The Ash and the Beech

Wonderfully subversive, far-reaching and unsentimental * Observer * Richard Mabey is a man for all seasons, most regions and every kind of landscape -- Andrew Motion * Financial Times * An elegant and heartfelt essay on mankind's changing relationship with trees * Sunday Telegraph * A leaf-storm of philosophical musings, journeys of mind and body, reflections and anecdotes that imprint the tree on human culture * Sunday Times * A terrific combination of both natural and intellectual history, informed by penetrating insight * Independent * This is the book of range and ambitions that his many admirers hoped he would write. Refreshing, droll, politically alert, occasionally self-mocking, he has the enviable ability both to write historical overview and also to slip into the woods like a dryad, bringing us back to the trees themselves, their colours and lights and textures * Guardian * A writer to cherish * Evening Standard * A characteristically rich and individual mix of history, natural science, folklore, poetry, politics and personal observation... Mabey's writing is a brilliant in its minutely observed detail as in its broad sweeps -- Diane Summers * Financial Times * As always, Mabey's thoughts make compelling reading... This is a book by a man who doesn't just know, but understands trees * Tree News * It's a scientific, historical, poetic account written in a quietly humorous, thoughtful style -- Tom Moriarty * Irish Times *