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**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026**

‘Sublime … A true masterpiece’ DAILY TELEGRAPH,

‘Mind-blowing’ GUARDIAN

‘Wondrous. Gives us trees as we’ve never seen them before’ ISABELLA TREE, author of Wilding

**A TELEGRAPH, COUNTRY LIFE, NEW YORKER and CRITIC BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025**

The extraordinary story of the inventive and astonishing ways trees have shaped our natural world.

Over hundreds of millions of years, from the prehistoric forests to those standing tall over us today, trees have evolved to sculpt the environments. They split rock, change sex, spin carbon, and manipulate bacteria, animals and even humankind to achieve their ends and shape the natural world.

In The Genius of Trees, Harriet Rix takes us on a mind-expanding, globe-spanning journey into the remarkable inner lives of trees. For the first time, we see trees not as victims, but as powerful agents of change in a grand ecological narrative – as leading actors in the great drama of life on earth who have transformed our planet and offer us hope for its future.

‘Exceptional … Changes our entire view of trees’ ROBIN LANE FOX, Financial Times Gardening Columnist

‘Full of wonder and revelation’ SUE STUART-SMITH, author of The Well Gardened Mind

‘Captivating’ COUNTRY LIFE

‘Profoundly inventive’ INDEPENDENT

‘A magisterial tour de force – destined to become a classic’ BEN RAWLENCE, author of The Treeline

Publisher Review

Sublime … Through the scenes we glimpse an Indiana Jones figure who is both an eminent, travelling scientist and a born writer … Dazzling … Non-fiction rarely sees a debut like The Genius of Trees. It is a true masterpiece — Horatio Clare * Daily Telegraph, 5 stars * A wondrous spreading canopy of a book that gives us trees as we’ve never seen them before: as dynamic forces, founders of our world, and agents of their own destiny – as well as ours. This is science writing at its best – beautifully explained, brilliantly written and perception-changing — Isabella Tree, author of Wilding An exceptional book. Up to date scientifically, beautifully clear for all of us, it changes our entire view of trees while carrying us to other worlds and times. Enchantingly written, it has personal touches which unite science, travel and fine literature and lead us by the hand through woods we never understood before — Robin Lane Fox, historian and gardening correspondent for the Financial Times A compelling journey of a book, full of wonder and revelation. Highly recommended — Sue Stuart-Smith, author of the Sunday Times bestselling The Well Gardened Mind If I was dazzled by nature and in awe of trees before I read this book, I now know how much we are indebted to them for the way they have shepherded life on earth for millions of years — Kirsty Wark, television presenter and journalist Fascinating and evocative, an intimate ride into the magical world of trees. This book contains everything you ever wanted to know – and so much you never knew you wanted to know – about these incredible organisms — Chris Fitch, author of Wild Cities You will forever love trees after you read this wonderful book. Not only is the text brilliant, but the author is genius. Harriet Rix’s stories range from why sloths are shaped by trees to be greenish in colour, to the chemical secrets of chocolate trees, to how one fragile moth pollinates the Joshua trees. You will want to read this book again and again — Meg Lowman, aka Canopy Meg, author of The Arbornaut A magisterial tour de force. Rix packs in several lifetimes of science into this sweeping story of the amazing genius of trees. I learned so much. Surely destined to become a classic — Ben Rawlence, author of The Treeline Trees are not passive passengers in Earth’s story; they are the engineers of life itself. The Genius of Trees is a rare blend of science and wonder, reminding us just how much we still have to learn from these ancient organisms. Harriet Rix captures their wonder with clarity and awe — Thomas Crowther, Ecologist and Climate Scientist In her wonderful book, Harriet Rix has given us a unique vantage point on the inalienable agency of trees. The Genius of Trees is both shocking and poetic, full of detail and even then dotted with fascinating footnotes. I left the book feeling invigorated and inspired — Lyndsie Bourgon, author of Tree Thieves