To register this book, I looked up McPhee's list of work, and I was surprised to find out how early this book (1967) came in his career. Of course, his very first book, 'A Sense of Where You Are' (1965) is absolutely just as good. Yes, he started out at that very high level, and hasn't dipped below it once.

McPhee has an almost unique ability to take a close look at almost anything, then find and write about all the interesting aspects. You might think you already know about oranges. But trust me, this book will show you more about history, science, and human nature than you could have ever guessed, and you're going to enjoy every page.

Media mail to eponine38 for debbie4osu's Nonfiction VBB

Thank you, JudySlump612! I look forward to it.

You were right, JudySlump612, I did enjoy every page. McPhee has a way with words and made this subject fascinating. I also enjoyed his subtle humor.

McPhee covers every aspect of oranges, including growing and processing and the revolutionary invention of frozen concentrate. The book is sprinkled with interesting anecdotes and bits of trivia. I particularly liked his description of the "orangeries" that were popular in France during the reign of several kings [and in all my visits to France I never gave much thought to the obvious origin and significance of that word, including the Orangeries in Paris and Versailles - duh!].

Some interesting facts:
A difference of only about 20 feet in altitude can determine whether oranges freeze or not. (p.46)

Florida has always appealed to older folk :-) (p.92) Discussing an expedition in 1842, McPhee writes, "Florida was the only wilderness in the world that attracted middle-aged pioneers. The young ones were already on their way west toward California. The sub-tropics may actually have been fiercer than the plains, in that both areas had hostile Indians but Florida alone had its stupendous reptiles. Florida, even then, appealed to aging doctors, retired brokers, and consumptives..."

Here's a mention of a group that I'd have liked to join: "In Titusville...there was a group called the Sons of Rest. Any member who was seen with perspiration on his face was fined twenty-five cents. At the end of each month, the money was used to buy a pair of overalls for the member who had worked the least. A man named Cuddyback won four pairs of overalls in a row and the organization disbanded."

As you can see from the above quotes, this book has lots of information a bit peripheral to the oranges themselves, and certainly does NOT read like a textbook. Very entertaining and highly recommended. Thank you for sharing, JudySlump612!

Added to MaryZee's Biographies of Things Bookbox and traveling to 6of8.

RIP, MaryZee. We miss you.

Taking from 6of8's MaryZee's Biography of things Bookbox. It looks interesting!

Interesting. Book looks at the Orange industry in Florida from the perspective of the early 1960s. It was informative and well written. I was surprised to read MacPhee blandy describing the 1959 destruction of mangrove swamps and palm grass wetlands for new industrial farms along with core of Army Engineer canals to support them.

How things change. But book was about how we love oranges, and how people were passionate about growing them, so....

We obviously need another book as the destruction of the Florida Cirtrus industry seems more and more possible with 'citrus greening'. see Tampa Bay newspaper article from this year.

Placed in 6of8's MaryZee's Biography of Things Bookbox. Travel far ....

Made its way to Colorado in MZ's memorial bookbox --

While the reviewers loved this book, I think I am going to let oranges travel on with bananas :-)

Taken from MaryZee's Biographies of Things box with thanks.

Headed out in the latest incarnation of MaryZee's Biographies of Things box.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm so glad you've found this book!

Won't you please make a journal entry to let the book's previous readers know that it's safely in your hands? How did you find it? What did you think of it? What are you going to do with it next?

It's now your book, for you to do with as you please: keep it, pass it to a friend, or maybe even leave it where someone else can find it!

If you've ever wondered where your books go after they leave your hands, join BookCrossing and you may find out: you'll be able to follow the further adventures of your books as new readers make journal entries - sometimes from surprisingly far-flung locations.

(Think of it like Where's George for books...or a little like geocaching - you can follow the book's journey every time someone makes a new entry. Some BookCrossers even leave books *in* geocaches!)

BookCrossing: making the whole world a library!

I've enjoyed other works by McPhee, including The Survival of the Bark Canoe, so I nabbed this from the bookbox. (I do like oranges, as do the orioles who visit my yard every summer; I started tempting them with orange slices and they just love them. Whether it's because the color matches their feathers or not I can't say {wry grin}.)

I really enjoyed this book, appreciating the way the author managed to cram so much information into a readable, fast-moving narrative. The first chapter alone gallops through the history of orange-appreciation around the world, almost making me giddy! (Also making me want some oranges, so job well done!) The questions about ancient references to the fruit weren't new to me, but served as a reminder that our modern methods of identifying and classifying plants don't cover those ancient writings, where words that now mean "apple" or "orange" might once have referred to any of a number of fruits. (Imagining Adam and Eve squabbling over an orange is rather funny, though I suppose it's no more unlikely than the "apple" story!)

I did learn some things about the life-cycle of oranges that I hadn't known, such as the green-to-orange-to-green possibilities. I *had* known about the methods used to make grocery-store oranges that vivid orange color, but didn't realize how unrelated it is to the actual ripeness of the fruit. And I hadn't known just how huge a proporition of global orange production is centered in Florida and California - or was; I see that Brazil rules the world in orange production nowadays, with the US a distant second.

The tendency to rely on a very small number of varieties for commercial production has the same advantages - and risks - as in other areas, but recent interest in heirloom varieties and in preserving at least some samples of genetically-diverse seeds may help in the event of diseases wiping out monocultures.

I did get a better appreciation of the effort that goes into managing orange groves - and into producing consistently-flavored orange juice, though I'd rather squeeze my own oranges (and maybe throw in the juice of a single lemon or lime for additional flavor).

And now I really DO want some oranges!

I left this book, bagged against the elements, hanging from a tree in the mural-lined walkway between W. Pearl and the Elm St. garage, at around 3:30 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2016 Keep Them Moving release challenge. ***

*** Released as part of the 2016 Oh, the Places We Can Go release challenge. ***

*** Released as part of the 2016 Wine+Food release challenge. ***