The Oak Papers

"This is a profound meditation on the human need for connection with nature, as one man seeks solace beneath the boughs of an ancient oak tree. The tree and its surrounds come to life in shimmering detail, and Canton's writing has an exquisite, somewhat dreamlike quality" — Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees
"James Canton knows so much, writes so well and understands so deeply about the true forest magic and the important place these trees have in it. Knowledge and joy" — Sara Maitland, author of How to Be Alone
“A lyrical journey into our deep relationship with trees. Canton shows us how paying attention to our gnarled green elders can reveal rich layers of culture, psychology, and ecology. He is a wise and inspiring guide.” — David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees
"This is a moving, poetic and life-affirming exploration of the idea that a person can form a rich and rewarding bond with an individual tree. The Oak Papers possesses great sensitivity, real wisdom and a deep mystical power." — Patrick Barkham, author of Badgerlands
“Echoes of Walden” — Kirkus Reviews
"Canton has written a modern rumination that reads like a classic." — Booklist
“With rare delicacy and precision, James Canton has captured the magnificence and mystique of the oak tree. The Oak Papers is a book of deep knowledge, perception, and love.” — PHILIP MARSDEN, author of The Summer Isles
PRAISE FOR JAMES CANTON "Intensely alive to the landscape; its pasts, people and creatures"
— Robert MacFarlane, author of The Lost Words and Landscapes
"Canton is a stalker of literary ghosts, following traces across the Essex countryside that might lead him to the writers who might have lived and worked among these landscapes." — Times Literary Supplement
“Nature-lovers will find Canton’s poetic tribute to be a treat.” — Publishers Weekly