SIP Handbook

When Dutch Elm disease ravaged one of our most noble species of tree over a decade ago, artist Piers Browne was inspired to begin a detailed pictorial record of the magnificence of Britain's native trees. The loss of so many elms to the disease wrought dramatic changes upon the landscape and Browne felt the moment was right to celebrate our wonderful arboreal heritage not only in his etchings and paintings, but also in verse and prose. There are many familiar trees represented here - the oak and the chestnut, the sycamore and the rowan - as well as several clearly very personal choices such as Killarney's evergreen strawberry tree and the tulip tree of the West Country. Each section is introduced by Sir David Bellamy, whose passion for trees is self-evident in his enthralling descriptions not only of the species themselves but also of their historical significance. Browne has selected a piece of prose or a poem to accompany each illustration; many of the poems have been specially commissioned for this book, while others will be familiar favourites. Tennyson and Betjeman are here as are Milton and Masefield. There are poems in which the trees are incidental, almost taken for granted, others where their sheer magnificence leaves the poet stunned, such as Longfellow's 'My Cathedral': 'Like two cathedral towers these stately pines/Uplifted their fretted summits tipped with cones.' There are trees in all seasons, trees in all environments. Browne paints a verbal as well as a visual picture of the landscape that each tree inhabits - they are an intrinsic part of the fabric of the British countryside. His very personal response to the trees he has depicted results in a volume which is far more than an attractive coffee-table book; this is a celebration with a warning that these wonderful trees cannot be taken for granted. We have the memories of the great hurricane to remind us that even the most sturdy giants are not indestructible. Browne emphasizes the importance of nature in providing a solace from the turmoil of our daily lives. Turning the pages of this magnificent book to see the fresh greens of the apple boughs and the delicate tracery of the hazel sweeping down towards a buttercup meadow confirms Prince Charles's point in his introduction, that 'trees have a unique capacity to lift our spirits'. Anyone who settles down to browse through these pages will agree. (Kirkus UK)