The Native Trees of Canada

by Leanne Shapton

A new edition of the artist’s bold reinterpretation of a century-old book


With a foreword by Sheila Heti, Leanne Shapton’s cult art book inspired by a government textbook is back in print with a gorgeous new cover.


While shopping in the used-book store the Monkey's Paw in Toronto, Leanne Shapton happened upon a 1956 edition of the stalwart reference book The Native Trees of Canada, originally published in 1917 by the Canadian Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources. Most people might simply view the book as a dry cataloging of a banal subject; Shapton, however, saw beauty in the technical details and was inspired to create her own interpretation of The Native Trees of Canada.

Paperback: 96 pages