Bamboo has an unparalleled history; it is veryold, and at the same time very new. Bambooextends far beyond the boundaries of mostplants it is distributed widely throughoutthe world, and is utilised by hundreds ofmillions of people in a great number of ways.Through its myriad uses as food, clothing,paper and shelter, bamboo has met thephysical and spiritual requirements ofhumanity since the earliest times.

Bamboo plays a vital role in the survivalof many animals and ecosystems as wellas having unique characteristics, offeringpotential solutions to modern ecologicaldilemmas it grows extremely quicklyBamboo is even a new material fortoday's modern bicycles. This book draws ona vast array of sources to build a completepicture of bamboo in both history and ourmodern world.