Combining rigorous research with lyrical writing, Elderflora chronicles the complex roles ancient trees have played in the modern world and illuminates how we might need old trees now more than ever.

Humans have always revered long-lived trees. But as historian Jared Farmer reveals in Elderflora, our respect took a modern turn in the eighteenth century when naturalists embarked on a quest to locate and precisely date the oldest living things on earth. The new science of tree time prompted travellers to visit ancient specimens and conservationists to protect sacred groves. Exploitation accompanied sanctification, as old-growth forests succumbed to imperial expansion and the industrial revolution.

Taking us from Lebanon to New Zealand to California, Farmer surveys the complex history of the world’s oldest trees, including voices of Indigenous peoples, religious figures, and contemporary scientists who study elderflora in crisis. In a changing climate, a long future is still possible, Farmer shows, but only if we give care to young things that might grow old.

‘A magisterial study of arboreal longevity . . . like the outstretched limbs of a luxuriant elm, Farmer’s narrative extends over a broad range of social and scientific issues.’ – Natural History

Digitalis purpurea. The common foxglove.  Vision blurs as blood pressure drops precipitously.  The heartbeat slows until, finally, it stops.

Atropa belladonna. Deadly nightshade. Eyes darken as strange shapes flutter across your vision. The heart begins to race and soon the entire body is overcome with convulsions.

Papaver somniferum. The opium poppy. Pupils constrict to a pinprick as the senses dull. Gradually, breathing shudders to a halt.

Scratch the surface of a coffee bean, a chilli flake or an apple seed and find a bevy of strange chemicals – biological weapons in a war raging unseen. Here, beetles, birds, bats and butterflies must navigate a minefield of specialised chemicals and biotoxins, each designed to maim and kill.

And yet these chemicals, evolved to repel marauding insects and animals, have now become an integral part of our everyday lives. Some we use to greet our days (caffeine) and titillate our tongues (capsaicin), others to bend our minds (psilocybin) and take away our pains (opioids).

Inspired by his father’s love of the natural world and his eventual spiral into the depths of addiction, evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman explores how we came to use – and abuse – these chemicals. Delving into the mysterious origins of plant and fungal toxins, and their unique human history, Most Delicious Poison provides a kaleidoscopic tour of nature’s most delectable and dangerous poisons.

*****

‘Deeply researched and fascinating.’ -JENNIFER DOUDNA, WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

‘Magisterial, fascinating and gripping.’ -NEIL SHUBIN, AUTHOR OF YOUR INNER FISH

‘Exuberant, poignant and mind-blowing.’ -DANIEL E. LIEBERMAN, AUTHOR OF  EXERCISED

Darwin and the Art of Botany collects writings from six often overlooked texts devoted entirely to plants, and pairs each excerpt with beautiful botanical art from the library at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, creating a gorgeously illustrated volume that never existed in Darwin’s own lifetime, and hasn’t since. Evolutionary botanist and science historian James Costa brings his expertise to each entry, situating Darwin’s words in the context of the knowledge and research of the time. The result is a new way of visualizing Darwin’s work, and a greater understanding of the ways he’s shaped our world.

Shrubs are the perfect plant – they are low-maintenance, there is a variety for nearly every need and they are widely available.

This guide is a perfect mix of practical and giftable gardening reference for the entry level enthusiast who wants to find out more about shrubs and wants to grow them successfully.

Combining the authority and expertise of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with beautiful artworks and practical advice, this is a giftable hardback for enthusiasts and beginners. Packed with information and inspiration, it covers a range of plants as well as vital information on soil, light and maintenance. Every plant’s needs are revealed so readers can succeed with 50 specimens and 12 easy to follow projects.

In ten short and accessible essays, science and nature writer Carolyn Fry takes us on an awe-inspiring journey of the Earth’s lungs. From what makes a plant a tree and the incredible impact of forests, to how trees are under attack and what we can do to save them, this book will enthral and inform on the monumental power of the humble tree.

Trees: 10 things you should know is an essential introduction to why trees are so important, and why our lives depend on them!

This beautifully illustrated anthology of sixty tree poems is a celebration of our love of trees. With poems by some of the world’s best-loved poets including Philip Larkin, Ted Hughes, Carol Ann Duffy, Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, The Book of Tree Poems will help you see trees as you’ve never seen them before.

Reflecting on family, identity and nature, belonging is a personal memoir about what it is to have and make a home. It is a love letter to nature, especially the northern landscapes of Scotland and the Scots pinewoods of Abernethy.

Beautifully written and featuring Amanda Thomson’s artwork and photography throughout, it explores how place, language and family shape us and make us who we are. It is a book about how we are held in thrall to elements of our past. It speaks to the importance of attention and reflection, and will encourage us all to look and observe and ask questions of ourselves.

Plants feed us, clothe us, shelter us, help transport us, and can both intoxicate and cure us. From food staples to exotic and enchanting flowers, plants are essential for the wellbeing of our selves and our planet.

Helen and William Bynum are expert guides to the intriguing histories and uses of over 80 key plants. Rich in cultural, historical, botanical and symbolic associations, the plants, from every corner of the globe – both familiar and bizarre – have fascinating stories to tell. Starting with foods that laid the foundations for the development of civilizations, such as wheat, rice and maize, and those that enliven our diet, such as saffron and spices, sections look at plants that have helped to create our material world, including bamboo and the oak, and crops that have made people rich, such as tea, coffee and sugar cane. Many plants have been used medicinally and others, for instance eucalyptus or giant redwoods, have come to epitomize entire landscapes. Some are the objects of obsession, including the tulip, the rose and the lotus, and some are distinctly strange, such as the world’s largest flower, rafflesia, which smells of rotting flesh!

For anyone interested in the extraordinary beauty and diversity of flora around us, this stunning book, illustrated with botanical drawings, paintings and artworks will be an inspiration and a delight.