Dimensions
183 x 186 x 22mm
Trees are vital - the roots and the shelter for our existence. Without them we simply wouldn't be here. Not only essential to existence, they have also been an inspiration throughout our history, with the 'tree of life' featuring in many cultures and beliefs. From the starting point, Lewis Blackwell celebrates and explores the miracle of the tree in our lives today. In a highly accessible text, he searches for the essence of our relationship with trees. For him it is a love affair that must never end. Support the quest is his presentation of a unique range of images shot by leading photographers throughout the world.
Around these photographs he weaves stories that travel across the breadth of time and space, tracking the amazing relationships of tress with humankind. Through breathtaking photographs and stories we are taken on a journey from the boreal forest at the edge of the Arctic to the rainforests girdling the planet; from ancient bristlecones to fresh-leaved seedlings; from the charming and familiar to the scary and rare; and from giant unseen underground life forms to the possibility of life saving unknown treasures in the high canopies.
We also travel through time, from the dark origins of the living world to our hopes, fears and actions for the future. We find out how the tress has always been there as a key partner, feeding and fuelling and protecting us. But we come to realize that we now need to enter into a new relationship, one where we all have a part to play.
