Arboretum : 70 Bäume - 70 Städte

by Michael Jordan, Kelly Louise Judd (Illustrator), Stefan Leppert (Translator)

Trees are an important part of the life of many cities. Whether in avenues or parks they provide shade, a green resting place for the eye, comfort for the mind, and as we increasingly know from research, help keep the atmosphere cool and fresh. Some cities are famous for a particular species, such as the orange trees of Seville, London's plane trees, or Washington DC’s cherry blossoms, whereas others are renowned for trees in general, such as the remarkable diversity to be found in Delhi.
 
Urban Arboreal looks at city trees and their stories in all their complexity – how they have become synonymous with their cities is often an untold story. By knowing more about these trees we come to know more about the very spaces we inhabit, or wish we did! It celebrates their glories and the symbolic place they have in the lives of city dwellers, and at how they are increasingly seen as important allies in improving the quality and health of the urban environment. Above all, this is a clarion call for bringing more life into urban communities. Through 70 trees we travel the world and come to learn the hidden histories that are wrapped up in these botanical giants.

Genres: Nonfiction, Natural History, Nature

158 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fabulous book!

So much information in one place, this is an adventure around the world in trees! and a real eye opener.
whether a nature enthusiast, a tree huger or a frequent traveler this is the book for you.
The illustrations are beautiful, with each picture being so different and original, ranging from illustrations of whole trees, blossoms, fruits and leaves ( i even spotted a few insects and birds)
The colours in the pictures are perfectly true to life and i love the change of background colour in each.
This book is extremely well written and superbly laid out.
An well deserved 5 stars from me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever been curious about the trees used to populate city streets? The Seville oranges of well, Seville. The Cherry trees of Washington DC. The Monkey Puzzle trees of Santiago.

This book identifies trees that are famous for each city, all around the world. Each tree is identified by Latin classification, as well as by common name, and a little history is given about it. Then, the leaves, flowers and sometimes bark, are shown on the facing page. It is like a travel book for tree enthusiasts.

Lovely pictures. Interesting history. A good additional to any library.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Beth Tabler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is gorgeous, wonderful, beautiful, exquisite. There are not enough words. It appeals to the geeky plant nerd side of me and the side that loves good design. The pages are simply conveyed, but not simplistic in style or substance. Great for a coffee table book, or a detailed book about tree types. Recommend!

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

“Urban Arboreal: A Modern Glossary of City Trees” has the loveliest cover ... I could happily wallpaper my living room with it! And the informative text and beautiful design make it a total winner! In “Urban Arboreal” we travel the world through the stories of 70 trees and the cities in which they flourish ... from the orange trees of Seville to the cherry blossoms of D.C. ... and come to learn the hidden histories of these botanical beauties. Descriptions and classifications of each tree alongside their often-unknown city history make it a compelling read, visually enhanced by lush hand-drawn illustrations. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 06 Sep 2018

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Aurum Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#UrbanArboreal #NetGalley

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book makes accessible the theme of sustainability and the importance of proper tree planting, selection, and management as part of urban planning. Aside from a truly global perspective of the common trees used in different cities around the world from San Francisco to New Zealand, it also shares the following:

1. Origin and history of each tree as well as descriptions of how they grow
2. Regions where a particular tree is commonly found
3. Interesting facts about each tree and their cultural and/or medical significance to that particular location (e.g. the Banyan tree is considered a sacred tree in India and is closely associated with enlightenment elsewhere)
4. Urban challenges with regard to maintenance and upkeep of particular trees in the cityscape such as the Flame Tree in Hong Kong

All of these point to a very well-researched material which is useful as a reference and just a delight to browse through thanks to the illustrations. I suppose it's the illustrations that are the highlight of this book, though I'm no tree expert so I can't vouch for their accuracy. I remember having worked on a project that required tree illustrations and how the sustainability expert I worked with was a stickler for details. That being said, there are no actual photographs in this book-- I don't count this as a bad thing.

How the book can be improved, but this is just me nitpicking:
1. A general guide on how to choose trees for landscaping (e.g. choose native trees over nonnative ones) based on city planning offices' best practises
2. I wish the illustrations of the actual trees were filled in with more detail and weren't just filled in with a block color

I received a digital Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Alleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trees are one of those things that are so present in our lives but we blindly pass them everyday with no thought to their origin or age, we might notice simple things such as the change in leaf color, blooms or the absence of leaves. What if we slowed down and spent a bit more time taking in our surroundings, be more present in our lives, more involved in our environment, what a difference it would make.. This beautiful book will encourage you to become a Arboreal tourist, to have a chance to touch history and be a part of something larger than yourself..

Urban Arboreal harkens back to victorian times with their engraved Botanical illustrations. Each of the 70 trees included in this coffee table size is given with its location, common name and latin name. A bit of history is also included, some from when they were planted, the myths associated with them and how to find their locations. It helps the reader to gain a better understanding of the importance of the trees in our communities, and how they have touch so many lives before our own. They are so so endangered by urban sprawl, we must learn to recognize their importance as well as their grace to ensure that they are not taken from us forever, this book is a large positive step in that direction.

From New Zealand's Christmas tree, the crimson flowered Pohutukawa to the ancient Cotton Tree in Freetown, I was enchanted by all of the variations of trees living in urban areas. The drawings are exceptional and the stories are very diverse. This would be a wonderful gift for anyone interested in botany or travel, it covers both categories effortlessly.

Thanks to the Quarto Group and Net Galley for bringing this book to my attention and a free copy in exchange for an honest review

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from NetGalley. I've chosen to give a review on it; all thoughts are my own.

This is a beautiful book offering details of trees found in urban settings around the world, and notable examples of them (for example, the Atlas cedar that Andrew Jackson planted on the White House’s South Lawn or the 200-year-old horse chestnut at the base of the Eiffel Tower). Fully illustrated but featuring no photographs, this book is more of a coffee table book or a compendium of certain trees’ attributes rather than a field guide for spotting urban trees in the wild.

The book offers a surprising amount of practical advice detailing these trees’ reproduction habits, seasonal changes, and other scientific information alongside historic tidbits as mentioned above. Each tree also gets a beautiful full-page illustration of its leaves, seeds, flowers, and other components.

This would make a great addition to a coffee table or collection of art books, and it’d be an excellent gift for someone interested in urbanism, conservation, or nature in general.

This review was originally published on my blog: https://thepapervalley.wordpress.com/...

[Andreea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book. Actually, I more than liked this book. Firstly, I love plants and nature, but at the same time I really love the city and living in the city which made me really appreciate the nature around the city. I like to observe the plants and birds around and I have favourite trees and parts of the city in different seasons, which is why this book was quite perfect for me since it's about trees in the city!

Plus, it features great illustration and it makes for a fun and quirky traveling companion as you may not go to Barcelona for a particular tree, but if you go there, why not visit it too, right?

My only complain would be that despite loving the illustrations, I think some pictures would have added to the book (although maybe ruined the aesthetic, but at the same time breaking the dullness that instill if you read too many pages in a row). I got tired googling the trees and I wanted to see them in the exact same spot and city described!

[Kelly Hodgkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban Arboreal by Michael Jordon highlights trees used in town planning, new and old, to contribute to clean air and balance the landscape. Each tree has a fascinating history and purpose. With one page on the tree and one with an illustration of this tree, the book is both educational and artistically beautiful! I have long loved trees in general but, the more I learn of them, their variety and benefits, beauty and strength, I am learning to love them individually!

Several favourite trees feature and I have found a few new ones too! Many of the facts are surprising, such as

Of the Bodhi tree “In common with other ‘strangler’ figs, it can initially grow as an epiphyte by germinating from a seed deposited on the upper branches of a host tree, which it then progressively outcompetes by putting down long aerial roots.”
Of the Colombian Wax Palm “In the past much damage has been wrought to these remarkable trees through stripping the leaves for the Christian religious celebration of Palm Sunday”
Of the Maidenhair tree “Sometimes known in Japan ‘upside down tree’, this quaint name derives from the way that the branches, when left to their own devices, grow downward, and very old trees can develop limbs that become aerial roots or so-called stalactite branches.
I highly recommend this one if your are fond of trees! Five out of five!

[Mirjam Lutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch beschreibt 70 verschiedene Baumarten, die mit jeweils einer Stadt, in der sie das Stadtbild prägen, in Verbindung gebracht werden. Man reist gefühlt einmal um die Welt. Die wunderschönen Illustrationen zu jedem Baum ergänzen dieses Buch, das sehr liebevoll und detailliert geschrieben ist. Anfangs war ich kurz irritiert, weil ich statt den Zeichnungen Fotografien der Bäume in den jeweiligen Städten erwartet hatte. Dann wurde mir immer mehr bewusst, dass es so viel besser ist! Für mich ist es eigentlich nicht nur ein Buch, sondern ein Kunstwerk. Für jeden Baumliebhaber ein absolutes Muss.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urban Arboreal by Michael Jordan
A Modern Glossary of City Trees

Sept 2018
Quarto Publishing

I received a digital arc of this book for an unbiased review from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing.

A beautifully illustrated book of city trees around the world. It is organized in alphabetical order explaining the history along with descriptive information regarding the species.

It makes you understand the beauty and significance of trees. Most of these trees inhabit other countries where one would never encounter.

[Asera · Rating 1 out of 5]

- I read this book from NetGalley UK in exchange for a fair review. -

I expected this book to further my interest in plants/botany in general. Instead, my enthusiasm sort of tanked.

The concept of this title is good but frankly, to introduce 70 trees with long write-ups for each and every one just makes it dull. True, the illustrations does the job to liven things up. Still it could only do so much. I wanted to see actual photographs of trees to be able to recognise and commit them to memory.

It would have been so much better as a guidebook to notable trees in urban life?

[Chase Danger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this book is wonderful and beautiful and I desperately need one to live with me! The drawings are amazing, both informative and surreal and lovely to look at. The information is interesting and covers just a little of the lives of those great green beings that we don't spend nearly enough time thinking about. I will certainly be paying attention to mine.

Thanks to Netgalley for the read.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather a novelty, but I appreciated the international scope of this one.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a book about trees. What's not to love? Now, don't mistake this for some boring tome. Each tree's entry includes some fun facts along with the usual growing region/size/etc and the reader is also treated to beautiful illustrations for each entry. If I had a coffee table, I'd happily leave a copy of this book on it to be enjoyed by visitors!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this lovely book! All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fabulous, not only is the art work beautiful, but the information about each tree is very informative and quite fascinating.
The information would capture the interest of the least likely person - well written, well laid out, followed with a page filled with wonderful artistry of component of the tree.
The trees are from all over the world in origin, and are absolutely beautiful

[Denice Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trees are one of the few things that everyone is interested in, whether wondering what kind of tree or how it managed to grow in the middle of the sidewalk. After living in one place for 30 years, I knew my local trees, but none outside. This book gave me some fascinating looks at local trees in other places. The illustrations are helpful. I can see these growing and thriving. A general interest book for that person who loves trees or who has everything.

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urban Arboreal by Michael Jordan and Kelly Louise Judd takes a look at the many trees that share our cities and suburbs. Humans need trees. We need them to live. We need them as our connection point to nature. Our ancestors came from the forests. They were our first home, and most people do better for having trees around, even if it's only on lawns or verges, or sidewalk beds. This little book is a modern compendium of those trees able to flourish in a city environment. Nearly 100 different trees are mentioned. Each tree has an info page and a page of full-colour print plates. It was neat to read about the individual trees, with their interesting facts. The pictures were pretty cool too, and gave the book an old-timey feel. Recommended for urban landscapes, nature lovers, and dendrophiles.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[RedRobinXXX · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reviewing this book for Michael Jordan, and NetGalley who gave me a copy of their book for an honest review
I like nature and so enjoyed looking through this book – there are some delightful photos. I dipped in and out of the text as some was a bit too over my head.