Trees, Woods and Forests : A Social and Cultural History

Charcoal, warships, fruit, houses, shade and sheer beauty the manifold uses of trees have bound them inextricably to human culture. Geographer Charles Watkins interdisciplinary exploration of that long, convoluted relationship is a fact-packed dazzler. With Watkins we walk a Neolithic "road" of ash planks, delight in Plinys description of German forests as untouched by the ages and coeval with the world, celebrate the rise of scientific forestry and ponder the diseases and creeping urbanization now threatening the future of these stupendous organisms. Sumptuously illustrated. * Nature * Always brisk and informative, Watkins draws on a variety of disciplines, citing archaeologists, botanists, ecologists, geographers and historians. This is the wood seen from the outside, with an academic, or aesthetic detachment. And as the facts accumulate, the wooded landscape, and its representations in art and literature, take on unexpected dimensions . . . The history of trees is constantly being rewritten, Watkins concludes and his own, generously illustrated, book is a welcome, lively and intriguing addition to this continuing line. * TLS * This splendid and highly readable book examines social and cultural aspects of trees, woods and forests throughout history and is strongly recommended to all interested in trees and historical landscapes . . . A book not to be missed. * Landscape History * This is a beautifully produced reference book for anybody with an interest in the cultural history of woods and trees in Britain. While forestry enthusiasts will find some familiar material here, almost everybody will find new, different and interesting insights that make this well worth adding to the book collection. * Quarterly Journal of Forestry * Written with clear enthusiasm, in accessible language, Watkins Trees, Woods and Forests will appeal to academics and non-academics alike, and its broad scope will attract readers from a variety of disciplines: history, geography, archaeology, ecology, even art history and literature. Anybody interested in the landscape will find this book informative, engaging and, indeed, inspiring. * Time & Mind * Watkins wants to revivify our tree-sense our awareness of the labor and the language woods inspire so that we might cultivate a healthful arborary future . . . Today, as one thousand years ago, trees are in society with one another, with us, and with the rest of the globe and their lives are historical lives. Wed do well to reacquaint ourselves with them. * Make Literary Magazine * The book is a wood lovers delight of ancient forest lore and custom, forestry and arboriculture and changing scientific, economic, aesthetic and cultural perceptions of trees . . . Grab yourself a haversack and boots and take a tour with Professor Watkins through forest glades, hoary old oaks, estate plantations and royal forests, during which you will meet a splendid array of woodland characters from an ancient Alpine iceman to a medieval hunting parson, from an acquisitive tree-loving metropolitan bishop and proud Victorian ducal estate improvers to plucky commoners fighting for their rights to graze, lop and pollard. The focus moves from the frozen woods of the lower Alps, the primeval forests of Northern Germany, the royal forests of Epping and Sherwood and through the great estate plantations and arboretums of the Victorian aristocracy towards the development of modern forestry, conservation, tourism and management. * Paul Elliott, Professor of Modern History, University of Derby *