From the founder of the Folly Tree Arboretum, a living archive of extraordinary trees from around the world, this stunning collection of photographs, illustrations, and essays explores the remarkable ways trees intertwine with human history and culture.
At the Folly Tree Arboretum in East Hampton, New York, artist and arborist Tucker Marder has created a cultural archive of rare and unusual trees. Gathering cuttings from historically and culturally significant specimens all around the globe, Marder brings together a collection that celebrates their surprising legacies.
Featuring atmospheric nighttime photography, whimsical original illustrations, and fascinating essays, this one-of-a-kind volume explores the stories behind thirty-five trees and their unexpected connections to science, art, history, and culture?from descendants of Isaac Newton's legendary apple tree to ginkgoes that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, an Osage orange linked to prehistoric giant ground sloths, and the White Oak in Athens, Georgia, famously known as “the tree that owns itself.” Poems, short stories, and a handsome duck named Moon Dog complete the book.
A singular work of environmental storytelling and archiving, Story Trees is an inspiring celebration of curiosity, conservation, and the incredible stories rooted in the trees around us.
- A FASCINATING NEW PERSPECTIVE ON TREES: Blending science, history, art, and storytelling, this unique collection reveals the extraordinary stories hidden in trees and invites readers to experience nature with new curiosity.
- ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE: From ancient history to modern culture, these trees feature unforgettable connections to figures including Sir Isaac Newton, Martha Stewart, and Al Capone. Author Tucker Marder personally introduces each tree, inviting us to see its personality and learn its history.
- STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY AND ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION: Dramatic night photography captures the arboretum in a completely new light, accompanied by illustrations that illuminate how playful, strange, and special the trees are, making the book perfect for nature lovers, art enthusiasts, and readers of all ages.
- A HOPEFUL CELEBRATION OF THE NATURAL WORLD: Through inspiring stories of connection and resilience, this book offers an optimistic look at the relationship between humans and trees. In an age of increasing climate anxiety, it delivers a much-needed creative take on environmental issues.
Tucker Marder is an artist and the founder of the Folly Tree Arboretum. His work has been exhibited at the National Aviary and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA, and the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City. His film “The Tree Prophet” won the Audience Choice Award for Short Documentary at the 2018 San Francisco Independent Film Festival. He received his MFA in Social Practice from Carnegie Mellon University in 2016 and has been an artist-in-residence at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and SymbioticA at the University of Western Australia. He lives in East Hampton, New York.
Phillip Lehans is an artist, photographer, and the author of Village Beaches and These Hamptons. His work has been published in magazines and newspapers such as Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, The New York Times Style Magazine, and Vanity Fair.
Nishant Saldanha is an artist based in Goa, India. He is the author of the comic Mr. Good Guy and co-coordinates the Amche Mollem Citizen's Campaign.