Synopses & Reviews
Most people have memories of playing on well-manicured lawns or running across the flat green surface of a local park, but we often donand#8217;t think of grasses as something we consume. Indeed, grasses include four speciesand#151;wheat, rice, maize, and sugarand#151;that provide sixty percent of human calorie intake, and we become more and more dependent on these as the worldand#8217;s population increases. In this book, Stephen Harris explains the history of our relationship with these vital plants from the end of the last Ice Age to the present day.
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Combining biology, sociology, and cultural history,and#160;Grassesand#160;explores how these staple crops bear the mark of human influence more visibly than any other plant and how we, in turn, are motivated to protect green space such as public parks. Harris describes this symbiotic connection against the background of climate change, contending that humans must find a way to balance their need for grass as food, as living space, and potentially even as fuel. Providing an impressive exploration of the profound impact these plants have on our survival and our pleasure, this well-illustrated book is a must have for gardeners, foodies, and environmentalists.
Review
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Grasses provides the reader with scientific information about the history and development of the four species of grass: wheat, rice, maize, and sugar. There are also fascinating stories relating to their use and misuse over the centuries. With a population explosion and the problems related to climate change, it is vital that we learn from the past in order to maintain a proper balance. This book should serve as a wake-up call to those of us who may have thought of grasses as only the lovely green covering in lawns and parks.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;This delightful hardback, with its thick, glossy pages, beautiful binding, and thoughtful imagery, will open your eyes to the fascinating world of grasses. Reading through, you are struck by the fact that grasses seem to permeate every aspect of modern life, without us really acknowledging their presence. . . . A book full of things you never even imagined you needed to know, but which linger in the imagination long after reading.andrdquo;and#160;
Review
andldquo;Those of us who despair of garden writing being reduced to picture captions or to 140-character long snippets can raise a cheer for the appearance of two new books in Reaktion Booksandrsquo; Botanical series, a compelling collection that allows knowledgeable writers to explore the social and cultural impact of plants alongside their botanical and horticultural significance . . . Grasses is an absorbing description of Poaceae and other grass-like plants. . . . the books are well-produced, each illustration and photograph is carefully chosen and illuminates the text. . . . Both books are magnificent works: breathtaking in their sweep and dazzling in their research and reflection. More like this please.andrdquo;and#160;
Synopsis
Seeds have influenced evolution, and for millennia they have influenced and sometimes determined where and how we live. This is an epic tale, given added enchantment by the fact that to most of us seeds mean little more than tiny objects in paper packets: who thinks first of rice, wheat, coffee, nuts, peas, beans, or olives? Here, Peter Thompson unfolds the absorbing history of how, after centuries of investigation, we finally discovered what seeds do and how they work.
This is a scientific detective story with heroes and heroines following clues and finding answers. Thompson brings to life the eccentrics, explorers, amateurs, and highly dedicated professionals who have accumulated our knowledge. Some are well known, such as Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel; others, like the Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, are less so. The seeds also have a story and appear to have personalities, ambitions, and “stratagems” of their own.
The book concludes with a chapter by Stephen Harris on current debates about genetically modified crops, seed conservation, and plant ownership in the contemporary world.
Synopsis
This is a scientific detective story with heroes and heroines following clues and finding answers. Thompson brings to life the eccentrics, explorers, amateurs, and highly dedicated professionals who have accumulated our knowledge. Some are well known, such as Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel; others, like the Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, are less so. The seeds also have a story and appear to have personalities, ambitions, and stratagems of their own The book concludes with a chapter by Stephen Harris on current debates about genetically modified crops, seed conservation, and plant ownership in the contemporary world. "
Synopsis
The history of civilization told through the story of man’s relation to and use of seeds.
Synopsis
Grasses cover approximately one quarter of the planetand#8217;s land surface; four speciesand#151;wheat, rice, maize, and sugarand#151;provide 60 per cent of human calorie intake. Almost all of us at some point play on, relax on, plant, tend, or harvest grasses for our own pleasure or sustenance; yet for all that their importance to us is not commonly understood. It is predicted that by 2050 the worldand#8217;s population will be approximately nine billion, and 90 per cent of the planetand#8217;s land area will be affected by human activities. To feed ourselves we will be more dependent on grasses than ever before.
Grasses explores and explains the history of our relationship with these humble yet vital plants since the end of the last Ice Age to the present day. Grasses, perhaps more than any other plant or crop, show the effect of human influence: farmed on a massive scale, they are the ultimate staple crop. In turn we are also influenced by grasses, often fighting to preserve our and#147;green spaceand#8221; and public parks. Stephen Harris describes this relationship against the background of our heightened awareness of climate change: in the future we will have to balance our needs of grass as food, grass as living space, and potentially even grass as fueland#151;if grasses have always been an vital part of the human story, this book shows that they will only become more so.
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About the Author
Table of Contents
1. Dominating the Planet
2. Roaming the World
3. Disguising Grasses
4. Civilizing Humans
5. Confusing Botanists
6. Feeding Humans
7. Sweetening Life
8. Protecting the Crop
9. Foraging the Fields
10. Making a Future
11. Playing the Field
12. Tramping the World
Appendix: Scientific Names
References
Further Reading
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index