The Man Who Planted Trees

by Jean Giono With wood engravings by Michael McCurdy Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1985 Paperback, 52 pp., $7.95 ISBN 0-930031-06-7

    This beautiful little story first appeared, believe it or not, in Vogue magazine in 1954. Needless to say, it was a different magazine back then. The French Giono, judged one of the greatest writers of our time by Gide and Malraux, was asked by American editors to write a few pages about an unforgettable character. They rejected what he wrote, so Giono "donated his pages to all and sundry." Vogue published the story, and it has been reprinted into twelve languages, inspiring reforestation efforts worldwide ever since.
    This is a story of faith and dogged determination. It's a story of what one solitary man can accomplish, and what we all owe the world we live in. Massachusetts artist Michael McCurdy adds black and white woodcut engravings on every page, beautifully accenting the eloquent simplicity of the book.
    Recounting the tale would spoil the surprises held in this slim volume, but it is easily declared much worth owning, and worth passing on to all who will read it.