Description

A Guardian ‘Book of the day’

‘A captivating book’ – Independent
‘Her enthusiasm is contagious.’ – Guardian
‘A meditation on life, culture and trees.’ – FRED PEARCE
‘Unofficial poet laureate of our woodlands.’ – Scotsman

For millennia,
elms shaped our landscape and our folklore;
then they started dying.

Few young people have seen a mature elm tree. They once covered great swathes of Europe and North America, but Dutch elm disease has since killed hundreds of millions worldwide, forever altering our landscapes.

The Lost Elms is a love letter to our nearly vanished elms and a rallying cry for their long, slow fight back. It tells the gripping story of the scientists desperately trying to halt the disease’s relentless progress, and shares the latest research uncovering the intricate links between elms and other species. Woven throughout is a deeply lyrical look at the tree’s central place in our history, mythology, poetry and folklore.

Crucially, there is hope. Recent breakthroughs reveal elms to be more resilient than we ever imagined. The Lost Elms shows how the strength of this noble tree can offer positive lessons for the future – lessons which one day might help us save other disappearing species.

Publisher Review

Her enthusiasm is contagious. As someone who began this book with literally no idea what an elm looks like, I was inspired to download the Woodland Trust tree-ID app and resolve to pay more attention to our ligneous friends. * Guardian * Haggith’s captivating book is full of personal reflections and anecdotes. It is engagingly written and has important things to say about globalisation, the threat of climate change and the value of biosecurity. * Independent * Unofficial poet laureate of our woodlands. * Scotsman * Not just an elegy to our lost elms but also a meditation on life, culture and trees. — Fred Pearce, author of FALLOUT: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE NUCLEAR AGE This book defies us not to fall in love with elm trees, with the idea of elms and all that their loss and what remains represents to us. — Kirsteen Bell * Caught by the River * Mandy Haggith creates an engaging and inspirational portrayal of this culturally significant and iconic tree . . . As a poet and novelist, her deftly sprinkled and subtle imagery brings the erudite narrative to life, helping to reveal ‘the complicated intimacy between people and trees’ . . . This heartfelt and enlightening book should interest anyone who loves trees. * Permaculture Magazine *