David Leaser’s Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs has received praise from around the world. The book was the first photographic monograph created palms and became a bestseller shortly after publication. Amazon.com ranked it the #1 selling book on palms shortly after its launch, and the book sold out its first printing within 10 months. The book led to book signings, lectures and guest appearances on gardening radio shows, including Garden Compass, the most listened to gardening radio show in the world with more than one million weekly listeners.
The book is available for purchase at Amazon.com.
Here are a few testimonials and excerpts from printed reviews of the photographic monograph.
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs…is a celebration of these shapely trees in all their sizes and forms, from the tall and graceful to the short and stout. Close-up photographs show feathery fronds and textural trunks, while panoramic images capture the drama of mature palms both in manicured lawns and in their native landscapes….While packed with eye candy, the book is practical too, containing information on palms that do well in home gardens as well as ways to use them.”
— Sunset Magazine, July 2006
“Palm lovers will swoon at the coffee-table format of Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs…by David Leaser, with a fact-filled text including historical and cultural details; a photo gallery of palms around the world may well inspire gardeners in appropriate climates to try their luck.”
— Publishers Weekly, March 2005
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs has captured the universal appeal of palms through beautiful photographs. The book shows their diversity, importance in everyday life among native people, as well as their use in stunning landscapes throughout the world. This book makes it easy to see why people find the palm the symbol of the tropics.”
— Paul Craft President, International Palm Society
“Los Angeles may be more of an adoptive than biological parent to palm trees…but that hasn’t prevented the palm from becoming a botanical symbol for fun in the Southern California sun. Leaser’s new coffee-table book captures their variety, from towering California fans to stubby Cuban petticoats.”
— Los Angeles Times, June 2005
“David Leaser…has authored and produced what is arguably the most beautiful book ever written on palms….Even those not interested in palms will be attracted to this handsome book, want to pick it up, turn its pages, revel in its content, and be mesmerized by its photographs.”
— The Palm Journal, Summer 2005
“Much more than a publication for the casual reader, horticulturist or landscaper, this book is a work of art with its sumptuous photographs, quality paper, binding and handsome cover.”
— The National Gardener, January 2006
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is a beautiful, sumptuously illustrated book that should inspire many to use palms in landscaping. The sheer beauty of such a wide range of species is very well captured. Altogether a treat to look at.”
— Dr. John Dransfield Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, England
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs (Westwood Pacific; $39.95) may be one of the most provocatively inspiring books ever printed. Author and photographer David Leaser tantalizes the reader with breathtaking pictures of palms that evoke everything that is sensuous about the tropics. The text itself is also very informative. You may want to buy it for the articles, but it’s the pictures that will get your gardening spirit aroused.”
— Garden Compass Magazine, March/April 2005
“Tour some of the world’s finest palm gardens in David Leaser’s lushly illustrated coffee-table book Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs….A must for any palm lover…”
— Los Angeles Daily News, June 2005
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is a perfect gift for nature lovers and gardeners. The book is filled with photos of rare and endangered palms and explores the history and uses of palms throughout the world. It also takes the reader on a tropical getaway to some of the world’s most beautiful palm collections and provides inspiration to gardeners and landscapers. This book is a ‘must have’ for anyone who loves palm trees and tropical gardening.”
— Mike Bostwick Horticulturist, Department Head, San Diego Zoo
“…Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is filled with awesome images. Almost every page offers sweeping vistas of garden plantings and natural habitats, along with images of individual species….Many of the photographs show palms in mixed plantings that will inspire readers to use these dramatic plants in their own landscapes…. This book is an excellent complement to An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms….”
— Pacific Horticulture, July/Aug/Sept. 2005
“David’s first book, Palm Trees, A Story in Photographs, is a sumptuous exploration of specimen trees and dramatic palm landscapes from around the world. His photographs and layout compel the user to actually read the detailed and informative captions, essentially taking you on a grand and educational tour of the beautiful and exotic world of palms. Anyone with an interest in great plants or monographs of unique natural forms would enjoy leafing through this beautifully imagined and produced book.”
— James P. Folsom Director of the Botanical Gardens Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
“[This] photographic tour-de-force treks across the globe to reveal the diversity and beauty of palm trees, gardens and landscapes.”
— ForeWord Magazine, March 2005
“David Leaser has created a beguiling photographic essay that confirms the status of palms as amongst the world’s most beautiful plants. With wonderfully crafted photographs of palms from around the world David has created a book that will inspire and inform, an essential addition to the library of all palm enthusiasts.”
— Mike Maunder, Ph.D. Director, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
“A coffee-table book aimed at palm lovers, this volume presents hundreds of photographs of the trees in natural and landscaped settings….Throughout the book, Leaser’s diverse photographs are accompanied by detailed and informative captions.”
— Landscape Architecture, March 2005
“[Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs] is a visual treat as well as interesting, informative reading. If you’re thinking ‘palms’ for your next project, this book is a great place to explore the possibilities.”
— Landscape Architect & Specifier News, March 2005
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs…contains a wealth of color photos of palms around the world, along with some historical photos, including one of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers in 1878. The text also is very informative.”
— San Francisco Chronicle, July 2005
“This book is dedicated to those who love palm trees as well as landscapers. The photos are wonderful, featuring both palm trees in their natural habitat and in landscapes….An ideal gift book for those interested in palms or those who see the palm tree as a symbol for the tropics.”
— California Garden Magazine, March/April 2005
“[Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs] is beautifully illustrated with 135 color photos and makes a wonderful asset to any library or coffee table.”
— Florida Gardener Magazine, June 2005
“The author, a palm tree enthusiast and member of the International Palm Society, endeavors both to capture the plant’s appeal and to chronicle its importance throughout the world….Large public libraries in colder locales might want to purchase for their armchair travelers.”
— Library Journal, April 2005
“David Leaser, a longtime member of the International Palm Society, has authored an unusually attractive coffee-table picture book about palms. Palm Trees is worthy of conspicuous display in the home or office, and even those not interested in these unique plants will be attracted to this handsome book.”
— American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta Newsletter, June 2005
“Scientific information in conjunction with 135 color photographs makes this coffee-table book perfect for anyone from tropical beach-goers to advanced palm growers.”
— San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine, Feb. 2005
“Overall, this is a great book that I think will appeal to a wide audience, lovers of palms or not.”
— Donald R. Hodel Environmental Horticulturist, University of California
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs (Westwood Pacific, $39.95) celebrates the beauty of this tropical tree with the high-quality photography it deserves….Gardeners and horticulturists will love this book, and so will those of us who don’t know a Sabal from a Washingtonia. The informative text is short and easy to understand even for those of us who flunked botany.”
— South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Feb. 2005
“There aren’t many books out there for palm tree lovers, so Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is bound to turn a few heads. In fact, only a fanatic palm enthusiast like David Leaser…would compile these stories and photographs of the world’s most rare and wonderful species into one coffee-table-worthy volume.”
— Orange County Register, Feb. 2005
“Good books on palms are hard to come by, and this is definitely a good one. The photography is exceptional, and it should make a great gift for anyone interested in palms or tropicals.”
— Ron Vanderhoff Nursery Manager Roger’s Gardens, Corona Del Mar, CA
“Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs has such lovely photos, the text would be almost unnecessary. But the book really is informative about different species of palm trees, from the tall Alexander palm of Hawaii and the blue Bismark palm of Madagascar to the windmill palm native to China and the weeping cabbage palm of Australia. The photos come from nearly every continent….The author shows how palms have been used in landscape design. He talks about which kinds are hardy, which could go where in the garden and even which make good plants for container gardening…[This book is] beautifully printed in full color…and would make a very impressive gift to let a reading friend take a luxurious mini-vacation.”
— Ohio Record-Courier, March 2005
“Leaser’s Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is an attractive introduction to this photogenic family. No other book better illustrates the beauty of palms and their place in our gardens and in our hearts.”
— Palms Journal, June 2005
“One looks at these photographs and supposes that the subjects have been so well portrayed that any further attempt to photograph them would be derivative, trivial and well nigh futile….Panoramic photos, often spread across facing pages, interspersed with close-ups, portraits and vast expanses of white space, make each page a visual treat, a bit of palm-flavored eye candy….Leaser’s Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs is an attractive introduction to this noble family of plants.”
— The Tropical Garden Magazine, Spring 2005
“David Leaser has captured in his photographs the true beauty and grandeur of palm trees. In his book Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs Mr. Leaser presents the reader with the geographical and aesthetic diversity of one of the plant kingdom’s greatest members. Unlike horticultural and botanical reference books, Mr. Leaser’s photographs capture the beauty of these trees in landscapes as well as their natural habitats. Both of these venues serve as inspiration to horticulturists, landscapers, home owners and collectors alike. Any true palm collector or enthusiast should not be without this book.”
— Kenneth W. Andersen Host, Garden Talk Radio Show, Vice President Walter Andersen Nursery, San Diego, CA
“While Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs lavishly features photos of palms from around the world, readers will also find cultural information and hard facts great for answering practical on-site questions from clients….In addition to the knowledge ‘scapers will find from its pages, the book’s visuals may inspire interiorscape ideas.”
— Interiorscape Magazine, May/June 2005
“…If Leaser’s intent was to get the passive observer to develop an interest in palm trees, take a literary vacation escape, or just simply have an eye-catching table book, he has certainly succeeded….If you’ve ever had the slightest interest in this most graceful of plant families and wish to learn more, you must get this book.”
— San Diego Horticultural Society Newsletter, July 2005
“Big fan of palms? David Leaser’s new coffee-table book Palm Trees: A Story in Photographs features 144 glossy pages of palm photos from around the world. Hawaii has a huge representation in the book, including several shots from the National Tropical Botanical Garden sites on Kauai, among other locales.”
— Essential Kauai Magazine, Feb. 2005
“Palm enthusiast David Leaser takes us to palms around the world, and also gives us the practical uses of palm trees, their nuts and fruits, and their place in both history and imagination.”
— SciTech Book News, March 2005