Fencing Paradise: Reflections on the Myths of Eden

Fencing Paradise: Reflections on the Myths of Eden

by RichardMabey (Author)

Synopsis

At the Eden Project 'Nature' is not as elsewhere - it is as once an actual garden and an imitation of Nature in a place that was recently derelict and sterile. Sitting in Eden's Biomes, Richard Mabey finds himself pondering the myth of the original garden of Eden - and this leads him to explore the range of stories humans have woven about plants over centuries. In this remarkable journal of visits to Eden during 2004, Mabey transports his reader from Cornwall to the Mediterranean to the Tropics, from Old World to New, from present to personal memory, to new perspectives on our collective artistic and emotional past. Sensuous and evocative, exquisitely written, his new book challenges the reader to look differently at the world, and our place in the landscape.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 399
Publisher: Eden Project Books
Published: 01 Sep 2005

ISBN 10: 1903919312
ISBN 13: 9781903919316
Book Overview: A kaleidoscopic exploration of the stories of the earth's plants - and the myths (crucial to so many cultures) about a garden of Eden - by our greatest nature writer.

Media Reviews
'Britain's greatest living nature writer' - The Times 'Richard Mabey is a man for all seasons, most regions and every kind of landscape' - Andrew Motion, Financial Times The author structures his book with a journey through the biotopia of the Eden Project in Cornwall, from where he darts off in history and geography to offer sparkling mini-essays on specific herbs and plants and more general matters botanical and ecological. -- Steven Poole The Guardian 20051008 Even if you're not especially interested in the Eden Project, there is plenty here to fascinate. Mabey's writing is richly evocative, his breadth of reference enormous. -- Neville Hawcock FT Magazine 20051119 Like being led through a wondrous landscape by a native guide. This isn't a green diatribe, nor another of the 'plants that changed the world' genre. It's simply a great book. -- Jo Bourne Geographical Magazine 20060101
Author Bio
Richard Mabey was born and brought up in the Chilterns where he lived until the late 1990s and from where he moved to Norfolk where he lives with his partner, Polly. He is the author of13 previous books (see previous books) and he writes regularly for the Times, the Guardian and BBC Wildlife. He is also a regular broadcaster on Radio 4.