Description
Discover the compelling narrative of 'What a Mushroom Lives For.' This enlightening book unveils the intricate relationships between humans and mushrooms, specifically the prized matsutake. Delve into how this extraordinary fungus not only defines economies but also transforms communities in China and beyond. The matsutake mushroom, a delicacy revered worldwide, drives a multibillion-dollar trade while remaining elusive to cultivation efforts. Michael Hathaway's profound insights challenge traditional human-centered perspectives and emphasize the vibrant agency of all forms of life.
By exploring the interactions among mushrooms, plants, animals, and humans, Hathaway presents a fresh understanding of biodiversity and ecological relationships. This thought-provoking book is perfect for anyone interested in mycology, anthropology, and the environment. With its gripping storytelling, 'What a Mushroom Lives For' invites readers to reconsider our interconnectedness with nature and the significance of mushrooms in shaping our worlds.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691225883
Format: Trade binding
Year: 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691225883
Format: Trade binding
Year: 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
How the prized matsutake mushroom is remaking human communities in China—and providing new ways to understand human and more-than-human worldsWhat a Mushroom Lives For pushes today’s mushroom renaissance in compelling new directions. For centuries, Western science has promoted a human- and animal-centric framework of what counts as action, agency, movement, and behavior. But, as Michael Hathaway shows, the world-making capacities of mushrooms radically challenge this orthodoxy by revealing the lively dynamism of all forms of life.The book tells the fascinating story of one particularly prized species, the matsutake, and the astonishing ways it is silently yet powerfully shaping worlds, from the Tibetan plateau to the mushrooms’ final destination in Japan. Many Tibetan and Yi people have dedicated their lives to picking and selling this mushroom—a delicacy that drives a multibillion-dollar global trade network and that still grows only in the wild, despite scientists’ intensive efforts to cultivate it in urban labs. But this is far from a simple story of humans exploiting a passive, edible commodity. Rather, the book reveals the complex, symbiotic ways that mushrooms, plants, humans, and other animals interact. It explores how the world looks to the mushrooms, as well as to the people who have grown rich harvesting them.A surprise-filled journey into science and human culture, this exciting and provocative book shows how fungi shape our planet and our lives in strange, diverse, and often unimaginable ways.
By exploring the interactions among mushrooms, plants, animals, and humans, Hathaway presents a fresh understanding of biodiversity and ecological relationships. This thought-provoking book is perfect for anyone interested in mycology, anthropology, and the environment. With its gripping storytelling, 'What a Mushroom Lives For' invites readers to reconsider our interconnectedness with nature and the significance of mushrooms in shaping our worlds.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691225883
Format: Trade binding
Year: 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780691225883
Format: Trade binding
Year: 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Description:
How the prized matsutake mushroom is remaking human communities in China—and providing new ways to understand human and more-than-human worldsWhat a Mushroom Lives For pushes today’s mushroom renaissance in compelling new directions. For centuries, Western science has promoted a human- and animal-centric framework of what counts as action, agency, movement, and behavior. But, as Michael Hathaway shows, the world-making capacities of mushrooms radically challenge this orthodoxy by revealing the lively dynamism of all forms of life.The book tells the fascinating story of one particularly prized species, the matsutake, and the astonishing ways it is silently yet powerfully shaping worlds, from the Tibetan plateau to the mushrooms’ final destination in Japan. Many Tibetan and Yi people have dedicated their lives to picking and selling this mushroom—a delicacy that drives a multibillion-dollar global trade network and that still grows only in the wild, despite scientists’ intensive efforts to cultivate it in urban labs. But this is far from a simple story of humans exploiting a passive, edible commodity. Rather, the book reveals the complex, symbiotic ways that mushrooms, plants, humans, and other animals interact. It explores how the world looks to the mushrooms, as well as to the people who have grown rich harvesting them.A surprise-filled journey into science and human culture, this exciting and provocative book shows how fungi shape our planet and our lives in strange, diverse, and often unimaginable ways.