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.

Reviews

Murphy (The New Men), a well-traveled correspondent for the Associated Press, has not written a book about madder root or Persian carpets. His book, rendered in simple, effective prose, is mostly about shopping. The shopping occurs in the bazaars of Iran and Afghanistan, however, and is negotiated through elaborate conversations-about God, family, war, trade, Hafez's sublime poetry, and, almost incidentally, carpets-that bring life and attitude to Murphy's travel tale. In the first section, Murphy relates his travels in Afghanistan, where he struck up a poignant conversation with three girls weaving the carpets that are their dowry as well as their link to their mothers and to God. The second section describes his earnest conversations with Iranian Sufis and the topography of dyes and dyeing. The last section touches on the ethics and customs of carpet markets, ancient and contemporary, local and global. Readers interested in madder itself should read Robert Chenciner's Madder Red: A History of Luxury and Trade, while those interested in Persian carpets may select from a large collection of scholarly and popular works. Murphy's book works best for public libraries as travel literature. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/05.]-Lisa Klopfer, Eastern Michigan Univ., Ypsilanti Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

"As richly textured, tightly woven, and colorful as the subject itself, this is a must for anyone who treasures -- or even walks on -- fine carpets."

-- Mort Rosenblum, author of "Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light"

Murphy, an AP religion reporter, presents his travels across the zone where Persian carpets are made in a diligent quest to understand them as both art and commodity. He immerses himself in carpet-making culture, accruing trade secrets and learning specialized vocabulary from Afghan and Iranian mentors. Murphy begins his journey in a Tehran bazaar stacked high with carpets before traveling to the ancient weaving center of Herat, in northwestern Afghanistan, arriving weeks after the fall of the Taliban. Visiting Shiraz, he's impressed by the untutored intellect of young illiterate girl weavers. At last he finds himself amid wild madder fields (madder is the source of Persian carpets' characteristic shade of red). Taking in dog fights, gruesome games of polo and disturbing scenes of child labor and poverty, Murphy tactfully emphasizes the warm hospitality, expertise and enterprise of his Iranian and Afghan hosts, providing extended biographies for some of them. His book exudes humility and respect for Islamic culture and a welcome eyewitness account of, and historical information about, a region much in the news. Nevertheless, the writing too often becomes pedestrian and unsatisfying in misguided efforts to be atmospheric. Map not seen by PW. Agent, Robert Shepard. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.