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1st out of 22 books
—
3 voters
Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History
by
Bill Laws
"The fascinating stories of the plants that changed civilizations."
"Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History" is a beautifully presented guide to the plants that have had the greatest impact on human civilization. Entries feature a description of the plant, its botanical name, its native range and its primary functions -- edible, medicinal, commercial or practical....more
"Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History" is a beautifully presented guide to the plants that have had the greatest impact on human civilization. Entries feature a description of the plant, its botanical name, its native range and its primary functions -- edible, medicinal, commercial or practical....more
Hardcover, 223 pages
Published
January 25th 2011
by Firefly Books
(first published 2010)
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The only other rating given to this book is 3 stars with no comment. Even if it resides exclusively in the bathroom it deserves better (the Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are consistently 4 stars).
Sure there is an amount of trivia included about each plant that will allow you to sound authoritative at the water cooler or cocktail party, but Bill Laws does a fine job of giving you, not only historical significance, but also ecological significance of each. Plants are classified as to whether their...more
Sure there is an amount of trivia included about each plant that will allow you to sound authoritative at the water cooler or cocktail party, but Bill Laws does a fine job of giving you, not only historical significance, but also ecological significance of each. Plants are classified as to whether their...more
With 2-6 pages devoted to each plant, it doesn't really get into much depth, and some of the choices seem very odd. For instance there's an entry on the sweet pea because Princess Diana used them in her bouquet...and then it segues into the edible pea and Mendel's genetics work. Why not make the entry on the edible pea instead? Surely if any pea has changed the course of history it's that one, not the sweet pea. In general the information isn't anything you couldn't get in more depth from Wikipe...more
I read this to my son as a bedtime book over the course of a couple of months (what can I say, he likes non-fiction.)
Interesting detail and a broad history is given for each plant; some of the entries are linked due to the eras covered or the botanists involved. I'm primarily interested in dye plants, and I found those entries to barely scratch the surface of their topics, but the rest of the plants featured gave me just enough detail to find them interesting, without being wearisomely factual....more
Interesting detail and a broad history is given for each plant; some of the entries are linked due to the eras covered or the botanists involved. I'm primarily interested in dye plants, and I found those entries to barely scratch the surface of their topics, but the rest of the plants featured gave me just enough detail to find them interesting, without being wearisomely factual....more
Feb 07, 2011
Sarah Mayor Cox
marked it as to-read
You should see my garden!!! I am SO not into gardening. In fact I tell everyone who arrives at my place that gardening and housework are for my next life, I'm too busy reading books. I asked to review this book because it looks like there are lots of great little chunks of interesting texts that I could lure unsuspecting non-readers into reading with. Have flicked through and the production values are superb!!! Looking forward to reading it.
I love this whole series! Interesting trivia, social and food history, botany, and illustrations to satisfy the inner geek. From the plants that treat yellow fever to the foods that feed half the planet to the brushes that created the art that inspired Monet, this book has a little of everything.
While you might argue about which are the top 50 plants, this book presents a reasonable set. Some plants are covered in more depth than others but all have interesting information about the plant and why it made an impact on the world.
Fascinating! From indigenous peoples that took the plants for granted, to discovery, to how they changed (sometimes) the entire globe. Read the whole thing or find your favorite plant! Lots of sidebars.
Very entertaining and informative book!
I enjoyed reading about 50 plants that have significantly affected humans over our time on this planet.
Listed in order by scientific name starting with agave, Agave spp., and ending with ginger, Zingiber officinale, the author provides the history of each plant as it's interacted with humans in pretty much all aspects, including some natural history, art, geography, politics, etc. His tone is conversational, and he includes numerous images. I appreciate the enrichment this book has provided me.
Listed in order by scientific name starting with agave, Agave spp., and ending with ginger, Zingiber officinale, the author provides the history of each plant as it's interacted with humans in pretty much all aspects, including some natural history, art, geography, politics, etc. His tone is conversational, and he includes numerous images. I appreciate the enrichment this book has provided me.
Whoa!
Didn't read as much of it as I wanted. Interesting choice of plants.
This would be a great coffee table book, or as something to read while you brush your teeth. If you like plants, history, and short essays, this book is for you.
Not nearly as well written as 50 Animals...I just skimmed this one.
May 15, 2013
Tsla Continuing Education
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