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589 ratings | 40 reviews | avg rating:4.47

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David A. Taylor

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Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.davidataylor.org

Twitter

dataylor1

Genre

History, Fiction, Science

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... ...more

Member Since

April 2009

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Twenty years after the publication of my first book, Ginseng, the Divine Root, I’ve been revisiting the story that led me into the forests of the Appalachians and into a hidden economy of plant harvesting and poaching.
What began as a story about a medicinal root prized on two continents has, over time, connected to a wider exploration related to environmental crime, global demand for natural resources, and the pressures on forests and communities.
My recent work, including articles in Smithsonian magazine and Scientific American, has revisited those themes. It suggests that the dynamics that I found in the ginseng trade and the people who follow it have grown even more relevant.

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David A. Taylor’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 277 ratings · 52 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Cork Wars: Intrigue and Industry in World War II really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 91 ratings — published 2018 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Soul of a People: The WPA Writers' Project Uncovers Depression America 4.03 avg rating — 86 ratings — published 2009 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ginseng, the Divine Root: The Curious History of the Plant That Captivated the World 3.60 avg rating — 62 ratings — published 2006 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The War of 1812 and the Rise of the U.S. Navy by David A. Taylor (Goodreads Author), Mark Collins Jenkins, Douglas Brinkley (Foreword) 4.33 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Success: Stories 4.17 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2008 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tall Ship Odysseys: The Official Operation Sail Fifty Year Anniversary Commemorative Pictorial History of the World's Greatest Windship Gatherings by David A. Taylor (Goodreads Author), Mark Leon Collins (Goodreads Author), Mark Collins Jenkins really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	BY Taylor, David A ( Author ) [{ Success: Stories [ SUCCESS: STORIES ] By Taylor, David A ( Author )Oct-15-2008 Paperback By Taylor, David A ( Author ) Oct - 15- 2008 ( Paperback ) } ] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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by Annie Jacobsen (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 31, 2026 06:40AM

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Dead Lions (Slough House, #2)

by Mick Herron

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Oct 25, 2026 07:36PM

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What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures

by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

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Oct 14, 2026 10:46AM

David’s Recent Updates

David A. Taylor wrote a new blog post On SpyCast: When one CIA Officer Took on the Agency When I dug into the experience of people with disabilities in national security work for a recent talk at the International Spy Museum, the story of o Read more of this blog post »
Nov 06, 2026 02:29AM · like
David Taylor wants to read How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need: Survival Tricks for Hacking, Hurricanes, and Hazards Life Might Throw at You by Judith Matloff (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 01, 2026 02:51PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need by Judith Matloff. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need by Judith Matloff <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor wants to read Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy by Julia Ioffe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 01, 2026 06:01AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Motherland by Julia Ioffe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Motherland by Julia Ioffe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor is currently reading Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis by Annie Jacobsen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 31, 2026 06:40AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Phenomena by Annie Jacobsen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Phenomena by Annie Jacobsen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor wants to read Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945 by Ronald D. Eller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 28, 2026 09:08AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Uneven Ground by Ronald D. Eller. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Uneven Ground by Ronald D. Eller <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor is currently reading Dead Lions (Slough House, #2) by Mick Herron	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 25, 2026 07:36PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead Lions by Mick Herron. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead Lions by Mick Herron <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor wants to read Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 18, 2026 02:57PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Call of the Undertow by Linda Cracknell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor started reading What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 14, 2026 10:46AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor started reading Intention: A Novel by Johannes Lichtman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 11, 2026 02:26PM · like
David Taylor rated a book really liked it What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 11, 2026 02:26PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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“When you want to touch the reader's heart, try to be colder. It gives their grief as it were, a background, against which it stands out in greater relief.”
― Anton Chekhov

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On SpyCast: When one CIA Officer Took on the Agency

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