The Wood Age

A stunning book on the incalculable debt humanity owes to wood Roland Ennoss knowledge of all things arboreal is vast and intricate. He is a professor of biology at the University of Hull and the author of several books, among them the Natural History Museums official guide to trees. But The Wood Age is something different nothing less than a complete reinterpretation of human history and prehistory, and it is written with enormous verve and pinpoint clarity No review can match the richness of Ennoss book. There are chapters or sections on coal and charcoal, pottery kilns, modern wooden buildings, techniques of melting and smelting metals, the history of shipbuilding, wind and watermills, deforestation and much else I felt like cheering. John Carey, The Sunday Times A lively history of biology, mechanics and culture that stretches back 60 million years A specialist in the mechanics of wood, Ennos has a fierce love for his topic Nature Passionate In this very readable historical survey, Ennos argues that not only do we need to reassess the role wood has played in our history, but by embracing a new age of wood, we can help to reset our broken relationship to the natural world [A] fascinating wood-centred view of our history P.D. Smith, Guardian Wonderful i news An eye-opening piece of environmental history Excellent Comes highly recommended The Inquisitive Biologist Ennos, a professor at the University of Hull and a specialist in the mechanical properties of trees, shares his insatiable curiosity with us. He applies his sharp eye for details, and he does so entertainingly Washington Post Ennoss special love and concern is for things made from trees The principles of every significant technology, from tree-felling and carpentry to shipbuilding and papermaking, are described with a precise, almost mesmerizing detail New York Times Book Review

Roland Ennos is a visiting professor of biological sciences at the University of Hull. He is the author of successful textbooks on plants, biomechanics and statistics, while his popular book Trees, which is published by the Natural History Museum, is now in its second edition in both the UK and US. He is an enthusiast for natural history, archaeology and early music, and lives with his partner and several hundred ferns near Hull, in East Yorkshire.