The Man Who Climbs Trees

Who knew you could be so immediately gripped by a book about a man climbing trees?! This book has surprised me. I mean I like trees, more than the average person, probably. But nothing like James Aldred. His love is verging on certifiable yet the book isn't 'too much'. His enthusiasm certainly comes across and by the first chapter I was already planning how I could scale some of the local park giants. It turns out I am still too much of a wimp to actually climb trees but you don't really need to - the view from this book is enough.

*NB - it's not just about trees!

I enjoyed this book. It has delightful descriptions of places which are coupled with some frightening close encounters with animals and insects. I cannot decide whether it is a climbing book or a travelogue. Many of the forests which are described I am not going to travel to and yet I have travelled enough to understand and create pictures in my mind. For hours after I read the words I have continued to picture the forest floor in Morocco with the crocus, light beams and butterflies. It was a very evocative passage.

There is a message running through the book about the balance between natural curiosity, conservation and tourism. I had hoped that this would be a book I could choose for reading sessions (11 and 12 year olds), if we do use it, I will probably only use a chapter at a time in the same way that short stories are sometimes used.

I have just read an electronic galley copy and I wonder if the book itself will have some pictures of the trees which the author climbed? This is the second book of a similar nature which I have read and have longed to see the trees which are being written about. In the electronic version I would like to see a link to a picture of the trees, not necessarily within the text but at the end of the chapter. This is especially so in the cases of the tree houses which were built, a before and after picture perhaps.
I wish the author good luck with the launch and if he is likely to do a publicity tour and comes to a venue near me I would be very interested in attending.

Love the titled. If you didn't know much about professional tree climbers, read this book and you'll know everything. Enjoyed every page. It gave me a very different perspective on life amongst the branches.

The Man Who Climbs Trees by James Aldred.

This is a simple book unadulterated by stylistic twiddles or literary device. It is a love letter to trees and the natural world as a whole. These are the stories of the monster trees that James climbs to prepare the way for and assist National History filmmakers get the very best vantage points for their programmes.

James endures weather and even insect infestation of his very flesh to climb these dangerous trees so that masters of Natural History such as David Attenborough himself. It is a book of passionate dedication and the pure joy he experiences when in the canopy. It was a glorious book for anyone who loves to travel vicariously and see the wonders of the world from above.

It was a delight to read The Man Who Climbs Trees by James Aldred. It is not only full of information but also beautifully written and absolutely fascinating. If you have ever wondered how wildlife/nature books are filmed this book has the answers.

James Aldred, a professional tree climber, wildlife cameraman, and adventurer, explains how he discovered that trees are places of refuge as well as providing unique vantage points to view the world. Trees enthral him, right from the time he first climbed into the canopy of an oak tree in the New Forest. Climbing trees gives him peace within himself and with the world around him. Since he first began climbing trees he has travelled the world climbing many of the world’s tallest trees, filming for the BBC and National Geographic magazine.

It’s incredibly dangerous work. It’s not only the difficulties of climbing some of the world’s tallest trees, but also dealing with extreme weather, attacks from animals, birds and a variety of insects. Perhaps the most horrifying was a sinister rash that appeared all over his body when he was in the Congo. This rash developed into ninety red angry boils, several of them on his head. Then he was woken by something moving beneath the skin of his scalp, squirming and wriggling around; the pain was unbearable. Each boil was home to spine-covered maggots that bot-flies, large black flies with bulbous red eyes, had laid under his skin! He ended up in hospital with cerebral malaria.

I have always loved trees but I’ll never look at them again with the same eyes after reading this book – such strange and wonderful stories of the nature and significance of trees.

The Man Who Climbs Trees is a wonderful book, full of James Aldred’s adventures and his views on life and spirituality. I loved it. His travels brought him into contact with dozens of different religions and philosophies all containing ‘profound elements of truth’ that he respects very much, concluding that ‘spirituality is where you find it’ and he finds it ‘most easily when up in the trees’.