of imagination, and Sophie Pinkham's wonderful book is packed with insight to match' Mark Galeotti, author of A Short History of Russia 'For Sophie Pinkham, Russia’s forests contain everything: animals and spirits, legends and fairytales, seeds of the world’s greatest novels, whole histories of political repression and revolution, and hope for a radically post-national future. The Oak and the Larch is a towering achievement, a work of remarkable synthesis and sensitive storytelling' Merve Emre, author of The Personality Brokers 'Perceptive, wide-ranging, and gracefully written, The Oak and the Larch is a momentous chronicle of Russia’s vast and vital woodlands and their agency in a human history that touches us all. The lessons we follow from this sylvan past– and this book– will determine our future on Earth' Jack E. Davis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Gulf 'The forest has been friend and enemy, sanctuary and prison, zone of industry and realm of the spirit. Sophie Pinkham gives us not just a new way to see Russian history but an unexpected source of inspiration for renewing our own relationship with the natural world' Ben Tarnoff, author of Internet for the People 'Sophie Pinkham’s book, drawing on a range of disciplines, from history to folklore, ecology to economics, and written with sophistication and wit, presents Russia and its empires in a dramatically new light. A revelation that entertains as much as it enlightens' Douglas Smith, author of Former People 'The Oak and the Larch [..] shows the vast range of relationships it’s possible to have with the forest, from conquest to coexistence, offering urgent lessons for a time when living with our environments is so key' Bathsheba Demuth, author of Floating Coast