Synopses & Reviews
One of humankindandrsquo;s oldest companions, the hawthorn tree is bound up in the memories of every recorded age and the plot lines of cultures across the Northern Hemisphere. In
Hawthorn, Bill Vaughn examines the little-recognized political, cultural, and natural history of this ancient spiky plant. Used for thousands of years in the impenetrable living fences that defined the landscapes of Europe, the hawthorn eventually helped feed the class antagonism that led to widespread social upheaval. In the American Midwest, hawthorn-inspired hedges on the prairies made nineteenth-century farming economically rewarding for the first time. Later, in Normandy, mazelike hedgerows bristling with these thorns nearly cost the Allies World War II. Vaughn shines light on the full scope of the treeandrsquo;s influence over human events. He also explores medicinal value of the hawthorn, the use of its fruit in the worldandrsquo;s first wine, and the symbolic role its spikes and flowers played in pagan beliefs and Christian iconography. As entertaining as it is illuminating, this book is the first full appreciation of the hawthornandrsquo;s abundant connections with humanity.
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Review
andldquo;Bill Vaughn fully succeeds in making the reader feel as if he has followed along on a journey of revelation inspired by a chance encounter with a hawthorn. The book is exceedingly original and the author does an excellent job weaving together a wide range of material.andrdquo;andmdash;Todd A. Forrest, The New York Botanical Garden
Review
andldquo;Wow! This is quite extraordinary.... I was absolutely riveted from the first paragraph. Vaughnandrsquo;s writing is often deeply literary, but at the same time, one can see the wheels of an innate environmentalist turning in intricate circles, sketching out a narrative that is by turns thoughtful, funny, informative, and even astonishing.andrdquo;andmdash;Daniel Lewis, Huntington Library
Review
andldquo;Bill Vaughn romps through the thickets and hedgerows of biology and culture, emerging with fascinating tales about an unjustly neglected species.andrdquo;andmdash;David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen
Review
andldquo;
Hawthorn is a delightful book about a tree that has deeply influenced European and American landscapes and cultures. Vaughn is a gifted storyteller who writes with flair and nuance.andrdquo;andmdash;Ruth Kassinger, author of
A Garden of MarvelsReview
andldquo;A fascinating exploration into how a tough, thorny tree could have so much human and personal history carved into it, from war and famine to fairy tales and founding fathers. Hawthornandnbsp;tells a story as charmingly and intricately branching as its subject.andrdquo;andmdash;Paul Collins, author of Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars
Review
andldquo;This jack-of-all-trees story makes for a compelling read, spiced with arcane history and Vaughnandrsquo;s own anecdotes.andrdquo;andmdash;Science News
Synopsis
True stories of wild places and extreme endeavors from the magazine that invented adventure writing as we know it. Ian Frazier goes to the woodsto do nothing; Mark Jenkins wrestles with adventure mortality; Bill Vaughn skates home backward; Paul Theroux reveals the allure of islands; Alison Wright recalls her near-death experience in deepest Laos; Peter Maass endures free-fire zones in Sudan and Somalia; Kate Wheeler braves an ancient, violent-unto-death Bolivian ritual; Bill McKibben predicts the end of the world's fisheries; Mark Hertsgaard bicycles to the source of the Nile; David Rakoff survives survival school; David Quammen tracks large mammals in Romania. Here the editors of Outside bring together over thirty essays that comprise some of the finest nonfiction writing gathered anywhere, writing that takes us to remote corners of the world and into distant realms of the imagination. By turns comical and sobering, whimsical and nerve-racking, the stories in this collection embody Outside's ability to hone the cutting edge, publishing the innovative, exhilarating, zany, wise voices of adventure.
Synopsis
An engaging introduction to the ancient hawthorn tree and its varied roles in human history
About the Author
Bill Vaughn writes for many publications about topics ranging from sports to the paper industry, fashion to Jesse James. Also a graphic artist, he has designed and composed more than 400 books. He lives outsideand#160; Missoula, MT, with his wife, dogs, and horses.