By Bill LawsProduct Details
- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Firefly Books; Second Printing edition (September 14, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1554077982
- ISBN-13: 978-1554077984
Summary:
Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History is a representation of the fifty plants that have had the biggest impacts on humans throughout history. Each entry includes pictures, botanical name, native range, type, height and its primary functions -- edible, medicinal, commercial or practical. Many of the plants mentioned have stories that are well known but some like Agave, Pineapple, and Hemp are not.Review:
The facts for each of the plants were interesting and informative. Though I did find it hard to read sometimes, going back and having to re-read a section a couple of times. I believe this was because the author was also defining words in the sentence as well as trying to give you the information. By the time you got done reading what the word meant you had to go back and reread the sentence to know what it was original saying.I will say again, that I found the information interesting, if not even intriguing. There were a couple of sections that I even marked pages, because I was so interested that I wanted to do further research into an area. There were some facts that I felt the author might have been grasping at straws. For example oranges being linked to malaria or coffee being linked to the Declaration of independence. But in the author defense, some of these facts could have been minor facts supporting or even in addition to the main connection to history.
Even with what I feel to be minor setbacks, I quite enjoyed reading this book. Finding the facts intriguing enough to reiterate them to my significant other when I came across something I found interesting. I am also letting/recommending this book to my step father who enjoys books like these. More than likely I will be rereading this book again, and adding it to me "keep books".
