The Triumph of Seeds

How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses & Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History

By: Thor Hanson

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life, supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and the humble peppercorn drove the Age of Discovery, so did coffee beans help fuel the Enlightenment and cottonseed help spark the Industrial Revolution. And from the fall of Rome to the Arab Spring, the fate of nations continues to hinge on the seeds of a Middle Eastern grass known as wheat. In nature and in culture, seeds are fundamental - objects of beauty, evolutionary wonder, and simple fascination. How many times has a child dropped the winged pip of a maple, marveling as it spirals its way down to the ground, or relished the way a gust of wind(or a stout breath) can send a dandelion’s feathery flotilla skyward? Yet despite their importance, seeds are often seen as a commonplace, their extraordinary natural and human histories overlooked. Thanks to Thor Hanson and this stunning new book, they can be overlooked no more.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2015 Thor Hanson (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Marc Vietor's mellow, upbeat narration adds personality and energy, and every chapter brings fresh information and insight." ( AudioFile)

more than seeds

I loved the background told in the beginning. I am studying secondary metabolites in plants, and this book was a good compliment to the plant's functions and uses of them.

Things you never thought to question

Good science writing is a joy. Good popular science needs to be factual, broad, well-researched, and written in a style that's easy to grasp without a PhD to match the author's. This book fulfills all those criteria and on a subject you wouldn't normally guess would be so fascinating.

Thor Hansen covers a wide range of seed lore, from those that feed us to those that can kill us. In between he talks about their evolution, man-manipulated GMOs, and high-impact seeds from wheat to coffee beans, trees to molds, coconuts to orchids. As part of the adventure he takes the reader to forest, jungles, and deserts as well as interviewing specialists regarding each new category. He even travels to the wheat fields in the "Palouse" region of my state and discusses how viewing a square foot of seemingly empty soil can reveal seeds from dozens of different plants.

The book is an intellectual adventure, too, in investigating questions about seeds most of us would never think to ask and then answering those as well as possible. Fun ideas include: coffee and other plants produce caffeine, a plant poison, to clear away an area of competitors; the "heat" of peppers increase and decrease depending on climate and the type of pests they need to fight. Sexual reproduction was a unique introduction to the plant world, starting with trees like ginkgos and successfully spreading throughout the kingdom. Plant sexuality made the kingdom more dynamic and adaptable. It also provided humans with the tools to do select plant breeding to increase yield and nutrition in food plants.

This is a fun read for any cook or gardener, and an easy enough read for high school and above.

I love this book.

I'd give you a decent review, but that's really all I've got. It's a fascinating book loaded with history, science, and mystery, but overall it's a great listen. I love this book.

Seeds of many areas of knowledge.

During listening to this book I caught myself wondering about those little plant babies and how I unscrupulously devour them - kind of change from animal focused feelings directed to meat eaters. Overall the book jumps across various topics from botany, history, politics to farmacology and even religion with all sorts of small interesting bits and points to extended study.

Needed last 20% to be read a bit faster.

This is a great educational book full of fun facts and stories fit for a family road trip on audible!

An interesting book

I had no idea how complex seeds are. it was very interesting to hear the crafty nature of seeds and how they are critical to propagation. you need to listen to this one. You won't regret it.

Inspiring

Concepts from many researchers work laid out and built up with a wealth of experimental findings with wonderful clarity. Enthralling side notes and stories into the part of seeds in history and ever pertinent philosophical paradigms. A core maintained throughout of the story of his own research into the Almendro tree woven perfectly within the wider subject and a sincere admiration of nature's core principles. Brilliant. Thank you Thor, thank you Nature.

Fascinating Microhistory

A fascinating look at seeds written for the non-botanist. The narration by Marc Vietor was very good.

Amazing storyteller.

This is one of the most interesting and entertaining botanical books. He weaves stories and facts together in a sweet and genuine way.
The information has been easy to remember and quite useful.
I very much enjoyed the speaker deep and gentle captivating voice.

Great Popular Science Overview

For those of us who aren't professional or academic botanists, this is a great overview of the functions, evolution, and varieties of seeds. I never even took biology, but I was able to keep up with the narrative easily.

The narrator's voice easily matched the gentle tones and demeanor of the author's words. It was easy to forget that he wasn't the author.