The Paper Road by Erik Mueggler
This exhilarating book interweaves the stories of two early twentieth-century botanists to explore the collaborative relationships each formed with Yunnan villagers in gathering botanical specimens from the borderlands between China, Tibet, and Burma. Erik Mueggler introduces Scottish botanist George Forrest, who employed Naxi adventurers in his fieldwork from 1906 until his death in 1932. We also meet American Joseph Francis Charles Rock, who, in 1924, undertook a dangerous expedition to Gansu and Tibet with the sons and nephews of Forrest's workers. Mueggler describes how the Naxi workers and their Western employers rendered the earth into specimens, notes, maps, diaries, letters, books, photographs, and ritual manuscripts. Drawing on an ancient metaphor of the earth as a book, Mueggler provides a sustained meditation on what can be copied, translated, and revised and what can be folded back into the earth.
"First things first: this is an outstanding book.. Mueggler weaves together ... a lyrically-written story." New Bks In East Asian Stds "This work provides the reader with a remarkable look into another place and culture in a time gone by." -- Marilyn K. Alaimo Chicago Botanic Garden "A richly textured history... The book will provide lively, informative reading for ambitious readers and specialists... Highly recommended." -- J.W. Dauben, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College Choice
Erik Mueggler is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. He is the author of The Age of Wild Ghosts: Memory, Violence, and Place in Southwest China (UC Press).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780520269033 |
| ISBN 10 | 0520269039 |
| Title | The Paper Road |
| Author | Erik Mueggler |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of California Press |
| Year published | 2011-11-02 |
| Number of pages | 376 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |