In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees

An extraordinary journey to visit the oldest trees in the United States that beautifully reveals the connection between humans and natural history— a perfect read for nature lovers and fans of The Hidden Life of Trees.

Follow award-winning author Anthony D. Fredericks's adventures across the United States to uncover the remarkable secrets and lives of ancient trees. He introduces some of the oldest trees in the country using up-to-date research, interviews with scientists, captivating storytelling, and a contagious wonder for the natural world. Fredericks's visits to the trees turn readers into fellow travelers. Through firsthand accounts and scientific detail, these enduring trees come to life off the page.

Each chapter begins with a time-travel story that immerses readers in Earth's past, as early as ~58,000 BCE, for a sweeping view of what was happening during human history when the ancient tree took root. It then zooms into present-day to investigate the tree in all its mature glory and the changed world around it.

Some of the featured trees include: 

A 13,000-year-old Palmer's oak in California that survives by cloning itselfThe 1,200-year-old Seven Sisters Oak in Louisiana that has survived in the path of at least ten major hurricanes2,000-year-old redwoods (the tallest trees in the world) on the California coastThe 2,628 year old bald cypress in the Black River of North Carolina

Marvelously detailed and deeply passionate, In Search of the Old Ones will transform your perspective of the trees and forests around you.

Story Locale:United States

About the Author

ANTHONY D. FREDERICKS is Professor Emeritus of Education at York College of Pennsylvania. He has published more than 170 adult nonfiction and children’s books, including The Secret Life of Clams, Horseshoe Crab: Biography of a Survivor, and Desert Night, Desert Day. He has also written for Psychology Today, High Country News, Hawaii Magazine, and more. An educator for nearly 50 years, he has taught science workshops, made natural history presentations, and led field trips throughout North America.

Author Residence: York, Pennsylvania

Author Hometown: Newport Beach, California