The Book of Bamboo: A Comprehensive Guide to This Remarkable Plant Its Uses and Its History

About this book

Bamboos amazing versatility strength and beauty have given it a larger role in human culture than any other plant. Both sustainable and plentiful it has been used for millennia to make objects ranging from clothing and housing to more exotic luxuries like phonograph needles and childrens toys to name but a few. This acclaimed sourcebookpart history part illustrated catalog part cultivation guidedetails the myriad uses of bamboo along with an immense bounty of information and lore on how to grow maintain and harvest this extraordinary plant; how to use it in craft and construction projects including floors fences papers and play equipment; and bamboos place in the literary visual and musical arts. An encyclopedic roster of more than 1 200 bamboo species is a book in itself as is author David Farrellys A-to-Z catalog of artifacts made from bamboo: acupuncture needles blowguns bridges kites ships violins windmills and a thousand other things. Strong flexible and beautiful in both its natural and finished states bamboo is an abundant resource that could beneficially replace many less sustainable materials currently in use and continue to transform our culture in the process.