Thomas Pakenham proclaims Meetings with Remarkable Trees to be a "book of British tree portraits" and indeed, he has personified trees into categories of natives, travelers, shrines, fantasies, and survivors. He will tell you from where certain trees have immigrated like they are refugees of war. He will give their ages like gossip out of the tabloids.
My favorite section was about the trees he called shrines. These are the mystical trees that were sacred to the landscape and continue to hold ancient secrets. Remarkably beautiful.
In reading Meetings with Remarkable Trees I discovered that I absolutely love the Ginkgo biloba tree, but the Davidia Involucrata, the Handkerchief or Dove tree, is also truly beautiful. Another jaw-dropping fact I enjoyed learning concerned the Himalayan Magnolia and how its blooms grow to be almost a foot in diameter.
The unexpected delight of Meetings with Remarkable Trees was Pakenham's subtle humor. I giggled when he called Aelian a killjoy. When Pakenham said he didn't normally hugged trees I had to laugh because I do hug trees on a regular basis.
The true mastery of Meetings with Remarkable Trees is Pakenham's ability to demonstrate the sheer size of each tree. Most photographs have a person standing next to the tree's massive trunk for perspective. At the end of the book Pakenham includes a gazetteer which provides information on the National Trust trees, the Forest Enterprise trees, the trees that are regularly accessible to the public and those that are on private property. ( )

An excellent dip in and out book, well illustrated and with plenty of unusual bits of information, both historical and horticultural. ( )

This coffee table book is true to its title containing photos, text, and history of some of the largest, oldest, and oddest trees in Great Britain and Ireland. I’ve actually seen some including the yew tree in Muckross Abbey of Killarney National Park. My favorite is the world’s largest hedge at Meikleour near Perth in Scotland. Over 100 feet high, a quarter of a mile long and complete with it’s own legend from the Jacobite rebellion. I’d like take a trip with this book to visit all these trees. ( )

Wonderful, soothing, humbling. Great rainy day book to leaf (no pun intended!) through. ( )

Absolutely breathtaking. For those of us in love with trees, what better book to browse through on a rainy day. ( )