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Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees [Hardcover]

Nancy R. Hugo , Robert Llewellyn
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 16, 2011

Have you ever seen the delicate flowers of a red maple? The emerging leaves of a tulip poplar? The twigs of a beech? When you look at a tree up close, you begin to appreciate trees in a whole new way. Seeing Trees invites readers to watch trees with the care and sensitivity that birdwatchers watch birds. Focusing on 10 common trees of North America, Nancy Ross Hugo highlights the rewards of tree viewing and describes some of the most visually interesting leaves, flowers, fruits, buds, leaf scars, twigs, and bark of familiar trees.  Using software developed for work with microscopes, Robert Llewellyn created incredibly sharp close-up photographs of the tree detail by stitching together 8 to 45 images of each subject—each shot at a different focal point.  The combination of these lavish photos with Nancy Ross Hugo’s writing makes each page come alive with the beauty of the growing process. The result is a gorgeous journey into the life cycle of trees.

Featured trees include the American Beech, Ginkgo, Red Maple, Southern Magnolia, Tulip Poplar, White Oak, White Pine, American Sycamore, Black Walnut and Eastern Red Cedar.


Frequently Bought Together

Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees + The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature + American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation
Price for all three: $57.77

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A beautifully produced and photographed new book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about this fascinating group of plants both in the wild or in your backyard. (Stephen Orr MarthaStewart.com)

Filled with arresting close-ups. (Mary Beth Breckenridge Akron Beacon Journal)

You’ll be dazzled. (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Seeing Trees opens our eyes to a tree's shy magnificence and invites us to deepen our relationship with these earthly treasures.

 

(Albemarle)

Seeing Trees opens our eyes to a tree’s shy magnificence and invites us to deepen our relationship with these earthly treasures.

(Albemarle)

“Vivid, fascinating botanical biographies.”

(Reader's Digest)

"The resulting images are full of detail.” (Outdoor Photographer)

“A whole new world of tree mystery has opened up.”

(Danger Garden Blog)

“If you love trees, or if you love good photography, you will love this book.”

(Kathy Purdy Cold Climate Gardening.com)

“A new exciting book.”

(Botanical Art Painting)

“Gorgeous images & observations.”

 

(Kathy Zarsky Holos Collaborative)

“You will begin to appreciate trees in a whole new way.”

(A Charlotte Garden.com)

"Hugo writes with real passion about trees, describing their qualities, flowers, fruits, barks, and unique characteristics, and including her own observations and experiments with cuttings and seedlings. She is articulate and enthusiastic, making this an ideal volume for beginning observers of trees." (Book News)

“This fascinating celebration of trees will delight gardeners, botanists, students of natural history, and nature photographers.” (Library Journal)

“The book to change us all into unabashed tree worshippers.” (Seattle Times)

“A splendid book.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

"The only way I can describe my reaction to receiving Seeing Trees was like a child being taken into a sweet shop.” (PatientGardener.com)

“A beautiful and exciting book.” (CommonWeeder.com)

“Hugo writes with real passion about trees…. Beautifully produced and fascinating to read.” (Reference and Research Book News)

“A botanical masterpiece.” (Horticulture Magazine)

“Filled with surprises.” (Sandy Hausman WVTV)

“Their call to seeing what nature offers is magical and the photographs are works of art.” (Jim Chatfield Beacon Journal)

"This seems like the sort of book which sprinkles a bit of fairy dust on something we see everyday, so that just taking a walk or stepping outside feels magical and fresh." (North Coast Gardening)

“If you love books and nature, this is one to own for reference and to ponder during the long winter months.” (Red Dirt Ramblings)

“A captivating book.” (MyHortus.com)

“A gorgeous book, a great reference and a beautiful addition to the nature lover’s bookshelf.” (UnderMyAppleTree.com)

“Will take your breath away.” (WeatherProofingYourLandscape.com)

“My favorite new book this season is Seeing Trees…This book is made for us nearsighted gardeners, who long ago learned the thrill of peering at plants.” (Dominique Browning New York Times)

“You can't help but be bowled over by the beauty at play in the science.” (Chicago Tribune)

“The authors have brought the level of observation to new heights.” (Washington Post)

 “Through [Llewellyn’s] lens we take flight with a red maple’s charming helicopterlike seed pods and can almost feel the smooth, muscular, steel-gray bark of an ironwood.”

(Houston Chronicle)

“Llewellyn’s extraordinarily crisp photographs alone force the reader to consider trees differently, if only because there are so few illustrations of entire trees, trunk, crown and all.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

"An idiosyncratic portrait of common trees and their life span, Hugo’s book introduces aspects of tree culture that delight and bemuse." (Mary Ellen Snodgrass American Reference Books Annual)

About the Author

Nancy Ross Hugo has been writing, lecturing, and teaching about trees, native plants, and floral design for over thirty years. Her writing has appeared in Horticulture, Fine Gardening, American Forests, Country Journal, Virginia Living, and Country Life.

For eight years, her weekly columns on gardening and natural history ("Earth Works") appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and her monthly "Habitat" column on gardening for wildlife appeared in Virginia Wildlife for ten. She has been recognized for excellence in magazine and newspaper feature writing by the Garden Writers Association and by the Virginia Urban Forest Council.

As education manager of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, she supervised adult and children's education. She is the author of Earth Works: Readings for Backyard Gardeners and, with Dr. Jeffrey Kirwan, of Remarkable Trees of Virginia.

She and her husband John live in Howardsville, Virginia where they manage the outdoor education center Flower Camp. She was cited for Outstanding Achievement in Field of Horticulture by the Garden Club of Virginia in 1988 and received the Dugdale Award for Conservation in 2001.



Robert Llewellyn has been photographing trees and landscapes for almost forty years. His photographs have been featured in major art exhibits, and more than thirty books featuring his photography are in print.

His 2007 book, Empires of the Forest: Jamestown and the Beginning of America, won five national awards in nonfiction and photography, and his The Capital was an official diplomatic gift of the White House and State Department. Llewellyn honed his tree photography skills while working on Remarkable Trees of Virginia (2008), a four year project, creating landscape photographs that have been called "a spectacular tribute to Virginia's native trees."

Seeing Trees showcases a new form of photography, however. Using software developed for work with microscopes, Llewellyn creates incredibly sharp close-ups by stitching together 8 to 45 images of each subject #8212; each shot at a different focal point.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 245 pages
  • Publisher: Timber Press (August 16, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1604692197
  • ISBN-13: 978-1604692198
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(23)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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Interesting facts are presented in an easy to understand, conversational format. Leslie  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
This book has the most beautiful photographs of details of trees. BF8  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book About Common Trees October 16, 2011
By JD
Format:Hardcover
This is a must have book for anyone interested in learning more about the common trees that populate your streets and yard. It shows close up and in stunning detail photos of the leaves, flowers, bark, and reproductive parts. The photography was done using a microscope and multiple shots of the same tree parts that are then stitched together to create a closeup that is seldom seen.

I photograph trees for the Botanical Garden where the author used to work. As a volunteer I am helping to create a Tree Tour that will soon be released for public education. I read this book with awe and confirmation on things I have photographed on many of the trees covered in the book but was not sure I got my facts right even after a full search. I also learned so much more than I could find on-line from the detail writing and photographs.

I would recommend this book to parents with children of all ages, even young children as they can be the most observant and very cleaver in what they see. As the adult read the book and then find the trees in your neighborhood. Have your children go through this process with you by collecting samples of the tree parts and leaning why they look the way they do or how they function. Even children under 4 will enjoy collecting and pressing leaves throughout the season and discovering the hard to find flowers of many deciduous trees. For older children that are curious about how trees reproduce and are of an age to start teaching them "the facts of life" this is a gentle way to take them through the process allowing them to appreciate the beauty and complexity of reproduction.

As a botanist I appreciate that she kept the language nontechnical as many people are turned off by the use of Latin and complicated ways botanist call tree parts. It is so much easier to get someone excited about "seeing trees" and learning to respect their most important place in our environment without feeling put off by botanical terms and descriptions.

You will return to this book often I assure you. Having photographed many of the trees in the book I understand that you simply cannot find all the interesting things trees have to show us in one season or even one year. I have returned over and over again over the last few years to find new facts about the trees I am following for the garden and I love being surprised in a good year when the full cycle of reproduction is clear and present and I realize...gosh how could I have missed that!
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars What you never knew about a tree September 9, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Looking through this book amazed me about how little I had observed about some of my favorite trees. I am looking forward to the winter time when I can use the pictures of the buds to practice my winter identification of trees and of course to next spring to capture the blooms when they first emerge. Nancy is right when you mentions you will see trees with different eyes after reading this book.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and Inspiring September 24, 2011
By A. Sams
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of those books I just couldn't put down! Written so well, and such a wealth of information, things I just wouldn't have dreamed about trees. The photography is stunning, and gives macro views of details that I haven't seen anywhere else. Truly a "keeper", and a book I will be re-reading, and will keep close at hand especially next spring when Mother Nature starts waking trees again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual & Technical - a deeper look at trees
So many books either regurgitate the same spiritual crap about trees or lull us to sleep with boring botanical lists. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Kim123
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book!
This book has the most beautiful photographs of details of trees. It focuses on the small, but vital stuff--the flowers and leaves particularly. I had to have this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BF8
5.0 out of 5 stars A really nice gift book, so nice I ordered it myself and am loving it!
This is a wonderful book to get lost in! It will make you look at trees in a new way!
Published 2 months ago by Nancy Archer
4.0 out of 5 stars Photographs fantastic
As anticipated, I found this publication's author and photograher truly outstanding in their respective presentations. Book worthy of coffee table top.
Published 3 months ago by Anne B Stelter
5.0 out of 5 stars The most engaging insight into tree growth and development
I was so blown away by the photographs in this book, I had to put it down after a couple of trees to recuperate. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Vincent W. Verweij
5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding!
This book opens one to the extraordinary world of trees, bringing one to a much deeper appreciation of the their life lived before our very eyes.
Published 4 months ago by chuck naugle
5.0 out of 5 stars Divine Book!
What a gift this book is. The writing is so accessible, fun, real and informative....frequently made me smile and feel connected. The photographs are stunning and hypnotizing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hilary Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book
This book has it all for me. It is funny and charming. It is intellectually challenging and warm. The photographs are beautiful in every respect. The color is gorgeous. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mary Ann Extra
5.0 out of 5 stars for tree lovers
I like this book very much. It is soothing to read and the photos are so beautiful. It will be especially appreciated by other tree lovers. It is good to go to sleep to. Read more
Published 5 months ago by s meyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great photography
I have always loved trees,and this book made me sit with my mouth open in awe. The pictures are beautiful and include all stages of the life of the tree. Read more
Published 8 months ago by kdee
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