How to Read a Tree

Bought this as a present, but the recipient has said it is an amazing book and she will not look at trees in the same way again.

Easy read to learn a lot about the tree’s

A very interesting book. Refreshing to confirm as I have always thought, trees are not just for firewood!. Difficult in my case to retain all the information on how helpful and clever trees are, but can always use it for reference in the future. If like me an ancient joiner, it was nice to see how a tree feels.

This book is amazing. The information is great, I now look at trees differently.Can’t wait to read it and take notes.

Very well written, easy to read and full of tree information that you probably never even thought about before. Will make you look at trees from a different perspective. There is a lot of information in the book, too much to take in in one go, but read a chapter, read a few pages or just read a page and then find some woodland to see for yourself the ‘hidden in plain view’ character of trees.

No option to leave feedback as lumped together with another order.Book arrived damaged sadly. Box it was in not damaged so was damaged before being dispatched.Good book, but bought as a gift, so unable to give now. Hardback, but top covers dented in.

If you love nature or navigation and haven't discovered Tristan Gooley yet then you're in for a treat. His books are always fascinating, drawing back a veil and revealing a world right before our eyes that we hadn't noticed before. How to Read a Tree is another classic and one you could do well to start with. Written for the layperson but with a great eye for detail. Highly recommended!

Very readable

You will see trees in a whole new light after reading this book.

I could write a book about this book. After the first five pages I knew my forest hiking was already permanently changed. After five more I began ordering copies for some fellow tree-loving friends. Later still I felt my brain could not hold any more information and figured Gooley must be running out. No, I was only halfway through. How could I have been walking by so many trees for years and not seen all this, read so many books about trees and not known all this? Well, Gooley has dedicated his life to seeing all these stories in the leaves, bark, trunk shape, root patterns, branching, etc., etc. and he's just really, really good at it. But, he makes it all so clear and it's as easy to read as a novel (I'd planned to read a few pages a day. So factual). My advice is to stop reading reviews and just order it. Better get a couple.

Purchased for a friend. They enjoyed the book.

I absolutely loved this book! I've read several of his other books before and this one might be my favorite. Gooley is the master of providing a way to examine patterns and this pattern recognition is so much more beneficial than trying to memorize specific traits of a single species. This book includes personal stories of his experiences as well as some good pictures and drawings that help to illuminate the concepts that are discussed in the book. I have a science background and have taken several ecology classes and I still learned a great deal from this book but it is written in a style that will pique the interest of someone who is looking to expand their horizons in exploration or someone like me who has been on numerous hikes who now sees the same paths in a different light. Can't recommend this enough as it will help to change your perspective for the good!

If you like love stories, you might like this book. Tristan Gooley has a love affair with trees that exceeds anything you’ll ever read in a romance novel. But 373 pages of details and minutia about tree shapes might be a bit much for most people. However, if you're truly gaga about trees, this is your book.