Synopses & Reviews
For centuries herbs and spices have been an integral part of many of the worldandrsquo;s great cuisines. But spices have a history of doing much more than adding life to bland foods. They have been the inspiration for, among other things, trade, exploration, and poetry. Priests employed them in worship, incantations, and rituals, and shamans used them as charms to ward off evil spirits. Nations fought over access to and monopoly of certain spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, when they were rare commodities. Not only were many menandrsquo;s fortunes made in the pursuit of spices, spices at many periods throughout history literally served as currency.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;In Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World, Ben-Erik van Wyk offers the first fully illustrated, scientific guide to nearly all commercial herbs and spices in existence. Van Wyk covers more than 150 speciesandmdash;from black pepper and blackcurrant to white mustard and white gingerandmdash;detailing the propagation, cultivation, and culinary uses of each. Introductory chapters capture the essence of culinary traditions, traditional herb and spice mixtures, preservation, presentation, and the chemistry of flavors, and individual entries include the chemical compounds and structures responsible for each spice or herbandrsquo;s characteristic flavor. Many of the herbs and spices van Wyk covers are familiar fixtures in our own spice racks, but a fewandmdash;especially those from Africa and Chinaandmdash;will be introduced for the first time to American audiences. Van Wyk also offers a global view of the most famous use or signature dish for each herb or spice, satisfying the gourmandandrsquo;s curiosity for more information about new dishes from little-known culinary traditions. and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;People all over the world are becoming more sophisticated and demanding about what they eat and how it is prepared. Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World will appeal to those inquisitive foodies in addition to gardeners and botanists.
Review
and#8220;Peschak makes an eloquent visual case for the sublimity of sharksand#8212;and also for their conservation. He notes that the media still devotes far more attention to rare shark attacks than to the urgent need to protect them from human depredation, especially the shark fin trade. . . . Great conservation photography like Peschak's, one must hope, will have the power to change attitudes globally.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;This coffee-table volume with its fine photography is a visual treat as well as a plea for conservation of predator species that are essential for the health of marine ecosystems. Recommended.and#8221;
Review
"Well-sourced and often witty,
Don't Look delves into the science behind taboos and turned-up noses in occasionally stomach-churning but fascinating detail."
Review
and#8220;For a book riddled with rancid and revolting things, Donand#8217;t Look, Donand#8217;t Touch is surprisingly difficult to put down. . . . Perhaps the most illuminating aspect of Curtisand#8217;s book is the elegant parallel she draws between parasite avoidance and moral judgment, revealing how a mechanism for keeping us physically well could have led to our lip curling at bad manners, loutish behavior and the perpetrators of crime.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;Gross! Yuck! Ew! The psychology of disgust has turned into one of the hottest topics in the human sciences. Itandrsquo;s tied in surprising ways to health, nutrition, sex, evolution, even religion and morality. Valerie Curtis, one of the deepest thinkers and cleverest researchers on this part of human nature, turns revulsion into fascination.andrdquo;and#160;
Review
and#8220;It is great fun (yucky things always are), and Curtis writes well, but there is a deeper purpose to this book: things that make you say and#8216;euwand#8217; often (though not always) require vigilance because they may be harmful.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;Thanks to the recent development of evolutionary psychology, scientists understand disgust, its function, and its mechanisms as never before. Moving with ease across disciplines and from theory to arresting concrete examples, Valerie Curtis shares in this highly readable book the findings and questions this new science of disgust, to which she has been a main contributor.andrdquo;and#160;
Review
and#160;and#8220;An entertaining and informative book. The writing is clear and engaging. . . . Valerie Curtisand#8217;s extensive professional experience in the world of hygiene and disease prevention give a nice personal touch throughout, as she has at hand both grabby examples and anecdotes, as well as compelling public health reasons for why we ought to attend to disgust.and#8221;and#160;
Review
"Jonathan Silvertown writes with grace and wit about one of the most important issues of our time. Drawing from the most up-to-date aging research and his personal and very sympathetic observations on the human condition, Silvertown makes the science of longevity accessible to the lay reader and insightful to the practitioner--aand#160; book that will be a pleasurable and informative read for everyone."
Review
"Packed with cultural allusions and useful scientific shorthand."
Review
and#8220;If youand#8217;re ready to go beyond the basics and delve deeply into the herbs and spices that characterize the worldand#8217;s cuisines, then this scholarly reference is for you.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;This beautiful, thorough, well-written and -researched text will be of interest in any public or academic library reference collections as well as to chefs, gardeners, lovers of food, culinary adventurers, and anyone who enjoys a good encyclopedia.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Outstanding. . . . This is the kind of book to be studied and digested, a kind of encyclopedia to pursue and enjoy in your kitchen.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;In a beautiful new exploration of the
Carta Marina,
Sea Monsters: A Voyage Around the Worldand#8217;s Most Beguiling Map, scholar Joseph Nigg dives deep into the history and wide influence of Olaus' bizarre creatures.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;Nigg, the inventive mind behind
How To Raise and Keep a Dragon, has immersed himself in the lore and history of imaginary animals for 30 years. His newest book,
Sea Monsters: A Voyage Around the Worldandrsquo;s Most Beguiling Map, is itself a neat trick. Unfold the book jacket to reveal a poster-sized reproduction of a richly detailed map of Scandinavia that dates to 1539. The seas on the map are littered with fantastic creatures, such as a sea unicorn and a giant worm that wraps itself around a big ship. Nigg is an extremely capable guide through the treacherous waters.andrdquo;
Review
and#8220;Nigg explore[s] maps as maps, with monsters as the decorativeand#8212;and instructiveand#8212;elements in the mapmakersand#8217; repertory, and bring[s] the story into the present, showing how and#8216;the geography of the marvellousand#8217; has deeply imprinted the collective imagination and has naturalized ancient sea monsters through different media, including video games.and#8221;
Review
"Clear and thoughtful. . . . His descriptions of the people he meets are often charming and revealing. . . . I commend Woodworth for immersing himself in the field of restoration ecology so completely."
Review
“Woodworth gives a stirring portrait of the hardworking environmentalists who are trying to restore landscapes to their former, untouched glory, but he also captures the dark side of the enterprise: it sometimes requires the brutal destruction of very large numbers of invasive species to make room for long-departed native ones. Restoration is also basically guesswork, Woodworth notes, because most of us have never actually experienced nature at its most pristine. Ultimately, he ends up wondering whether we can ever hope to restore ‘degraded ecosystems, and our own damaged relationship to the environment.
Review
"Woodworth provides delightful descriptive passages about his travels, which balance the theory-heavy sections. An important text for scientists and policy makers as well as laypersons with an interest in supporting biodiversity on our planet."
Review
"An incisive analysis of the ethics and philosophy behind restoration ventures around the world. . . . A comprehensively researched and eloquently written work."
Review
"Outstanding: Paddy Woodworth has opened a broad and major window to the world of ecosystem restoration and its restoration biologists, for those of us who do it, know it, and the public who needs it. He does this by actually taking the time to meet the practitioners, users and evaluators of restoration projects and their aftermaths, and cast a reporter's unjaundiced commentary about them. Woodworth understands, documents, and dissects the mandatory integration of the restoration project with its users, its producers and its likely future fate. He does this not by counting how many species of birds or trees are present or absent, but through unveiling the normal synergies—and antagonisms—that exist among any array of humans focused on a particular 'solution' to a biologically destructive assault on the wild world. The single largest problem with restoration, and Woodworth knows and portrays this problem very well, is persuading some significant portion of society to stop the assault that generated the need for restoration, let nature take possession again of the site and its processes, and stimulate the next generation to allow the continuity of that non-human possession. Sure, this is the world through Woodworths glasses, but that is what writing is all about . . . marvelous prose."
Review
"Restoration ecology is a new science and a new human endeavour. Everyone can agree on the importance of its mission: to understand ecosystems well enough to heal wounds inflicted by a flawed but well-meaning species (us). But not everyone agrees on how this can best be done. In this book Paddy Woodworth beautifully describes the earliest successes and failures, the fundamental arguments of theory and practice, of what may be the most important discipline on earth--reconciling people to nature through positive and thoughtful interaction. Only a journalist could navigate the technical arguments, the philosophical contradictions, the strong personalities and the political polarities that now define and affect restoration ecology. He may well be a Herodotus chronicling the birth of a hopeful new world."
Review
"In framing a new contract with nature, restoration ecology is evolving, diverse and often fraught with human tensions. On American prairies, in South African bush, on the peatlands of Ireland, it must wrestle with shifting cultural, political and economic mores. With his wide and robust reportage and analysis, Paddy Woodworth gives a superb overview of how this great new ambition is working out on the ground."
Review
"From ultralight pilots teaching young whooping cranes how to migrate the length of a continent through to ecologists using truckloads of waste orange pulp to reinstate tropical dry forest, Woodworth takes us on a global odyssey of efforts to heal what Aldo Leopold termed our world of wounds. An informative, balanced, and ultimately uplifting dissection of the promise, the politics and the prospects of ecological restoration."
Review
“This is a great piece of investigative journalism, based on extensive research in many countries, on a topic vital to the future of people and biodiversity on Earth. Paddy Woodworth has captured the spirit and detail of contemporary ecological restoration, its strengths, weaknesses, controversies, and especially its message of hope. I would commend this book to all interested in the challenge of devising new ways of sustainably living with biodiversity in a rapidly changing world.”
Review
"For anyone who has been horrified by the lopsided life that remains after a bout of pruning, gardening writer Geoff Hodge has some gentle advice: Pruning is both an art and a science. Youand#8217;ll be better equipped to take on the challenge after reading the chapter on pruning in Practical Botany for Gardeners. . . . Botanical illustrations on almost every page add a decorative touch, and profiles of botanical artists pay tribute to those who make plants come alive on the page."
Review
"A gentle guide to the green world . . . organized precisely how a nonbotanist would need it done.and#160;Chapters introduce the plant kingdom and how botanists classify it; tackle growth, form and function; and take you inside a plant to understand how its cells, nutrition and hormones actually function. Others explore reproduction, soil, pests and disorders. . .and#160;It's a beautiful book."
Review
and#8220;Delightfully, the book includes pouches filled with facsimile documents, like sketches of rare orchids. Itand#8217;s like finding precious leaves pressed between the pages.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;In The Plant Hunters, Carolyn Fry sketches out humankindand#8217;s enduring hunger for botanical riches. She steps back 3,500 years to Ancient Egypt, then visits different parts of the globe and celebrates the contributions of important personalities like Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks. This journey is told through a series of lavishly illustrated two-page spreads, each distilling an episode in the history of plant collecting down to its most engaging details. . . . Full of fun facts, intriguing asides.and#8221;
Review
"From ancient Egypt to 17th-century tulipomania to Joseph Hooker in the Himalaya to modern-day seed stockpiling, this handsome slipcased book is a delight."
Review
and#160;and#8220;Fryand#8217;s lavish book . . . takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the human history of the botanical world.and#8221;
Review
Scholarly, Academic and Reference Books category
Review
"In this fascinating book, Carolyn Fry records the adventures of plant explorers around the globe, those individuals responsible for initial discoveries in exotic locales, botanical artists responsible for illustrations, and modern scientists focusing on the care of plants and the conservation of endangered species. Removable, facsimile documents, secured in envelopes within the text block, provide intriguing information for the reader."
Review
and#8220;This is a superior article. The botanist author has selected numerous rare or unpublished flower painting from Kewand#8217;s own collection, while the text is a jog through the history of botanical art, with an emphasis on plant collecting. . . . This has to be the prize garden gift book of the year.and#8221;and#160;
Review
and#8220;Not just a collection of beautiful paintings from ancient frescoes to the present day, but also a series of fascinating essays about plant hunters and the artists who recorded their discoveries. The paintings, most of them from the collection at Kew, many never reproduced before, are invariably wonderful.and#8221;and#160;
Review
"A wonderful history book . . . sure to be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in natural history art."
Review
"A celebration of both extraordinarily beautiful plant life and the globe-trotting men and women who found and recorded it, The Golden Age of Botanical Art will enchant gardeners and art lovers alike."
Review
"Rixand#8217;s superb book is extremely handsome. It is a mine of concise observation, resting on his rare expertise."
Review
"A substantive work that will be of interest to a wide audience, including botanists, cooks, gardeners, and those with an academic interest in food culture. Introductory chapters cover culinary traditions by region, herb and spice mixtures, propagation, harvesting, and the chemistry of taste and flavor. The bulk of this work focuses on over 150 individual herbs and spices from around the world in alphabetical order by plant name. . . . Overall, this is a useful and impressive general reference guide."
Review
and#8220;A sumptuously illustrated volume.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Maps of Paradise is a highly readable yet deeply learned journey into how and#8216;humankind has yearned for a timeless elsewhereand#8217;, searching for and#8216;perfect bliss, remote either in time or in space.and#8217;and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Numerous beautiful color illustrations make this book a visual treat, and each chapter contains a and#8216;Visual Interlude,and#8217; which gives a close analysis of a particular cartographic image. [It] will be very welcome to students and to learned amateurs who would like to explore this fascinating topic.and#8221;
Review
"Woodworth provides his readers with valuable access to the central topics, key developments, and contentious issues bound up in the young and evolving field of ecological restoration. . . . This book is not a naive appraisal of the promise of ecological restoration, but, rather, a clear-eyed assessment of its present state, including its limitations. . . . Our Once and Future Planet is a useful platform for anyone pondering where ecological restoration stands in the future environmental movement--or for anyone intending to shape its future."
Review
"Over the past few years there have been several attempts at a more popular treatment . . . but Paddy Woodworth's is certainly the best, and acclaimed as such by many of the most important theoreticians and practitioners in the field of restoration ecology. The book could hardly be more timely. . . . There is a freshness and clarity to Woodworth's approach. . . . Every project described here is wonderful and ground for hope, and taken together they weave a canvas of extraordinarily varied technique and approach."
Review
andquot;Enough verve for a wider audience yet enough scholarship for students and academics. . . . a visually impressive and thought-provoking study showing how people perceived, situated, and mapped Eden over time.andquot;
Review
andldquo;Enough verve for a wider audience yet enough scholarship for students and academandshy;ics. . . . The result is a visually impressive and thought-provoking study showing how people perceived, situated, and mapped Eden over time. . . . Because the notion of paradise is so long lived in Western thought, Scafi is able to write both an intellectual history and a history of cartography following one idea through time. Maps of Paradise serves as a wonderful and colorful adjunct to those who already have his similar 2006 work Mapping Paradise; it is a great introduction for those who are unfamiliar with Scafiandrsquo;s earlier work.andrdquo;
Review
"A scholarly and most informed account of the current state of restoration ecology. . . . Essentially the book is an excellent critique of science at work."
Review
“If our industrial food system leaves you feeling a little queasy, Sarah Elton has just the medicine you need: a powerfully hopeful account of the gathering efforts to take down our ‘too-big-to-fail agribusiness empire and replace it with something that makes sense for our planet and our communities!”
Review
“A terrific new book.”
Review
“The optimism that Sarah Elton shows about feeding the growing population of the world—which she anticipates will reach 9 billion by 2050—shines forth from every page of Consumed: Food for a Finite Planet.”
Review
“Meticulously researched and carefully written. . . . An enlightening and worthy read. Highly recommended.”
Synopsis
At once feared and revered, sharks have captivated people since our earliest human encounters. Children and adults alike stand awed before aquarium shark tanks, fascinated by the giant teeth and unnerving eyes. And no swim in the ocean is undertaken without a slight shiver of anxiety about the very realandmdash;and very cinematicandmdash;dangers of shark bites. But our interactions with sharks are not entirely one-sided: the threats we pose to sharks through fisheries, organized hunts, and gill nets on coastlines are more deadly and far-reaching than any bite. In
Sharks and People acclaimed wildlife photographer Thomas Peschak presents stunning photographs that capture the relationship between people and sharks around the globe.
A contributing photographer to National Geographic, Peschak is best known for his unusual photographs of sharksandmdash;his iconic image of a great white shark following a researcher in a small yellow kayak is one of the most recognizable shark photographs in the world. The other images gathered here are no less riveting, bringing us as close as possible to sharks in the wild. Alongside the photographs, Sharks and People tells the compelling story of the natural history of sharks. Sharks have roamed the oceans for more than four hundred million years, and in this time they have never stopped adapting to the ever-changing worldandmdash;their unique cartilage skeletons and array of super-senses mark them as one of the most evolved groups of animals. Scientists have recently discovered that sharks play an important role in balancing the ocean, including maintaining the health of coral reefs. Yet, tens of millions of sharks are killed every year just to fill the demand for shark fin soup alone. Today more than sixty species of sharks, including hammerhead, mako, and oceanic white-tip sharks, are listed as vulnerable or in danger of extinction.
The need to understand the significant part sharks play in the oceanic ecosystem has never been so urgent, and Peschakandrsquo;s photographs bear witness to the thrilling strength and unique attraction of sharks. They are certain to enthrall and inspire.and#160;
Synopsis
The intimate relations between sharks and people are captured in the amazing pages of
Sharks and People, and at the hand of Thomas Peschak. Trained initially as a marine biologist, who worked on shark conservation, he then became a conservation photographer, and is now a contributing photographer to National Geographic. This book is organized into sections that outline our primary encounters with sharks, which are then brought to life in stunning photography. The author explores our fear, our deep history with sharks, but perhaps more importantly, the trends in shark conservationandmdash;the establishment of sanctuaries and the ongoing import of shark tourism.
Synopsis
Every flu season, sneezing, coughing, and graphic throat-clearing become the day-to-day background noise in every workplace. And coworkers tend to move as farandmdash;and as quicklyandmdash;away from the source of these bodily eruptions as possible. Instinctively, humans recoil from objects that they view as dirty and even struggle to overcome feelings of discomfort once the offending item has been cleaned. These reactions are universal, and although there are cultural and individual variations, by and large we are all disgusted by the same things.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; In Donandrsquo;t Look, Donandrsquo;t Touch, Donandrsquo;t Eat, Valerie Curtis builds a strong case for disgust as a andldquo;shadow emotionandrdquo;andmdash;less familiar than love or sadness, it nevertheless affects our day-to-day lives. In disgust, biological and sociocultural factors meet in dynamic ways to shape human and animal behavior. Curtis traces the evolutionary role of disgust in disease prevention and hygiene, but also shows that it is much more than a biological mechanism. Human social norms, from good manners to moral behavior, are deeply rooted in our sense of disgust. The disgust reaction informs both our political opinions and our darkest tendencies, such as misogyny and racism. Through a deeper understanding of disgust, Curtis argues, we can take this ubiquitous human emotion and direct it towards useful ends, from combating prejudice to reducing disease in the poorest parts of the world by raising standards of hygiene.and#160; and#160; and#160; and#160; and#160; and#160;and#160;Donandrsquo;t Look, Donandrsquo;t Touch, Donandrsquo;t Eat reveals disgust to be a vital part of what it means to be human and explores how this deep-seated response can be harnessed to improve the world.and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
Everything that lives will die. Thatandrsquo;s the fundamental fact of life. But not everyone dies at the same age: people vary wildly in their patterns of aging and their life spansandmdash;and that variation is nothing compared to whatandrsquo;s found in other animal and plant species. A giant fungus found in Michigan has been alive since the Ice Age, while a dragonfly lives but four months, a mayfly half an hour. What accounts for these variationsandmdash;and what can we learn from them that might help us understand, or better manage, our own aging?
With The Long and the Short of It, biologist and writer Jonathan Silvertown offers readers a witty and fascinating tour through the scientific study of longevity and aging. Dividing his daunting subject by themeandmdash;death, life span, aging, heredity, evolution, and moreandmdash;Silvertown draws on the latest scientific developments to paint a picture of what we know about how life span, senescence, and death vary within and across species. At every turn, he addresses fascinating questions that have far-reaching implications: What causes aging, and what determines the length of an individual life? What changes have caused the average human life span to increase so dramaticallyandmdash;fifteen minutes per hourandmdash;in the past two centuries? If evolution favors those who leave the most descendants, why havenandrsquo;t we evolved to be immortal? The answers to these puzzles and more emerge from close examination of the whole natural history of life span and aging, from fruit flies, nematodes, redwoods, and much more.and#160;The Long and the Short of It pairs a perpetually fascinating topic with a wholly engaging writer, and the result is a supremely accessible book that will reward curious readers of all ages.
Synopsis
Smart phones and GPS give us many possible routes to navigate our daily commute, warn us of traffic and delays, and tell us where to find a cup of coffee. But what if there were sea serpents and giant man-eating lobsters waiting just off course if we were to lose our way? Would there be an app for that? In the sixteenth century, these and other monsters were thought to swim the northern waters, threatening seafarers who ventured too far from shore. Thankfully, Scandinavian mariners had Olaus Magnus, who in 1539 charted these fantastic marine animals in his influential map of the Nordic countries, the
Carta Marina. In
Sea Monsters, well-known expert on magical beasts Joseph Nigg brings readers face-to-face with these creatures, alongside the other magnificent components of Magnusandrsquo;s map.
Nearly two meters wide in total, the mapandrsquo;s nine wood-block panels comprise the largest and first realistic portrayal of Northern Europe. But in addition to these important geographic elements, Magnusandrsquo;s map goes beyond cartography to scenes both domestic and mystic. Close to shore, Magnus shows humans interacting with common sea lifeandmdash;boats struggling to stay afloat, merchants trading, children swimming, and fisherman pulling lines. But from the offshore deeps rise some of the most magical and terrifying sea creatures imaginable at the time or thereafterandmdash;like sea swine, whales as large as islands, and the Kraken. In this book, Nigg provides a thorough tour of the mapandrsquo;s cartographic details, as well as a colorful look at its unusual pictorial and imaginative elements. He draws on Magnusandrsquo;s own text to further describe and illuminate the inventive scenes and to flesh out the stories of the monsters.
Sea Monsters is a stunning tour of a world that still holds many secrets for us land dwellers, who will forever be fascinated by reports of giant squid and the real-life creatures of the deep that have proven to be as bizarre and otherworldly as we have imagined for centuries. It is a gorgeous guide for enthusiasts of maps, monsters, and the mythic.
Synopsis
The environmental movement is plagued by pessimism. And thats not unreasonable: with so many complicated, seemingly intractable problems facing the planet, coupled with a need to convince people of the dangers we face, its hard not to focus on the negative
But that paints an unbalanced—and overly disheartening—picture of whats going on with environmental stewardship today. There are success stories, and Our Once and Future Planet delivers a fascinating account of one of the most impressive areas of current environmental experimentation and innovation: ecological restoration. Veteran investigative reporter Paddy Woodworth has spent years traveling the globe and talking with people—scientists, politicians, and ordinary citizens—who are working on the front lines of the battle against environmental degradation. At sites ranging from Mexico to New Zealand and Chicago to Cape Town, Woodworth shows us the striking successes (and a few humbling failures) of groups that are attempting to use cutting-edge science to restore blighted, polluted, and otherwise troubled landscapes to states of ecological health—and, in some of the most controversial cases, to particular moments in historical time, before widespread human intervention. His firsthand field reports and interviews with participants reveal the promise, power, and limitations of restoration.
Ecological restoration alone wont solve the myriad problems facing our environment. But Our Once and Future Planet demonstrates the role it can play, and the hope, inspiration, and new knowledge that can come from saving even one small patch of earth.
Synopsis
Gardening can be frustratingly shrouded in secrecy. Fickle plants make seemingly spontaneous decisions to bloom or bust, seeds sprout magically in the blink of an eye, and deep-rooted mysteries unfold underground and out of sight. Understanding basic botany is like unlocking a horticultural code; fortunately learning a little science can reveal the secrets of the botanical universe and shed some light on whatand#8217;s really going on in your garden.
Practical Botany for Gardeners provides an elegant and accessible introduction to the world of botany. It presents the essentials that every gardener needs to know, connecting explanations of scientific facts with useful gardening tips. Flip to the roots section and youand#8217;ll not only learn how different types of roots support a plant but also find that adding fungi to soil aids growth. The pruning section both defines and#8220;lateral budsand#8221; and explains how far back on a shoot to cut in order to propagate them.
The book breaks down key areas and terminology with easy-to-navigate chapters arranged by theme, such as plant types, plant parts, inner workings, and external factors. and#8220;Great Botanistsand#8221; and and#8220;Botany in Actionand#8221; boxes delve deeper into the fascinating byways of plant science. This multifaceted book also includes two hundred botanical illustrations and basic diagrams that hearken to the classic roots of botany.
Part handbook, part reference, Practical Botany for Gardeners is a beautifully captivating read. Itand#8217;s a must for garden lovers and backyard botanists who want to grow and nurture their own plant knowledge.
Synopsis
From geraniums to begonias, the common plants that often adorn backyard gardens are rarely native to our region. The same goes for many of the diverse and delicious fruits and vegetables that grace our dinner tables. We take their accessibility and ubiquity for granted, unaware of the great debt we owe to the naturalists and explorers who traveled around the world in search of these then unusual plants and brought back samples and seedsand#8212;along with fantastic stories. In
The Plant Hunters, Carolyn Fry pays homage to those whose obsession with plants gave rise to our own passion for botanicals and gardening.
Lavishly illustrated with more than one hundred images from the archives at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, The Plant Hunters offers an accessible history of plant exploration and discovery through short, informative entries. From the naturalists of Alexander the Greatand#8217;s entourage to pioneering botanists such as Joseph Hooker, Joseph Banks, and Alexander von Humboldt, Fryand#8217;s history covers the globe in its celebration of our fascination with plants. She shows how coconut trees and numerous fruits and vegetables were spread from one country to many, and the significant role that newly discovered plants, including tulips, tea, and rubber, have played in economic history. The Plant Hunters also traces the establishment of botanical gardens and the many uses of plants in medicine. In addition to stunning botanical drawings, the book features several unique facsimiles, including a letter from Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy; extracts from Joseph Hookerand#8217;s notebooks; an extract from the orchid sketchbook of John Day; and an original map of Kew Gardens made in 1740 by Jean Rocque.
This gorgeous and entertaining history will be a perfect gift for gardeners, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of the histories of science and discovery.
Synopsis
The seventeenth century heralded a golden age of exploration, as intrepid travelers sailed around the world to gain firsthand knowledge of previously unknown continents. These explorers also collected the worldandrsquo;s most beautiful flora, and often their findings were recorded for posterity by talented professional artists.
The Golden Age of Botanical Art tells the story of these exciting plant-hunting journeys and marries it with full-color reproductions of the stunning artwork they produced. Covering work through the nineteenth century, this lavishly illustrated book offers readers a look at 250 rare or unpublished images by some of the worldandrsquo;s most important botanical artists.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Truly global in its scope,
The Golden Age of Botanical Art features work by artists from Europe, China, and India, recording plants from places as disparate as Africa and South America. Martyn Rix has compiled the stories and art not only of well-known figuresandmdash;such as Leonardo da Vinci and the artists of Empress Josephine Bonaparteandmdash;but also of those adventurous botanists and painters whose and#160;names and work have been forgotten. A celebration of both extraordinarily beautiful plant life and the globe-trotting men and women who found and recorded it,
The Golden Age of Botanical Art will enchant gardeners and art lovers alike.and#160;
Synopsis
Where is paradise? It always seems to be
elsewhere, inaccessible, outside of time. Either it existed yesterday or it will return tomorrow; it may be just around the corner, on a remote island, beyond the sea. Across a wide range of cultures, paradise is located in the distant past, in a longed-for future, in remote places or within each of us. In particular, people everywhere in the world share some kind of nostalgia for an innocence experienced at the beginning of history. For two millennia, learned Christians have wondered where on earth the primal paradise could have been located. Where was the idyllic Garden of Eden that is described in the Bible? In the Far East? In equatorial Africa? In Mesopotamia? Under the sea? Where were Adam and Eve created in their unspoiled perfection?
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Maps of Paradise charts the diverse ways in which scholars and mapmakers from the eighth to the twenty-first century rose to the challenge of identifying the location of paradise on a map, despite the certain knowledge that it was beyond human reach. Over one hundred illustrations celebrate this history of a paradox: the mapping of the unmappable. It is also a mirror to the universal dream of perfection and happiness, and the yearning to discover heaven on earth.
Synopsis
By 2050, the world population is expected to reach nine billion. And the challenge of feeding this rapidly growing population is being made greater by climate change, which will increasingly wreak havoc on the way we produce our food. At the same time, we have lost touch with the soil—few of us know where our food comes from, let alone how to grow it—and we are at the mercy of multinational corporations who control the crops and give little thought to the damage their methods are inflicting on the planet. Our very future is at risk. In
Consumed, Sarah Elton walks fields and farms on three continents, not only investigating the very real threats to our food, but also telling the little-known stories of the people who are working against time to create a new and hopeful future. From the mountains of southern France to the highlands of China, from the crowded streets of Nairobi to the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, we meet people from all walks of life who are putting together an alternative to the omnipresent industrial food system. In the arid fields of rural India we meet a farmer who has transformed her community by selling organic food directly to her neighbors. We visit a laboratory in Toronto where scientists are breeding a new kind of rice seed that they claim will feed the world. We learn about Italy’s underground food movement; how university grads are returning to the fields in China, Greece, and France; and how in Detroit, plots of vacant land planted with kale and carrots can help us see what’s possible. Food might be the problem, but as Elton shows, it is also the solution. The food system as we know it was assembled in a few decades—and if it can be built that quickly, it can be reassembled and improved in the same amount of time. Elton here lays out the targets we need to meet by the year 2050. The stories she tells give us hope for avoiding a daunting fate and instead help us to believe in a not-too-distant future when we can all sit at the table.
About the Author
Thomas P. Peschak is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographersand a contributing photographer to
National Geographic Magazine. He has won multiple World Press Photo and BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. His other books include
Currents of Contrast, South Africaandrsquo;s Great White Shark,
Wild Seas Secret Shores of Africa, and
Lost World.
Table of Contents
Preface Chapter 1: Five Plots, Five Prairies, Reflooding a DeltaChapter 2: The Cranes Are Flying—AgainChapter 3: From Necedah to Zaragoza via St. Louis: A Restoration Learning CurveChapter 4: Greening the Rainbow Nation: Saving the World on a Single Budget?Chapter 5: Awkward Questions from the Windy City: Why Restore? To What? For Whom?Chapter 6: Keeping Nature Out? Restoring the Cultural Landscape of the Cinque TerreChapter 7: The Last of the Woods laid Low? Fragile Green Shoots in Irish ForestsChapter 8: Future Shock: “Novel Ecosystems” and Climate Change Shake Restoration’s FoundationsChapter 9: Dreamtime in GondwanalandChapter 10: Restoration on a Grand Scale: Finding a Home for 350,000 SpeciesChapter 11: Killing for Conservation: The Grim Precondition for Restoration in New ZealandChapter 12: The Mayan Men (and Women) Who Can (Re)Make the Rain ForestChapter 13: Making the Black Deserts Bloom: Bog Restoration on the Brink of ExtinctionChapter 14: Walk Like a Chameleon: Three Trends, One StoryChapter 15: Conclusions: Why Restore? AcknowledgmentsGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex