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The Root of Wild Madder

Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet

About The Book

Told in exquisite prose befitting one of the world's loveliest art forms, Brian Murphy eloquently chronicles how carpets embody humanity's endless striving for unattainable perfection.

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.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Brian Murphy is the author of The New Men: Inside the Vatican's Elite School for American Priests. A foreign correspondent for the Associated Press since 1993, and the AP's international religion writer since 2004, he lives in Athens, Greece.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 4, 2006)
  • Length: 328 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780743264211

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Raves and Reviews

"A travelogue in the best nineteenth-century tradition.... Readers are treated to a precarious ride."
-- Linda Hales, The Washington Post

"Best book to tide you over when you're done with the morning paper."
-- Chicago Tribune

"A book full of passion...Brian Murphy's excitement about rugs sweeps you away."
-- Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt: A World History and Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

"A superb example of the 'Holy Grail' travel book."
-- Catherine Watson, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

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