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Original Essays | April 29, 2013

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Chefs don't have time to write. While I was working on Smoke and Pickles, I was running a restaurant — a daily regimen of testing recipes,... Continue »
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Second Nature: A Gardener's Education

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Second Nature: A Gardener's Education Cover

 

Staff Pick

Michael Pollan may be incapable of uninteresting writing. Discerning and lucid, his works tend to provoke the reader to engage themselves (at least in thought, if not deed) well beyond the final page. Second Nature: A Gardener's Education is Pollan's first book (now nearly two decades old), yet reads like a timeless work by a seasoned writer. While lacking in the overall cohesive force of his later efforts, this book may encourage more reflection and greater perspective. With his characteristic humor, thoughtful exposition, and meandering style, Michael Pollan is always enjoyable to read. His distinctive voice is evident in nearly everything he writes, yet more importantly, he comes across as neither preachy nor self-righteous.

Second Nature, divided into four parts relating to each season, concerns itself with nearly every aspect of the garden. As with his other books, this one is part philosophical tract, part history lesson, and part autobiographical offering. Pollan considers the very nature of what constitutes a garden (or a weed) and expounds upon man's historical and ongoing role as architect of the land. Recognizing that attitudes and preferences have shifted across eras and continents, Pollan considers and muses upon the temporal, ever-evolving relationships that cultures maintain with gardens (as showy ornaments, sources of sustenance, and all points in between). Second Nature is a fascinating, contemplative read, one that will surely appeal to anyone who has ever considered, admired, or cultivated a piece of land.
Recommended by Jeremy, Powell's City of Books

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In his articles and in best-selling books such as The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan has established himself as one of our most important and beloved writers on modern man's place in the natural world. A new literary classic, Second Nature has become a manifesto not just for gardeners but for environmentalists everywhere.

Chosen by the American Horticultural Society as one of the seventy-five greatest books ever written about gardening, Second Nature captures the rhythms of our everyday engagement with the outdoors in all its glory and exasperation. With chapters ranging from a reconsideration of the Great American Lawn, a dispatch from one man's war with a woodchuck, to an essay about the sexual politics of roses, Pollan has created a passionate and eloquent argument for reconceiving our relationship with nature.

Review:

"As delicious a meditation on one man's relationship with the Earth as any you are likely to come upon." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Superb.... One of the distinguished gardening books of our time." USA Today

Review:

"A joy to read... [Pollan] writes with humor, acerbity, magnanimity... and all those good qualities that lead to charm and — one almost dares say it — wisdom." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"Usually when Americans have wanted to explore their relationship to nature they've gone to the wilderness, or the woods. Michael Pollan went to the garden instead... and he's returned with a quirky and pleasing book.... The debut of a fresh and provocative voice in American writing." Annie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Review:

"This isn't so much a how-to on gardening as a how-to on thinking about gardening.... Although serious in import, the writing is never ponderous; Pollard's wit flashes throughout." Publishers Weekly

Synopsis:

Chosen by the American Horticultural Society as one of the seventy-five greatest books ever written about gardening,Second Naturehas become a manifesto for rethinking our relationship with nature. With chapter ranging from a reconsideration of the Great American Lawn and a dispatch from one mans war with a woodchuck to reflections on the sexual politics of roses, Pollan captures the rhythms of our everyday engagement with the outdoors in all its glory and exasperation.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Michael Pletcher, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by Michael Pletcher)
Michael Pollan has a beautiful way of describing nature through anecdotes of his past and present relationship with his garden. It was a wonderful book that ties together philosophy and science to redefine our notions of what is 'natural' and if any such thing once existed (assuming human beings weren't of nature's design), then the world today is very unnatural because of the plant and animal species carry about the planet forming hostile relationships and reaping havoc in foreign lands. Pollan suggests that much damage has been done and it is now the responsibility of humankind to 'garden' the planet. All together, a fun and easy read.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780802140111
Author:
Pollan, Michael
Publisher:
Grove Press
Location:
New York, NY
Subject:
Flowers - General
Subject:
Essays
Subject:
Gardening
Subject:
GARDENING / Essays
Subject:
Gardening -- Philosophy.
Subject:
Gardening-Writing
Copyright:
2003
Edition Number:
1st Grove Press ed.
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Series Volume:
264
Publication Date:
20030831
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
320
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.5 in 8.5 oz
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Related Subjects


Home and Garden » Gardening » Sale Books
Home and Garden » Gardening » Writing
Reference » Sale Books
Science and Mathematics » Biology » General
Science and Mathematics » Botany » General
Science and Mathematics » Nature Studies » General

Second Nature: A Gardener's Education Used Trade Paper
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Product details 320 pages Grove Press - English 9780802140111 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

Michael Pollan may be incapable of uninteresting writing. Discerning and lucid, his works tend to provoke the reader to engage themselves (at least in thought, if not deed) well beyond the final page. Second Nature: A Gardener's Education is Pollan's first book (now nearly two decades old), yet reads like a timeless work by a seasoned writer. While lacking in the overall cohesive force of his later efforts, this book may encourage more reflection and greater perspective. With his characteristic humor, thoughtful exposition, and meandering style, Michael Pollan is always enjoyable to read. His distinctive voice is evident in nearly everything he writes, yet more importantly, he comes across as neither preachy nor self-righteous.

Second Nature, divided into four parts relating to each season, concerns itself with nearly every aspect of the garden. As with his other books, this one is part philosophical tract, part history lesson, and part autobiographical offering. Pollan considers the very nature of what constitutes a garden (or a weed) and expounds upon man's historical and ongoing role as architect of the land. Recognizing that attitudes and preferences have shifted across eras and continents, Pollan considers and muses upon the temporal, ever-evolving relationships that cultures maintain with gardens (as showy ornaments, sources of sustenance, and all points in between). Second Nature is a fascinating, contemplative read, one that will surely appeal to anyone who has ever considered, admired, or cultivated a piece of land.

by Jeremy
"Review" by , "As delicious a meditation on one man's relationship with the Earth as any you are likely to come upon."
"Review" by , "Superb.... One of the distinguished gardening books of our time."
"Review" by , "A joy to read... [Pollan] writes with humor, acerbity, magnanimity... and all those good qualities that lead to charm and — one almost dares say it — wisdom."
"Review" by , "Usually when Americans have wanted to explore their relationship to nature they've gone to the wilderness, or the woods. Michael Pollan went to the garden instead... and he's returned with a quirky and pleasing book.... The debut of a fresh and provocative voice in American writing."
"Review" by , "This isn't so much a how-to on gardening as a how-to on thinking about gardening.... Although serious in import, the writing is never ponderous; Pollard's wit flashes throughout."
"Synopsis" by ,
Chosen by the American Horticultural Society as one of the seventy-five greatest books ever written about gardening,Second Naturehas become a manifesto for rethinking our relationship with nature. With chapter ranging from a reconsideration of the Great American Lawn and a dispatch from one mans war with a woodchuck to reflections on the sexual politics of roses, Pollan captures the rhythms of our everyday engagement with the outdoors in all its glory and exasperation.
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