TwitterFacebook

"Since childhood, I’ve been a War of 1812 buff … Never before, however, have I encountered a book on that war more intellectually engaging than The War of 1812 and the Rise of the U.S. Navy ... Inspired ... couldn’t have done a better job of weaving together first-person accounts of the War of 1812 into a single volume … Spectacular… Jenkins and Taylor’s tapestry of personal reminiscences of the war is sui generis. Clearly, the bicentennial of the war that birthed the U.S. Navy holds surprises for even scholars of the era."

-Douglas Brinkley

Praise for ‘Ginseng, the Divine Root’

“Adventurous.” —Booklist

A “fascinating tour… a master storyteller.” —Library Journal

“An engaging cultural history.” —The Brooklyn Eagle

“An excellent job. I would highly recommend this book … reminds me of Michael Pollan, author of The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” —Herbalgram

“An intelligent, wide-ranging account.” —Publishers Weekly

Read More

Praise for ‘Soul of a People’

“A wonderful and engaging book.” — Robert Whitaker, author of On the Laps of Gods: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice That Remade a Nation

“David Taylor goes inside the project to give us intimate snapshots of the writers and what they saw and felt during that hard time. Soul of a People is a revealing and a valuable resource.” — Nick Taylor, author of American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA

“An excellent history…” — Washington City Paper

Read More

About the Author

David Taylor writes about revealing connections between people and their worlds. His articles have appeared in Smithsonian, TheWashington Post, The Village Voice, Outside, The Christian Science Monitor, and elsewhere. His view inside Africa’s hottest music scene appears in Washington Post Travel. Read a related interview with Malian music stars Amadou and Mariam on Afropop Worldwide. Listen to more from Studio Mali, featured in the article. Watch a delightfully goofy video of Abdoulaye Diabate’s song Sere.

Read More