Mulberry

This is a beautifully made book. It features real sewn signatures and color photographs, some of which are two-page spreads of particularly interesting mulberry trees around England. The work would best be characterized as a natural history of the mulberry tree, of which there are three basic species, red, black, and white...It will be valuable for general readers and amateurs who have a propensity for botany. --P. K. Strother, Boston College Choice Mulberry, a book celebrating the marvelous tree, goes beyond its ancient links to silk production to explore its role in everything from the oldest banknotes to modern drugs. . . . In the right hands, book series can be very satisfying. Reaktion Books has developed several over recent years. One of these is a delightful series called Botanical that aims to integrate the social, biological and historical contexts of a plant, tree or flower. --Adrian Barnett New Scientist Abundantly illustrated, and well-written. It's a story that's told well, and contains many good yarns. And. since author Coles is cofounder and editor of Morus Londinium--a website devoted to unravelling London's mulberry tree heritage--this is a book that's been written by an obvious enthusiast for its subject. . . . The back cover of Mulberry states, 'Since antiquity few trees have had a greater impact on the world's culture and economy than the mulberry.' That is a bold claim. Whether it is justified is always going to be questioned. But, Coles certainly does his best to substantiate that assertion. You are most cordially invited to read Mulberry and form your own view . . . --Adrian Barnett Botany One