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28th out of 517 books
—
113 voters
Wildwood: A Journey through Trees
by
Roger Deakin
Here, published for the first time in the United States, is the last book by Roger Deakin, famed British nature writer and icon of the environmentalist movement. In Deakin's glorious meditation on wood, the "fifth element" � as it exists in nature, in our culture, and in our souls � the reader accompanies Deakin through the woods of Britain, Europe, Kazakhstan, and Austral
...moreHardcover, 391 pages
Published
2007
by Hamish Hamilton
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Jul 31, 2008
Meaghan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fellow tree-huggers
Recommended to Meaghan by:
caught my eye at the book store, read the reviews on the back
I am often apprehensive about reading nature writing because I am afraid that it won't hold my attention. I think in many cases something is lost in translation from the organic to the intellectual. Our inside and outside selves are kept separate entities these days. I have struggled recently with finding a way to bridge these two parts of my self (the nature-loving, spontaneous part with the studious, hard-working, methodical part). Deakin offered hope that it was possible to do this. Throughou...more
The emerald ash borer is having a devastating impact on the ash trees across southwestern Ontario.
As a wood lover, I’m familiar with the ash’s white clear grain, but would be hard-pressed to identify the tree in the wild or along a city street. This is ironic given the numbers: there are apparently 6,500 ash trees in Kitchener and more than 12,000 in Waterloo.
Which brings me to Wildwood — A Journey Through Trees (Penguin, 390 pages, $20) by the late Roger Deakin, a British nature writer and film...more
As a wood lover, I’m familiar with the ash’s white clear grain, but would be hard-pressed to identify the tree in the wild or along a city street. This is ironic given the numbers: there are apparently 6,500 ash trees in Kitchener and more than 12,000 in Waterloo.
Which brings me to Wildwood — A Journey Through Trees (Penguin, 390 pages, $20) by the late Roger Deakin, a British nature writer and film...more
A really beautiful book. Even the din on a packed rush-hour bus in downtown Chicago couldn't banish the magic that Deakin conjures up. I felt transported to a forest at dusk, and could hear the wind in the trees. I think the word "enchanting" is overused in book reviews, but in this case I think it's the perfect adjective, this book is literally enchanting.
i would have given this 5 stars, but it had some slow moments. however, overall, i loved it and uncharacteristically for me, i read it slowly, to savor it. it made me feel quiet and peaceful and it made me want to go sleep out in the yard (which i probably would have done if it wasn't november and pissing down rain all the time where i live). I learned new (for me) words like coppiced and winter-bournes. and i learned about the Green Man, that pagan throw-back found in churches and cemeteries, t...more
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Oct 16, 2011
Alison
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who is interested in trees.
Recommended to Alison by:
Margaret Smart
I love this book so much! I haven't finished reading it yet, because I want to savour it gently and slowly. I'm a country woman, born on the egde of a wood, brought up on the edge of another - and I felt as if Roger Deakin was telling me things I'd always known but never articulated properly. I have enjoyed exploring some of his themes - the woodcraft of David Nash, the painting of Mary Newcombe - I feel educated by the onw book. This is a book which has made me grow! I borrowed it from the libr...more
2 likes · like · see review
"Loved this. Seemed a little under-edited (lots of repetitions, etc.); however, possibly a product of circumstances of production. Brought home how much knowledge and experience is going to be lost in the coming generations, but also reasons for hope, in terms of progressive attitudes towards sustainable management in (e.g.) Central Asian nations. A great encouragement for living authentically and determining your own unique contribution to the world."
A great book that sounds really boring - its about trees! But only in the loosest sense.
I now know more than I need to about walnuts and the history of apples. Very informative. Deakin's love for the outdoors and his passionate beliefs are not shouted but felt in every page. I got the impression Deakin lived his beliefs - he wasn't a hippy navel gazer but someone who lived the change he wanted to see.
Well worth reading.
I now know more than I need to about walnuts and the history of apples. Very informative. Deakin's love for the outdoors and his passionate beliefs are not shouted but felt in every page. I got the impression Deakin lived his beliefs - he wasn't a hippy navel gazer but someone who lived the change he wanted to see.
Well worth reading.
This is a book I found at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle and after reading the first chapter realized I had checked it out of the library and read it before. It is one of those books I could return to over and over, reading parts or the whole of it. Charming writing based on the author's love of trees, wood and forests. There is also an engaging piece on the abstract sculptor David Nash.
I really liked this book, there is something in it for everyone really, as the chapters are very diverse in subject matter, while still being liked by the overall theme of wood/trees. It reminded me of knowledge I already have and taught me interesting new things, and was a nice relaxed book to read gradually. There was the odd part that I skimmed over, but largely there was something about each chapter that caught my interest and kept me reading. The main reason for skimming was that I have a p...more
I read this book on the recommendation on the recommendation of Geoff Manaugh, the founder of BLDGBLOG.com (which is fantastic, by the way,a blog devoted to ‘architectural conjecture, urban speculation and landscape futures’) I am very glad that I found it. Not only is it fantastically well written, but it is such a simple and honest book about the pleasures of the woodlands, and of the experience of being in and around trees. For a seemingly limited topic, he covers a remarkable amount of groun...more
A great book, very detailed. The author takes you a very detailed journey with him through the woods, desert or wherever he is. It was like an escape, I read it in winter and I felt like like I was right there with him looking at nature. Would highly recommend for any nature lover of trees and fauna. I hope to read another book he has also written.
How shall I begin reviewing..err..add my reviews to the universe of this book.
Once in a while (generally our lifetime), we come across a book that would literally change the world that we inhabit. It makes us question the very assumptions upon which we've based our life.
Wildwood, to me, is one such!
Never have I come across such a book on nature writing. In essence, it is about Wood, rather the imagination called Wood, in our lives. Here is a person who had lived where wood lived, not where the d...more
Once in a while (generally our lifetime), we come across a book that would literally change the world that we inhabit. It makes us question the very assumptions upon which we've based our life.
Wildwood, to me, is one such!
Never have I come across such a book on nature writing. In essence, it is about Wood, rather the imagination called Wood, in our lives. Here is a person who had lived where wood lived, not where the d...more
Feb 04, 2013
Becky Vowles
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-dusty-shelf,
natural-history
This book explored the importance of the woods for the author. It is a very personal account and at times this can get in the way of the readers appreciation for the lyrical writing style. Some of the extracts read a little like diary entries and it can feel a little disjointed in places, however when the passages exploring the woods themselves make up for this disjointed style and are quite beautiful and moving. Do not expect a traditional natural history here.
Beautiful - but awfully boring! And too long, I didn't make it to the end ... But I think I will come back to it, since it is a very well written book about important stuff, but, hey, not really a page turner.
Beautifully written, a leisurely read that perfectly captures the rural landscapes, woodlands, customs, and people of the various forests that Deakin visits and appreciates. I feel I have personally seen and experienced the same woods that the author did. His first love is the Suffolk countryside near his home, but he has equally vivid descriptions of Australia, Greece, Kazakhstan, and the other places where people still live close to the land. Certain scenes will stick with you for a long time,...more
1 like · like · see review
Once again, this book was a total inspiration. I now so want to go and find a little cabin somewhere in the midst of a wood so as to experience something of this man's wonder. Fantastic
It's all about the trees. This book is a delight, a lyrical blend of history and natural history all written in a style that highlights the author's passion for his subject.
This beautifully written book is something of a love letter to Deakin's home in Suffolk, though he also travels to Australia, Spain, Ukraine, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan (the latter two sounding very much like an arboreal Eden). Reminiscent of Tolkien's descriptions of the Shire--absolutely lovely.
A soothing read, sometimes a little technical for a complete non-expert like me, but all the same very interesting and enjoyable. I particularly liked section 3, the travelling section and the descriptions of his visits, the people he meets and the enthusiasm for the natural world he shares with all of them. The kind of person you would like to sit down to a picnic in the wood with.
A book written by one of England's great eccentrics -- he swam across England through streams, canals and lakes just to get closer to nature and observe the character of water. So who wouldn't want to read about his experiences and observations about trees? I love trees and feel a great interest in them so reading this rambling book has been very satisfying -- I'm not the only tree-hugger out there. Beautifully written, deeply insightful and dotted with captivating anecdotes -- and it starts wit...more
A great book - lyrical, poetic and life-affirming. It made me actually go to Kyrgyzstan to walk in the walnut forests - magical.
I enjoyed Waterlog so much I was really looking forward to reading this. I grew up in the countryside and thought the hedge at the bottom of the garden was a giant forest. I did enjoy this very much, but it suffered in my eyes by not having the same parameters as Waterlog did- instead of being restricted to one location (the UK) this book takes a journey all round the world. Individual accounts were fascinating- i've already bored friends with tales about walnut harvesting, but I feel that this...more
A deep love for the natural world pervades this book as does the wonder of a child. When you think about it, trees are pretty amazing things. The problem is, we often don't think about it. Thanks to Deakin, I will never look at an apple tree, a wood desk, the beams in my house in exactly the same way again. It is a reminder to slow down and look around. Each of the chapters in this book brings you to a different place where the rhythms of life are unhurried. The descriptions bring the various wo...more
Throughly enjoyed the journey
Loved this as long as it stayed in England - bit bored with the travelog. Sane, balanced, literate style; he'll be missed, though I look forward to his Notes from Walnut Tree farm in the autumn. I keep wanting to call him roger Livesey, after the actor in I kNow where I'm Going! - he seems just like that. Now I want to run out and build myself a house out of an old wall and a timber frame - or at least I'd like to be the kind of person who could do that. Sometimes books make you long for a life...more
Lent to Di (15/03/2013
Disappointing drivel. While I am with Roger in spirit and share his deep fascination and cherish of the natural world, I am not interested in wading through intricate details of how he obtained such and such a possession just because it happens to be made of wood or some other natural material. I sincerely appreciate these details mean a lot to the writer but to the reader it is sheer superfluousness! Pity, was such an appealing subject. But a few chapters in and I'm not sure I can be bothered t...more
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Nature writer Roger Deakin's poetic travelogue starts with Suffolk in springtime.
Nature writer Roger Deakin's poetic travelogue starts with Suffolk in springtime.
Just magical.
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Roger Stuart Deakin was an English writer, documentary-maker and environmentalist.
Educated at Haberdashers' Aske's and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read English, he first worked in advertising as a copywriter and creative director.
In 1968 he bought an Elizabethan moated farmhouse on the edge of Mellis Common, near Diss where he lived until his death from a brain tumour, first diagnosed only fou...more
More about Roger Deakin...
Educated at Haberdashers' Aske's and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read English, he first worked in advertising as a copywriter and creative director.
In 1968 he bought an Elizabethan moated farmhouse on the edge of Mellis Common, near Diss where he lived until his death from a brain tumour, first diagnosed only fou...more
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“There's more truth about a camp than a house. Planning laws need not worry the improvising builder because temporary structures are more beautiful anyway, and you don't need permission for them. There's more truth about a camp because that is the position we are in. The house represents what we ourselves would like to be on earth: permanent, rooted, here for eternity. But a camp represents the true reality of things: we're just passing through.”
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3 people liked it
“To enter a wood is to pass into a different world in which we ourselves are transformed.”
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1 person liked it
More quotes…
Mar 02, 2012 02:58pm