The Heart of the Forest: Why Woods Matter

Hardback

Main Details

Title The Heart of the Forest: Why Woods Matter
Authors and Contributors      By (author) John Miller
Foreword by Kathleen Jamie
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:288
Dimensions(mm): Height 234,Width 156
Category/GenreEnvironmentalist thought and ideology
Trees, wildflowers and plants
ISBN/Barcode 9780712354561
ClassificationsDewey:809.93364216
Audience
General
Illustrations 130+ Colour Illustrations; 130+ Colour Illustrations

Publishing Details

Publisher British Library Publishing
Imprint British Library Publishing
Publication Date 25 August 2022
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

With a foreword by Kathleen Jamie. Trees can evoke powerful feelings. For Henry David Thoreau, the woods are places beyond civilisation; for Ursula Le Guin and J. R. R. Tolkien, they are loaded with otherworldly potential; and for those fleeing captivity, they can provide a welcome sanctuary. Woods can strike fear. They can inspire wonder. They can be lovely, dark and deep. John Miller builds upon the ecological arguments for saving forests to raise the compelling question of their cultural value, with beautiful illustrations from the British Library's unparalleled collections of books and manuscripts. This book roams freely across literature and culture from around the world, weaving in personal memoir, to explore why woods matter to us. In the midst of a climate crisis, there is hope to be found in our deeply emotional connection to trees, and the instinct it awakens in us to value and protect them.

Author Biography

John Miller is Senior Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Literature at the University of Sheffield and editor of the classic fiction collection Weird Woods: Tales from the Haunted Forests of Britain, published by the British Library in 2020.