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American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree
 
 
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American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: evil tendencies cancel, new scourge, chestnut restoration, New York, Patrick County, American Chestnut Foundation (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree + Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology + Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners
Price For All Three: $70.65

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  • This item: American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree by Susan Freinkel

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  • Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners by James B. Nardi

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the first years of the 20th century, a mysterious blight began to infect the majestic American chestnut trees of the east. Thirty years later, as many as four billion had been felled by a virulent scourge from Asia, sweeping like a relentless wildfire through forests from Maine to Georgia. Freinkel's enthralling synthesis of science and sentiment chronicles the devastating impact of the chestnut tree's precipitous disappearance on generations of hardscrabble Appalachian homesteaders, who lost a flavorful nugget of nutrition that got their families through bitter winters, and on flummoxed but determined botanists, who battled with politicians in the early 1900s about the best way to halt the blight's inexorable advance. As the presence of towering stands of the perfect tree faded into melancholic memory, she shows that resolute citizens and scientists have set out, with almost religious fervor, to resurrect the dead—with signs of success. Detailed explanations of the science of crossbreeding, hypovirulence (fighting disease by infecting the infection) and genetic engineering often make for heavy if informative slogging. But time after time, this impassioned book strikes resonant emotional chords that transform dry facts into dynamic prose. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

"A moving portrait. . . . Freinkel's fine reportage sparkles."--Natural History

"A tale of the functional extinction of what was once one of the most economically valuable and ecologically important trees."--American Scientist

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 294 pages
  • Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (November 19, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0520247302
  • ISBN-13: 978-0520247307
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #517,670 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Susan Freinkel
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree
91% buy the item featured on this page:
American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree 4.8 out of 5 stars (12)
$29.20
Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology
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Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
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A Natural History of North American Trees
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A Natural History of North American Trees 4.0 out of 5 stars (4)
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Oak: The Frame of Civilization
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$10.85

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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A magnificent book, worthy of its subject, November 24, 2007
By Jack Flack (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
Somehow over the last 100 years the American public has come to believe that the oak tree is THE all American tree, THE symbol of strength and longevity. Well, this book reminds us of what the American public has forgotten, that the oak tree once had a big brother, a tree that grew faster, grew taller, and lived longer. A tree that produced a wood as rot resistant as redwood, and every fall gave us very tasty and highly nutritious nuts. It was indeed as close to a perfect tree as you can imagine.

This is a great book not only because it tells the tale of the American chestnut and its near demise so well, but also because it goes into great detail about the current restoration efforts and the often hidden "political" battles inside the major organization fighting to restore the chestnut, the American Chestnut Foundation.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars eloquent and wry , October 23, 2007
In Freinkel's eloquent and wry telling of the story of the American chestnut tree's demise and subsequent attempts to revive it, she raises compelling questions: what does it mean to lose a species, and what do our efforts to bring it back say about us? At the start, it made me want to find a lovely tree to curl up under and read all day. At the end, it made me look at trees and those who are working to save them with new appreciation. Equal parts mystery and poetry, history and science, comedy and tragedy, American Chestnut's reach is as wide and gracious and impressive as this tree's branches once were.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet as a Nut, December 8, 2007
By Dr. Eugene S. Morton "Hemlock Hill Field Station" (Cambridge Springs, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As a biologist with an intense avocational interest in the American Chestnut, I planted nearly a hundred seeds on my property in PA way back in 1972. After 8 years of beautiful growth, the blight hit them. I joined the American Chestnut Foundation and discovered a hypovirulent chestnut on my property that I shared with professionals studying the blight fungus. But my interest in chestnuts waned, in part because of the ACF's backcrossing program, until I read Susan Freinkel's marvelous book! The people I knew only as names became personalities--Burnham, Rutter, Hebard--and she introduced me to others, such as Gary and Lucille Griffen, whose work she described finally explained to me why the hypovirulent inoculants I applied to my chestnuts back in 1980 didn't help at all. It's the combination of genetic resistance with hypovirulence that is needed. What an eye opener and what a fantastic book she has written, one that has rekindled my youthful interest in restoring the role of the American Chestnut. Her book supports the huge role natural history plays in producing good science. Passion for a species is a natural element in knowing it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars literary thriller for trees
literary thriller for trees

When I started reading this book, I was totally unknown with the American chestnut. The book turned out to be a real page-turner. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Hein van Iersel

5.0 out of 5 stars Good on all topics
An arborist borrowed this book from me a couple weeks ago and hasn't returned it yet, so I don't have it here to refer to! Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. A. Haverstick

4.0 out of 5 stars American Chestnut
Very nice book. Gives a great history of this long lost tree on which America was built. Very few pictures but they do show this magnificent tree in all it's glory.
Published 10 months ago by Kimberley L. Hager Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars American tragedy with hope at the bottom
I knew an old hill man in Kentucky who would talk about the chestnuts. The beauty of the forest in the spring, the quality of the wood, how people would raise hogs in the woods,... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Randall Black

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect explanation of the science for the lay reader
I have read a number of books in the genre of environmental science or nature that missed the mark for me when it came to explaining the science of the problem. Read more
Published 18 months ago by L. Bowes

5.0 out of 5 stars "The American Chestnut "is a good read
I have enjoyed reading this well written book and learning about the scientists and volunteers who are working to restore the species. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Old Gardener

5.0 out of 5 stars American Chestnut for everyone
I work in plant pathology which sparked my interest in this topic. This book is written by a non-scientist and it is very well researched and full of interesting stories of many... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Holly Lange

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book
As an avid amateur botanist, it is rare when an informative AND interesting book on plants is published. But this the case here. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Tree Hugger

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and engaging...
In this beautifully written and engaging tale, author Susan Freinkel leads the reader on a fascinating journey through the world of the American Chestnut. Read more
Published on October 25, 2007 by Juliana Smith

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