A delightful book...[It] is history in the etymological sense of the word--a story, told with grace, fluency, imagination, and humor...Perlin's central thesis is that wood has been both humanity's main material and main fuel, that its abundance made possible the rapid growth of successive civilizations, and that its exhaustion has been a major cause of their collapse...Out of this rich experience emerges a many-sided understanding of the causes of deforestation...[This book] deserves to become a classic.
-- Philip Stewart Forest and Conservation History

An intriguing and informative account...This work not only captures the significant impact of wood on past and present civilizations but also provides special insight into world history and demography. The book is well written and well illustrated and has an extensive note section...It should have appeal to a broad readership.
-- Choice

Outstanding...profusely documented and illustrated...with a story-teller's pace and ability to surprise...This book takes one of those bold imaginative sweeps through history that leave you full of excitement, as suddenly events seem to fall into a pattern for the first time.
-- British Broadcasting Corporation

A Forest Journey is a timely and absorbing piece of history. Perlin marshals his authorities with skill...His story never flags.
-- Times Literary Supplement