Magnificent Trees celebrates the 30,000 specimens that adorn the landscape of The New York Botanical Garden, some in groves, some in dense forests, and others standing in solitary majesty. Lavishly illustrated with photographs by Lawrence Lederman accompanied by descriptions by Todd Forrest, Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at the Garden, the book is a fitting tribute the Garden, a National Historic Landmark recognized throughout the world for stewardship and connoisseurship of its vast collections. Photographs include landscape views that convey the Garden’s genius loci, tree portraits that illustrate the architecture and visual imact of selected trees, details of flowers, fruit, bark, and leaves, and impressionistic images, abstract in character but beautiful in composition. The photographs, which illustrate the trees in all seasons and weathers, are culled from thousands of images that Lederman has taken over the past seven years. Of his project he writes-
Trees live for and in response to the light. The ever-changing nature of light means that even if you are photographing the same tree day after day, the experience is different each time