Nancy R. Hugo

Oh! My!
This is a stunning visual feast. My first impression of the photographs was "How interesting; they're all over-exposed."
But the introduction explains that Llewellyn mastered a new form of photography - "using software developed for work with microscopes Bob creates incredibly sharp images by stitching together eight to forty-five images of each subject, each shot at a different point of focus."
The depth of field is so robust it's closer to seeing the subject in the round. Incredible show more artistry and beauty.
I'm one of those persons who is constantly examining the world minutely, and these are my compatriots.

Adding more raves. Finally spent some time on the text, and I'm as happy reading Hugo as appreciating the photography. Beautiful prose. show less

Edit to add advice to you to read instead: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2082056905.

I really want to give this five stars. But it's unusable for its purpose. The pictures are glorious... but to be shown to their advantage the paper is glossy, which means the text is extremely hard to read in either bright outdoor or moderate indoor light. (Bright indoor didn't work for me either, and I cannot read in dimmer indoor at all.) It's also coffee-table book size, which means it won't work show more in the field at all.

I found some tidbits of interesting information, and did learn that the tree we have that makes a seed somewhat like a conker is not a chestnut but a sycamore. And the difference between the white oak and red oak families.

I suppose there is a way to use this book as part of a resource 'library' (that includes a proper field guide either in paper or phone app) if one cares that much, but, really, this is not a very practical introduction to the promise of the title. I mean, I felt taunted... 'look what we can see that you can't' was the (completely unintentional) message I got from the book. Particularly because she didn't (despite her claim) focus on trees with wide enough ranges. She's from Virginia, so, yeah, Magnolia to the south and White Pine to north... but not much that's common 'way out West' in OK.
(Range maps would have been a huge help.)

Nice idea, wonderful photos, and the bits of text I had the patience to read were gracefully written. Great book for the right (eastern) audience.

Oct. 2022 show less

This is easily the most visually enthralling book I have read in years. The text alone is enough to merit high praise. Hugo's detailed, vivid descriptions of the minute things to look for when seeing trees are delightful and educational. I took my time reading it, so I could savor a few pages at a time. But Llewellyn's stunning, close-up photographs (all composed against a white background for maximum visibility) elevate the book into the rarity of a book that must be owned in a physical show more form. No e-book can do it justice. I cannot recommend this highly enough, even for those with only a casual interest in trees and the outdoors. show less

This a spectacular book on the hidden life of the common trees around us — so much is hidden because we do not, and sometimes, cannot, take the time to really look at the nature that surrounds us. My appreciation for the common maples, oaks, black walnut, pine trees, and many others mentioned in this superb book, has always been high, but now I'm seeing so much more. Makes me wish that I hadn't gotten rid of my photo albums of tree that I had taken for many years.

I had bought this book show more quite some time ago, and had only reached for it the other day because it was a rainy, storming day, and I was looking for some inside distraction. It's a wonderful find and I'm sure to return to it time and time again.
It so grand when you come across a very special book, one that blends a fact-filled text with stunning photographs that serve so well to illustrate the text. There are times when there isn't a photo for EVERY thing mentioned in the text, but those are rare. One is so spoiled with the photographs within this volume, they reveal the most minute structures of flowers, buds, leaves, and bark in such crisp close-ups. It's a large-format, square book that is printed on nice heavy, white stock that really shows off the photos. How could we be going through our lives missing so much? This book is excellent at opening the reader's eye show less