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Book Reviews IfTrees Could Speak: Stories ofAustralia’s Greatest Trees byBob Beale Publisher:Allen & Unwin, CrowsNest, 2007. 245pages, colourphotographs; paperback; ISBN9781741142761. RRP$39.95 In spite of the references to trees in the title, Thebookcovers such awide spectrum ofthe tthyipsesbooofknaistusroamlehwihsatotrydibffoeorkentrefvrioemwetdheinusTuhael cdoounjtursyt’icsehtiosttohreydtihvaetrsiittyisoifmiptossascicboluenthse.reThteo VictorianNaturalist. ‘stories’ range in length from a few paragraphs In fact, much ofthe book is not about trees. to about 11 pages. All are very readable and Aofsntehaerlmyai5n0 tbirtlieefsufgagcetsutasl,sittoirsieasnwaistsheimnblnaignee hfuullmooufr,inttrhioguugihngniontfwoirtmhaotuitonthaendautthoourc’hseoswonf themes,covering arange offacets ofAustralias perspectivesandopinions.AsfarasIcouldtell, history and culture. Generally, the trees are the information and accounts are historically seen as silent, but nonetheless important, wit- accurate. nessesto overtwo centuriesofevents. In addition to the ‘stories’, there are several EuTrhoepesatnoriceusltuarrees;drtahewntrefersomfeaAtbuorreidgianraelbaontdh psacuglepstofrocOulsainCgoohnnswpehcoificcarsuvbejdecTths,esFuacihryaTsrtehee, native and introduced. For example, under botanistDougBenson, andMountain Ash. T‘ThreeesPrwiistohn Tsprieriet,’,Twhee hFaaivrey TThreeeCaanndoeotThreeres,. MoTshte aprheotboygrthaephasuthdoers,eravnedsapreeciaaltmmoesnpthieorni.c ‘TPhreocFlaemdaetriaotni,onSeOpaakratainond,TFheedeSreaptairoantioinnclTurdeees. adensdigenvoocfattihveebaosowkelislpalseadseiscnrgilpytuivnec.luTthteeroevderaanldl Thereare‘Treeswithvision,suchasTheCazneaux attractive. Tree, Namatjiras trees, and so on. Politics, Bob Beale writes colourfully and engagingly, conflicts, the arts, memorials, notable person- whilst also being thought provoking. This is a alities are all represented. Itis notuntil the last bookwhichcanbeenjoyedbyanyone. I certainly thirdofthebookthatthefocusfallsonthetrees recommendit. themselves, with sections covering the oldest LeonCostermans trees, thebiggesttrees and‘othergreat Austral- 1/6StJohnsAve Frankston,Victoria3199 iantrees, pastand present’. I was interested to know more about the author,BobBeale,buttheonlymentionI could find in the book was ‘Faculty ofScience, Uni- versity of NSW’ (the website indicates he is PublicAffairsManager) Hewriteswithobvious . feeling, not only for the trees which he clearly respects,andinwhichheoftenseessymbolism, but also for the country’s human history and current attitudes. Understandably, he laments thelossofsomesignificantarboreallandmarks, especially when such loss is the result of in- competent management by authorities (as, for example, ‘El Grande’, the giant Mountain Ash in Tasmania). On the other hand, he niarvels that we still have ‘The Bennelong Twins two Forest Red Gums {Eucalyptus tereticornis) near ‘Jj’^rtt5 Sf-ttKk' the Sydney Opera House—which somehow have survivedsincebeforeThe First Fleet. B0e atAi. E TheVictorian Naturalist 30