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Natural Science Forum / Biology / Botany / October 2004Seeds of Change by H. Hobhouse
I emailed the group last year about a new seminar course I am teaching this spring called "Plants That Changed The World". Its not a botany course, but rather one that discusses the myriad of different ways that plants have affected our world including as fuel, food, medicine, wood for construction & art, and global environmental change (absorbing CO2, etc.). One of the books I intended to use is "Seeds of Change" by Henry Hobhouse (1986), but just found out that it is no longer in print!! This book had discussed how 5 plants (Cotton, Quinine, Tea, Sugar Cane, and Potato) have altered the course of human history. It was a great book, but don't want to have to scrounge 15 copies every year through Amazon.com. Does anyone know of any other books out there (that are well documented and fairly scholarly) on how plants have impacted our history?? I know about two books, "Seeds of Change" by Viola and Margolis (1991), and "Green Inheritance" by Huxley (1984) which are nice, but not very in-depth. Thanks for names of any favorite books like this that you might have! Dave Robinson, Chair Biology Department Bellarmine University 2001 Newburg Road Louisville, KY 40205 502-452-8197 Do you have a list of plants you plan to discuss? Amazon.com has a couple books on tobacco history, several books on Captain Bligh's breadfruit expedition on the H.M.S. Bounty, a number of books on other drug plants, books on bamboo, redwoods, etc. Here's some suggestions: Dash, Michael. 1999. Tulipomania : The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused NY: Three Rivers Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/060980765X/qid=1099108122/sr=2-1/ref=pd_k a_b_2_1/102-3100133-1800164 Smith, C. Wayne. 1995. Crop Production : Evolution, History, and Technology. New York, Wiley. [Excellent discussion of the history of Corn, Wheat, Grain Sorghum, Barley, Rice, Cotton, Soybeans, and Peanuts. It's very expensive however. The same author has a series with an even more expensive treatise on each major crop.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471079723/qid=1099109184/sr=1-6/r ef=sr_1_6/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Li, Hui-Lin 1996. Shade and Ornamental Trees: Their Origins and History. University of Pennsylvania Press. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812216059/qid=1099111971/sr=1-3/r ef=sr_1_3/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Hewes, Jeremy Joan. 1995. Redwoods: The World's Largest Trees. Smithmark. [coffetable book with excellent photos but with some depth, a lot on history of logging] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0831773812/qid=1099115003/sr=1-14/ ref=sr_1_14/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Heiser, Charles B., Jr. 1987. The fascinating world of the nightshades: Tobacco, Mandrake, Potato, Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Etc. New York: Dover Publications. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486253805/qid=1099113971/sr=1-5/r ef=sr_1_5/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books McPhee, John. 1975. Oranges. Farrar, Straus and Giroux http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0374512973/qid=1099110949/sr=2-2/ref=pd_k a_b_2_2/102-3100133-1800164 Simpson, Beryl and Ogorzaly, Molly. 2000. Economic Botany: Plants in our World. NY: McGraw-Hill. [A college economic botany text.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072909382/qid=1099109716/sr=2-1/ref=pd_k a_b_2_1/102-3100133-1800164 Lewington, Anna. 1990. Plants for People. NY: Oxford University Press. [A coffee table book on economic botany.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195208404/qid=1099110072/sr=1-4/r ef=sr_1_4/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Foster, Nelson and Cordell, Linda S. 1992. Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World. University of Arizona Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0816513244/qid=1099111197/sr=1-5/r ef=sr_1_5/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books There have been a number of recent books on plants of the Lewis and Clark expedition: Phillips, Wayne and Phillips, H. Wayne. 2003. Plants of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Mountain Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0878424776/qid=1099110433/sr=1-3/r ef=sr_1_3/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books The journal Economic Botany has many articles that might be useful: http://www.econbot.org/home.html Ethnobotanical Leaflets is a useful free web journal with plant articles: http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/ California Rare Fruit Growers crop fact sheets: http://www.crfg.org/fg/xref/descr.html There are many other informative websites on economic uses/impacts of plants: A zillion uses for corn: http://www.ontariocorn.org/classroom/products.html Osage orange, a Lewis and Clark introduction used as living barbed wire for a few decades: http://www.gpnc.org/osage.htm http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues04/mar04/lc.html Carboniferous plants: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/carboniferous/carboniferous.html http://www.palaeos.com/Plants/Paleozoic_Plants.htm Date Palm: http://agronomy.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/CROP/Date/Date.htm Taxus and Taxol: http://ohioline.osu.edu/sc150/ Invasive Plants: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/ [facts sheets on many species] http://www.invasiveplants.net/invasiveplants/biologicalcontrol/default.asp http://www.weedcenter.org/ David R. Hershey _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! --- Do you have a list of plants you plan to discuss? Amazon.com has a couple books on tobacco history, several books on Captain Bligh's breadfruit expedition on the H.M.S. Bounty, a number of books on other drug plants, books on bamboo, redwoods, etc. Here's some suggestions: Dash, Michael. 1999. Tulipomania : The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused NY: Three Rivers Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/060980765X/qid=1099108122/sr=2-1/ref=pd_k a_b_2_1/102-3100133-1800164 Smith, C. Wayne. 1995. Crop Production : Evolution, History, and Technology. New York, Wiley. [Excellent discussion of the history of Corn, Wheat, Grain Sorghum, Barley, Rice, Cotton, Soybeans, and Peanuts. It's very expensive however. The same author has a series with an even more expensive treatise on each major crop.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471079723/qid=1099109184/sr=1-6/r ef=sr_1_6/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Li, Hui-Lin 1996. Shade and Ornamental Trees: Their Origins and History. University of Pennsylvania Press. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812216059/qid=1099111971/sr=1-3/r ef=sr_1_3/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Hewes, Jeremy Joan. 1995. Redwoods: The World's Largest Trees. Smithmark. [coffetable book with excellent photos but with some depth, a lot on history of logging] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0831773812/qid=1099115003/sr=1-14/ ref=sr_1_14/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Heiser, Charles B., Jr. 1987. The fascinating world of the nightshades: Tobacco, Mandrake, Potato, Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Etc. New York: Dover Publications. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0486253805/qid=1099113971/sr=1-5/r ef=sr_1_5/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books McPhee, John. 1975. Oranges. Farrar, Straus and Giroux http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0374512973/qid=1099110949/sr=2-2/ref=pd_k a_b_2_2/102-3100133-1800164 Simpson, Beryl and Ogorzaly, Molly. 2000. Economic Botany: Plants in our World. NY: McGraw-Hill. [A college economic botany text.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072909382/qid=1099109716/sr=2-1/ref=pd_k a_b_2_1/102-3100133-1800164 Lewington, Anna. 1990. Plants for People. NY: Oxford University Press. [A coffee table book on economic botany.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195208404/qid=1099110072/sr=1-4/r ef=sr_1_4/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books Foster, Nelson and Cordell, Linda S. 1992. Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World. University of Arizona Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0816513244/qid=1099111197/sr=1-5/r ef=sr_1_5/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books There have been a number of recent books on plants of the Lewis and Clark expedition: Phillips, Wayne and Phillips, H. Wayne. 2003. Plants of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Mountain Press http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0878424776/qid=1099110433/sr=1-3/r ef=sr_1_3/102-3100133-1800164?v=glance&s=books The journal Economic Botany has many articles that might be useful: http://www.econbot.org/home.html Ethnobotanical Leaflets is a useful free web journal with plant articles: http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/ California Rare Fruit Growers crop fact sheets: http://www.crfg.org/fg/xref/descr.html There are many other informative websites on economic uses/impacts of plants: A zillion uses for corn: http://www.ontariocorn.org/classroom/products.html Osage orange, a Lewis and Clark introduction used as living barbed wire for a few decades: http://www.gpnc.org/osage.htm http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues04/mar04/lc.html Carboniferous plants: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/carboniferous/carboniferous.html http://www.palaeos.com/Plants/Paleozoic_Plants.htm Date Palm: http://agronomy.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/CROP/Date/Date.htm Taxus and Taxol: http://ohioline.osu.edu/sc150/ Invasive Plants: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/ [facts sheets on many species] http://www.invasiveplants.net/invasiveplants/biologicalcontrol/default.asp http://www.weedcenter.org/ David R. Hershey _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! --- It sounds like a fun class. I wonder if you'll need to piece the readings together, a difficult task. The book that comes to mind for me is even older than yours, but it is still listed on Norton's website. Tippo and Stern. 1977. Humanistic Botany. Norton Publishers. I'm sure it's out of print, but perhaps the company has enough copies for your class? An economic botany book (e.g. Simpson and Ogozaly) might also be good, but it will probably have more botany and less history than you want. One of my favorite sections in Tippo and Stern reminds me of the "5 plants" you mention. It titled "Twelve plants standing between man and starvation." I use it to quiz my students...wheat, corn, rice, white potato, sweet potato, manioc, sugar cane, sugar beet, common bean, soybean, coconut, and banana. Quinine has a large section in the book, but not in the context of mixing it with distilled juniper-flavored beverages and a twist of lime, as I prefer it. Doug ---------------------------------------- Douglas P. Jensen Assistant Professor and Biology Chair Converse College 580 E. Main St. Spartanburg, South Carolina 29302 (864)596-9123 douglas.jensen@converse.edu -----Original Message----- From: owner-plant-ed@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk [mailto:owner-plant-ed@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk]On Behalf Of "Robinson, Dr. David" Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 5:38 PM To: plant-ed@net.bio.net Subject: Seeds of Change by H. Hobhouse I emailed the group last year about a new seminar course I am teaching this spring called "Plants That Changed The World". Its not a botany course, but rather one that discusses the myriad of different ways that plants have affected our world including as fuel, food, medicine, wood for construction & art, and global environmental change (absorbing CO2, etc.). One of the books I intended to use is "Seeds of Change" by Henry Hobhouse (1986), but just found out that it is no longer in print!! This book had discussed how 5 plants (Cotton, Quinine, Tea, Sugar Cane, and Potato) have altered the course of human history. It was a great book, but don't want to have to scrounge 15 copies every year through Amazon.com. Does anyone know of any other books out there (that are well documented and fairly scholarly) on how plants have impacted our history?? I know about two books, "Seeds of Change" by Viola and Margolis (1991), and "Green Inheritance" by Huxley (1984) which are nice, but not very in-depth. Thanks for names of any favorite books like this that you might have! Dave Robinson, Chair Biology Department Bellarmine University 2001 Newburg Road Louisville, KY 40205 502-452-8197 --- |
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