01/22/2024

“Every species of tree offers lessons to the world,” according to this enchanting study. Lewis (Belonging on an Island)—a curator at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Southern California—expounds on the biology and ecology of African baobabs, Great Basin bristlecone pines, and Central African forest ebony, among other tree species. Explaining the extraordinary abilities of California’s coast redwoods, Lewis notes that the trees “generate some two million pounds of negative pressure” to pull water from their roots to their uppermost branches, a journey that takes weeks to complete. Lewis also explores trees’ relationships with humans, discussing how the Indian government has implemented strict bureaucratic rules controlling the growth and sale of East Indian sandalwood trees, which are often poached and sold for huge sums because of their importance to traditional Asian medicine (“When a farmer has approval to harvest, a government official must come in person to uproot the entire tree”). The plentiful trivia fascinates, and Lewis has a talent for complicating conventional wisdom. For instance, he contends that despite California residents’ denigration of the invasive blue gum eucalyptus as the “nation’s largest weed,” it provides crucial shelter for migrating monarch butterflies, whose needs aren’t met by native vegetation. The result is a loving paean to all things arboreal. Agent: Wendy Strothman, Strothman Agency. (Mar.)

Daniel Lewis blends a profound sense of wonder with hard science and a global perspective in offering the histories of a dozen extraordinary species. . . . Lewis is a skilled writer, and it would be hard to overestimate his bonafides in the biological sciences. He locates their intersections with extinction, policy, politics, law, culture, history and literature in lively, often eye-opening prose.” —The Post & Courier

“A book that brims with wonder, appreciation, and even some small hope.”—Booklist

“Daniel Lewis’s informative, engrossing, often poetic Twelve Trees is a wonderland of fascinating facts. . . . Twelve Trees is also an engagingly written experiential memoir of the author’s quest to learn more about the trees he views as crucial to human life. . . . Lewis leads readers on an awe-inspiring tour of a dozen trees. . . . Twelve Trees offers extensive insight into the ways in which humans and trees are interconnected.” —BookPage

“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

“The environmental historian offers vivid portraits of 12 trees from around the world—including ebony, olive and sandalwood—scoping out the threats they face and the extraordinary ways they are able to adapt.” —The Guardian, “2024 Books to Look Out For”

“This engaging heart-and-mind approach to educating readers about trees reveals that they too have lessons to offer to the world. . . . Lewis exhorts readers to try to see the world from a tree’s perspective and to practice empathy. Nyquist’s exquisite illustrations complement and enhance the book’s gorgeous world.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“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

“This captivating exploration of nature and survival through the lens of twelve remarkable tree species takes readers on a global journey, delving into the science, history, and cultural significance of each tree. From the majestic redwoods of California to the ancient bristlecone pines of the Great Basin, engaging prose and thorough research show the vital role trees play in our world and the urgent need to protect them. A compelling and enlightening read for anyone passionate about nature and conservation.” —Arlington Magazine

“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

★ 02/01/2024

Lewis (sr. curator, History of Science and Technology, Huntington Lib., Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; Belonging on an Island) selects a small but extraordinary sample of arboreal species to explore their distinctive attributes. He also considers larger issues such as the legal rights of trees (redwoods), the invasive vs. native conundrum (blue gum eucalyptus), and the myriad threats to their survival, including the accelerating effects of climate change. The text is accessible and discursively casual throughout, be it a report from a burn in a Carolinian longleaf pine stand, the story of a leading guitar manufacturer that works to trade Central African ebony sustainably, or an account of Lewis's quest down the Amazon River to see a sublime Peruvian ceiba. Another interesting topic is plant science itself. Lewis shows how specialized methods are deepening society's understanding but endorses—and demonstrates to stirring effect—a humanistic view. Sounding at times like Thoreau, Lewis exhorts readers to try to see the world from a tree's perspective and to practice empathy. Nyquist's exquisite illustrations complement and enhance the book's gorgeous world. VERDICT This engaging heart-and-mind approach to educating readers about trees reveals that they too have lessons to offer to the world.—Robert Eagan

Books come from trees, but the trees themselves can tell us stories of their own if we know how to listen. Fittingly, I listened to part of this audiobook while sitting next to a campfire. Kaleo Griffith's narration is almost perfect for such a fireside chat. His straightforward yet conversational tone exactly matches the feel of the work. Author Daniel Lewis profiles a dozen trees, traveling the globe from Easter Island to the American West, from the Caribbean to Africa, offering up lessons in climate change, habitat preservation, and species survival. Visits to outdoor locales and indoor labs sound like inviting travelogs. Lewis is a science writer, not a scientist. So the book is written for lay listeners and adapts well to audio. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

2023-11-28
The lifestyles of 12 magnificent trees conveyed through science and history.

Lewis, author of The Feathery Tribe, could not have chosen a group of trees more biologically and culturally fascinating than this variously endangered dozen. Each has captivated the human imagination even as we have drastically reduced their numbers, from the coast redwoods of Northern California and baobabs of Africa to the olive trees of the Middle East and the bald cypress of the southeastern U.S. coastal plain. The author, environmental historian and curator for the History of Science and Technology at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in Southern California, offers a meticulous survey of these species, as well as their personal histories and importance, without succumbing to familiar bromides. He writes not in a hectoring, calamitous tone, but in a comradely one, hoping we are as concerned as is. 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. The author, who also serves on the faculty at Caltech, reminds us that the time to campaign for a species’ survival is when it is at its most prolific, rather than being in decline, because abundance offers more lessons than loss. He also questions our certitude as to what, over the passage of time, is and is not an indigenous or “invasive” tree—such as the alternately loved and loathed blue gum eucalyptus, introduced to California from Australia. Lewis also explores the strategies, old and new, involved in aiding species’ survival. The author clearly regards trees as the heartbeat of the world, providing “a bulwark against a changing climate, offering nourishment, rest and sustenance for other species, and space and quiet in their midst.”

A well-informed, staunch defense of trees’ capacity to multiply biodiversity and support life on Earth.