Augustus Dowd was working with a mining company in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Central California in 1852 when he found himself tracking a wounded grizzly bear. Following the beast, pine needles crunching underfoot, he stumbled upon the most momentous sight he had yet surveyed, promptly forgetting all about the bear. But when he attempted to describe the great trees he had discovered to the other men of his camp ? the height, the breadth, the fuzzy red fur covering their massive trunks ? his fellows could not find it in themselves to believe him. Wherever one examines our history and culture, immense trees often take center stage. From the Sequoias of California to the Baobabs of Africa, this book takes an in-depth look at the trees of myth and religion, from the Tree of Life to the Viking world tree, Yggdrasil, and pulls these diverse tales together with wisdom and humor.