Trees: A Guide to Familiar American Trees

I used the original edition of this book and it was my introduction to dendrology. It shows the overall tree, leaf structure, and flowers, which are the main parts to use in identifying a plant. One thing it lacks is a close up illustration of the bark, useful in differentiating pines, firs, and so forth, and even hardwoods such as sycamore, which has peeling, deciduous bark, and the prunus genus, which contains cherry trees, which have horizontally striated, lenticele bark. This book covers North America so it can't be exhaustive in such a small book, but nevertheless, many important trees get covered, and it still makes a good choice for a young, budding naturalist. Also, trees are a good place to start with plant identification since they're so big and usually relatively easy to identify. Another great book on trees to start with trees Donald Culross Peattie's Natural History of North American Trees, which is now 65 years old and a classic, but still one of the best.

The Trees is a novel that really brings out the imagination of it's readers. This book is full of action and never has a dull moment. The Luckett family fights the wilderness in order to survive. The focus of the book is on Sayward Luckett, a young woman who goes through many tough situations and grows up throughout the book. A great book that I would definitely recommend to anyone.

I love this little book. I've carried it on many hikes, dog walks, and through several years of walking to graduate school. It's easy to use, detailed enough to be helpful, and small enough (my aged copy, at any rate) to fit in your back pocket. Of all of the field guides that I own, I've used this one the most.

The first part in "The Awakening Land" trilogy, "The Trees" chronicles the settling of the Ohio wilderness in the early days of the Republic. With an ear toward authenticity, Conrad Richter has seamlessly mixed history with fiction by introducing realistic characters who tamed Ohio when it was the "West." The story is simple, but beautifully told as Richter introduces the Luckett family, especially eldest daughter Sayward. The Lucketts claim the land and eke out a living among a howling wilderness as Sayward becomes the true head of the family. Richter is to be congratulated for introducing a realisitically strong character who, representing nameless and countless pioneer women, is a true hero. Read it for history or read it for fiction, it will touch you and teach you.

This book is great for people who want to learn the basics of different trees, their leaves, their twigs and bark of the trees around their area. If you don't know if the tree grows in your area, you can look at the maps in the book to see if it does. If you like trees and want to learn about them, you'll love this book. I loved this book because it built my foundation for knowledge in trees and their different families.