Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology

Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology is the inspiring story of an American symbol and the struggle to save it from the brink of extinction, the saga of a unique and exceptional tree that supported a way of life, that fed and sheltered our ancestors, and "touched almost every phase of our existence." From Indians and early explorers, to colonists, naturalists, loggers, industrialists, and beyond, from presidents, poets, and artists, including Jefferson, Lincoln, Carter, Thoreau, Frost, Homer, Andrew Wyeth, and many more, the story of our once mighty, towering native chestnut tree is a lesson for our times. It is ultimately a story of how people, working together, can harness the power of community, scientific knowledge, and our growing awareness of the workings of nature to make a difference. brbrMighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology tells, in images and words, the story of the once mighty monarch of the eastern forests and the scientists who engaged in the struggle against "one of the greatest natural disasters in the history of forest biology"-perhaps the deadliest plant blight ever encountered. It is the story of the dedicated few who refused who give up: the fearless plant explorer who tracked down the blight in war-torn China, the plant pathologists and geneticists who labored long and valiantly to understand the blight and find a way to thwart it. It is also a story of hope, of small but vital triumphs, as the secrets of the American chestnut and its deadly nemesis are gradually revealed. p#8226; Chestnut scenes from artists such as Winslow Homer, Seneca Ernie Smith, Andrew Wyeth, Charles Burchfield, and a generous selection of seldom-seen photographs ofAmerican chestnut throughout its history. br#8226; "Chestnuts in my Life" by Jimmy Carter. br#8226; Poems by Wendell Berry and Robert Frost. br#8226; Chestnut folklore and anecdotes, including reminiscences from southern Appalachia to New England, along with historical newspaper chronicles of the tree before, during, and after the blight.br#8226; Chestnut reflections by plant geneticist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug, father of the "Green Revolution." br#8226; Colorful accounts of railroads and locomotives that logged mammoth chestnut trees in Appalachia, by Les Line, longtime editor of Audubon magazine. br#8226; Chestnut recollections and inspirations from Bill Owens, Dolly Parton's uncle, a Tennessee mountain man, musician, and champion of the tree.br#8226; Excerpts from best-selling author Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, about a curmudgeonly chestnut breeder and his cantankerous rural Virginia neighbor. brbrFEATURES:brbr#8226; A fine account of the ecological battle to bring the mighty chestnut back from the brink of extinction with the prospect of victory on the horizon.br#8226; A beautiful coffee table worthy book in full color that rewards both browsers and in depth readers like a fine interpretive exhibit.br#8226; A comprehensive chestnut encyclopedia: observations by early explorers; writings and memories from the 19th and early 20th centuries; and reports on the most recent scientific research.br#8226; A picture of the multipurpose chestnut that once dominated the US Eastern Forest with wood for timber, nuts as food for humans and wild life, and a rural cash crop - and the extent of its loss when all but an isolated few of the 2 billion trees were decimated by blight.pCopublished with The American Chestnut Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the re-establishment of the American chestnut tree to its natural range.p