The Woods of Ireland: A History, 700-1800

The accepted view of Irish woodlands is that Ireland was covered in trees until the English came and chopped them down. While admirable in its brevity, this interpretation is inadequate regarding the actual management of Irish forests from the later Gaelic era to the close of the 18th century. This book focuses on the fundamentally pragmatic and commercial view of trees adopted by much of Gaelic civilization, as well as the attempts of the various Anglo-Irish administrations to introduce more conservative woodland practices. By the late 17th century, the re-afforestation of Ireland had become a paramount badge of respectability for Irish landowners and gave rise to a distinctive body of landscape design and painting, exemplified by the works of Thomas Roberts and William Ashford. *** Everett’s latest book…illuminates the culture, economy, and politics of a nation by examining the natural landscape and human interaction with it….exhaustively researched and lucidly written….a must for any academic library…Essential. - Choice, Vol. 52, No. 10, June 2015 *** Selected for the annual CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles list for 2015 in the field of Botany. [Subject: History, Irish Studies, Forest Management]