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What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?: Western Civilization in Fifty Plants

Hardback

Main Details

Title What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?: Western Civilization in Fifty Plants
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Stephen A. Harris
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:272
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 138
Category/GenreTrees, wildflowers and plants
ISBN/Barcode 9781851244478
ClassificationsDewey:581.63
Audience
General
Illustrations 50 Illustrations, black and white

Publishing Details

Publisher Bodleian Library
Imprint Bodleian Library
Publication Date 20 November 2015
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

When did the British Government become the world's largest drugs pusher? What tree is frequently used to treat cancer? Which everyday condiment is the most widely traded spice on the planet? Plants are an indispensable part of our everyday life. From the coffee bush and grass for cattle which give us milk for our cappuccinos to the rubber tree which produces tyres for our cars, our lives are inextricably linked to the world of plants. Taking us on a chronological journey, Stephen Harris identifies fifty plants that have been key to the development of the Western world, discussing trade, politics, medicine, travel and chemistry along the way. Plants have provided paper and ink, chemicals that could kill or cure, vital sustenance and stimulants. Some, such as barley, have been staples from earliest times; others, such as oil palm, are newcomers to Western industry. Moreover, with time, uses change: beets, which have been used variously as a treatment for leprosy, source of sugar and animal feed, are now showing potential as biofuels. What may the future hold for mandrake or woad? We remain dependent on plants for our food, our fuel and our medicines. Their effects on our lives, as the stories in this wide-ranging and engaging book demonstrate, continue to be profound, and often unpredictable.

Author Biography

Stephen Harris is Druce Curator of the Oxford University Herbaria and a University Research Lecturer.

Reviews

"Plant scientists such as Harris are a rare breed in Britain these days. Yet their work is as important as ever."-- "Times (UK)" (1/14/2016 12:00:00 AM)