Synopses & Reviews
Imagine a typical morning--munching on a bowl of cereal, sipping coffee, dressing for the day, riding to work. Every moment of this common routine draws on the power of plants, and the centuries of development that brought wheat, coffee beans, cotton, and rubber--among many others--into our daily lives.
Remarkable Plants celebrates the wonder and utility of the green kingdom, taking a detailed look at how plants have shaped our world. It focuses on eighty key species and richly explores their history, highlighting their importance and bringing to light surprising stories. Organized thematically into eight sections, the book starts with and#147;Transformersand#8221; (including rice, beans, olives) and moves through sections such as and#147;Heal and Harmand#8221; (poppy, aloe, strychnos) and and#147;Revered and Adoredand#8221; (lotus, frankincense, rose). Each species is introduced with its common and scientific names and followed by an exploration of its cultural, historical, botanical, and symbolic associations. Hundreds of botanical illustrations show full plants as well as highlight distinctive leaves, blooms, and fruits.
Rooted in one of the worldand#8217;s most important and renowned temples of greenery, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Remarkable Plants is a symbiotic balance of science and art that will open readersand#8217; eyes to the deep influence of the natural world on our modern one.
Review
and#8220;Remarkable Plants is readable and engaging. There is much discussion of species beyond 'the usual suspects' which appear in books on plants aimed at the general reader. A fantastic range of visual material.and#8221;
Review
"A gloriously illustrated celebration of the history, utility, diversity, and sheer wonder of the botanical world that powers our planet."
Review
This overview of the botanical world takes the usefulness of plants to humans as its starting point. Key plantsandmdash;10 or so in each categoryandmdash;are divided into medicines, materials, foods and flavours, with brief and elegant essays devoted to topics such as olives, asparagus, hops, aloe, flax, bamboo and wheat.
Review
andldquo;Remarkable Plants That Shape Our World is a quietly lavish book that gathers together the history of human use of a wide array of plants world-wide. The book is divided into sections, treating plants used as major food crops, spices, drugs, building materials, cash crops, ornamentals, sacred plants and, in a fun final flourish, curiosities. . . . A candy box for the curious.andquot;
Review
andquot;This very handsome book provides interesting, particularly historical, information about plants of use and interest to a wide readership.
Review
andquot;Itandrsquo;s readable, interestingand full of colorful factsandmdash;botanical, medical, historical, culinaryandmdash;that keep the reader turning the pages. The writing is in a loose, scholarly style that feels open and accessible to a general readership. This is the kind of book you want to read and then give to your friends and family to read.andquot;
About the Author
William F. Bynum is professor emeritus of the UCL Centre for the History of Medicine in London. He is author of