Author(s): Graeme Matthews

Coffee Table Books

A superbly photographed collection of trees from around the world: from the broadleaf forests and woodlands of Europe to the Amazon rainforests; from the mountain pines and weeping willows of China to the baobabs of Africa and the banyans of Malaysia. Also featured are individual specimens of great beauty such as the coast redwood of California, Japanese cherry blossom and the frangipani of Oceania. The book is introduced with an essay covering the biology of trees and some amazing facts about them, including the tallest tree, the largest tree, the oldest tree, and their importance to our local and global climates, how trees are classified and their role in human history. The book is divided into continents and each chapter opens with an essay on the tree species of that continent and the role they play in the lives of the people who live there, including the myths and legends surrounding specific tree species, and the economies built around them.