The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession

I love everything Amy Stewart has ever created, but this book is my favourite yet. I'm giving this book to everyone I know. Because it, like its subject, is a gift. - Elizabeth Gilbert

Fifty gorgeously illustrated vignettes of remarkable people whose lives have been transformed by their passion for trees, from Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist.

When Amy Stewart discovered a community of tree collectors, she expected to meet horticultural fanatics driven to plant every species of oak or maple. But she also discovered that the urge to collect trees springs from deeper, more profound motives, such as a longing for community, a vision for the future, or a path to healing and reconciliation.

In this slyly humorous, informative, often poignant volume, Stewart brings us fifty captivating stories of people who spend their lives in pursuit of rare and wonderful trees and are transformed in the process. Vivian Keh has forged a connection to her Korean elders through her persimmon orchard. The former poet laureate W. S. Merwin planted a tree almost every day for more than three decades, until he had turned a barren estate into a palm sanctuary. And Joe Hamilton cultivates pines on land passed down to him by his once-enslaved great-grandfather, building a legacy for the future.

Stewart populates this lively compendium with her own watercolour portraits of these extraordinary people and their trees, side trips to investigate famous tree collections, arboreal glossaries, and even tips for 'unauthorised' forestry. This book is a stunning tribute to a devoted group of nature lovers making their lives—and the world—more beautiful, one tree at a time.

"These mesmerizing trees, and the inspiring people they've transformed, will alter your perspective and give you hope." - Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees

After spending time in this varied commonwealth, you'll undoubtedly experience an intense desire to recline under the shade of a leafy canopy. But something even more profound is happening here—by creating a space for people to talk about something they love, Stewart made me feel more tender-hearted toward my fellow humans. - Scientific American

"What a gift! The Tree Collectors takes us on a whirlwind planetary journey into the wondrously entangled life of people and plants. With this book, Amy Stewart shows us how we are all related to one another, through trees." - Katie Holten, author of The Language of Trees

"Reading The Tree Collectors feels like sitting down and having the best kind of coffee date with one fascinating person after another. No matter your arboreal experience or expertise, you will learn something, while feeling uplifted by Stewart's own thoughtful and bright botanical illustrations." - Kathryn Aalto, author of Writing Wild