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Zusatztext "Fascinating [and] richly detailed... Weeds! Mabey makes clear! are a reflection of our own culture-perhaps! our own weediness." Informationen zum Autor Richard Mabey is widely hailed as Britain's fore-most nature writer. He is the author of the groundbreaking book on foraging in the countryside Food for Free and the editor of The Oxford Book of Nature Writing . He has narrated and produced popular BBC television and radio series, and has written for the Guardian , Granta , and other publications. He lives in Norfolk, England. Klappentext The true story—and true glories—of the plants we love to hate From dandelions to crabgrass, stinging nettles to poison ivy, weeds are familiar, pervasive, widely despised, and seemingly invincible. How did they come to be the villains of the natural world? And why can the same plant be considered beautiful in some places but be deemed a menace in others? In Weeds , renowned nature writer Richard Mabey embarks on an engaging journey with the verve and historical breadth of Michael Pollan. Weaving together the insights of botanists, gardeners, artists, and writers with his own travels and lifelong fascination, Mabey shows how these "botanical thugs" can destroy ecosystems but also can restore war zones and derelict cities; he reveals how weeds have been portrayed, from the "thorns and thistles" of Genesis to Shakespeare, Walden , and Invasion of the Body Snatchers ; and he explains how kudzu overtook the American South, how poppies sprang up in First World War battlefields, and how "American weed" replaced the forests of Vietnam ravaged by Agent Orange. Hailed as "a profound and sympathetic meditation on weeds in relation to human beings" ( Sunday Times ), Weeds shows how useful these unloved plants can be, from serving as the first crops and medicines, to bur-dock inspiring the invention of Velcro, to cow parsley becoming the latest fashionable wedding adornment. Mabey argues that we have caused plants to become weeds through our reckless treatment of the earth, and he delivers a provocative defense of the plants we love to hate. Zusammenfassung “[A] witty and beguiling meditation on weeds and their wily ways….You will never look at a weed! or flourish a garden fork! in the same way again.” —Richard Holmes! author of The Age of Wonder “In this fascinating! richly detailed book! Richard Mabey gives weeds their full due.” —Carl Zimmer! author of Evolution Richard Mabey! Great Britain’s Britain’s “greatest living nature writer” ( London Times )! has written a stirring and passionate defense of nature’s most unloved plants. Weeds is a fascinating! eye-opening! and vastly entertaining appreciation of the natural world’s unappreciated wildflowers that will appeal to fans of David Attenborough! Robert Sullivan’s Rats ! Amy Stewart’s Wicked Plants ! and to armchair gardeners! horticulturists! green-thumbs! all those who stop to smell the flowers. ...
