The first third was quite good. The second third was a slog. The final third was good enough (barely) to keep me reading to the end. Essentially, the bulk of the interesting material was covered better by other books I've read over the last couple of years (e.g., [b:The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|28256439|The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|Peter Wohlleben|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464281905s/28256439.jpg|48295241], [b:A Natural History of North American Trees|567816|A Natural History of North American Trees|Donald Culross Peattie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348962010s/567816.jpg|554885], [b:The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors|31522121|The Songs of Trees Stories from Nature's Great Connectors|David George Haskell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474519192s/31522121.jpg|52206884]). ( )

I’m more than halfway through this via both audio and e-book. If you’re a fan of plants, this is a great, sweeping overview of trees. It has a lot of content and does a decent job of conveying the wonderfully bizarre variations of woody plants. It is a bit dry though. I will finish it when I’m in the mood. ( )

I’m more than halfway through this via both audio and e-book. If you’re a fan of plants, this is a great, sweeping overview of trees. It has a lot of content and does a decent job of conveying the wonderfully bizarre variations of woody plants. It is a bit dry though. I will finish it when I’m in the mood. ( )

I like learning about trees but I have difficulty retaining any of the knowledge I learn about trees. I expect that will be the case after this detailed and fascinating study of trees. The bulk of this book is an encyclopedic breakdown of trees around the world by family, genus, and species. It's full of fascinating tidbits. My favorite section of the book, "The Life of Trees," is full of interesting stories of how trees function including a symbiotic relationship among fig trees, wasps, and nematodes. The book can be dry at times, but has enough interesting facts and anecdotes to keep it interesting for a dilettante. ( )

Mixed views on this book about trees, what they are and how they live. The writing (including some bizarre segues into unrelated topics) is hit and miss, but funny and engaging most of the time. The thrust behind the book (education and philosophy with trees) is positive and well held together. The information presented is excellent, but with some unfortunate bias. The result is a good book that maybe would have been better with a more cut-throat editor.

The edition that I read was the hardback illustrated, and it is a beautiful object. ( )