In Search of Remarkable Trees: On Safari in South Africa

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T Pakenham
Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2007
H/B 192pp
Colour photographs throughout
Thomas Pakenham is no stranger to Africa, nor to remarkable trees. In this the final installment in his trilogy, MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE TREES and REMARKABLE TREES OF THE WORLD, Pakenham combines his two interests on safari in Southern Africa in pursuit of remarkable trees. His particular quarry is the rare, the giant, the very old, the extraordinary, or the simply beautiful, or those trees imbued with significance, written about by the great explorers of the past, or associated with magic, or folklore, or ritual. The result is a highly individual book and brilliant photography.
In an opening section he describes his journey and the extraordinary moments of drama and even danger - scaling trees to escape from the enraged wildlife - and those moments of triumph as he stands in awe before a tree, connected by some primitive, atavistic bond. The texts that accompany each image are as individual as his photographs, a beautifully crafted blend of botany and social history.