The Heart of the Forest : Why Woods Matter

Author: Miller, John, Jamie, Kathleen

Environmentalist thought & ideology

Published on 25 August 2022 by British Library Publishing in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 288 pages, 130+ Colour Illustrations; 130+ Colour Illustrations
240 x 167 x 30 | 826g

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.