Roland Ennos’ The Wood Age is a love-letter to the world’s most vital and yet most threatened material. It is the story of how wood has shaped our human experience from the earliest foragers to the modern four poster bed.

In a journey to appreciate how much wood matters – and has done since prehistory – Roland Ennos takes the reader chronologically through four key phases: the impact of wooded habits on the lives of primates; human emergence and the discoveries of fire and woodwork; wood’s role in an environment both pre- and post-industrialisation; and lastly, the possible future of wood in an increasingly technologized world.

In an original and essential investigation, The Wood Age challenges the traditional model of historical development – stone, bronze, iron – and instead guide readers through a revealing and innovative wooded history of the world.

Reviews

Praise for Roland Ennos’ Trees

‘A marvellously informative look at trees as plants … If only this could be a bestseller … An accessible introduction to one of the wonders of the natural world – an intelligent, inspiring read for all nature enthusiasts’ New Scientist

Praise for Roland Ennos’ Plant Life

‘A must for anyone who takes delight in the world of plants’ BBC Wildlife Magazine

‘An enjoyable book for its novel and refreshing approach to plant diversity’ Times Higher Educational Supplement

About the author

Roland Ennos is a visiting professor of biological sciences at the University of Hull. He is the author of successful textbooks on plants, biomechanics and statistics, while his popular book Trees, which is published by the Natural History Museum, is now in its second edition in both the UK and US. He is an enthusiast for natural history, archaeology and early music, and lives with his partner and several hundred ferns near Hull, in East Yorkshire, England.