Among the many magnificent books in the Royal Forestry Society’s library sits a leather-bound, much treasured and annotated first edition of John Evelyn’s seminal treatise Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest Trees.
And now, 350 years after it was published, it has been joined by a copy of The New Sylva – kindly donated by authors Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet. The new book dwarfs the original with 400 pages, featuring more than 100 tree species and 200 detailed pen and ink drawings.
Thanking Gabriel and Sarah for the gift, President Sir Jack Whitaker says: “John Evelyn was really the first person to collate and write down wood management practices and his thinking has continued to influence forestry over the centuries. The New Sylva follows in the same style and with the same intent – to encourage political and public awareness of the importance of trees to the nation and their value to individual growers and users. This is a valuable addition to our library and many members will be able to enjoy it.”
The RFS library is for use by RFS members. Details of books available can be found atwww.rfs.org.uk/about/RFS-library-catalogue
