馴果記：從諸神的花園、人間的天堂、大眾的果物到現代超市蔬果區，果園改造土地、誘發哲思、觸動感官的千萬年故事

by Bernd Brunner, 貝恩德·布倫納, 林潔盈 (Translator)

世界就是一座果園，第一部深入果園文化核心的動人之作
收錄逾100幅精采圖片，穿越大地和時間，尋覓果實的記憶

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從植物學、人類學到文化史，從古希臘羅馬、中世紀修道院到當代工業化生產，從歷史的黎明到未來回歸野性
在生與死、和平與戰爭、藝術與神話、科學與宗教之間，踏查水果和人類的共演化！

★椰棗、梨、蘋果、柑橘、櫻桃如何躍上人類舞台，占有一席之地？
★果園何以成為崇拜和休憩之所、化身藝術家和作家的靈感來源？
★人類怎麼依照自己的欲望塑造和扭曲大自然，讓水果失去了野性？
★果園如何為人類帶來食物，也改變了地景？
★水果栽培怎樣歷經黑暗時代、輝煌時期，邁向更自然和諧的創新？
綜觀歷史，果園滋養了人類的身體與靈魂：它們是崇拜和休憩的場所，是藝術家和作家的靈感來源，也是人們聚會的地方。在這本精采的著作中，獲獎作家貝恩德・布倫納將令人喚起記憶的圖畫與出色的散文交織在一起，他所展現出的果園歷史，就是千年來人類如何按照自己的欲望塑造自然的故事。

本書追溯果園的歷史，嘗試更了解果樹與人類的共演化。無論是人類或果園，都因為這個共同參與的進程而改變。除了樹木和果實本身，人類也與果園生長的土地密切相連，他們不僅在那裡種植、灌溉和收穫，也在那裡交談、生活與享受。

也許，我們可以把果園看作是一個舞台，在這裡，果樹和它們的照護者之間，上演著一齣非常特異的戲劇。以這種方式來看，果園邀請我們欣賞果實在動物、人和其他植物的陪伴下生長與成熟的複雜壯觀景象。

最早的果園可能是椰棗樹錯落其間的綠洲，沙漠遊牧民族在此歇腳。在亞馬遜地區，原住民在歐洲人拓殖美洲之前的幾個世紀，就已經維持著散布在叢林裡的馬賽克形式花園。而在東方和西方，現代水果種植已發展了數千年之久。隨著人口擴張，果樹從富人和修道院的蒼鬱花園擴展到田野和路邊，為飢餓的人們提供食物的同時，也改變了地景。然而，果樹不僅僅是生產水果而已，它們也為偉大的藝術家帶來靈感啟發。

這部引人入勝的果園文化暨科學史穿越時空，為人類與果實、土地、自然的關係提供了非凡的全景式敘事。水果是樹木提供的慷慨獻禮，當然對人類來說，也得到了這份贈禮。

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Nature, Food, Gardening

300 pages, Paperback

Published June 2, 2022

About the author

Bernd Brunner, a graduate of the Free University of Berlin and Berlin School of Economics, is an independent scholar, freelance writer, and editor of nonfiction books. He is the author of The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium. Lori Lantz received a Ph.D. in comparative literature from UCLA and attended the Free University of Berlin as a Fulbright Scholar.

Reviews

[Bernard Lavallée · Rating 4 out of 5]

The object in itself is of high quality with the thick paper and many illustrations, which is the reason I gave it 4 stars. If it was only for the text, it would be 3 or 3,5.

Even though the subject is very interesting and the author did a thorough research, it felt as though he wanted to plug as many orchard facts as possible, without much cohesion. I feel that just adding subtitles throughout the chapters would have made a world of difference in readability.

I still appreciated the bibliography which seems to contain a lot of important texts in this field. I will use this book as a starting point for further research on this subject.

[Carol McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very beautiful book. I found a few factual errors that for me, a trained horticulturalist, detracted from the book. Lots of wonderful descriptions of ancient gardens. Lots of interesting fruit facts.

[Matthew Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much fruit and tree information! Needed some maps and the pre-Columbian North America section was less than a page so that was a bummer.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of orchards of many kinds, from planting palms at oases and seeds along the Silk Road, to stately gardens, and industrial citrus and apple production.

There is no way to do this book justice in a review. The sheer number of tree species and orchards provided, the countries covered and landowners fine and humble, the workers pictured and art of the day reproduced in glorious colour. Tree and fruit and biodiversity lovers will find this a must-read. Art lovers can adore the illustrations. This is a book to get lost in for hours. Equally, a book to dip into so as to absorb a time and locale fully without getting it confused with the next chapter.

Dates, olives, figs, apples, pears, quinces, cherries, citrus of all kinds, medlars, breadfruits, peaches, apricots, nectarines, almonds, walnuts, hazels, pomegranates, persimmons, currants, plums, pluots, and more. No mention of greengages or damsons that I saw, but they are kinds of plum, and might be in an illustration.

Orchards are shown to provide far more amenities than crop fields, with shade, shelter from weather, firewood, birds, bats and bees, as well as scent and colour and beauty to delight the walker. Animals such as sheep can graze under the trees, though goats can climb so are not recommended, and pigs may dig near roots. Not mentioned, families with an old pony - for children, a pony trap or pulling a roller - could turn it out in the orchard, whereas a pasture would cause laminitis from the rich grass. We see some horses and donkeys, usually pulling carts full of apples or oranges.

Lovely, lovely book. A wealth of research. There's an index of people and places. References start p.261, further reading sources p.269, illustration credits p.273, index p.281.
I borrowed this book from the RDS Library. This is an unbiased review.

[Andrew (Drew) Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3 star book with an extra star for the wonderful illustrations. Besides the fact that the chapters just kind of end with no transition (including the very strange last 2 paragraphs of the epilogue), the content is too broad and unfocused. I would have liked either more than n the science of fruit cultivation and how it has developed over the centuries or a cultural exploration of the role orchards have played in the human imagination. The last couple chapters which offer snapshots of some unusual modern orchards were good. On the whole it gives little anecdotes of both and feels scattered.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing, rambling...yeah, humans like fruit and have for a very long time.
Not really sure what the point of the book was.

[anchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with amazing illustrations - please do not get ebook because it's not that fun anymore... 3-star content and an extra 1/2 for the details.

[多余人-Lishnye Lyudi · Rating 3 out of 5]

“在地球上所有令人愉快的事物里，果园带来的快乐是最美好的、最顺应自然的……你的眼睛想看到的，耳朵想听到的，嘴巴想尝到的，鼻子想闻到的，哪一样在果园中不是取之不尽、种类繁多呢？”

[Apostrophe · Rating 5 out of 5]

great introductory read on pomology! fantastic job of explaining some of the early history of fruit and orchard cultivation.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A calming book, that fills my mind with images of orchards of times past. I will need to re-read this eventually.

[Kelsey Woods · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed.
the author's trying to squeeze in as much as information he can possibly muster and left me confused.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It's history, art history, myth, anthropology, botany all together to transport us to an orchard of our own.

[tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderfully illustrated and written introductory book on pomology, had an absolute blast reading