Three Worlds Oak

"This is a remarkable book. It recounts, from the perspective of a single oak tree, the history and diversity of the many species which make up the genus Quercus . . . [With] splendid illustrations." - Charles Watkins, University of Nottingham, author of Trees Ancient and Modern: Woodland Cultures and Conservation "If an oak could speak, what would it say? I revelled in this vital, epic story, wittily told by one tree. Tim Entwisle charmingly animates the history and biology of the oak and brings to life its uneasy relationships with fungi." - Jonathan Drori, author of Around the World in 80 Trees "Like so many around this green planet, I have loved oak trees but I never imagined one would talk to me. Tim Entwisle’s stricken garden guest, like so many human beings today, was driven to find its possible ancestors – and what an adventure it turns out to be. The range of this great family of plants is magnificent – and his book has exquisite illustrations to prove it. As I toast this rare achievement with a fine wine, I pause, nod, and recognize where the cork came from." - Robyn Williams, host of The Science Show on ABC Radio National "Tim Entwisle weaves a global survey of oaks into a literary tapestry – infused with Latin American magical realism and Nabokovian annotations – framed through the vision of a single decaying tree. While delivering an account of genus Quercus, at times humorous and scholarly throughout, he showcases the remarkable oak collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Essential reading for oak enthusiasts and cognoscenti, and for anyone who values a story well told." - Roderick Cameron, former president of the International Oak Society "My story is the story of all oaks; it didn’t have to be, but it is.” With these words, the inquisitive, erudite, and chatty oak-narrator of Tim Entwisle’s Three Worlds Oak invites us to join it on a trip through history and around the world to discover the many branches of its family tree. Wetravel through China and Korea, North Africa, the British Isles, and the Americas. We learn about Druids’ beliefs about the soul of the oak (it resided in parasitic mistletoe) and the number of trees it took to build a nineteenth-century ship in the British (6,000). We learn about the life history of oaks as a genus and the individual life histories of scores of different oak species. Entwisle’s book is a delight to read and as diverse in themes as oaks themselves are in ecology and form. I have bookmarked it densely and expect to come back to it again and again." - Andrew L. Hipp, author of Oak Origins: From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life