Can you identify that tree outside the window? Probably not. Most of us don't know an oak from a sycamore, let alone a beech from a birch. It's time to turn over a new leaf..."Out of the Woods" is an affectionate, convivial guide to Britain's 50 commonest trees, in which Will Cohu takes you on a revelatory journey - from the wildest woodland to municipal carpark, via field hedgerow and orchard garden. Stunningly illustrated by Mungo McCosh, this is a book to reconnect you with your roots. Read it, and those anonymous structures of wood and leaves will become friends, while every walk will have something of a miniature epic about it: an adventure into the landscape of our history, too long ignored.
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"Cohu intertwines history, poetry, folklore and hardcore botany with the deftness of a master coppicer... A book to relish while burning hand-hewn logs in an open fire..." -- The Sunday Times, September 2007
"Cohu's book is unlike any other tree book I have come across... I never knew walking with trees could be so entertaining." -- The Guardian, September 2007
"Cohu's book is unlike any other tree book I have come across... I never knew walking with trees could be so entertaining." -- The Guardian, September 2007
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Big Jim
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
I have to disagree with some of the other reviewers as I thought the writing lovely (liked the mini-quizzes and various factoids) but the illustrations are neither terribly "artistic" or useful as identification guides, and if you are going to have drawings of the various leaves, then why not have more than the dozen on display here. There are factual errors as well, for example the Wright brothers first flight was in the "Wright flyer" not the "Kitty Hawk" as the author states here. But the main positive aspect of this book is that it just makes you want to go out and look at and appreciate trees and that has to be a good thing.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Four Violets
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
The reader is taken on a humorous and educational walk, metaphorically leaving the car in the lay-by and venturing into the woods beyond. We are encouraged to look at the trees around us in a new way. The ash, for example, is a "bisexual-transsexual-hermaphrodite creature", a "mad old bastard dancing in the nude". The Gingko, we are reminded, may have been around for 250 million years, and its genetic composition enabled several to survive Hiroshima. We are told how the wood from each tree smells when it burns, oak apparently resembling "kippers and bacon overlaid with single malt". I read this book in small doses over several months. It is thoroughly entertaining, amusing and informative rather than primarily a guide to identification.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Dominic
Format:Hardcover
A beautifully produced & well illustrated volume, this is light & fun yet also instructive. Would make a very nice present for anyone interested in the natural world who does not want something heavy. I hope though that this will stimulate any reader to further enquiry & getting out tree spotting. So, if you see people looking into the branches they are probably not mad (George III), just curious about the world around them!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book for all tree lovers... and if you are not you will be after...
This was the most entertaining read on tree identification imaginable. The writer clearly loves his subject and understands that the usual books with this purpose can be... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Marinade Spatula
4.0 out of 5 stars
A gentle wander through a series of metaphorical woodlands.
It is not an in depth book, by any means, but it is pleasant read none the less. The book covers all native and most non native trees that you could come across whilst strolling... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Half Man, Half Book
4.0 out of 5 stars
A unique selling point
This book is witty and well-written. It is not a field guide, and only covers the most commonly seen species. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Able Baker
3.0 out of 5 stars
Neither one thing or the other.
This short book falls between two stools (yes I know). It neither provides enough detail to really allow readers to identify the tress they see (although the title may suggest this... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2009 by SCM
4.0 out of 5 stars
Whimsical, fascinating tree lore
The reader is taken on a humorous and educational walk, metaphorically leaving the car in the lay-by and venturing into the woods beyond. Read more
Published on 22 April 2008 by Four Violets
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice idea let down just a bit by the production
Another aspiring 'attractive little book' with nice illustrations. This author's way with words is informative, entertaining and indeed arresting, but they are entitled to better... Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2008 by R. C. S. Wynne
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the old wise oak...
This book is made for sleepy winter afternoons when the light fades in a cold cloudless sky. There is not an offensive, challenging or pretentious line in this book. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2008 by C. J. Statham
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very precious book
This is a very precious book, it gave me a great sense of wellbeing. I live in the city but grew up in the country and this book definately struck a chord. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2007 by Bea Dixter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and enjoyable read..
This is a funny and clever book which I think would be good for tree beginers and general nature lovers. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2007 by scarlet652
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful, well illustrated but badly written
The cover and some of the illustrations got me hooked on this book and I bought it without reading the reviews. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2007 by York8500
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