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|  | Author: Amy Stewart
Creator: Briony Morrow-Cribbs
Publisher: Algonquin Books
List Price: $18.95
Buy New: $11.00
as of 11/23/2009 18:22 CST details
You Save: $7.95 (42%)
New (49) Used (13) Collectible (1) from $11.00
Seller: treebeardbooks
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 810
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 223
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 1565126831
Dewey Decimal Number: 581.65
EAN: 9781565126831
ASIN: 1565126831
Publication Date: May 21, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Fast and Professional Shipping (no shipping to: APO, AK, HI, PR as standard mail to these locations takes 4+ weeks).
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 21-25 of 29
 Wicked Fun! July 12, 2009
Becky A. Bartlett (Nazareth, PA USA)
I think we modern humans forget just how dangerous the world can be. While we're used to seeing competition in the animal kingdom, it can be a shock to find out that plants are as vicious as any hyena.
"Wicked Plants" was a great read with a lot of interesting information both botanical and historical. I loved the tales of poisonings (endless variety there) and the descriptions of plant 'freaks'. (The strangler fig was my favorite.) Although I was a little surprised to find out just how many deadly poisons I had growing in my back yard.
I'll be keeping this book on my shelf for years to come.
Surprised June 27, 2009
M. Stjames (Santa Ynez, CA United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
When I opened the package and saw how small in diameter this book is I was initially disappointed and the cover looked old-fashioned; I wondered if it would have any relevant information in it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful creative drawings and etchings included in each chapter and to read the concise information-packed text on each plant.
This book is SO interesting!! I had no idea there were so many nefarious plants with such diabolical intent toward their fellow earth inhabitants. And this book may well have saved me from a diaster. Recently I had noted how much pretty Tansy Mustard we have on our property and I was thinking of cutting some down for our goats. Thank goodness I didn't!
The only down side to this book is the lack of an Index in the back. Not every mentioned plant is in the Table of Contents.
Even if you're a city dweller, this book will blow your mind.
 A light read for disinterested plant haters June 25, 2009
Sam Thayer
24 out of 65 found this review helpful
The very title "Wicked Plants" implies the impossible: That plants have a desire to do harm to people. One may as well write a book about wicked shovels (which can inflict serious, even lethal injury), wicked pencils (which injure thousands of schoolchildren every year), and wicked cheese (in the 80s, a man in France killed his wife with a block of cheese). These examples may sound ridiculous, but they are no more ridiculous than the bulk of this book.
Yes, many plants are poisonous. Surprise!!!! Some are armed with stingers or thorns, and a few are even hallucinogenic. If you are interested in these fascinating topics, there are many much better places to get information than this tiny, poorly-researched volume that seeks to exaggerate, sensationalize, and anthropomorphize the plants it discusses.
I read this book in about an hour and learned very little. It is full of misinformation. For example, the pictures of Eupatorium are actually of water hemlock. That makes me wonder if the publisher actually thought of having a BOTANIST read it over, or of fact checking. But then again, I doubt that any botanist would want to be associated with such a frivolous project.
I give it two stars because it least it is fairly well written and pleasant to read, if you can get past the ridiculous notion that plants can commit atrocities.
The cold nature of mother nature June 25, 2009
Dustin F
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is a thorough book, but don't take that the wrong way! It's full of charm and a sense of history, but it's really a book for the imagination. You will marvel at so many perilous things nature and pre-FDA entrepreneurs have in store for the unfortunate victims in this book. I don't want to ruin the surprises, but there's a lot of misfortune in this book!
Plenty of illustrations and stories, this makes a great lounge book for hosts who want a guest to have something to do for a few idle minutes.
The writing is intelligent and the topic is novel. I really appreciate that this is a carefully crafted and well thought out project, and you should come away wanting to meet the creative author.
But if anyone in your house wants to poison you, you better not leave this out!
Hemlock, Opium, and Ratbane, oh my! June 17, 2009
Sacramento Book Review (Sacramento, CA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Amy Stewart's //Wicked Plants// takes readers into the dark heart of the plant world, where innocent-looking berries kill and lovely flowers intoxicate. The book lists plant-life in alphabetical order, beginning with the deadly Aconite (responsible for killing two priests at a dinner party in 1856) to the Yew, known as "the graveyard tree" in England. Interspersed between the details of individual plants are quirky little lists: the plants used to make arrow poisons, commonly consumed crops that can prove fatal, the weeds of mass destruction hall of fame.
The details are fascinating. They include everything from the well-known (the Opium poppy as an illegal intoxicant), to the shocking (extract of Castor bean was allegedly used by KGB agents to murder a communist defector in 1978), to the downright bizarre (the Tanghin poison-nut was used in Madagascar as an ordeal poison).
Visually, the book is very pleasing, with nice old-fashioned text and delicate, detailed black and white copper etched illustrations. Ms. Stewart communicates her love of all things botanical with well-written and witty enthusiasm; her fascination is infectious. This book would be an admirable choice to read while sipping a cold drink (but hold the Hemlock!) in the garden.
Reviewed by
Michelle Kerns
Showing reviews 21-25 of 29
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