Oak: The Frame of Civilization

by William Bryant Logan

Book Overview

Professional arborist and award-winning nature writer William Bryant Logan deftly relates the delightful history of the reciprocal relationship between humans and oak trees since time immemorial. For centuries these supremely adaptable, generous trees have supported humankind in nearly every facet of life. From the ink of Bach's cantatas to the first boat to reach the New World, the wagon, the barrel, and the sword, oak trees have been a constant...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393327787
• ISBN13: 9780393327786
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Compelling creative non-fiction read

William Logan, in "Oak: The Frame of Civliztion," creates a vivid and compelling portrait of of the ubiquitous oak tree, including its botanical history, as well as its cultural one. Well paced, engaging, and well illustrated, I unequivocally recommend this book.

Well-Burnished Love of Knowledge

A sweeping traversal of the oak's progress through history side by side with humankind, Logan's book is a far more satisfying essay in ethnobotany than many books aimed at a general audience. His deep knowledge of botany, forest history, and civilization informs every page. His prose is fluid and nuanced, and he interweaves his themes in wholly satisfying fashion.

Read this book through, and it will always be with you

This book is most like the "New Yorker" at it's best. Which was when a writer looks at some prosaic part of life and opens his eye wide; then writes about it clearly, with the full power and the real art of a bright and deep understanding of the utter complex beauty of the seemingly simple. Mr Logan, please do more.

Fascinating

This is a book that I would have liked to have written myself! It is a wonderful tale about the place of oaks throughout civilization. I found the linking of so many European family names to oaks and other trees very fascinating. The descriptions of the wooden structures, coppicing, early inks, acorns as food, oaks as foundation for many early technologies, and many other details brought a richness to the history of our ancestors and the beginnings of civilization. I live in an oak-hickory region of the eastern U.S., and this book has given me a greater appreciation of our national treasure.

So Rich

This book is a wonder-full exploration of the lives of Oak and Us. It talks about the growth and evolvement of human beings in terms of their ability to create using oak as their medium. It is a fascinating treck through the history of our time on earth. Kudos to Bill Logan. Read it; give it to a friend. He has done it again!