Wise Trees

Wise Trees is a photography book about trees that have a remarkable story to tell us. To create it, photographers Diane Cook and Len Jenshel spent two years traveling to five continents to photograph more than 50 extraordinary trees that were carefully selected for their historic and cultural significance. From Luna, the coastal redwood in California that became an international symbol for conservation, to the Bodhi Tree, the sacred fig in India that is a direct descendent of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, Cook and Jenshel reveal trees that have shaped our lives and our feelings about nature. The project both reflects and inspires awareness of the enduring role trees have played in nurturing and sheltering humanity.

Diane Cook and Len Jenshel are two of America’s foremost landscape photographers. Their previous books include Aquarium (2003), Hot Spots: America’s Volcanic Landscape (1996), and Travels in the American West (1992). Their work is represented in more than 100 major collections worldwide and they have been contributing photographers to National Geographic for 20 years. They live in New York City. Verlyn Klinkenborg is the author of The Rural Life. His articles and essays have appeared nearly everywhere. He was a member of the editorial board of the New York Times from 1997 to 2013.