Reviews
"On rare occasions a book comes along that totally revises how we look at important historical issues. Luke Manget's Ginseng Diggers is such a book, providing crucial new insights into Appalachian subsistence practices. Manget opens up a whole new world of root and herb gathering, the business surrounding it, and the commons practices that made it possible. A must-read for scholars of Appalachia and anyone interested in the region's culture and history."—Daniel S. Pierce, author of Tar Heel Lightnin'
"Manget's impressive research in merchant records, correspondence, diaries, and local newspapers provides a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of ginseng culture in Appalachia and its connection to the national economy and society. A major addition to our understanding of land use, the role of the commons, and capitalism in the mountains."—Ronald D Eller, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky and author of Uneven Ground
"With careful research and engaging prose, Luke Manget unravels the fascinating story of American ginseng and those who harvested it and other medicinal plants from mountain forests. Devoting equal time to both people and nature, the author provides a fresh environmental context for considering issues crucial to Appalachian history, including the changing forest commons and the vagaries of capitalism in small communities. This is a must-read for anyone interested in ecology, economics, and the enduring legacy of the Appalachian 'sang digger.'"—Timothy Silver, author of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains and coauthor of An Environmental History of the Civil War
"Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Ginseng Diggers is a tour de force in the still-emerging field of US commons history. Manget guides us surefootedly through nineteenth-century Appalachian forests, excavating the intricate ecologies, economies, and cultural contexts medicinal plant gatherers routinely navigated. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in imagining more sustainable futures, Ginseng Diggers makes vital contributions to the histories of medicine and capitalism as well as to environmental history and Appalachian studies."—Kathryn Newfont, author of Blue Ridge Commons and coeditor of The Land Speaks
"Like Jessica Wilkerson's study of Appalachian women devoted to social justice and labor activism, To Live Here, You Have to Fight, and the indispensable, wide-ranging anthology Appalachian Reckoning, Luke Manget's study joins a number of books in recent years that challenge reductive narratives about Appalachia's cultural and economic history. Ginseng Diggers belongs in any library of books devoted to this necessary course correction."—Chapter 16
