Tree: Exploring the Arboreal World

Winner of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries 2025 Award of Excellence in Series 

As seen in The Guardian, Harper’s Bazaar, and Wall Street Journal

‘It’s no secret that I adore trees. This book is a most glorious cornucopia celebrating our enduring love affair with trees – an uplifting and eye-opening tribute to the way they enrich our lives.’ – Dame Judi Dench

An extraordinary collection of more than 300 images celebrating the beauty and diversity of trees

This exquisite survey presents a breathtaking sequence of full-page images – from landscape paintings and botanical drawings to ancient frescos, vintage book illustrations and contemporary photographs – revealing the tree as a source of inspiration throughout history.

Spanning continents and cultures, Tree reflects the diversity of its subject, depicting giant sequoias, cherry blossoms, palms, poplars, ginkgoes and other species found across Earth’s forest biomes, in a wide-ranging selection of visuals dating from Ancient Greece to the present day. More than 300 images include Roman stone mosaics, illustrated Norse myths, Edo-period woodblock prints and living tree installations, each lavishly reproduced.

Curated by an international panel of botanists, naturalists, art historians and other experts, the images expand the definition of botanical art, together forming a vibrant, vital homage to the natural world.

Featured artists and contributors include: Ansel Adams, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Ruth Asawa, Paul Cézanne, Agnes Denes, Albrecht Dürer, Caspar David Friedrich; Global Forest Watch, Andy Goldsworthy, Ernst Haeckel, Utagawa Hiroshige, Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, Sally Mann, Grandma Moses, Marianne North, Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Sebastião Salgado, and Yokohama Nursery Co., among others.

Phaidon Editors

Tony Kirkham MBE, VMH  was the Head of the Arboretum, Gardens and Horticultural Services when he retired from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in 2021 after 43 years’ service. In 2009 he was awarded the Associate of Honour by the RHS for distinguished service to horticulture, the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour in 2019 and an MBE in 2019 for services to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Arboriculture.

Advisory panel:  Dr. Giovanni Aloi; Dr. Preston Bautista; Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger; Fred Breglia; Casey Clapp; Jim Gardiner VMH; Dr. Andrew Hirons; Tony Kirkham MBE, VMH; Margaret D. Lowman, PhD; Carlos Nobre, PhD; John Parker; Anna Pavord and Christiana Payne.

Additional texts : Dr. Giovanni Aloi, Matthew Biggs, Casey Clapp, Tim Cooke, Anita Croy, Diane Fortenberry, Tom Furness, Carolyn Fry, Jim Gardiner VMH, Rebecca Morrill, John Parker, Christiana Payne, James Smith, David Trigg and Martin Walters.