The Forest Unseen

A Year's Watch in Nature

By: David George Haskell

Narrated by: Michael Healy

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In this wholly original audiobook, biologist David Haskell uses a one-square-meter patch of old-growth Tennessee forest as a window into the entire natural world. Visiting it almost daily for one year to trace nature's path through the seasons, he brings the forest and its inhabitants to vivid life. Each of this audiobook's short chapters begins with a simple observation: a salamander scuttling across the leaf litter; the first blossom of spring wildflowers. From these, Haskell spins a brilliant web of biology and ecology, explaining the science that binds together the tiniest microbes and the largest mammals and describing the ecosystems that have cycled for thousands - sometimes millions - of years. Each visit to the forest presents a nature story in miniature as Haskell elegantly teases out the intricate relationships that order the creatures and plants that call it home. Written with remarkable grace and empathy, The Forest Unseen is a grand tour of nature in all its profundity. Haskell is a perfect guide into the world that exists beneath our feet and beyond our backyards.

©2012 David George Haskell (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An extraordinary, intimate view of life...Exceptional observations of the biological world." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Very much a contemporary biologist in his familiarity with genetics and population ecology, he also has the voracious synthetic imagination of a 19th-century naturalist...a sensitive writer, conjuring with careful precision the worlds he observes and delighting the reader with insightful turns of phrase." ( The Wall Street Journal)

"[A] welcome entry in the world of nature writers. He thinks like a biologist, writes like a poet, and gives the natural world the kind of open-minded attention one expects from a Zen monk rather than a hypothesis-driven scientist." ( The New York Times)

I loved it!

I loved The Forrest Unseen. The Forrest Unseen is very informative and relaxing at the same time.

I was sad when I got to the end that there wasn't more of it...

An informative and delightful book, in a class of rarities that you regret ending too soon. The narrator was sublime and the descriptions of the mandala elegantly portrayed by an astute observer. This book belongs in every biology class.

excellent

truly exceptional. a must read for any nature lover. narration is perfect for the text.

I learned a lot.

The author is curious and cares about nature not just trying to publish or advocate the latest environmental fad.

There’s more to the forest than trees

I was led to a mindful, more meaningful observation of the forest and it’s ecology. Everything is intertwined! While I enjoyed the story, I found the narration slow. I kicked up the speed, and enjoyed the story much more.

What an important message

An amazing story of our connection to earth. We all need to take more time to sit and listen.

A delight

So much fascinating detail about a small patch of ground from the snails to the overstory to the vivid experience of cold (that chapter is crazy good). The narration is steady, lovely, and calming. It's a book I can digest in small doses. For someone curious about our world or who is enamored with nature writing, this is an ideal listen.

Awesome book!

This is a great read for thoso of us interested in ecology, the book is written in a ver entertaining fashion, and the narration is flawless. One of the best books that I have listened to.

As instructive as entertaining

Through a chronological series of dates spent observing a patch of old growth forest, Haskell shares new insights and recovers old wisdom about geology, evolutionary biology, taxonomy, psychology, and literally dozens of other disciplines describing the natural world. The book is striking in its breadth and in the author’s ability to synthesize disciplines while also relating forest observations back to humankind’s relationships and roles in shaping and being shaped by the natural world. Haskell accomplishes this with a droll and flowing prose that is efficient and highly descriptive, effectively placing the listener in the forest with him. Beautifully narrated with excellent and expressive diction by Michael Healey, this book is also notable for escaping the fate of many other Audible titles covering scientific topics where the narrator confoundingly mispronounces important technical terms.

awesome

great book! very unique concept and well constructed complicity over such a small natural area.