RFS Book Club with Dr Gabriel Hemery
Join us online for an evening with author Dr Gabriel Hemery. We will be talking about his stunning and award-winning book, The New Sylva - A Discourse of Forest & Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century, and its recently published compact edition.
Gabriel, along with his co-author and artist Sarah Simblet, was inspired by the world’s earliest forestry book, Sylva – Or, A Discourse Of Forest-Trees, And The Propagation Of Timber In His Majesties Dominions. Sylva was written in 1664 by the horticulturist and diarist John Evelyn. Exactly 350 years after it was printed, the modern-day version was released, complete with 200 exquisite drawings.
The New Sylva explains what trees mean to us culturally, environmentally and economically. Numerous illustrations portrays individual tree species such as, elm, beech, hornbeam, willow, fir, pine, juniper, plane, apple and pear.
It has won a British Book Design and Production award and was described by the late great Oliver Rackham in the Spectator as:
“An excellent successor to Sylva, well written and full of interesting information … The illustrations are magnificent, pen drawings by the great tree artist Sarah Simblet. She has the rare gift of depicting a recognisable leafless tree, a gift that was denied to artists Poussin and Gainsborough”
The evening will also touch on Gabriel’s other writings and his latest project The Forest Guide.
This event is free for RFS members and £10.00 for non RFS members.
Dr Gabriel Hemery
Chief Executive and Co-Founder - Sylva Foundation
Dr Gabriel Hemery is an author, tree photographer, Chartered Forester and silvologist (forest scientist). He has published more than 100 technical articles, ranging from the genetic improvement of walnut, to novel silvo-poultry systems. In 2009, he co-founded the environmental tree charity, the Sylva Foundation, and has since led its development as Chief Executive.
The New Sylva, was his first book. It was published by Bloomsbury in 2014. His biographical novel Green Gold (2019) follows the real and imagined exploits of a Victorian plant hunter. He has published two collections of fictional environmental tales Tall Trees Short Stories (Volumes 20 and 21). His short stories have been included in anthologies, including one published by Everyman’s Library in autumn 2021.
His next book is a guide to Scotland's forests and the start to a series, to be published with Bloomsbury Wildlife from 2023. He is currently asking woodland owners across Britain to contribute entries to the guidebooks.
