Song of the Cedars

This book isn’t just about a forest. It was also created in the forest, with the forest . . . and by the forest.
 

         Co-created by New York Timesbestselling writer Robert Macfarlane, this book is more than a book: it is a small means of changing the world. By reading it, you are playing a part in recognizing the rights of nature―and protecting one of the most miraculous places on this fragile, beautiful planet of ours.

     The fascinating flora, fauna and fungi of Los Cedros Cloud Forest fill the pages of this grand panoramic scene, which can be folded out and displayed, or read like a traditional book.

     On the cover are six names: five of those are the names of the human people who have been to Los Cedros Cloud Forest, been enchanted by it―and vowed to do all they can to help protect this magical place. The sixth name, though, is a surprise: it is the forest's own.

     That's because this book isn't just about Los Cedros Cloud Forest―it was also created in the forest, with the forest . . . and by the forest. In making this book, we are recognizing the forest's moral rights as the co-creator of a literary work. This sets a striking precedent for asserting the rights of nature, and all the royalties from sales of the book will be used to support the protection of Los Cedros in the future.

Published to coincide with the anniversary of the groundbreaking court decision to recognize Los Cedros's right to exist and to flourish in the future, this book celebrates the rights of nature everywhere.

     This concertina book folds out into a stunning panoramic scene in which readers can explore a beautifully interconnected forest on one side, and discover more about its wonders with a full species guide and nonfiction texts on the reverse side

Robert Macfarlane is internationally known for his writing on nature, people, and place. His bestselling books include Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places, Mountains of the Mind, and, most recently, Is A River Alive?. With the artist Jackie Morris, he cocreated the much-loved books of nature-poetry and art The Lost Words and The Lost Spells. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, won many prizes around the world, and been widely adapted for film, music, theatre, radio, and dance. He has also written operas, plays, and films, including River and Mountain, both narrated by Willem Dafoe, and collaborated with artists including Olafur Eliasson and Stanley Donwood. As a lyricist and performer, he has written albums and songs with musicians including Cosmo Sheldrake, Julie Fowlis, and Johnny Flynn. In 2017, the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded him the E.M. Forster Prize for Literature. He is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Cosmo Sheldrake is a UK-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and live improviser. Sheldrake ’s first full length album, The Much Much How How and I, captivated listeners across the globe and his eagerly awaited follow up, Eye to the Ear, was released in 2024. Sheldrake is committed to engaging musically with the living world, and he regularly travels on expeditions as a field recordist. He has pioneered an approach to sharing the publishing royalties of his new releases, attempting to directly return funds to the animals and places that have inspired―and, in many cases, coauthored―the music. Sheldrake is a core member of the More Than Human Life Project, an interdisciplinary group working to deepen and expand legal frameworks to find new ways to protect the living world. For more information, visit cosmosheldrake.com. Paula Terán Ospina was born in Quito-Ecuador, in 1986. She is a biologist, educator, author, and illustrator. Her work focuses on children and young readers literature, scientific/naturalistic illustration, and conservation. She has written and published three children’s novels and illustrated 29 books. Ospina has also worked in conservation projects, scientific diffusion, and social conscience campaigns.