Botanical, a new series from Reaktion, is the first to integrate
horticultural writing with a broader account of the cultural and
social impact of plants. "Oak," one of the first two books in the
series, narrates the biography of the tree that since time
immemorial has been a symbol of loyalty, strength, generosity, and
renewal. Peter Young explores how the oak, native to the northern
hemisphere and found in locations as diverse as the Americas and
tropical Asia, has played an important role in state-building, art,
folk tales, poems, and songs. Starting with the pagan societies
that venerated the oak, Young examines how the tree was used in
other religions, revealing how it was believed to be a gateway
between worlds in Celtic mythology and later became sacred to Thor
in Norse mythology. He follows the oak as it was adopted by many
Western European countries as a national symbol, including England,
France, and Germany. The United States Congress designated the oak
as America's national tree in 2004, and it is the state tree of
Iowa, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Georgia.
Individual oak trees have also gained historical importance, such
as the Charter Oak in Hartford, Connecticut, which became a symbol
of American independence. In addition to tracing the history of the
tree itself, Young investigates oak as a wood used to make
furniture, bridges, wine casks, homes, ships, weapons, and even the
electric chair, and he describes how the tree has been used as a
food source--its fruit, the acorn, was eaten in ancient Greece,
ancient Iberia, and Korea, and it was a traditional food of Native
Americans. Packed with information and beautiful illustrations,
"Oak" tells the fascinating tale of this stately, durable member of
the natural world.
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