Oak

"""A wonderfully researched book with elegant photographs and illustrations. . . . It is factual as well as decorative and amusing. . . . The pictures of the oak tree as a thing of beauty and friend of mankind are well chosen and informative. . . . Dipping in is addictive.""-- ""Living Woods Magazine"" ""Every page is crammed with well-researched facts and vignettes, not a boring one among them. It is not Peter Young's purpose to range across the huge and varied oak family; rather, he describes the oak in the context of the natural world and how it has served and influenced man from the Stone Age up to the present day. . . . His story of oak 'both the tree and the versatile timber' is uplifting: a pity, I thought, to end with the gloomy and familiar refrain about climate change. But that is a small quibble; I still want to own this book, not just as a work of reference but also for the enjoyment it gives.""-- ""House and Garden"" ""Whether you're a hard-core gardener or simply have a curiosity about plants, [these] two titles . . . are sure to command your attention. . . . Titles in the Botanical series combine accessible horticulture writing and a look at the plant's cultural and social impact. The books are both scholarly and playful."" -- ""Chicago Tribune"" ""Young's carte blanche sends him off in all kinds of colourful and diverting by-ways. . . . Young writes with great verve and what appears to be a genuine love of oak trees. The illustrations are equally wide-ranging--and, in some cases, quite surprising. Let's hope that future titles in this series succeed with similar brilliance.""-- ""Hortus"" ""Handsomely designed and beautifully written volumes on subjects you might not think you're interested in. . . . The best thing about [Geranium] and Oak . . . is the focus on cultural history.""-- ""Boston Globe"" ""This slim volume is literally a romp in the park full of painters, novelists and historians. Oak establishes its credentials very quickly, then dashes along. The illustrations are marvelous. . . . Part of an attractive, lavishly illustrated new series, perfect for house gifts if you're visiting someone who'll welcome you with clean towels and a trowel.""-- ""New York Times Book Review"""