New Releases by Michael Pollan

The Instant New York Times Bestseller "Pollan’s real genius—the word is not too strong—remains intact. That is his uncanny ability to scent the direction in which the culture is headed. He did it with food and psychedelics, and now, though A World Appears focuses on AI only intermittently, he has done it again." —Charles Finch, The Atlantic From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Change Your Mind, a panoptic exploration of consciousness—what it is, who has it, and why—and a meditation on the essence of our humanity When it comes to the phenomenon that is consciousness, there is one point on which scientists, philosophers, and artists all agree: it feels like something to be us. Yet the fact that we have subjective experience of the world remains one of nature’s greatest mysteries. How is it that our mental operations are accompanied by feelings, thoughts, and a sense of self? What would a scientific investigation of our inner life look like, when we have as little distance and perspective on it as fish do of the sea? In A World Appears, Michael Pollan traces the unmapped continent that is consciousness, bringing radically different perspectives—scientific, philosophical, literary, spiritual and psychedelic—to see what each can teach us about this central fact of life. When neuroscientists began studying consciousness in the early 1990s, they sought to explain how and why three pounds of spongy gray matter could generate a subjective point of view—assuming that the brain is the source of our perceived reality. Pollan takes us to the cutting edge of the field, where scientists are entertaining more radical (and less materialist) theories of consciousness. He introduces us to “plant neurobiologists” searching for the first flicker of consciousness in plants, scientists striving to engineer feelings into AI, and psychologists and novelists seeking to capture the felt experience of our slippery stream of consciousness. In Pollan’s dazzling exploration of consciousness, he discovers a world far deeper and stranger than our everyday reality. Eye-opening and mind-expanding, A World Appears takes us into the laboratories of our own minds, ultimately showing us how we might make better use of the gift of awareness to more meaningfully connect with the world and our deepest selves.

By the bestselling author of The Omnivore''s Dilemma, this is Michael Pollan''s ingenious companion book about the surprising and close relationship between people and plants. In this entertaining young readers edition of the environmental studies classic, Michael Pollan demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a reciprocal relationship. He links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, energy, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, coffee, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also helped them to thrive. The Botany of Desire is perfect for STEM-focused young readers who want to learn more about: human history, biology, and environmentalism climate change and its impact on our relationship with plants gardening and the human-plant relationship

Un libro provocador que cambiará la percepción que tenemos de las drogas, las plantas psicoactivas y todo los tabúes que las rodean. «Maravilloso. Derrumba las diferencias entre legal e ilegal, médico y recreativo, exótico y cotidiano, apelando al principio que une a todo ello: las afinidades entre la bioquímica vegetal y la mente humana». The New York Review of Books Usamos las plantas a diario para alterar nuestra conciencia. Nos relajamos con lavanda o valeriana y nos activamos con cafeína, sin jamás pensar en ello como una adicción. Entonces ¿por qué otras sustancias de origen vegetal, como la psilocibina o la mescalina, son ilegales? ¿Según qué el criterio se ensalzan los beneficios del café y en cambio plantar amapolas es delito en algunos lugares? Michael Pollan investiga tres drogas de origen vegetal, el opio, la cafeína y la mescalina, para mostrar la arbitrariedad de nuestro juicio respecto a estas sustancias, profundamente condicionado por el estigma social. El autor revisa el papel de las plantas psicoactivas en distintas épocas y culturas, a la vez que experimenta con sus efectos. El objetivo es comprender por qué el ser humano hace todo lo posible para alterar su conciencia y, al tiempo, limita este deseo universal con leyes y condena social. Esta obra, combinación de historia, divulgación científica, memorias e incluso periodismo gonzo, ofrece una mirada desprejuiciada y atenta a las distintas variables que han determinado la condena o la legalización. Y da cuenta de la genuina curiosidad del ser humano a la hora de relacionarse con la naturaleza y alcanzar niveles distintos de percepción de nuestro entorno. La crítica ha dicho: «Un estudio concienzudo. A medida que las políticas antidrogas se vuelvan menos punitivas, deberíamos reflexionar en mayor profundidad sobre las sustancias de las que hemos llegado a depender». The New Yorker «Una lectura maravillosa y cautivadora que te dejará pensando mucho después de acabarla. Leerlo es como tomar un psicodélico». The Washington Post «Una narración soberbia. Plantea magistralmente una serie de grandes preguntas sobre drogas, plantas y personas que cambiarán nuestra manera de pensar». The New York Times Book Review «Fascinante. Con profundidad histórica, impacto político y exuberancia narrativa, es un llamamiento a repensar la relación de la sociedad con las plantas psicoactivas». The Boston Globe «La curiosidad insaciable de Pollan sus temas es un don que le ha valido un best seller tras otro. Una combinación fascinante de historia, crónica contemporánea y potente autorreflexión con las plantas como hilo conductor». San Francisco Chronicle «Pollan es un maestro en desarmar la ciencia más compleja para crear una historia atractiva y desafiar las creencias sociales más arraigadas. Aquí descifra nuestras ideas sobre lo que son las drogas y por qué las buscamos». Time

• Jangan makan apa pun yang tak dikenali nenek buyut kita sebagai makanan. • Hindari produk makanan yang mengaku bagus bagi kesehatan. • Hindari makanan yang berpura-pura menjadi sesuatu yang bukan dirinya. • Makanlah hanya makanan yang bisa busuk. • Makanlah makanan dari bahan-bahan yang bisa kita bayangkan keadaan mentahnya atau tumbuh di alam. • Makanlah hanya makanan yang telah dimasak manusia. • Makanlah sebagian besarnya tumbuhan, terutama daun. • Makan berwarna-warni. • Makanlah makanan manis sebagaimana kita dapati keadaannya di alam. • Curigai makanan-makanan non-tradisional. • Berhenti makan sebelum kenyang. • Makanlah ketika kita lapar, bukan ketika kita bosan. • Makanlah pelan-pelan. • “Sarapan seperti raja, makan siang seperti pangeran, makan malam seperti pengemis.”

Drei psychoaktive Pflanzen – Kaffee, Schlafmohn und Peyote-Kaktus –, die uns beleben, beruhigen oder unser Bewusstsein verändern, erkundet Michael Pollan in diesem spannenden Buch: ihre Kultur, ihre Wirkung und die Tabus, mit denen sie behaftet sind. Von allem, was Pflanzen den Menschen zur Verfügung stellen – Nahrung, Medizin, Duft, Geschmack, Schönheit –, ist sicher das Kurioseste, dass wir sie nutzen, um unser Bewusstsein zu verändern: es anzuregen, zu beruhigen oder den Zustand unserer mentalen Erfahrung komplett zu verändern. Pollan erkundet drei sehr verschiedene psychoaktive Pflanzen – Kaffee/Koffein, Schlafmohn/Opium und den Peyote-Kaktus/Meskalin – und macht dabei klar, wie überaus seltsam ihre jeweilige Wirkung wahrgenommen, eingeschätzt und beurteilt wird. Die besondere Kultur, die sich um jede dieser Pflanzen gebildet hat, erforscht er unter anderem, indem er sie konsumiert (oder, im Fall von Kaffee, versucht, nicht zu konsumieren). Er erzählt von der enormen Anziehungskraft, die psychoaktive Pflanzen in allen Kulturen auf Menschen hatten und haben, und von den mächtigen Tabus, die mit ihnen verbunden sind. Grandios verbindet Pollan Geschichte, Naturwissenschaft, Memoir und Reportage und stellt den Diskurs über Drogen damit in ein völlig neues Licht. Über diese Pflanzen gibt es sehr viel mehr zu sagen, als nur ihre Regulierung zu debattieren. Denn wenn wir sie in unseren Körper aufnehmen und sie unser Bewusstsein verändern lassen, sind wir zutiefst mit der Natur verbunden.

Los Angeles Food, Garden and Botanical brand Flamingo Estate continues their expansion into the publishing world with Flamingo Estate Editions, a set of six custom-designed reprints of classic and contemporary books. With only 500 sets printed, the Editions are new classics for the everyday naturalist, cook and pleasure-seeker, written by the best minds of our generation, from Michael Pollan to Jane Goodall. Titles include: How to Change your Mind by Michael Pollan Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams The Art of Simple Food by Alice WatersThe Old Farmer''s Almanac 2022Seeds of Hope by Jane Goodall Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

In twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement - now in one complete set Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As humans have driven the living planet to the brink of collapse, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend it. Their words have endured, becoming the classics that define the environmental movement today. From art, literature, food and gardening, to technology, economics, politics and ethics, each of these short books deepens our sense of our place in nature; each is a seed from which a bold activism can grow. Together, they show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.

The instant New York Times bestseller | A Washington Post Notable Book | One of NPR''s Best Books of the Year “Expert storytelling . . . [Pollan] masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways.” —New York Times Book Review From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan, a radical challenge to how we think about drugs, and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants—and the equally powerful taboos. Of all the things humans rely on plants for—sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber—surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable. So, then, what is a “drug”? And why, for example, is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable, but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime? In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs—opium, caffeine, and mescaline—and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants. Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness, and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings? In this unique blend of history, science, and memoir, as well as participatory journalism, Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts, and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively—as a drug, whether licit or illicit. But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants, Pollan shows, for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds, we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can. Based in part on an essay published almost twenty-five years ago, this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants, and our attraction to them through time, holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds, and our entanglement with the natural world.

This handbook provides a set of easy-to-remember principles to help us consume food more intelligently. Each principle is acompanied by a short explantion. A must have book to answer the eternal question: What to eat today? Vietnamese translation by Quynh Chi

Nella consistente letteratura generata dalla sua scoperta a oggi, l''LSD è sempre stato presentato come una via d''accesso privilegiata - e niente affatto spiacevole - a dimensioni della coscienza che generalmente ci sono precluse. Negli ultimi anni, tuttavia, la ricerca scientifica più avanzata lavora su virtù molto diverse degli «acidi», a cominciare dalla loro efficacia contro patologie infide quali le dipendenze, l''emicrania, le fasi acute della depressione. È una materia densa e al tempo stesso scivolosa, nella quale solo Michael poteva addentrarsi, affidandosi alla leggerezza, alla precisione e all''ironia della sua scrittura. Ne è venuto fuori questo personalissimo incrocio fra un diario di viaggio e la cronaca di un lungo esperimento, dove Pollan incontra una serie di uomini e donne straordinari - guru veri o presunti, scienziati serissimi, medici di frontiera -, e poi decide di provare in prima persona che cosa intendessero i profeti del lisergico per «toccare dio». Scoprendo la luce strana, violenta e terribilmente fascinosa che la sostanza più stupefacente di tutte sembra gettare sul mistero definitivo, quello che tuttora resiste nelle nostre, spesso affannose, ricerche: la mente.

“Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” —New York Times A #1 New York Times Bestseller • New York Times Book Review • 10 Best Books of 2018 New York Times Notable Book • Author of the highly anticipated forthcoming book, A World Appears A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research. A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan''s "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

Nel "Dilemma dell’onnivoro" Michael Pollan aveva smontato, una portata dopo l’altra, il pranzo che ci apparecchiamo ogni giorno, dimostrando che cosa in realtà contenga a dispetto delle etichette. In questo libro, che amplia e conclude il precedente, Pollan va oltre, demolendo alla sua maniera – brillante e sempre imprevedibile – una credenza perniciosa e ormai diffusissima, e cioè che a renderci più sani e più belli non siano le cose che mangiamo, ma le sostanze che le compongono. Nel mondo immaginato dai nutrizionisti, ricorda Pollan, anziché perdere tempo a sbucciare e fare a spicchi le arance basterebbe assumere una quantità equivalente di vitamina C. Nel nostro accade invece che gli stessi nutrizionisti mettano improvvisamente al bando le componenti della dieta che fino a poche settimane prima avevano considerato irrinunciabili, e che per paradosso gli Stati Uniti, cioè il paese più di qualsiasi altro ossessionato dal terrore di mangiare ciò che fa male, o di non mangiare ciò che fa bene, si siano dati il modello alimentare più malsano e patogeno fin qui conosciuto. Il rimedio? Sarebbe semplice, sostiene Pollan: non mangiare nulla che la nostra nonna non avrebbe mangiato. In altre parole, cibo vero, meglio se poco, e meglio ancora se verde. Sarebbe semplice, cioè, se non sconvolgesse il credo dell’industria più potente e insostituibile al mondo, quella agroalimentare. Che, come dimostrano le violente polemiche subito suscitate da questo libro, non intende arrendersi senza combattere neppure all’evidenza.

Wie dankzij psychedelica in een andere werkelijkheid verbleef, zal dat nooit vergeten. Onderzoeksjournalist Michael Pollan beschrijft zijn eigen existentiële ervaringen en onderzoekt de grenzen van wat we begrijpen van de geest, ons bewustzijn en onze plek op deze wereld. Hij spreekt hersenonderzoekers en therapeuten over de nieuwste wetenschappelijke en medische ontwikkelingen rondom geestverruimende middelen en neemt ons mee in experimenten met psychedelische drugs als LSD, psilocybine en DMT, die zijn leven hebben veranderd. Psychedelica hebben sinds midden vorige eeuw een grote invloed op de sociale geschiedenis en het begrip van ons brein, en worden inmiddels gebruikt bij de behandeling van depressie, verslaving en angststoornissen – met indrukwekkende resultaten.

Che cosa mangiamo e perché? Sono domande che ci poniamo ogni giorno, convinti che per rispondere basti sfogliare la rubrica di un giornale, o ascoltare per qualche minuto l’ultimo imbonitore nutrizionista ospitato in tv. Ma se quelle domande le si guarda un po’ più da vicino, come fa Michael Pollan in questo documentato e brillantissimo saggio, forse il primo sull’argomento a non prendere nessun partito, se non quello dell’ironia e del buon senso, le risposte appaiono meno scontate. Che legga insieme a noi le strepitose biografie del pollo «biologico» riportate sulla confezione di petti del medesimo, o attraversi le lande grigie e fangose del Midwest, dove milioni di bovini nutriti a mais e antibiotici vivono la loro breve esistenza fra immense pozze di liquame, egli arriva immancabilmente a conclusioni di volta in volta raccapriccianti o paradossali. Il problema, che Pollan descrive con rigore ed e- strema chiarezza, è che trovarsi al vertice della catena alimentare – cioè poter mangiare, a differenza delle altre specie, pressoché tutto – offre all’homo sapiens numerosi vantaggi, ma lo espone anche a quasi infinite possibilità di manipolazione. Per condurre una vita meno insana, dunque, l’onnivoro ha bisogno di sapere, sui propri appetiti e sui propri meccanismi adattivi, almeno quanto ne sanno gli strateghi dell’industria alimentare. In altre parole, ha bisogno di un libro come questo.

An enhanced edition of Food Rules—beautifully illustrated and packed with additional food wisdom Michael Pollan’s Food Rules prompted a national discussion helping to change the way Americans approach eating. This new edition illustrated by celebrated artist Maira Kalman—and expanded with a new introduction and nineteen additional food rules—marks an advance in the national dialogue that Food Rules inspired. Many of the new rules, suggested by readers, underscore the central teachings of the original Food Rules, which are that eating doesn’t have to be so complicated and that food is as much about pleasure and community as it is about nutrition and health. A beautiful book to cherish and share, Food Rules guides us with humor, joy, and common sense toward a happier, healthier relationship to food.

Zelf koken plaatst de mens tussen natuur en cultuur dat is de plek waar we mens het gelukkigst zijn. Pollan laat ons zien hoe de mens tot de meest vernuftige methoden kwam om rauw voedsel om te zetten in verrukkelijke spijzen en dat zelf koken dé manier is om gezonder en gelukkiger te worden. Met verhalen over zijn zoektocht aan de hand van vuur, water, lucht en aarde laat hij ons thuiskomen in de keuken. Met zijn krachtige proza en sterk betoog zou Pleidooi voor zelf koken wel eens net zo invloedrijk kunnen worden als Pollans eerste boek The Omnivore s Dilemma. emThe Washington Post `Een mooie passage over de relatie tussen barbecue en offeren aan de goden wisselt hij af met het verhaal van ontploffend zelfbrouwbier in de kelder van huize Pollan, een levendig portret van de zuurkoolbacterie of een meditatie over de relatie tussen kaas, seks en dood. emNRC Handelsblad

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NEW NETFLIX SERIES ''It''s not often that a life-changing book falls into one''s lap ... Yet Michael Pollan''s Cooked is one of them.'' SundayTelegraph ''This is a love song to old, slow kitchen skills at their delicious best'' Kathryn Huges, GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR The New York Times Top Five Bestseller - Michael Pollan''s uniquely enjoyable quest to understand the transformative magic of cooking Michael Pollan''s Cooked takes us back to basics and first principles: cooking with fire, with water, with air and with earth. Meeting cooks from all over the world, who share their wisdom and stories, Pollan shows how cooking is at the heart of our culture and that when it gets down to it, it also fundamentally shapes our lives. Filled with fascinating facts and curious, mouthwatering tales from cast of eccentrics, Cooked explores the deepest mysteries of how and why we cook.

Originally published in English: New York: Penguin Books, c2009.

Det er ikke alltid enkelt å vite hvilke kostholdsråd vi kan stole på. Michael Pollan koker det hele ned til syv ord: Spis mat. Ikke for mye. Mest grønt. I denne boken gir han 64 korte råd om hvordan du kan spise sunt. Ifølge forfatteren selv bygger tipsene på en blanding av vitenskap, sunn fornuft og råd fra bestemødre over hele verden. De peker alle i samme retning, nemlig mot bedre helse og bedre utnyttelse av hele klodens ressurser. Boken har forord av Yngve Ekern.

Essen Sie nichts, was Ihre Großmutter nicht als Essen erkannt hätte Vernünftige Ernährung ist an sich nicht kompliziert. Mühsam ist höchstens, all das wieder zu verlernen, was uns die Nahrungsmittelindustrie an gestörtem Essverhalten angewöhnt hat. 64 einfache und intelligente Leitsätze (jeweils mit Begründung und Erläuterung) bringen Licht in den modernen Ernährungsdschungel. Faustregeln wie: „Vermeide Nahrungsmittel, die mehr als fünf Zutaten haben“ oder „Vermeide Lebensmittel, die du aus der Fernsehwerbung kennst“ bringen die Sache auf den Punkt. Dieses kleine „Handbuch“ ist witzig, praktisch und tief durchdacht.

Manger ne devrait pas être aussi compliqué. A notre époque où foisonnent les régimes élaborés et les conseils conflictuels sur la santé, Les règles d''une saine alimentation apporte une simplicité bienvenue aux décisions quotidiennes entourant notre alimentation. Rédigé avec la clarté, la concision et l''esprit qui sont devenus la marque de commerce de Michael Pollan, ce manuel indispensable propose à qui veut manger sainement des règles simples et faciles à retenir, à raison d''une par page. Ce guide qui repose sur une variété de traditions démontre comment différentes cultures, au fil des époques, en sont arrivées à une même sagesse alimentaire. Au supermarché ou au restaurant, c''est le guide parfait pour quiconque s''est déjà posé la question : " Que devrais-je manger ? "