
A Natural History of North American Trees
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Stillwell
Donald Culross Peattie's two books about American trees were first published in the 1950s. In this edition, modern listeners are introduced to one of the best nature writers of the last century. As we listen to Peattie's descriptions, we catch glimpses of our country's history and past daily life that no textbook could ever illuminate so vividly. Here you'll learn about everything from how a species was discovered to the part it played in our country's history.
Pioneers often stabled an animal in the hollow heart of an old sycamore, and the whole family might live there until they could build a log cabin. The tuliptree, the tallest native hardwood, is easier to work than most softwood trees; Daniel Boone carved a sixty-foot canoe from one tree to carry his family from Kentucky into Spanish territory. In the days before the Revolution, the British and the colonists waged an undeclared war over New England's white pines, which made the best tall masts for fighting ships.
It's fascinating to learn about the commercial uses of various woods - for paper, fine furniture, fence posts, matchsticks, house framing, airplane wings, and dozens of other preplastic uses. But we cannot listen to this book without the occasional lump in our throats. The American elm was still alive when Peattie wrote, but as we listen to his account today we can see what caused its demise. Audubon's portrait of a pair of loving passenger pigeons in an American beech is considered by many to be his greatest painting. It certainly touched the poet in Donald Culross Peattie as he depicted the extinction of the passenger pigeon when the beech forest was destroyed. A Natural History of North American Trees gives us a picture of life in America from its earliest days to the middle of the last century. The information is always interesting, though often heartbreaking. While Peattie looks for the better side of man's nature, he reports sorrowfully on the greed and waste that have doomed so much of America's virgin forest.
©2007 Houghton Mifflin Company. Foreword copyright 2007 by Mark R. Peattie. Introduction copyright 2007 by Verlyn Klinkenborg. Copyright 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1964 by Donald Culross Peattie. Copyright renewed 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981 by Noel Peattie. Copyright 1950 and 1953 by Paul H. Landacre. Copyright renewed 1977 by Joseph M. Landacre. Compilation and revisions copyright 2007 by the estate of Donald Culross Peattie. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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A treasure trove of information.
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Makes me want to walk every forest
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Poetic
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The narrator, however, I struggled with. He mispronounced so many words including Latin names and location names, that it was very distracting for me. I feel that if you’re going to be a narrator, then you need to do your homework and learn how to pronounce words correctly.
Excellent book for tree lovers
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Great writer, great reader.
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Fantastic, archaic, spellbinding
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This is a very confusing production. Is it worth it to get this information out to anyone and everyone who shows even the slightest interest? Yes absolutely but either fire this editor or retitle this audiobook for what it is “Donald Culross Peattie On Trees: Select essays from his two volume master work ‘the American Sylvia’”
Good for kids, long roads, people who are on the fence maybe but if you make it past chapter 4 in this audiobook you will be greatly enriched by the full print material, complete with Peattie’s full list of species, plant descriptions, and original images that make identification possible. Best money I’ve spent on a physical book in ages.
If you’re still reading this just know that the hubris of this editor’s comments in this audio edition are unforgivable. Surely he has a job and duty to preform but to use such clouded language as to the justification of cutting down whole swaths of trees from Peattie’s Sylvia is as near sighted as those who didn’t cherish this great content’s trees.
It is my sincere hope that some brave souls will undertake the truly colossal task of recording both original volumes for the future of all tree loving audio book listeners.
Extremely Abridgment!
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amazing
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The stories of these trees enchant. This is unlike any other book on the subject, and it was written so many years ago.
Narration was perfect for this book, I think.
The way I listened was to jump around the chapters because nothing is lost doing so.
What they don't teach in school
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everything I wanted it to be
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