Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber

Lore & Background

Sylva originated as a paper delivered to the Royal Society on 15 October 1662. The first book edition, printed by John Martyn for the Royal Society in 1664, was the first book published after the Royal Society received its Royal Charter as publishers in 1662. The edition included two annexes: Pomona, an appendix concerning fruit trees in relation to cider and its making and ordering, and Kalendarium Hortense, a gardener's almanac directing monthly tasks. The assignment to King Charles II is dated 29 May 1663.

A second edition appeared in 1670 with new engravings. The third edition of 1679 included an essay by Evelyn on soils titled Terra, a Philosophical Essay of Earth.

The fourth edition, published in 1706 and now spelled Silva, contained new sections Dendrologia, Pomona, and Kalendarium Hortense. This was the last edition published during Evelyn's lifetime. Posthumous editions followed, including a 1729 edition and five editions edited by Alexander Hunter between 1776 and 1825.

Reader's Guide

Sylva's significance lies in its status as a foundational text of forestry, combining practical timber management with appendices on fruit trees and cider production. The inclusion of Pomona in the first edition (1664) and its expansion in the fourth edition (1706) made the work a key reference for cider making, detailing the cultivation of fruit trees and the ordering of cider.

The book's influence extended through multiple editions over more than a century, with the fourth edition being republished in 1908 with a foreword by John Nisbet, and a facsimile of the first edition produced in 1972. A new edition titled The New Sylva was published in 2014 to mark the 350th anniversary of the book's first publication, demonstrating its enduring relevance. The work also connects to broader European forestry thought, as indicated by its association with Hans Carl von Carlowitz.