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The Wood for the Trees
- The Long View of Nature from a Small Wood
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
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The Wood for the Trees
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Summary
From one of our greatest science writers, this biography of a beech-and-bluebell wood through diverse moods and changing seasons combines stunning natural history with the ancient history of the countryside to tell the full story of the British landscape.
‘The woods are the great beauty of this country… A fine forest-like beech wood far more beautiful than anything else which we have seen in its vicinity’ is how John Stuart Mill described a small patch of beech-and bluebell woodland, buried deeply in the Chiltern Hills and now owned by Richard Fortey. Drawing upon a lifetime of scientific expertise and abiding love of nature, Fortey uses his small wood to tell a wider story of the ever-changing British landscape, human influence on the countryside over many centuries and the vital interactions between flora, fauna and fungi.
The trees provide a majestic stage for woodland animals and plants to reveal their own stories. Fortey presents his wood as an interwoven collection of different habitats rich in species. His attention ranges from the beech and cherry trees that dominate the wood to the flints underfoot; the red kites and woodpeckers that soar overhead; the lichens, mosses and liverworts decorating the branches as well as the myriad species of spiders, moths, beetles and crane-flies. The 300 species of fungi identified in the wood capture his attention as much as familiar deer, shrews and dormice.
Fortey is a naturalist who believes that all organisms are as interesting as human beings – and certainly more important than the observer. So this book is a close examination of nature and human history. He proves that poetic writing is compatible with scientific precision. The book is filled with details of living animals and plants, charting the passage of the seasons, visits by fellow enthusiasts; the play of light between branches; the influence of geology; and how woodland influences history, architecture and industry. On every page he shows how an intimate study of one small wood can reveal so much about the natural world and demonstrates his relish for the incomparable pleasures of discovery.
Critic reviews
★★★★★ Sunday Telegraph
‘Fortey’s forte is that he gets down and dirty in this diary of his beech wood. If you go down to the woods today, take Fortey with you’ John Lewis-Stempel, Books of the Year, The Times
‘This marvellous book documents a year in the life of his patch – and he chronicles its changing moods superbly … Fortey's prose is a joy … his sharp eye and ceaselessly inquiring mind are an inspiration’ Daily Mail
‘His remarkable scientific knowledge, intense curiosity and love of nature mean entries erupt with the same richness and variety as the woods they describe … Fortey's enthusiasm for his new wonderland is infectious and illuminating …. deep and interesting’ Guardian
‘Wonderfully readable’ BBC Wildlife magazine
‘Captivating … what he shows in this remarkable book, always precise, often lyrical … is just how much can be learned by sinking into one particular place’ Evening Standard
‘An exceptionally detailed record … a deep understanding of the natural history that it shapes’ Nature magazine
‘Fortey’s fascinating and thorough book … illuminates its flora and fauna, history and ecology with indisputable expertise’ Financial Times
‘Fortey is never dull … ‘The Wood For the Trees’ yields plenty of fascinating nuggets … a joyous celebration of what we now call biodiversity – the sheer creative exuberance, endless variety and inventiveness of nature, evident in four acres of Chiltern woodland … ‘The Wood For the Trees’ is a handsome volume copiously illustrated, well indexed and packed with facts. It would sit well on any woodland lover’s bookshelf’ Literary Review
‘The volume of flora and fauna collected and identified by Fortey and his expert friends is impressive … like the truffles that he unearths at the foot of a beech tree, there are good things to be found in this book’ The Times
What listeners say about The Wood for the Trees
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Frank Bowman
- 12-03-20
Superb
A small patch of woodland looked at in such depth. A great reminder to stop, look and think rather than just tramp through the leaf litter.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- tony
- 24-10-16
The wood for the trees
Richard Fortey bought a wood and he gives a concise and highly interesting review of the Natural History and social history of the region lying in the Chilterns. It moves seamlessly through the seasons. He was obviously fortunate in drawing on the expertise of the NHM in London where he worked for many years. I thought that the narration was rather stilted and forced. Dr Fortey would have been better reading it himself. I think his sense of humour was missed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. M. Sewell
- 11-08-18
Well worth a listen
A lovely gentle listen. Academic and accessible by turns, it pulls you in to the world of the woods.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- aaronhanger
- 18-08-21
A journey into beauty.
I loved this book and came to feel that I knew the author as well as his beautiful trees and all the life there in. I learned a lot to, about the life cycles of the woods and all it's inhabitants. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of nature.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tina
- 24-07-16
A Gem for Nature Lovers
I bought this book before I realised that I knew the author from his fascinating TV programmes so little did I realise what a treat was in store.
This is as entertaining as it is informative with the thoroughness that only an academic can supply but I never felt bogged down in the detail.
A year in the small beech wood is interspersed with the lives of men who would have worked among the trees and the change in fortunes it has undergone in the fifty or so years since the current trees were planted.
An overview of the area and its history only adds to the richness of the tale and the excitement of the author on finding rare plants or specimens for his specially-made collector's cabinet is transferred to the listener.
It is well read and I know it won't be long before I immerse myself in this charming book again.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- K Gamble
- 22-10-21
Interesting, relaxing listen.
Enjoyable, interesting and relaxing listen. The narrator is very good with a voice that seems to match the book’s contents.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- carleton c blackwell
- 04-12-22
Interested listen
As buying a wood I found this a very good insight to what I might find in my own little wood
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Clive
- 05-10-18
A perfectly lovely book
I absolutely loved this book - a wide ranging look at a small part of England which covers a range of curiosities from history to geology and of course natural history. All wonderfully read by Michael Grady - I couldn’t imagine a better voice for this subject matter
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- CB1
- 17-05-20
Brilliant
A book I will return to and enjoy again and again. So entertaining and a pleasure to listen to.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark
- 12-08-17
Accessible and erudite
A uniquely well informed take on the social and natural history of a single plot.
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1 person found this helpful