The Trees of San Francisco

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected pleasure
Review: I happened onto a copy of this book, assuming the subject might be a bit too specific for my level of interest in trees. What a blast the book turns out to be! It adds a whole new element (and in fact, depth) to appreciating the specialness that is all around in San Francisco.

Engaging read; beautifully done book.


Rating:
Summary: A Gem!
Review: This is the perfect book if you live in the Bay Area, know nothing about the trees on the street, but are interested in learning. Mike Sullivan takes what's interesting about San Francisco's trees, and makes it accessible for the average reader. The side-bar stories are also interesting - stories about San Francisco's flock of wild parrots and the trees that they enjoy, and the "Secret Garden" in the haight-ashbury that is private and overgrown, but has some of San Francisco's most interesting trees. The book is very well written, and it's beautifully put together. I also loved the non-tree related trivia and neighborhood "color" that Sullivan introduces throughout. It's clear that he loves San Francisco as much as trees!

Rating:
Summary: A Treasure for anyone who loves San Francisco!
Review: You don't have to be an arborist to enjoy this gem! Anyone who has ever walked or driven through San Francisco and marveled at the variety of beautiful trees that line the streets will enjoy this book. Each tree described by Mike Sullivan is accompanied by a beautiful color photograph, an exact location to check out a specimen, the history of the tree itself, and any interesting nuggets associated with that tree and the history of San Francisco (like the story of Mary Ellen Pleasant, the mother of Civil Rights in SF, who planted 6 blue gums on Octavia & Bush that are still standing tall--check out the beautiful memorial plaque below the trees).

You can grab the book and take advantage of the wonderful walking tours included for several of the SF neighborhoods, or go out on a random search of your own to see how many you can identify. My 3-year old can spot a "lemon bottlebrush" even quicker than me now.

One last note on the quality of the book. From the cover, to the internal design, the paper selection, the binding, the use of color--this is just a beautiful, beautiful book--that will stand the test of time as you flip through it over and over again.