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G**A
Four Stars
Good assortment of interesting facts about an emblem of Canada.
M**R
awesome!
this collection of books is awesome. detailed information on every aspect of pine. i’m trying to collect the entire series. important books for treehounds!!
H**.
wide-ranging but succinct
Wonderful and succinct global view of pine trees: their variety, natural history, and their significance in human culture, religion, rituals, and industry. It was surprisingly wide-ranging and featured high-quality photographs and paintings from around the world, myths from the ancient Greeks, Chinese, and Japanese, poetry excerpts, and historical factoids ranging from ancient Rome to 20th century U.S. It balanced art and science nicely, and I especially appreciated its explanation of turpentine, resin, and pitch, which many other books about trees mention but don't explain.Altogether very useful book for research purposes. This lost art of botanical/cultural knowledge can be useful for writers of fiction.
L**T
Pining to read about pines? Here's the book.
If you like pines, this is a book to read. It's one of a quite good series. The illustrations are excellent. The writing is crisp and informative. As always in this series, the interface between the natural world of the pine and of human cultures is the main focus.The book starts with the natural history of pines. It's more complex than I was aware of. The next chapter concerns pines in myth and reality (not the same as the chapter on pines in art and literature). The third chapter looks at pines as a source of turpentine and resin, what might be called the industrial pine, particularly in the once vitally important category of naval stores. The next chapter covers pine as timber and torches (think pine knots used in colonial days), various species of pine being important construction materials. Then comes a chapter on pines as food, pine cones and pine nuts used in several cultures. Lastly is my favorite, pines in literature and art. There is one stunning example of pines in the classic Chinese style, among the several paintings illustrated.This is a good read. I can't say it is a fun read, pines somehow seem more serious to me than other trees.
