The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-eye View of the World (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series) - Hardcover

Pollan, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0783896417 ISBN 13: 9780783896410

Publisher: G K Hall & Co, 2001

Synopsis

An Idaho farmer cultivates Russet Burbank potatoes so that a customer at a McDonald's half a world away can enjoy a long, golden french fry. A gardener plants tulip bulbs in the fall and, come spring, has a riotous patch of color to admire. Two straightforward examples of how humans act on nature to get what we want. Or are they? What if those potatoes and tulips have evolved to gratify certain human desires so that humans will help them multiply? What if, in other words, these plants are using us just as we use them?

About this title

Review:

Working in his garden one day, The Botany of Desire author Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication.

In making his point, Pollan focuses on the relationship between humans and four specific plants: apples, tulips, marijuana and potatoes. He uses the history of John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) to illustrate how both the apple's sweetness and its role in the production of alcoholic cider made it appealing to settlers moving west, thus greatly expanding the plant's range. He also explains how human manipulation of the plant has weakened it, so that "modern apples require more pesticide than any other food crop". The tulipomania of 17th-century Holland is a backdrop for his examination of the role the tulip's beauty played in wildly influencing human behaviour to both the benefit and detriment of the plant (the markings that made the tulip so attractive to the Dutch were actually caused by a virus).

His excellent discussion of the potato combines a history of the plant with a prime example of how biotechnology is changing our relationship to nature. As part of his research, Pollan visited the Monsanto company headquarters and planted some of their NewLeaf brand potatoes in his garden--seeds that had been genetically engineered to produce their own insecticide. Though they worked as advertised, he made some startling discoveries, primarily that the NewLeaf plants themselves are registered as a pesticide by the EPA and that federal law prohibits anyone from reaping more than one crop per seed packet. And in a interesting aside, he explains how a global desire for consistently perfect French fries contributes to both damaging monoculture and the genetic engineering necessary to support it.

Pollan has read widely on the subject and elegantly combines literary, historical, philosophical, and scientific references with engaging anecdotes, giving readers much to ponder while weeding their gardens. --Shawn Carkonen, Amazon.com

Review:

'An immensely readable and thought-provoking book' -- Independent

'Beautifully written, as compelling as a detective thriller' -- Penelope Hobhouse

'Pollan shines a light on our own nature as well as on our implication in the natural world' -- New York Times

'Pollan writes with clarity and a shrewd sense of humour' -- Scotland on Sunday

'Pollan's stories sparkle with curious facts and bold superstitions ... Encourages us to reconsider our place in the natural world' -- Sunday Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: G K Hall & Co
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0783896417
• ISBN 13: 9780783896410
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 355