We are delighted to announce that a book deal with major publisher Bloomsbury has been secured by authors Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet to write The New Sylva.

The New Sylva aims to be a seminal book about trees and forestry for the 21st Century. The book will be published in 2014 to coincide with the 350th anniversary of John Evelyn’s original Sylva published by the Royal Society in 1664.

The New Sylva will bring the essence of John Evelyn’s most celebrated work to a new readership. It will integrate sensitively parts of his original, visionary and very beautiful prose, with a much-needed contemporary review. It will deliver authoritative scholarship in a style that is brief, clear, accessible, and pleasurable to read, and for the very first time, it will be copiously illustrated. The New Sylva will celebrate mankind’s relationship with trees through a creative integration of history, science and art. Read more about the book.

We (the authors) will be posting news about progress with the book in this blog. You will also be able to follow progress with the twitter hashtag #newsylva.

4 Comments

  1. Hi Gabriel,

    Best wishes for the new book project.

    Will you be writing about significant tree diseases? Yesterday I posted shots of larvae of the Scolytus beetle, vector of Dutch elm disease. I haven’t heard much about Acute Oak Decline lately – do you think it’ll be as serious as DED?

    I look forward to following your blog!

    Rob

    1. Thanks Rob

      Yes we definitely will be featuring pests and diseases, which together with a changing climate, are very significant threats.

      While you wait for the book you could check out my personal blog where I’ve written quite extensively about this: http://gabrielhemery.com/?s=Acute+oak+decline

      Best wishes
      Gabriel

  2. Congratulations. Looking forward to the publication of this book. I know the write up you linked to has given some historical perspective and also a little about the modern purposes of forests etc. However I wonder if you could give us a little taster every now and again of what benefits can be gleaned from this new book in practical terms?
    Looking forward to the next posting.

    1. Hi Kevin
      Thanks for your interest in The New Sylva. Yes we intend to provide lots of tasters, both art and writing, as well as news on progress.
      Gabriel

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