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The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet
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Every Persian carpet has a story to tell -- from the remote villages of Afghanistan and Iran, down the ancient trade routes traveled for centuries, to the bazaars of Tehran and the markets of the Western world. Carpet-making is one of this tumultuous region's few constants, an art form that transcends religious and political turmoil. Part travelogue and part exploration into the meaning and worth of these mystical artifacts, The Root of Wild Madder presents practical information about carpets while exploring the artistic, religious, and cultural complexities of these enigmatic lands.
DESCRIPTION:
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 646
EAN: 9780743264211
ISBN: 0743264215
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2006-08-01
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Persian Carpets
Comment: This is a brilliant read. The author's love of Persian Carpets is infectious. His book is full of colorful anecdotes and sympathetic vignettes about carpets, carpet sellers, bazaaris, caravanserais (which although I had read about them numerous times, I had not before had them described for me so well), of the carpet making of different regions, of the Quiraysh, the tribal regions, Isfahan, Shiraz, Islam, the sights, sounds, colours - the philosophy of carpets... The aura and magic of Persian carpets and Persia/Iran itself is wonderfully evoked by this fantastic book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Root of Wild Madder -- a Persian Tale That Needs a Tighter Weave
Comment: The Root of Wild Madder -- Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet definitely delivers that in the first half of the book. Sadly, the story begins to unravel as one pushes on to finish the book. Brian Murphy, who is clearly knowledgeable about carpets, modern Iran, and ancient Persia, cannot make up his mind how to conclude his book. We don't know if he intends to return to call upon the family of his mentor or will he swear off all future visits due to the recent downturn of affairs in Iran. His ambivalance left me frayed at the edges after reading chapter after chapter of his adventures into the cultural heartland of Iran and Afghanistan and the magic and poetry of their carpets.
These weaknesses aside, the glory of Murphy's book is his ability to get the reader lost in the crevasses of Teheran's carpet bazaars and off the beaten path to where the most ancient of red dyes, madder, blooms. The reader travels over unpaved roads at lightnening speed only to discover the hidden tomb of Persia's greatest poet, Hafez. Murphy also provides a refreshing meditation on the art of the carpet as music being seen and poetry as weft and warp being heard. He also gains access to the women who create the carpets. With gratitude and candor he celebrates their contribution to a world that is made better off through their efforts.
The Root of Wild Madder also provides a useful, if not excellent, introduction to the manufacture of carpets, including looming, weaving, dyeing and, finishing. While Murphy provides several excellent photos, an illustrated glossary of the dozen most important terms would have helped the book.
He also regales the reader with wonderful descriptions of Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad and many other Persian places and this is where I found the book to be its most heartwarming. These descriptions of contemporary Iranian life is where the book is at its strongest and where I would most strongly recommend it to the would-be traveller to that region.
While Murphy does not conclude his stories well, he certainly does open the door to a whole new -- and very ancient -- world that is beyond our experience. Read The Root of Wild Madder for its beginning if not its ending. He will surely reveal to you paths that you did not realize were there.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book for carpetaholics
Comment: If you are hooked on oriental carpets this is a fantastic book. It is a journal of a man's travels through the old carpet weaving countries.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The seductive poetry of oriental rugs
Comment: Brian Murphy's book begins rather slowly but then picks up in interest and even excitement. It is a rich and well documented history, replete with intricacies and exciting revelations. The author allows not to be a carpet connaisseur but he is quick to learn and has evidently done a lot of research to compensate his lacks. It is also well written and quietly evocative. I have two comments to add:
The Qasqua'i (whose tribal carpets have captivated Mr. Murphy) begun their historical treck as Georgian-speaking tribes (see Suny RG, The making of the Georgian nation, 1994, p.4). The vagaries of history made them adopt, first a Turkish dialect and now, living in Iran, Farsi--another example of discordances between ethnic identity and linguistics. But the Qashqa'i carpets poetically and artistically commemorate their past and their history.
A Christian Armenian was involved in the history of madder, but he is generally labeled "Iranian," since more famous cultures always obscure the contributions of lesser known ones. His name was "Jean Althen... [an] Iranian [!] who introduced the cultivation of madder... into Southern France... [H]e was born in a village he spells "Chaouch." He lost his parents during the Afghan invasion and was taken as a slave to Kayseri in Anatolia, where he learned cotton cultivation and dyeing. In about 1736 he escaped to France, where he was received by Louis XV in Versailles...[I]n southern France... he began to cultivate Oriental madder; this proved so successful that madder soon became a main crop of the region... [I]n 1846... his efforts honored, by the erection of his statue on the rock of Notre Dame des Doms.(See http://www.iranica.com/ newsite /articles/v1f9/v1f9a005.html).
There are two interesting asides to this story.
One concerns the species of madder that he brought into France. Was it Rubia peregrina L., or R. tinctorum L.? I believe its the latter (whose root is also known as "racine d'Armenie), found more commonly in the Orient and the source of red madder.
The other is the fact that Dominican monks from Smyrna probably encouraged and helped Althen to escape from Kaiseri, carrying madder seeds with him, to introduce in France a product that a monopoly of the Ottoman empire up to that point, with Oriental punishments awaiting those caught "stealing" it.
In any event, read this book. It is an almost magical introduction to the poetry of Oriental carpets. On second thought, I'll give it four stars and a half.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Poor Book
Comment: This book is low-brow and poorly written. It could have been such a wonderful narrative, but Mr. Murphy fell so short. His knowledge of carpets is minimal, and his views on the region are myopic.
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