The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors - Softcover

Haskell, David George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143111302 ISBN 13: 9780143111306

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2018

Synopsis

In The Songs of Trees, award-winning nature writer David Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees around the world, exploring the trees' connections with webs of fungi, bacterial communities, cooperative and destructive animals, and other plants. In doing this he shows that every living being is not only sustained by biological connections, but is made from these relationships, and that holding a networked view of life enriches our understanding of biology, human nature, and ethics.

About this title

Review

"In The Songs of Trees, Haskell champions a kind of 'ecological aesthetics, ' where we find beauty in connectivity . . . Haskell sees trees as 'nature's great connectors, ' living symbols of the book's great theme - that life is about relationships. . .we can find salvation in this view of life as a community."
--Ed Yong, theatlantic.com

"Over the course of ten graceful and fine-grained studies of different tree species, Haskell makes our relationship with the trees lambently obvious . . . The Songs of Trees has the diverse busyness of a thriving woodland. It is hard to think of a recent scientifically-inflected book on nature that is as fluent, compelling, and intoxicatingly rich." - Times Literary Supplement

"Rich, often stunningly beautiful prose ... astounding powers of observation ... powerfully arguing against the 'otherness' of nature that denies our own wild being ... pushes the genre of nature writing in a welcome new direction." --The Burroughs Medal jury

"Haskell proves himself to be the rare kind of scientist Rachel Carson was when long ago she pioneered a new cultural aesthetic of poetic prose about science . . . it is in such lyrical prose and with an almost spiritual reverence for trees that Haskell illuminates his subject . . . a resplendent read in its entirety, kindred both to Walt Whitman's exultation of trees and bryologist Robin Wall Kimmerer's poetic celebration of moss." - Maria Popova, "Brainpickings"

"Both a love song to trees, an exploration of their biology, and a wonderfully philosophical analysis of their role they play in human history and in modern culture." - Science Friday, "The Best Science Books of 2017"

"Haskell's exquisitely wrought ecological study documents the fate of 12 trees, around the globe and over time . . . a ravishing journey into biotic community."
- Nature

"The Songs of Trees is the equal of [The Forest Unseen] in its scientific depth, lyricism, and imaginative reach . . . Haskell's intention is nothing less than to explore interconnection in nature across space and time, and to observe how humans can succeed, or fail, in the co-creation of networks of life that are more intelligent, productive, resilient and creative." - The Guardian (U.K.)

"Reveals the surprising - and surprisingly fascinating - arboreal secrets hidden in the canopies of ordinary trees . . . Haskell [leverages] three remarkable strengths - vast scientific knowledge, prodigious literary gifts, and a deeply meditative approach to fieldwork." --Outside

"A great read for those wanting to be swept away to new locations while gaining a greater appreciation for the impact a single tree can have."
- American Forests

"The ceibo is the first of a fascinating litany of the world's trees we come to know through the extraordinary observations of Haskell . . . This is a wise and eloquent reminder of the interconnectedness of all things and a lesson in how being open to the wisdom of trees, the great connectors, can help us understand ourselves and our place in the world."
- The Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Haskell writes with a poet's ear and a biologist's precision . . . like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Stephen Jay Gould's Wonderful Life, The Songs of Trees is greater than the sum of its parts: it forces readers to consider complex, interrelated networks of the natural world, the scope and sweep of evolution, and the measurable effects of humanity on both."
- The Knoxville News Sentinel

"David George Haskell is a wonderful writer and an equally ke --The Times Literary Supplement

Named one of the Best Science Books of 2017 by Science Friday and Brain Pickings
One of Forbes' Best Environment, Climate Science and Conservation Books of 2017

"In The Songs of Trees, Haskell champions a kind of 'ecological aesthetics, ' where we find beauty in connectivity . . . Haskell sees trees as 'nature's great connectors, ' living symbols of the book's great theme - that life is about relationships. . .we can find salvation in this view of life as a community."--Ed Yong, The Atlantic

"Haskell's exquisitely wrought ecological study documents the fate of 12 trees, around the globe and over time . . . a ravishing journey into biotic community." - Nature

"Both a love song to trees, an exploration of their biology, and a wonderfully philosophical analysis of their role they play in human history and in modern culture." - Science Friday, "The Best Science Books of 2017"

"Reveals the surprising - and surprisingly fascinating - arboreal secrets hidden in the canopies of ordinary trees . . . Haskell [leverages] three remarkable strengths - vast scientific knowledge, prodigious literary gifts, and a deeply meditative approach to fieldwork." --Outside

"Haskell proves himself to be the rare kind of scientist Rachel Carson was when long ago she pioneered a new cultural aesthetic of poetic prose about science . . . it is in such lyrical prose and with an almost spiritual reverence for trees that Haskell illuminates his subject . . . a resplendent read in its entirety, kindred both to Walt Whitman's exultation of trees and bryologist Robin Wall Kimmerer's poetic celebration of moss." --Brain Pickings

"Rich, often stunningly beautiful prose ... astounding powers of observation ... powerfully arguing against the 'otherness' of nature that denies our own wild being ... pushes the genre of nature writing in a welcome new direction." --The Burroughs Medal jury

"Over the course of ten graceful and fine-grained studies of different tree species, Haskell makes our relationship with the trees lambently obvious . . . The Songs of Trees has the diverse busyness of a thriving woodland. It is hard to think of a recent scientifically-inflected book on nature that is as fluent, compelling, and intoxicatingly rich." - Times Literary Supplement

"The Songs of Trees is the equal of [The Forest Unseen] in its scientific depth, lyricism, and imaginative reach . . . Haskell's intention is nothing less than to explore interconnection in nature across space and time, and to observe how humans can succeed, or fail, in the co-creation of networks of life that are more intelligent, productive, resilient and creative." - The Guardian

"A great read for those wanting to be swept away to new locations while gaining a greater appreciation for the impact a single tree can have." - American Forests

"The ceibo is the first of a fascinating litany of the world's trees we come to know through the extraordinary observations of Haskell . . . This is a wise and eloquent reminder of the interconnectedness of all things and a lesson in how being open to the wisdom of trees, the great connectors, can help us understand ourselves and our place in the world." - The Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Haskell writes with a poet's ear and a biologist's precision . . . like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Stephen Jay Gould's Wonderful Life, The Songs of Trees is greater than the sum of its parts: it forces readers to consider complex, interrelated networks of the natural world, the scope and sweep of evolution, and the --Peter Crane, President, Oak Spring Garden Foundation

About the Author

David Haskell's work integrates scientific, literary, and contemplative studies of the natural world. He is a professor of biology and environmental studies at the University of the South and a Guggenheim Fellow. His 2012 book The Forest Unseen was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and won the 2013 Best Book Award from the National Academies, the National Outdoor Book Award, and the Reed Environmental Writing Award. Along with his scholarly research, he has published essays, op-eds, and poetry.

From the Hardcover edition.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0143111302
• ISBN 13: 9780143111306
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 304