Overview

A compelling global exploration of nature and survival as seen via a dozen species of trees that represent the challenges facing our planet, and the ways that scientists are working urgently to save our forests and our future. The world today is undergoing the most rapid environmental transformation in human history--from climate change to deforestation. Scientists, ethnobotanists, indigenous peoples, and collectives of all kinds are closely studying trees and their biology to understand how and why trees function individually and collectively in the ways they do. In Twelve Trees, Daniel Lewis, curator and historian at one of the world's most renowned research libraries, travels the world to learn about these trees in their habitats. Lewis takes us on a sweeping journey to plant breeding labs, botanical gardens, research facilities, deep inside museum collections, to the tops of tall trees, underwater, and around the Earth, journeying into the deserts of the American west and the deep jungles of Peru, to offer a globe-spanning perspective on the crucial impact trees have on our entire planet. When a once-common tree goes extinct in the wild but survives in a botanical garden, what happens next? How can scientists reconstruct lost genomes and habitats? How does a tree store thousands of gallons of water, or offer up perfectly preserved insects from millions of years ago, or root itself in muddy swamps and remain standing? How does a 5,000-year-old tree manage to live, and what can we learn from it? And how can science account for the survival of one species at the expense of others? To study the science of trees is to study not just the present, but the story of the world, its past, and its future. Note--species include: * The Lost Tree of Easter Island (Sophora toromiro) * The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) * Hymenaea protera [a fossil tree] * The Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) * East Indian sandalwood (Santanum album) * The Bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) * West African ebony (Diospyros crassiflora) * The Tasmanian blue gum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) * Olive tree (Olea europaea) * Baobab (Adansonia digitata) * the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) * The bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)

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9781982164058

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Reviews

"""Rarely have I read a book that so seamlessly interweaves science and sensibility. If you are interested in trees, you will love this book. If you are not interested in trees, this book will show you why you should be."" --Naomi Oreskes, coauthor of Merchants of Doubt and The Big Myth ""Daniel Lewis, author of The Feathery Tribe, could not have chosen a group of trees more biologically and culturally fascinating than this variously endangered dozen. . . . He offers a meticulous survey of these species, as well as their personal histories and importance. . . . He deals with the complexities of conservation efforts (and resistance to them) with an even hand, and the book is as rigorous as it is readable. . . . A well-informed, staunch defense of trees' capacity to multiply biodiversity and support life on Earth."" --Kirkus Reviews ""Daniel Lewis channels the wisdom of twelve of the planet's most eloquent teachers--the oldest, the tallest, and even the extinct--to share their deep time lessons with us. With the precision of a scientist, the skill of a historian, and the voice of a poet, Lewis speaks for the trees. If we listen, we will grow to love these twelve trees deeply, and come to recognize how closely our own lives and fates are linked to theirs."" --Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author of City of Trees and A Year in Rock Creek Park ""As Daniel Lewis elegantly illustrates, trees are basic material and precious resource; refugees and invaders; recorders, victims, and perhaps solvers of the changing climate. In every case, Lewis argues, they are a mirror back on humanity and its often fraught relationship with the wider world."" --Zachary St. George, author of The Journeys of Trees ""Twelve Trees is a remarkable adventure that takes us from the heights of the redwood canopy to the craters of Easter Island and the depths of the Congo Basin, using cutting-edge science and personal stories to explain the ways these incredible trees shape our world."" --Eric Rutkow, author of American Canopy ""This highly readable and informative celebration of trees stands out in the forest of books about them. 'No tree is an island, ' declares the author, backing this up by exploring the infinite interactions of a dozen well-chosen trees in the web of life in earth which connects all living things. In an era of rapid environmental change, we and the trees share the same future and must face our fate together. The perspectives and wisdom offered here will inspire greater respect, not just for trees, but for all of nature."" --Stephen Blackmore, His Majesty's Botanist in Scotland, author of How Plants Work Praise for Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction and Evolution in Hawai'i ""The appalling story of the extinction of so many species of Hawaiian birds has been told, but a book devoted to the beauty of the birds themselves is a welcome event. Belonging on an Island will be both an elegy and an important record of what has been lost to us all."" --W. S. Merwin, former U.S. Poet Laureate ""With insight, humor, scholarship, and love, Daniel Lewis illustrates how and why the question of who or what 'belongs' somewhere is both deceptively complex and increasingly important in today's Anthropocene world."" --Robert J. Cabin, author of Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai'i ""The long and tragic history of the ecological transformation of Hawaii is presented in this book, and Daniel Lewis makes it readable, balanced, and thought-provoking."" --David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds ""I doubt there is another book that covers the subject of the extinct and endangered birds of Hawaii so completely. The depth of research is impressive and reflects, in part, Lewis' affection for the region."" --Joel Greenberg, author of A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction"

"""Daniel Lewis, author of The Feathery Tribe, could not have chosen a group of trees more biologically and culturally fascinating than this variously endangered dozen. . . . He offers a meticulous survey of these species, as well as their personal histories and importance. . . . He deals with the complexities of conservation efforts (and resistance to them) with an even hand, and the book is as rigorous as it is readable. . . . A well-informed, staunch defense of trees' capacity to multiply biodiversity and support life on Earth."" --Kirkus Reviews ""Daniel Lewis channels the wisdom of twelve of the planet's most eloquent teachers--the oldest, the tallest, and even the extinct--to share their deep time lessons with us. With the precision of a scientist, the skill of a historian, and the voice of a poet, Lewis speaks for the trees. If we listen, we will grow to love these twelve trees deeply, and come to recognize how closely our own lives and fates are linked to theirs."" --Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author of City of Trees and A Year in Rock Creek Park ""As Daniel Lewis elegantly illustrates, trees are basic material and precious resource; refugees and invaders; recorders, victims, and perhaps solvers of the changing climate. In every case, Lewis argues, they are a mirror back on humanity and its often fraught relationship with the wider world."" --Zachary St. George, author of The Journeys of Trees ""Twelve Trees is a remarkable adventure that takes us from the heights of the redwood canopy to the craters of Easter Island and the depths of the Congo Basin, using cutting-edge science and personal stories to explain the ways these incredible trees shape our world."" --Eric Rutkow, author of American Canopy ""This highly readable and informative celebration of trees stands out in the forest of books about them. 'No tree is an island, ' declares the author, backing this up by exploring the infinite interactions of a dozen well-chosen trees in the web of life in earth which connects all living things. In an era of rapid environmental change, we and the trees share the same future and must face our fate together. The perspectives and wisdom offered here will inspire greater respect, not just for trees, but for all of nature."" --Stephen Blackmore, His Majesty's Botanist in Scotland, author of How Plants Work Praise for Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction and Evolution in Hawai'i ""The appalling story of the extinction of so many species of Hawaiian birds has been told, but a book devoted to the beauty of the birds themselves is a welcome event. Belonging on an Island will be both an elegy and an important record of what has been lost to us all."" --W. S. Merwin, former U.S. Poet Laureate ""With insight, humor, scholarship, and love, Daniel Lewis illustrates how and why the question of who or what 'belongs' somewhere is both deceptively complex and increasingly important in today's Anthropocene world."" --Robert J. Cabin, author of Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai'i ""The long and tragic history of the ecological transformation of Hawaii is presented in this book, and Daniel Lewis makes it readable, balanced, and thought-provoking."" --David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds ""I doubt there is another book that covers the subject of the extinct and endangered birds of Hawaii so completely. The depth of research is impressive and reflects, in part, Lewis' affection for the region."" --Joel Greenberg, author of A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction"

"""In Twelve Trees, Daniel Lewis travels the world to meet a dozen unique specimens with the aim to learn more about how trees live and communicate--and what their connected lives might tell us about how we live ours. Brimming with awe for the overstory, the book is also a reminder that life unlike our own is not only mysterious--it's precious."" --LitHub ""Enchanting . . . The plentiful trivia fascinates, and Lewis has a talent for complicating conventional wisdom. . . . The result is a loving paean to all things arboreal."" --Publishers Weekly ""Rarely have I read a book that so seamlessly interweaves science and sensibility. If you are interested in trees, you will love this book. If you are not interested in trees, this book will show you why you should be."" --Naomi Oreskes, coauthor of Merchants of Doubt and The Big Myth ""Daniel Lewis, author of The Feathery Tribe, could not have chosen a group of trees more biologically and culturally fascinating than this variously endangered dozen. . . . He offers a meticulous survey of these species, as well as their personal histories and importance. . . . He deals with the complexities of conservation efforts (and resistance to them) with an even hand, and the book is as rigorous as it is readable. . . . A well-informed, staunch defense of trees' capacity to multiply biodiversity and support life on Earth."" --Kirkus Reviews ""Daniel Lewis channels the wisdom of twelve of the planet's most eloquent teachers--the oldest, the tallest, and even the extinct--to share their deep time lessons with us. With the precision of a scientist, the skill of a historian, and the voice of a poet, Lewis speaks for the trees. If we listen, we will grow to love these twelve trees deeply, and come to recognize how closely our own lives and fates are linked to theirs."" --Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author of City of Trees and A Year in Rock Creek Park ""As Daniel Lewis elegantly illustrates, trees are basic material and precious resource; refugees and invaders; recorders, victims, and perhaps solvers of the changing climate. In every case, Lewis argues, they are a mirror back on humanity and its often fraught relationship with the wider world."" --Zachary St. George, author of The Journeys of Trees ""Twelve Trees is a remarkable adventure that takes us from the heights of the redwood canopy to the craters of Easter Island and the depths of the Congo Basin, using cutting-edge science and personal stories to explain the ways these incredible trees shape our world."" --Eric Rutkow, author of American Canopy ""This highly readable and informative celebration of trees stands out in the forest of books about them. 'No tree is an island, ' declares the author, backing this up by exploring the infinite interactions of a dozen well-chosen trees in the web of life in earth which connects all living things. In an era of rapid environmental change, we and the trees share the same future and must face our fate together. The perspectives and wisdom offered here will inspire greater respect, not just for trees, but for all of nature."" --Stephen Blackmore, His Majesty's Botanist in Scotland, author of How Plants Work Praise for Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction and Evolution in Hawai'i ""The appalling story of the extinction of so many species of Hawaiian birds has been told, but a book devoted to the beauty of the birds themselves is a welcome event. Belonging on an Island will be both an elegy and an important record of what has been lost to us all."" --W. S. Merwin, former U.S. Poet Laureate ""With insight, humor, scholarship, and love, Daniel Lewis illustrates how and why the question of who or what 'belongs' somewhere is both deceptively complex and increasingly important in today's Anthropocene world."" --Robert J. Cabin, author of Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai'i ""The long and tragic history of the ecological transformation of Hawaii is presented in this book, and Daniel Lewis makes it readable, balanced, and thought-provoking."" --David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds ""I doubt there is another book that covers the subject of the extinct and endangered birds of Hawaii so completely. The depth of research is impressive and reflects, in part, Lewis' affection for the region."" --Joel Greenberg, author of A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction"

"Praise for Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction and Evolution in Hawai'i ""The appalling story of the extinction of so many species of Hawaiian birds has been told, but a book devoted to the beauty of the birds themselves is a welcome event. Belonging on an Island will be both an elegy and an important record of what has been lost to us all."" --W. S. Merwin, former U.S. Poet Laureate ""With insight, humor, scholarship, and love, Daniel Lewis illustrates how and why the question of who or what 'belongs' somewhere is both deceptively complex and increasingly important in today's Anthropocene world."" --Robert J. Cabin, author of Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai'i ""The long and tragic history of the ecological transformation of Hawaii is presented in this book, and Daniel Lewis makes it readable, balanced, and thought-provoking."" --David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds ""I doubt there is another book that covers the subject of the extinct and endangered birds of Hawaii so completely. The depth of research is impressive and reflects, in part, Lewis' affection for the region."" --Joel Greenberg, author of A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction"

"""Twelve Trees is a remarkable adventure that takes us from the heights of the redwood canopy to the craters of Easter Island and the depths of the Congo Basin, using cutting-edge science and personal stories to explain the ways these incredible trees shape our world."" --Eric Rutkow, author of American Canopy ""This highly readable and informative celebration of trees stands out in the forest of books about them. 'No tree is an island, ' declares the author, backing this up by exploring the infinite interactions of a dozen well-chosen trees in the web of life in earth which connects all living things. In an era of rapid environmental change, we and the trees share the same future and must face our fate together. The perspectives and wisdom offered here will inspire greater respect, not just for trees, but for all of nature."" --Stephen Blackmore, His Majesty's Botanist in Scotland, author of How Plants Work Praise for Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction and Evolution in Hawai'i ""The appalling story of the extinction of so many species of Hawaiian birds has been told, but a book devoted to the beauty of the birds themselves is a welcome event. Belonging on an Island will be both an elegy and an important record of what has been lost to us all."" --W. S. Merwin, former U.S. Poet Laureate ""With insight, humor, scholarship, and love, Daniel Lewis illustrates how and why the question of who or what 'belongs' somewhere is both deceptively complex and increasingly important in today's Anthropocene world."" --Robert J. Cabin, author of Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai'i ""The long and tragic history of the ecological transformation of Hawaii is presented in this book, and Daniel Lewis makes it readable, balanced, and thought-provoking."" --David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds ""I doubt there is another book that covers the subject of the extinct and endangered birds of Hawaii so completely. The depth of research is impressive and reflects, in part, Lewis' affection for the region."" --Joel Greenberg, author of A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction"

Author Information

Daniel Lewis is the Dibner Senior Curator for the History of Science and Technology at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Southern California, and a writer, college professor, and environmental historian. He writes about the biological sciences and their intersections with extinction, policy, culture, history, politics, law, and literature. Lewis holds the PhD in history and has held post-doctoral fellowships at Oxford, the Smithsonian, the Rachel Carson Center in Munich, and elsewhere. Lewis also serves on the faculty at Caltech, where he teaches environmental humanities courses, as well as at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He is also currently serving a five-year term on the IUCN's Species Survival Commission, as a Bird Red List Authority member. His previous books include Belonging on an Island: Birds, Extinction, and Evolution in Hawai'i and The Feathery Tribe: Robert Ridgway and the Modern Study of Birds.

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