Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses

by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Overview

In a series of linked personal essays, biologist Kimmerer (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) describes the lives of mosses and how they are intertwined with the lives of humans and other beings. She uses a conversational style with a minimum of technical jargon to introduce both scientists and the general reader to the miniature landscape of mosses. The volume is illustrated throughout with delicate b&w drawings by Howard Crum and R. L. Wall. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870714993
Publisher:	Oregon State University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2003
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	17,337
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Robin Wall Kimmerer is Distinguished Teaching Professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She also serves as director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Gathering Moss won the 2005 John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing.

Editorial Reviews

The best science books offer not only detailed scientific knowledge but also good writing and insights into much wider aspects of nature and life. Kimmerer, a botany professor who is also a Native American and a mother, strings together a series of essays teaching us about a fascinating, if humble and neglected, group of plants. Individual narratives are built around her own experiences related to mosses, both as a professional scientist and as a woman exploring her personal environment. She deftly interweaves her different viewpoints but avoids sentimentality and confusing the different "ways of knowing." We learn a good deal about mosses and their ecology as well as gain many insights into how larger ecological systems work and how human intervention has damaged them. Featuring informative and delicate black-and-white drawings of mosses, this gem of a book is recommended for most public and academic natural history collections.-Marit MacArthur Taylor, Auraria Lib., Denver Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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