Cliff Van Eaton is a well-known writer on beekeeping subjects and is co-author of two books on bee diseases used by beekeepers in New Zealand and overseas. For over 30 years he worked as a beekeeping adviser and consultant in New Zealand, and has also assisted beekeepers in countries as diverse as the Solomon Islands, Uruguay and Vietnam.
Manuka: The Biography of an extraordinary honey
AUD $34.99 Tax Included
Dr. Peter Molan, MBE, the discoverer of the unique antibacterial activity in manuka honey.
“There are things in this book even I didn’t know about manuka. I literally couldn’t put it down.”
Manuka: The Biography of an Extraordinary Honey chronicles the remarkable ‘rags-to-riches’ story of manuka honey, as seen through the eyes of a New Zealand beekeeping specialist who watched it unfold from the very beginning. It’s a great tale of science, in which an inquisitive university lecturer found something totally unexpected in a product everyone had written off.
It’s also an entertaining account of the way that seemingly simple discovery caught the international media’s attention, helping enterprising New Zealanders to develop manuka honey-based products and take them all around the globe. But above all else it’s a story of hope for the future, sounding a note of optimism in a world that for good reason feels saddened and sometimes even afraid about the future of the special relationship we humans have always had with those marvellous creatures, the honey bees.
SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback | Colour Photographs Throughout | 256 Pages
Not so long ago, in a small island nation in the South Pacific, beekeepers produced a most peculiar honey. It was much darker than the clover honey everyone put on their toast in the morning, and it tasted very different. In fact, the honey was a problem: it was hard to get out of the combs, and even harder for beekeepers to sell. Today that honey, manuka from New Zealand, is known around the world. It fetches high prices, and beekeepers do everything in their power to produce as much of it as possible.
Wound dressings containing manuka honey are used in leading hospitals, and it has saved the lives of patients infected with disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to standard antibiotic drugs. In so doing it has forced the medical profession to rethink its position on the therapeutic properties of natural products.
Manuka: The Biography of an Extraordinary Honey chronicles the remarkable ‘rags-to-riches’ story of manuka honey, as seen through the eyes of a New Zealand beekeeping specialist who watched it unfold from the very beginning. It’s a great tale of science, in which an inquisitive university lecturer found something totally unexpected in a product everyone had written off.
It’s also an entertaining account of the way that seemingly simple discovery caught the international media’s attention, helping enterprising New Zealanders to develop manuka honey-based products and take them all around the globe. But above all else it’s a story of hope for the future, sounding a note of optimism in a world that for good reason feels saddened and sometimes even afraid about the future of the special relationship we humans have always had with those marvellous creatures, the honey bees.
World Beekeeping Awards, September 2015
Author Cliff Van Eaton recieves the Silver Medal for ‘Manuka’ at the 2015 World Beekeeping Awards!
“Manuka honey is a uniquely New Zealand product, valued here and internationally for its rich taste and therapeutic properties. In this delightful and surprising book Cliff Van Eaton tells the captivating story of the science behind the discovery of the antibiotic effects of manuka honey, with a focus on the scientists and beekeepers who have brought this product to the world.”
Judges’ comments — Silver Medalist at the World Beekeeping Awards 2015
Finalist – 2015 Royal Society of New Zealand Science Book Prize
Dr. Peter Molan, MBE, the discoverer of the unique antibacterial activity in manuka honey.
“There are things in this book even I didn’t know about manuka. I literally couldn’t put it down.”
Wound Care Journal, July 2015
“An entertaining account of the remarkable story of Manuka… provides the reader with new appreciation of the honey bees, bee-keepers and scientists involvement in the discovery and development of Manuka honey-based products used in wound management today.”
Cafe Society, March 2015
Gives “a detailed account of how the ‘ugly duckling’ of honey came to be a Kiwi icon, and a revered and lucrative industry thanks to a university lecturer who discovered the plant’s ‘unique properties’. ”
Grass Roots, March 2015
“The story of how the honey’s qualities were discovered and the way it took off to become a $140 million a year industry is certainly food for thought.”
Beeworld Journal, International Bee Research Association, January 2015
“The book is written in an easy to read conversational style that makes the text a pleasure to pick up…(it) will not only be of interest to beekeepers and those involved in the honey industry, but to anyone with an interest in science, ecology or natural history…there are numerous complex ideas covered within the text that could have been confusing, but which instead have been handled with skill by the author and so have been communicated in a way that makes them accessible to all…This is an interesting and informative book that makes for a very enjoyable read.”
“A fascinating book.” — Apiservices.com, the world’s most popular beekeeping website
“A love song to honey bees.” – Kathryn Ryan, Nine to Noon, Radio New Zealand
“Compulsive read.” – MindFood magazine
“Well-researched, superbly written.” – NZ Beekeeper magazine
“There are things in this book even I didn’t know about manuka. I literally couldn’t put it down.” – Dr. Peter Molan, MBE, the discoverer of the unique antibacterial activity in manuka honey
“Two or maybe three books in one, and written with both beekeepers and non-beekeepers in mind…The whole book is fascinating to read.” – The Beekeepers Quarterly magazine
Australian Beekeeping Journal, December 2014
Bee World, Volume 92 2015
“Cliff Van Eaton’s book does a remarkable job of turning this scientific journey into a fascinating story, transporting the reader across the globe … With a light, humorous tone, he tackles the hesitancy of the medical establishment to embrace a natural product.”
Apiservices.com, the world’s most popular beekeeping website
“A fascinating book.”
Radio NZ, October 2014
“A love letter to honey, bees and beekeepers.” – Kathryn Ryan
Nine to Noon talks to Cliff Van Eaton about Manuka Honey. Listen to full interview
MindFood magazine
“Compulsive read.”
NZ Beekeeper magazine
“A well-researched, superbly written book.”
The Listener, June 2015
“In Manuka, beekeeper Cliff Van Eaton tells the captivating story of the science behind the discovery of the antibiotic effects of Manuka honey, with a focus on the scientists and beekeepers who brought this product to the world.”
Stephen Franks Blog, 4 February 2015
“Friends gave me this knowing vaguely that I’d had many hives. I saw that the author, Cliff van Eaton, was described as a beekeeping adviser and consultant and prepared myself to skim.
I expected a clumsily constructed amalgam of deep technical material with partisan opinion and passion. I thought I would know most of the content I’d be interested in.
Instead I found an absorbing story, a great deal of new and fascinating information explained for non-scientists, a well constructed narrative, vivid writing and respect for all he mentions.”
Additional information
Book Type | Paperback |
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