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The Medicine Tree

Repairing the Rotten Roots of England
By Nick Hayes
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Brief Description
A stunning, deeply felt exploration of the struggle between ownership and belonging in England, by the best-selling author of The Book of Trespass. Early one September, Nick Hayes brought his houseboat up the Thames into rural Oxfordshire, mooring opposite a strange tree that towered over the... Read More
Format: Hardback
$6500
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Releases 12th January 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Medicine Tree" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A stunning, deeply felt exploration of the struggle between ownership and belonging in England, by the best-selling author of The Book of Trespass.

Early one September, Nick Hayes brought his houseboat up the Thames into rural Oxfordshire, mooring opposite a strange tree that towered over the surrounding meadowland. The tree, he would discover, was a hybrid of the eastern cottonwood, brought back from colonial Canada. The land was the Hardwick estate, whose apparently timeless tranquillity—like so much of the English countryside—masks a darker history. Yet Hardwick also tells another, quite different story.

Over the following months, Hayes learns that its rolling hills and fertile valleys are on the front lines of a battle between ownership and belonging. Through a golden autumn, and the frosts and floods of winter and early spring, Hayes explores an estate that, acknowledging the colonial origins of its wealth, has become a haven for those who are both unable and unwilling to be part of a countryside geared towards profit at any cost. Living and working among this extraordinary community of farmers and craftspeople, Hayes contemplates what we have lost in England, as our sense of kinship with the land, and the deep knowledge that arose from it, was destroyed.

Yet, Hayes suggests, if we can learn from the cultures we have exploited, and from the tentative roots being put down in this radical Oxfordshire estate, perhaps we can start to unpick—and even re-enchant—our relationship with the land. The Medicine Tree is a singular act of storytelling and recovery: of giants, gods, witches, trees, horror and hope, of entanglement, reparation and solidarity.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241731321

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 October 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Allen Lane

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 37.0mm

Width: 165.0mm

Height: 243.0mm

Weight: 652g

Pages: 432

Collections

European History History & Archaeology History & Military Nick Hayes Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Penguin Books Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

Nick Hayes is an award-winning writer, illustrator and land justice campaigner. In 2020 he co-founded Right to Roam, the influential campaign group advocating for public access to nature in England. He is the author of, among others, the Sunday Times best-seller The Book of Trespass and co-editor of Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You. An acclaimed artist, he has published four graphic novels and exhibited across the country, including at the Hayward Gallery. He lives on a canal boat with no fixed address.

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