Oak: The Frame of Civilization

A beautiful read, full of discoveries, at least for me, by an author with decades of experience, observation and love for nature in general and trees in particular.

One of my favorite books of recent years! Originally borrowed from the library. I had to have my own. Extremely informative while a pleasure to read & enjoy. Thank you

If you, like me, love a good walk in the woods and are intersted in the trees we share the planet with you've got a book to enjoy. There's fascinating history, interesting anecdotes and the passion of the author to recommend this book. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the Vikings use of oak to build their boats and the drawings and explanantion of the construction of Westminster Hall. There is an awful lot of information to enjoy in this book about oak trees and and while technicle enough for students it is easy to read and always enjoyable.

An interesting book. I was impressed on what I learned and it wasn't just about oak trees or the genus. The discussions on viking ships, the battle with the US Constitution, and the general history of man and the interwoven uses of oak was very informative. There was a point I was let down by the book as if the author used his own liberties to write stories that felt unreferenced. But then on the other hand the ability to make one aware of many aspects of mans history woven around oak timbers was fascinating. So once I was at a 3 and later a 5 rating and thus the 4. The discussion of phloem and cambium was a very different approach than any I ever heard in all my botanical classes.

This well-researched book shares the useful impact of the Oak trees over centuries and vast global settings.I did not know that a type of flour could be made from acorns for human consumption.Loaded with history and facts beyond the uses of wood for burning or building.

I ordered this for plane reading because I had found Sprout Lands, by the same author, quite interesting. This book is exhaustive and sometimes exhausting to read. I found the history of the use of oak to be written in a way that seldom captured my interest long enough, and I can find history interesting. The later sections on the nature of oak were better, but, still, get it at the library.

I've been a sucker for single-subject studies ever since I read Mark Kurlansky's "Salt" a few years ago. That book's success set off a flurry of monographs, some good and some bad, and I think I've read them all. Logan's "Oak: The Frame of Civilization" is one of the best. Like Bill Bryson, he manages to deliver all the fascinating facts and details without losing sight of the storytelling. A thoroughly enjoyable, educational and enlightening experience (the result of which I now have an oak gall collection).

I found this book to be very entertaining and informative. As a person who has spent many years living and working in the oak forests of Missouri, learning of the history of how these trees were used was quite enlightening. I would highly recommend this book.