Cassell鈥檚 Trees of Britain & Northern Europe by David More and John White, Cassell, 拢50, ISBN 0304361925 Reviewed by Gail Vines
ONE man鈥檚 obsession with trees is the driving force behind this stunning new guide to the trees of Britain and Northern Europe. With no publisher in sight, British artist David More embarked on a personal quest: to draw as many tree species, varieties and cultivars as he could find. For years he spent all the time he could at the great tree collections in Britain and Ireland, gathering material for what he hoped would, one day, be a book.
And what a book it is. At 800 pages, Cassell鈥檚 Trees of Britain & Northern Europe is no pocket guide, but rather 鈥渁 book for pleasure鈥�. More鈥檚 exquisite paintings are a feast of detail, including seedlings, buds, bark and even variations in leaf shape.
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Gardeners will particularly enjoy More鈥檚 celebration of human-inspired diversity, with illustrations of some 40 cultivars of original North American forest trees 鈥� the Lawson cypress, for instance. The text, by John White, a retired research dendrologist, ranks trees for their hardiness and suitability for gardens or as sources of timber. Despite its impoverished native flora, Britain is a tree-lovers鈥� paradise, says White. Leaf through this beautiful book and marvel at the amazing variety of imported exotics that have taken root here.