An illustrated kingdom of real, fantastical plants

A key player in the field of paleobotany, Beerling looks at plants as being a "geological force of nature" in the course of Earth's history. The book follows the rough chronology of the plant kingdom's 540 million years on Earth, combining subjects as diverse as evolution, plant physiology, geology, climatology and forensic science to reveal the crucial role plants play in shaping current and future environments.

A delightful ode to the quirky ingenuity of these gentle giants, Tudge's book answers our most fundamental questions about trees: what they are, how they work and came to be, how they communicate and why they matter.