See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

119 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Man Who Planted Trees
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

The Man Who Planted Trees (Paperback)

by Jean Giono (Author) "For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years..." (more)
Key Phrases: Elzéard Bouffier
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


10 new from $0.95 106 used from $0.01 3 collectible from $10.00

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Man Who Planted Trees

The Man Who Planted Trees

DVD ~ Frederic Back
4.3 out of 5 stars (34)  $26.99
The Man Who Planted Trees

The Man Who Planted Trees

by Jean Giono
$8.00
The Man Who Planted Trees

The Man Who Planted Trees

by Jean Giono
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  $18.25
A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles
3.7 out of 5 stars (778)  $9.41
The Solitude of Compassion

The Solitude of Compassion

by Jean Giono
$11.70
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Man Who Planted Trees is not a detailed how-to guide to planting; it is a touching story of Elzéard Bouffier, who devoted his entire life to reforesting a desolate portion of Provence, in southern France. He single-handedly planted 100 acorns each day before, through, and after two world wars, and transformed a sorrowful place into one full of life and joy. Jean Giono's words offer a tribute to how much good one person can accomplish in a lifetime and advise on how to live life with deep meaning. Illustrated with moving, beautiful wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, The Man Who Planted Trees is simply written but powerful and unforgettable. The text is also available on tape, eloquently narrated by Robert J. Lurtsema and accompanied by music from the Paul Winter Consort. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A timeless classic, ideal to read aloud for hope, for love of the green and living world—and for marveling at the resilient beauty of nature."—Branches of Light

"In Giono's work what every sensitive, full-blooded individual ought to be able to recognize at once is 'the song of the world.'"—Henry Miller --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 80 pages
  • Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company (June 1987)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0930031067
  • ISBN-13: 978-0930031060
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,984,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence:
For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Elzéard Bouffier
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Man Who Planted Trees
62% buy the item featured on this page:
The Man Who Planted Trees 4.6 out of 5 stars (31)
The Man Who Planted Trees
16% buy
The Man Who Planted Trees
$8.00
The Man Who Planted Trees
5% buy
The Man Who Planted Trees 5.0 out of 5 stars (4)
$18.25
Joy of Man's Desiring
2% buy
Joy of Man's Desiring 4.3 out of 5 stars (6)
$20.65

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below.

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
5 star:
 (25)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Will inspire you and your children to care for nature., January 21, 2002
The Man Who Planted Trees is the tale of Elzeard Bouffier, a man who, after his son and wife die, spends his life reforesting miles of barren land in southern France. Bouffier's planting of thousands and thousands of trees results in many wondrous things occurring, including water again flowing in brooks that had been dry for many years. The brooks are fed by rains and snows that are conserved by the forest that Bouffier planted. The harsh, barren land is now pleasant and full of life.

Written by Jean Giono, this popular story of inspiration and hope was originally published in 1954 in Vogue as "The Man Who Planted Hope and Grew Happiness." The story's opening paragraph is as follows:

"For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years. If this performance is devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity, if it is absolutely certain that there is no thought of recompense and that, in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth, then there can be no mistake."

The Man Who Planted Trees has left a "visible mark upon the earth" having been translated into several languages. In the "Afterword" of the Chelsea Green Publishing Company's edition, Norma L. Goodrich wrote that Giono donated his story. According to Goodrich, "Giono believed he left his mark on earth when he wrote Elzeard Bouffier's story because he gave it away for the good of others, heedless of payment: `It was one of my stories of which I am the proudest. It does not bring me in one single penny and that is why it has accomplished what it was written for.'"

This special edition is very informative. Not only does it contain Giono's inspirational story, which is complemented beautifully by Michael McCurdy's wood engraving illustrations and Goodrich's informative "Afterword" about Giono, but it also contains considerable information about how wood and paper can be conserved in the section "The WoodWise Consumer." Goodrich writes about Giono's effort to have people respect trees.

"Giono later wrote an American admirer of the tale that his purpose in creating Bouffier `was to make people love the tree, or more precisely, to make them love planting trees.' Within a few years the story of Elzeard Bouffier swept around the world and was translated into at least a dozen languages. It has long since inspired reforestation efforts, worldwide."

The Man Who Planted Trees is not only a wonderful story, it will inspire you and your children to care for the natural world.

-Reviewed by N. Glenn Perrett

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very inspiring book, June 12, 1999
By A Customer
Jean Giono's inspiring story of the "man who planted trees" reached me some days ago as a birthday gift from my two sons.They thought it an appropriate gift for me probably because I am now engaged in an effort to grow trees in some land which I bought as a barren waste land. I found the book extremely inspiring.The interesting thing is that there indeed are unsung heroes and heroines in many parts of the world who do do such inspiring work without thought of reward.Some months back I read in Indian newspapers about a poor couple in the Karnatak state of India who decided to plant trees to assuage their sorrow in being childless.As they had no land of their own they decided to plant trees on the roadside.And ended up with magnificent avenue trees on miles and miles of the road near their village. There still seems to be hope for mankind!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, September 4, 2004
By John McAndrew (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
In many readers' lives there are a few books, or maybe only one, which serve as touchstones. They define us like our most vivid memories do. Not many books or stories deserve that kind of devotion, but this one does. It isn't timeless - it's deeply rooted in 20th century France - but its honest treatment of the time and place is one of the things that makes it universal.

There are dozens of facets that could be highlighted in a review, but the one I find most compelling is Giono's treatment of a man alone and how he is yet connected to the world around him. Even a solitary figure can contribute to the birth and health of a community. It's not clear why he does his work, but it's clear that the work is good.

There is such hope here, but no easy palliative. It is a call to lifelong diligence in the service of something good, and important, and bigger than ourselves.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a fable of renewal and selflessness
This remarkable fable is how one isolated individual, with no support from social organizations or even neighbors, can set out to make a transforming difference in the world. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Matt Hill

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful little book
What a book. I read it a few times.

This is a masterpiece. I am almost ready to move to my parents place because of that little book. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ierotheos Koufis

4.0 out of 5 stars A Seed of Imagination
"Yet trees are not 'trees', until so named and seen - and never were so named, till those had been who speech's involuted breath unfurled, faint echo and dim picture of the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Draoi

5.0 out of 5 stars The Man Who Planted Trees
Fast shipping. Book received in same great condition as described on website. All in all, an A+ transaction.
Published 22 months ago by Tamo65

1.0 out of 5 stars Customer Beware!
Purchasers should be aware that this book is a miniature and its approximate size is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2".
Published on July 6, 2007 by Visa

4.0 out of 5 stars plant trees
This short but inspiring book was recommended to me by a friend as I plant trees. After reading it, I wanted to rush out and plant more!
Published on March 8, 2007 by S. J. Jarvis

5.0 out of 5 stars Jean Giono's Gift to the World
This beloved little book is a simple short story about an elderly tree-planter who, during the early 1900's, restores a barren countryside (in the southern part of France) into a... Read more
Published on July 11, 2006 by RJRo20

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading Teacher
So many books pass through our hands, and minds never to be touched again. This is not one of them. Read more
Published on May 5, 2006 by The

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sage
Elzeard Bouffier is an elderly childless widower living in an economically blighted and ecologically barren region of Provence. Read more
Published on December 19, 2005 by John Paul Jaubert

4.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting Allegory
A wonderfully captivating and uplifting story. If you read it to the small children in your life and don't tell them otherwise they will believe it to be the truth. Read more
Published on October 4, 2004 by Avid One

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Think Green and Use Hand Tools

Think Green and Use Hand Tools
If you're adopting a greener lifestyle, check out our extensive variety of hand tools. Take advantage of great pricing on our full range of hand tools, including clamps, hammers, wrenches, and more.

Shop all hand tools

 

Big Savings in Books

Bargain Books
Find great titles at fantastic prices in our Bargain Books Store.
 

Buy Three Books, Get a Fourth Free

4-for-3 Books
Order any four eligible books under $10 and get the lowest-price book free in our 4-for-3 Books Store. See more details.
 

Best Books

Best of the Month
See our editors' picks and more of the best new books on our Best of the Month page.
 

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
Glenn Beck's Common Sense
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates