Unchopping a Tree
by Merwin, W. S
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- See description
- ISBN 10
- 1595341870
- ISBN 13
- 9781595341877
- Seller
-
Eureka, California, United States
2 Copies Available from This Seller
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About This Item
Trinity University Press, 2014. Hardcover. A fine hardcover copy; no dust jacket.
There's no mystery to chopping down a tree. But how do you put back together a tree that's been felled? Mystical instructions are required, and that's what W. S. Merwin provides in his prose piece "Unchopping a Tree," appearing for the first time in a self-contained volume. Written with a poet's grace, an ecologist's insights, and a Buddhist's reverence for life, this elegant work describes the difficult, sacred job of reconstructing a tree. Step by step, page by page, with Merwin's humble authority, secrets are revealed, and the destroyed tree rises from the forest floor. Unchopping a Tree opens with simplicity and grace: "Start with the leaves, the small twigs, and the nest that have been shaken, ripped, or broken off by the fall; these must be gathered and attached once again to their respective places." W. S. Merwin, like many conservationists, is quick to say: "When we destroy the so-called natural world around us we're simply destroying ourselves. And I think it's irreversible." Thus the tree takes on a scale that begs the reader's compassion, and one tree is a parable for the restoration of all nature.
There's no mystery to chopping down a tree. But how do you put back together a tree that's been felled? Mystical instructions are required, and that's what W. S. Merwin provides in his prose piece "Unchopping a Tree," appearing for the first time in a self-contained volume. Written with a poet's grace, an ecologist's insights, and a Buddhist's reverence for life, this elegant work describes the difficult, sacred job of reconstructing a tree. Step by step, page by page, with Merwin's humble authority, secrets are revealed, and the destroyed tree rises from the forest floor. Unchopping a Tree opens with simplicity and grace: "Start with the leaves, the small twigs, and the nest that have been shaken, ripped, or broken off by the fall; these must be gathered and attached once again to their respective places." W. S. Merwin, like many conservationists, is quick to say: "When we destroy the so-called natural world around us we're simply destroying ourselves. And I think it's irreversible." Thus the tree takes on a scale that begs the reader's compassion, and one tree is a parable for the restoration of all nature.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Eureka Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 277759
- Title
- Unchopping a Tree
- Author
- Merwin, W. S
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 2
- ISBN 10
- 1595341870
- ISBN 13
- 9781595341877
- Publisher
- Trinity University Press
- Date Published
- 2014
Terms of Sale
Eureka Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item is not as described or it arrives damaged.
About the Seller
Eureka Books
Biblio member since 2008
Eureka, California
About Eureka Books
Eureka Books, established in 1987, is a classic antiquarian shop with books in all subjects and price ranges. We're open Monday - Saturday in Old Town Eureka, California.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Shaken
- A hardcover in which the text block is loose, but still attached to the binding.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...