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Yew: A History by Fred Hageneder

Yew: A History by Fred Hageneder

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Yew: A History by Fred Hageneder, forwards by Robert Hardy & David Bellamy

ISBN: 0752459457    EAN: 9780752459455
Publisher: History Press    
US SRP: $39.95 US
Binding: Paperback
Copyright Date: 2011
Pub Date: June 01, 2011
Physical Info: 0.8" H x 10.2" L x 7.6" W (2.0 lbs) 320 pages
A fascinating look at all aspects of the botany, cultural history, and remarkable mythology of the genus Taxus. The yew is one of Earth's most captivating and versatile life forms, botanically rich and intriguing, and culturally almost without comparison. This impressive study of the yew reveals that in history, mythology, religion, folklore, medicine, and warfare, the yew bears timeless witness to a deep relationship with mankind. It is the tree that Darwin often rested beneath and under, and he wanted to be buried there. In 1803, Wordsworth celebrated the great yew in Lorton Vale, "single, in the midst of its own darkness," a tree under which both the great Quaker George Fox and John Wesley preached. In many cultures, it is the Tree of Life, and its association with European churchyards has given it a particular claim on the popular imagination as a living link between present landscapes and those of the distant past. This history of the yew makes a case for better conservation of this extraordinary life form. It includes a worldwide gazetteer of yew stands and other useful information for those wishing to explore further the study of the yew.

Fred Hageneder is a naturalist who has written eight books on the ethnobotany of trees and the ecology of forests (The Spirit of Trees, 2000; Yew: A History, 2007; The Living Wisdom of Trees, 2005/2020). His broad view of planetary ecology culminates in the book Healthy Planet: Global Meltdown or Global Healing (2022). He is a founding member of the Ancient Yew Group (AYG), an independent research group working to protect the ancient yew trees of Britain. And he is a member of the Ecocentric Alliance, a network of academics, ecologists, conservationists and activists promoting ecocentrism and a deep green ethic. He lives and works in the UK.
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