The Forests of California: A California Field Atlas: 1 (The California Lands Trilogy, 1)

This was a gift for my mom, who is an artist. These books are just spectacular, both for creatives and biologists!

Fabulous find for an Art and natural history geek. The details are amazing in both illustrations and written info. Wonderful voice that gives a personal common sense perspective along with the facts. I bought ALL of his books and read them for hours. Magnificent paintings and incredible research on each topic. So much yet so easy and accessible to read.

I am a huge fan of the author’s California Field Atlas so I had high expectations for this book, but it has far exceeded even my lofty expectations. The book is rich with information and detail, stunning in its illustrations, and woven with an underlying wisdom and poetry that are both breathtaking and important. If you love atlases, maps, watercolor, ecology, California, nature, or the earth, you will love this book.

This was more than I expected. More complete. I do a lot of hiking in the California forests and this Atlas is a wonderful guide to appreciating everything even more. Obi explains that to love the forest you must understand it. Then you'll protect it. He explains how to do that. This book should be in every classroom and studied at every grade level.

I have walked many of these places, and reading obi kaufmann's book reignites many of the feelings of being there. It is magic, I don't know how he does it. At first glance, the book is a sea of numbers, but the combination with gorgeous watercolors, poems, and short stretches of text make it extremely pleasant in small doses. The feeling of being there is perhaps a more powerful argument than the words for understanding the importance of the wilderness and connection to mankind.