There are books that mirror our lives,
as there are books that have an impact upon a life
More than just few years ago when I was perusing the nature section of our local bookstore, that I came across a book called The Man Who Planted Trees. It is a rather thin book, with the pages amounting to no more than the thickness of a pencil, even after having been padded with numerous wonderful woodcut illustrations by Michael McCurdy, in this reissue honouring the twentieth anniversary when it was first published by Chelsa Green Publishing Company as a book. Before the first publication in book form, the short story, or fable as some would call it, was first published in 1954 and appeared in Vogue magazine.
The Man Who Planted Trees, cover
1985 Paperback edition, second printing
The short story by French author Jean Giono brings to life a Shepard who plants acorns every day over a period of thirty years, every time he went on his daily walks, transforming a scared landscape from years of war into a forest of hope. The books fable has mirrored my attempts to plant as many trees as possible.
The Man Who Planted Trees, cover
Hardbound version, first edition, April 2005
For as long as I can remember, I have had a personal relationship with trees. At the age of twelve I came home with a small young cutting of a branch that I had broken off from a larger branch and stuck into the ground behind our ascending staircase to the house front door. The location was by no means ideal, but this little patch of land was mine to do with as I choose. Within two years the branch had grown considerable, reaching the top of the staircase, By the time we moved out a year and a half later, it was more like a mature tree, still having more to grow before being fully grown as a eucalyptus tree.
inside view, pages 28-29
Hardbound version, first edition, April 2005
These days, for almost a decade now, I have raised trees from seeds. Beginning with seedpods from a California buckeye chestnut, gathered from the wild and transplanted into large 25-gallon nursery buckets, where they remained for two to three years. After achieving the desired height, they were planted on our hillside, others passed along to friends and even sent overseas while still a seedpod, but showing signs of life.
close-up view, page 11
© Michael McCurdy - All rights reserved
This year’s bounty of seedlings has exceeded any previous year. From a dozen plus California buckeye chestnut, there are about a dozen and a half Chinese Elm, ranging from a foot to two feet in size. My most prized are Japanese maple, grown for the first time. They’re still very delicate when compared to the other two species, never the less precious.
As autumn’s curtain call is fast approaching, the garden was blessed with this year’s first rain after have suffered a two-year drought and water rationing. This major storm was the remnants of a Pacific typhoon that stretched beyond its normal travels, reaching our coastline with its gentle fury, filling our streams and lakes with water.
close-up view, page vii
© Michael McCurdy - All rights reserved
The Man Who Planted Trees — twentieth anniversary edition
Jean Giono with illustrations by Michael McCurdy
ISBN 1-9311498-72-5
Some additional links to check out
USA
CANADA
UNITED KINGDOM
Information on the author Jean Giono and The Man Who Planted Trees
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