The New Sylva : A Discourse of Forest and Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century

In 1664, the British horticulturist and diarist John Evelyn published Sylva. This comprehensive study of the nation's trees was the first book ever published by the Royal Society. It was also the world's earliest forestry book. Evelyn's elegant prose still has much to tell us today, but the world has changed dramatically since his day. Now authors Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet, taking inspiration from the original work, have masterfully created a contemporary resource – The New Sylva.

Silvologist Gabriel Hemery explains what trees really mean to us culturally, environmentally and economically – followed by forty-four detailed tree portrait sections that describe the history and the features of trees such as oak, elm, beech, willow, fir, pine, juniper, plane, apple and pear.

The pages of The New Sylva are brought to life with truly breathtaking artwork from artist and co-author Sarah Simblet, who captures the delicacy, strength and beauty of the trees through the seasons in 200 exquisite drawings.

With an interplay of black and red type on creamy paper, The New Sylva recalls all the charm of traditional bookmaking. And at a moment when it is vitally important for us to rediscover how to treasure our trees, the time for this visionary, beautiful book is now.

“Elegant . . . with glorious drawings.” —Sunday Telegraph

“An excellent successor to Sylva, well written and full of interesting information . . . The illustrations are magnificent, pen drawings by the great tree artist Sarah Simblet. She has the rare gift of depicting a recognisable leafless tree, a gift that was denied to artists Poussin and Gainsborough.” —Oliver Rackham, Spectator

“Sumptuous . . . exquisite drawings grace almost every spread. The reader will be beguiled into consuming large sections in a single sitting. It's also a book for dipping into. . . . planting trees is an affirmation of faith in the future, and this book will inspire new generations of tree planters, just as the original did.” —Gardens Illustrated

“We dig this . . . a book that proclaims its virtues with quiet dignity.” —Sunday Times

“Exquisite.” —Country Life

“Beautiful, useful and inspirational.” —BBC Wildlife Book of the Month

“Exquisite . . . eloquently written and beautifully illustrated.” —The Lady

“. . . should inspire the current generation of planters, whether they have acres or a small back garden.” —Garden

“Gorgeous, precious and important.” —Resurgence & Ecologist