This book is a celebration of one of the most widespread, beautiful, useful, and inspiring of trees -- the birch, a group of species that occur across the middle and high latitudes of Europe, Asia, and North America. The author provides an overview of birch ecology and then shifts his focus to the economic, social and spiritual roles of the birch among peoples of North America, Europe, and Asia. The book concludes with a discussion of the birch in art and literature, and the ancient alliance between people and trees. The Birch is an accessible, friendly book containing 17 line drawings by the author/artist.