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David A. Taylor

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.davidataylor.org

Twitter

dataylor1

Genre

History, Fiction, Science

Influences

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: 3.94 · 260 ratings · 49 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Soul of a People: The WPA Writers' Project Uncovers Depression America 4.03 avg rating — 88 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
	Cork Wars: Intrigue and Industry in World War II 3.96 avg rating — 74 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
	Ginseng, the Divine Root: The Curious History of the Plant That Captivated the World 3.57 avg rating — 61 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
	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
	The War of 1812 and the Rise of the U.S. Navy by David A. Taylor (Goodreads Author), Mark Collins Jenkins, Douglas Brinkley (Foreword) 4.41 avg rating — 17 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
	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

More books by David A. Taylor…

by Megan Kate Nelson (Goodreads Author)

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May 03, 2026 07:01PM

David Taylor is currently reading

Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End

by Alua Arthur

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Dec 06, 2025 01:25PM

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American Guides: The Federal Writers' Project and the Casting of American Culture

by Wendy Griswold

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Aug 31, 2025 01:44PM

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David Taylor wants to read Road Longer Than Memory by Melanie McCabe (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
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David Taylor started reading The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier by Megan Kate Nelson (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
May 03, 2026 07:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Westerners by Megan Kate Nelson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Westerners by Megan Kate Nelson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
David Taylor rated a book it was amazing Questions 27 & 28 by Karen Tei Yamashita	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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David Taylor rated a book it was amazing On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle	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
May 03, 2026 07:00PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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David Taylor wants to read Learning to Fly: An Uncommon Memoir of Human Flight, Unexpected Love, and One Amazing Dog by Steph Davis	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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David Taylor wants to read This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman (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
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David Taylor rated a book it was amazing The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History by Stephen Jack (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
The Devil’s Chow is a lively, immersive account of his dive into the experience and history of eating in China. With an eye for the unexpected and a driving curiosity, the author overturns tropes and clichés of China’s history and reputation, and rea ...more
Apr 28, 2026 06:04PM · like · see review
David Taylor rated a book it was amazing The John McPhee Reader (John McPhee Reader, #1) by John McPhee	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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David Taylor rated a book it was amazing Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (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
Apr 13, 2026 06:13PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy <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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