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The Book of Leaves: Leaf-by-Leaf Guide to Six Hundred of the World's Great Trees Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition
Of all our childhood memories, few are quite as thrilling, or as tactile, as those of climbing trees. Scampering up the rough trunk, spying on the world from the cool green shelter of the canopy, lying on a limb and looking up through the leaves at the summer sun almost made it seem as if we were made for trees, and trees for us.Even in adulthood, trees retain their power, from the refreshing way their waves of green break the monotony of a cityscape to the way their autumn transformations take our breath away.
In this lavishly illustrated volume, the trees that have enriched our lives finally get their full due, through a focus on the humble leaves that serve, in a sense, as their public face. The Book of Leaves offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most impressive and beautiful leaves from around the world. Each leaf is reproduced here at its actual size, in full color, and is accompanied by an explanation of the range, distribution, abundance, and habitat of the tree on which it’s found. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each tree and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait.
The Henry’s Maple, for instance, found in China and named for an Irish doctor who collected leaves there, bears little initial resemblance to the statuesque maples of North America, from its diminutive stature to its unusual trifoliolate leaves. Or the Mediterranean Olive, which has been known to live for more than 1,500 years and whose short, narrow leaves only fall after two or three years, pushed out in stages by the emergence of younger leaves.
From the familiar friends of our backyards to the giants of deep woods, The Book of Leaves brings the forest to life—and to our living rooms—as never before.
- ISBN-13978-0226139739
- EditionIllustrated
- PublisherThe University of Chicago Press
- Publication dateDecember 10, 2014
- LanguageEnglish
- File size153.1 MB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A handsome guide. . . . The oaks alone will occupy you for days.”
-- New York Times Book Review ― Best Books of the Year"Meticulously illustrated. . . . Coombes’s five-pound compendium . . . gets my vote for the book I’d be most likely to take on a hike in the woods, provided I had a pack animal.”
-- Jennifer Schuessler ― New York Times"Clearly, I have lost my head and am swooning under the spell of The Book of Leaves. This big, beautiful, shiny, sumptuous, and informational volume will enhance your appreciation of the natural world, but it does something else as well. It reminds you that wonderful things are often right under your nose. . . . It needs to be spread out on a kitchen table, preferably with a couple of kids hovering nearby, so that yuo can all marvel at the colors and shapes that have been here all along, hidden in plain sight." -- Julia Keller ― Chicago Tribune
About the Author
Allen J. Coombes is botanist at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arboretum in Hampshire, England, and the author of many books about plants and trees. Zsolt Debreczy, is research Director of the International Dendrological Research Institute in Boston.
Product details
- ASIN : B00R4FQDCI
- Publisher : The University of Chicago Press; Illustrated edition (December 10, 2014)
- Publication date : December 10, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 153.1 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 658 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 0226139735
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,025,266 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #125 in Botany of Trees
- #229 in Botany (Kindle Store)
- #752 in Trees in Biological Sciences
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book helpful for identifying trees with relevant facts and beautiful pictures. They appreciate the clear visual representation of the plants' features and consider it a great reference for tree identification.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book helpful for identifying trees. It includes relevant facts and a chart with a short paragraph describing significant features. They appreciate the concise presentation of facts and photographs. The glossary of botanic terms and chapter explaining how to identify different trees are also mentioned. Overall, customers find the information design outstanding and appreciate the concise presentation of the facts and beautiful color portraits.
"...a sketch of the tree with an estimate of its size, a chart with relevant facts on the tree and a short paragraph describing the distintion between..." Read more
"...a sketch dhowing overall appearance of the tree, a paragraph describing significant features, AND a beautiful color portrait of the leaves...." Read more
"...designer(s) at Ivy Press in the UK should be commended for outstanding information design...." Read more
"...It is just as the review described -- a great reference book for the trees of the world, complete with copies of the leaves, typically pictured in..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's visual quality. They find the pictures brilliant and beautiful, with a color portrait of leaves. The book helps them visualize the plants' features.
"...will appreciate the concise presentation of facts and the wonderful photographs. The general reader will find that the book is fun...." Read more
"...job to take 600 of the major trees of the world, and give an exact lifelike photo of the leaves of that tree...." Read more
"...Artists, naturalists and teachers will appreciate this beautiful book." Read more
"...haven't given it to her yet but I did look through it and it's absoultely beautidul...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2010"The Book of Leaves" is appealing to many readers, perhaps even more than Alan Coombs, the author and Zsolt Debreczy, his editor, even imagined. The book features leaves from 600 trees, one to a page. Each page presents a full-sized photograph of the leaf, a smaller photograph in the case of compound leaves, a short description of the tree and leaf, a world-map showing the origin of the tree, a sketch of the tree with an estimate of its size, a chart with relevant facts on the tree and a short paragraph describing the distintion between the subject leaf and similar leaves. This is a lot of information on one page but the pages are well designed and never look crowded or busy. The book includes a glossary of botanic terms, and a chapter explaining how to identify a tree by its leaf. There is an index of trees by common name and another index by Latin name. The trees are grouped by their botanic family, and listed alphabetically. The book includes only trees of the 'temperate' zone, which is most of North America.
Photographers will appreciate the quality of the pictures. Perfect specimens were photographed in a studio and the veins, serrations and details of the leaves are readily visible. Naturalists will appreciate the difficulties of collecting 600 perfect leaf samples from many places and keeping the leaves fresh until they were photographed. The author graciously thanks all who contributed to this phase of the project.
Students and professionals in botany, forestry and horticultural will appreciate the concise presentation of facts and the wonderful photographs. The general reader will find that the book is fun. Who would have ever guessed that there are so many maple trees? So many oak trees? Who does not want to know the name of the tree in their backyard, in the park, on the street? And, the tree may have been imported from China! I can see children studying the pages, leaf in hand.
"The Book of Leaves" not include cultivars, and, for the most part, other identifying characteristics such as buds, bark and stems. All of photographs were taken when the leaves were green so Fall colors have to be imagined. These omissions do not limit the usefulness of this well-designed, attractive book.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016Wow ... what a phenomenal book!! I was so excited when this book came in the mail. I bought it as a "stab in the dark", right before I hit the trail for field exploration in the Andes. Thanks to other readers for pointing out the virtues of this book. The author has done a tremendous job to take 600 of the major trees of the world, and give an exact lifelike photo of the leaves of that tree. Each page goes with one species of tree. There is a small map showing the distribution (global), a sketch dhowing overall appearance of the tree, a paragraph describing significant features, AND a beautiful color portrait of the leaves. This is one of those types of books ... where you open it and say ... Wow! I cant believe somebody went to the trouble to do this. For me, it's a lifesaver. Big thanks to Allen Coombes. This book is Highly Recommrnded!!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2011Whether you're looking for eye candy or a study guide, The Book of Leaves will serve you well. Leaf type and anatomy, taxonomy and nomenclature are covered in brief sections at the front. Glossary, common name index and scientific name index are at the back. The remainder of this very heavy book is devoted to individual pages for selected dicotyledonous tree species from around the world. The designer(s) at Ivy Press in the UK should be commended for outstanding information design. Each page uses the minimum but sufficient space for text about the habit, distribution and leaf type. The rest of the page is devoted to a flat photograph of the leaf in question - life size - providing a better sense of texture than many field guides. Unlike a field guide, however, fruits, blossoms and bark are not shown, but brief descriptions are given. Artists, naturalists and teachers will appreciate this beautiful book.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2010I purchased this book after reading a great review of it in the Chicago Tribune. It is just as the review described -- a great reference book for the trees of the world, complete with copies of the leaves, typically pictured in their exact size. After perusing the book, I soon recognized, however, that it would be great if the authors could publish a sequel that would limit the coverage just to the trees of the United States and not the entire world. Clearly, this sequel would be of a much-reduced size, but I think the authors would soon find that there would be a great demand for such a book of more limited scope. Anyway, the authors clearly have made a great contribution. I am not an arborist or the like but simply wanted something to bring me more up to speed on what is growing in my tree-infested yard (and elsewhere).
- Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023This book is wonderful and should be in the library of any naturalist or phytologist.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2011This is a beautiful book and a very useful one. The images of each type of leaf are just gorgeous.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2011I bought this book for a friend for her b'day. I haven't given it to her yet but I did look through it and it's absoultely beautidul. I'm sure she's going to love it as she really likes leaves and anything that has leaves decor on an item i.e. sweatshirt, dishes, jewerlt ect.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2022A wonderful reference for my autistic daughter who loves leaves
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in India on March 23, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars very unique book must have by every botanist
excellent
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on December 8, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book
Book was in perfect condition. Quick delivery
- MaggiePReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Tree Surgeon!
The 'Book of Leaves' was top of my son's Christmas list, as he is an arborist and is doing some more specialised study to add to his qualifications. The book is excellent, loads of pictures, and covers more trees than I knew existed and was interesting, even to me. It has been out of print for many years, so obtaining a copy was not going to be easy. Amazon came up trumps. I ordered a lightly used copy, which seems absolutely as new. My son is delighted, and I am pleased that my seemingly impossible task was so easy.
- Tibi TarsuReviewed in Germany on August 26, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book
An exceptional indeed book for trees enthusiasts. I can only recommend it.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in India on February 12, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Indian leaves somewhat less
Excellent book but Indian tree leaves are slightly less other wise excellent really amazing photography