How to Read a Tree

'An important book and a pleasure to read.' - Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path

'You will never look at a tree in the same way again after reading this mesmerising book. Gooley drops learning as lightly as blossom falls in spring.' - John Lewis-Stempel

'Tristan Gooley has done trees the greatest service.' - Isabella Tree

'It was a lightbulb moment! I thought I knew my local woods - I walk there almost every day. But it's a thrill to see it through fresh eyes, to develop a much deeper understanding.' - Peter Gibbs, Chair of BBC Gardeners' Question Time

'Wherever you are - city or wilderness - if you want to understand the secrets of trees you pass, this is the book to read...Tristan has the rare gift of explaining the most complex ideas with humour and deep insight.' - Peter Thomas, Emeritus Reader in Plant Ecology at Keele University, author of Trees

'Will undoubtedly leave you with a deeper appreciation of trees...your country walks will never be quite the same again' - Daily Mail

'This book will add a new dimension to your countryside stroll.' Wanderlust

Do two trees ever appear identical? No, but why? Every small difference is a clue.

Each tree we meet is filled with signs that reveal secrets about the life of that tree and the landscape we stand in. The clues are easy to spot when you know what to look for, but remain invisible to most people.

In How to Read a Tree, you'll discover the simple principles that explain the shapes and patterns you can see in trees and what they mean. And you'll learn rare skills that can be applied every time you pass a tree, whether you are in a town or a wilder spot.

As the author of the international bestsellers The Walker's Guide and How to Read Water, Tristan Gooley knows how to uncover the phenomena worth looking for. He has been instructing people in the art of reading trees for two decades and this book includes signs that will not be found in any other book in the world.

Once you have learned to see these things it is impossible to unsee them. We will never look at a tree the same way again.