Mighty Giants

An American Chestnut Anthology

By McKibben, Bill & Bolgiano, Chris & Novak, Glenn

Publishers Summary:
Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology is the inspiring story of an American symbol and the struggle to save it from the brink of extinction, the saga of a unique and exceptional tree that supported a way of life, that fed and sheltered our ancestors, and touched almost every phase of our existence. From Indians and early explorers, to colonists, naturalists, loggers, industrialists, and beyond, from presidents, poets, and artists, including Jefferson, Lincoln, Carter, Thoreau, Frost, Homer, Andrew Wyeth, and many more, the story of our once mighty, towering native chestnut tree is a lesson for our times. It is ultimately a story of how people, working together, can harness the power of community, scientific knowledge, and our growing awareness of the workings of nature to make a difference. With a foreword by Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, a leading voice in the growing planetary movement for sustainability and community. Copublished with The American Chestnut Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the re-establishment of the American chestnut tree to its natural range.Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology tells, in images and words, the story of the once mighty monarch of the eastern forests and the scientists who engaged in the struggle against one of the greatest natural disasters in the history of forest biology perhaps the deadliest plant blight ever encountered. It is the story of the dedicated few who refused who give up: the fearless plant explorer who tracked down the blight in war-torn China, the plant pathologists and geneticists who labored long and valiantly to understand the blight and find a way to thwart it. It is also a story of hope, of small but vital triumphs, as the secrets of the American chestnut and its deadly nemesis are gradually revealed.

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ISBN
978-1-88459-248-5
Publisher
Images from the Past


REVIEWS

Library Journal

Reviewed on February 15, 2008

The American chestnut tree was once king of the forest. Its range stretched nearly the length of the eastern seaboard, from Maine to Georgia, and as far west as the Ohio Valley. Central to human economies, it also played a key role in the hardwood ecosystem. And then, in the late 1800s, an imported Asian fungus quickly killed a staggering 99.9 percent of the species; by 1950, only 50 to 100 trees remained of the estimated original four billion. Restoration attempts continue. Curiously, outside of the scientific literature, this sad, powerful story of death and rebirth has rarely been told, but two new titles fill the gap wonderfully. Science journalist Freinkel's compact, entertaining history of the tree's demise and the many attempts to bring it back reads smoothly, like a well-writ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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