What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?

Western Civilization in Fifty Plants

Stephen A. Harris (BSc, PhD)

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Hardback

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English

Bodleian Library
20 November 2015

Social & cultural history; Trees, wildflowers & plants

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.

By: Stephen A. Harris (BSc PhD)
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 536g
ISBN: 9781851244478
ISBN 10: 1851244476
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 20 November 2015
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Replaced By: 9781851246526
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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

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

""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)