Enchanted Forests: The Poetic Construction of a World Before Time

'Put on your hiking boots and prepare for an adrenaline-fueled journey around the world with Boria Sax as your expert guide. Make stops with Gilgamesh at the Cedar Forest of Lebanon, with Dante as he enters a dark forest, and with Joseph Conrad’s Marlow as he navigates his way down a river to the Congo. Behold Yggdrasil of Nordic mythologies, the Cosmic Tree that grows in Siberia, or the Waq Waq tree in medieval Arab belief systems. Beauty and wisdom flash out at us on every page of this captivating volume.' – Maria Tatar, author of The Heroine with 1001 Faces; 'We generally take forests for granted, but Boris Sax, in this elegant history, reveals their glory and importance. When we look at our devastation of forests throughout the world, and how ignorant we are about the value of trees, it is a crime that we don't know more about their existence. Sax's graceful analysis guides us through all kinds of enchanted forests throughout history that need more respect than they have received.' – Jack Zipes, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota