Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran - Hardcover

Musselman, Lytton John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0881928550 ISBN 13: 9780881928556

Publisher: Timber Press, 2007

Synopsis

This book celebrates the plants of the Old Testament and New Testament, including the Apocrypha, and of the Quran. From acacia, the wood of the tabernacle, to wormwood, whose bitter leaves cured intestinal worms, 81 fascinating chapters—covering every plant that has a true botanical counterpart—tell the stories of the fruits and grains, grasses and trees, flowers and fragrances of ancient lore. The descriptions include the plants' botanical characteristics, habitat, uses, and literary context. With evocative quotations and revelatory interpretations, this information is all the more critical today as the traditional agrarian societies that knew the plants intimately become urbanized.

The unusually broad geographic range of this volume extends beyond Israel to encompass the Holy Land's biblical neighbors from southern Turkey to central Sudan and from Cyprus to the Iraq border.

Richly illustrated with extensive color photography and with a foreword by the incomparable Garrison Keillor, this delightful ecumenical botany offers the welcome tonic of a deep look into an enduring, shared natural heritage.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

This book celebrates the plants of the Old Testament and New Testament, including the Apocrypha, and of the Quran. From acacia, the wood of the tabernacle, to wormwood, whose bitter leaves are the flavor of absinthe, 81 chapters cover the more than 100 plants in the sacred texts that have true botanical counterparts.

Especially fascinating are the surprises and mysteries, such as why the fruit of Eden may not have been an apple and why Babylon's weeping willows were probably another tree entirely. These stories of the fruits, trees, grasses, grains, flowers, and fragrances of ancient lore include botanical characteristics, plant habitats, and traditional uses. Each account interprets evocative quotations to reveal the fast-disappearing collective wisdom of the ages.

Grounded in reverence for the region, this handy reference covers a broad geographic range beyond Israel, encompassing the biblical Holy Land from southern Turkey to central Sudan and from Cyprus to the Iraq border. "It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey," as Deuteronomy describes it, and so much more, a region as unique for its diverse flora as for its historical and religious significance.

Richly illustrated with extensive color photography and with a foreword by the incomparable Garrison Keillor, this delightful ecumenical botany offers the welcome tonic of a deep look into an enduring, shared natural heritage.

About the Author:

Garrison Keillor is America’s favorite storyteller. For more than 35 years, as the host of A Prairie Home Companion, he has captivated millions of listeners with his weekly News from Lake Wobegon monologues. A Prairie Home Companion is heard on hundreds of public radio stations, as well as America One, the Armed Forces Networks, Sirius Satellite Radio, and via a live audio webcast. 
 
Keillor is also the author of several books and a frequent contributor to national publications including Time, The New Yorker, and National Geographic, in addition to writing his own syndicated column. He has been awarded a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment of the Humanities. When not touring, he resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.

About this edition

• Publisher: Timber Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0881928550
• ISBN 13: 9780881928556
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336