16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you love trees, you should own this book, 26 Dec 2003
By Brad VanAuken - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees (Hardcover)
I value this almost as much as I do Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. What I like best about this book are (a) the wide variety of trees that it features and (b) the excellent illustrations, which provide far more detail on tree profiles, leaves, cones and other seedpods than other comparable books. So far, I have found illustrations for every tree that I have considered planting, including many uncommon ones. This book can really help you visualize what a particular tree will look like when you are designing your landscape.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blissful Hours with This Book, 24 July 2003
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees (Hardcover)
If you love trees you need to own this book. What an achievement for an artist not even 50 years old yet; 800 pages of astonishingly detailed paintings of hundreds of trees. The lifelike realism of form is matched in the coloring of all aspects of tree morphology and development, including bark, seeds, cones, berries, twigs, leaves and silhouettes. The first time I opened the book I thought the pictures were photographs. The more I examine the paintings the more agog I am that they came from a person's vision and hand - and the more I prefer them to photographs. People who love trees will understand what I mean when I say the paintings, with absolute realism,convey the spirit of trees in a way that photographs can't.
A book to covet until you own it. It's brilliant and extraordinary.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A color-packed volume organized by type of tree, 19 July 2003
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees (Hardcover)
This comprehensive arboreal reference deserves a spot on any serious gardening library shelf. Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Trees has been 12 years in the making and is packed from cover to cover with detailed paintings of living trees which supplements the in-depth research conducted by botanist More and writer John White. The result is a color-packed volume organized by type of tree and including such details as geographic distribution, importance to American industry, and natural history. Some of this information is scattered in other volumes on trees; the depth of detail and intricate drawing of the trees featured in this superbly organized and presented encyclopedia set it apart from all others and make it a highly recommended, 'must' library reference.