Book,
Dragon's Brain Perfume: An Historical Geography of Camphor (Brill's Indological Library, V. 14)
Brill Academic Publishers, (March 1999)
Abstract
In the Dragon's Brain Perfume (a Chinese description of Camphor)
once more the existence and importance of world systems of exchange
becomes clear. In the pre-industrial world aromatic substances have
always counted among the most prominent items of long-distance trade.
The finest camphor came from Malaya, Borneo and Sumatra, but long-distance
trade took it to societies at the geographical poles of demand -
China and the medieval West already in late Antiquity (ca. 6th century
A.D.). In India it was in use at an even much earlier period. <P>The
present monograph opens with a survey of aromata generally - origins,
time and place of demand - from the Ancient Civilizations to the
Age of Discoveries. Chapter two concerns the natural history of camphor;
subsequent chapters are organized by regions (India, Western Asia,
the medieval West, South East Asia, China and Japan), with a postscript
on Origins and Diffusion. <P>Evidence is drawn from an extensive
range of sources in natural and cultural history.The work includes
15 original maps, 28 illustrations, and an extensive bibliography.
