The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession

‘These delightful, quirky, moving stories testify to a powerful urge to bring the wild wisdom of trees back into our lives.’ * Age *
‘A beautiful mix of love letters to trees and practical tree facts. Amy Stewart is as curious about people as she is about trees.’ * Sophie Cunningham *

‘I love everything Amy Stewart has ever created, but this book is my favourite yet. I’m giving this book to everyone I know. Because it, like its subject, is a gift.’

– Elizabeth Gilbert

‘These mesmerising trees, and the inspiring people they’ve transformed, will alter your perspective and give you hope.’

– Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees

‘A whirlwind planetary journey into the wondrously entangled lives of people and plants… Amy Stewart shows us how we are all related to one another, through trees.’

– Katie Holten, author of The Language of Trees

‘Blue gum eucalyptus, maples, ginkgoes, mangos, flowering cherries…With graceful prose and tender watercolours, Amy Stewart’s arboreal global tour explores the fragility and resilience of Earth’s great canopy and ushers readers into the hidden groves and lush forests where the world’s most dedicated gardeners plant the landscape of the future.’

– Lauren Redniss, author of Oak Flat

‘Like the brushstrokes in the fine paintings alongside them, Stewart’s vignettes add up to something more: a powerful portrait of the human passion for plants and a paean to what the plants give back.’

– Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds

‘A delightfully offbeat book about a group of people as diverse as the specimens they collect, The Tree Collectors will take root in your consciousness and nurture your soul.’

– William Alexander, author of Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World

‘Reading this feels like sitting down and having the best kind of coffee date with one fascinating person after another.’

– Kathryn Aalto, author of Writing Wild
‘A warm and brilliant mural of life that tells a larger story about humanity: our desires, our losses, our salvation, and our place on a beautiful living planet during a time of immense challenges.’ – Greg King, author of The Ghost Forest
‘After spending time in this varied commonwealth, you’ll undoubtedly experience an intense desire to recline under the shade of a leafy canopy. But something even more profound is happening here: by creating a space for people to talk about something they love, Stewart made me feel more tender-hearted toward my fellow humans.’ * Scientific American *
‘While we tree collectors need little encouragement, reading this book will make us feel more normal.’ * Australian Garden History Society *
‘An inspirational guide to those who love trees and grow them for a reason.’ * HortWeek *
‘Delightful.’ * RNZ *
‘In this slyly humorous, informative, often poignant volume, Stewart brings us fifty captivating stories of people who spend their lives in pursuit of rare and wonderful trees and are transformed in the process.’ * Readings *
‘The mix of history, culture, science and skilled storytelling, interspersed with Amy’s delightful watercolour illustrations, makes for an engrossing read.’ * Gardening Australia *
‘Delightful…I happily wandered from one of Stewart’s charming and vivid stories to another, much like I meander from tree to tree in the woods…A charming, browsable book that’s filled with the colour and surprise of an actual forest.’ * Washington Post *
‘[I was] charmed, moved, comforted and inspired as I read on. Amongst other things, this book is a source of information, a rallying cry for conservationists and, for tree folk, a gateway into a world of like-minded spirits…The act of reading this book is to find yourself among friends.’ * Stephen Tong, Scottish Forestry *