The Root of Wild Madder

I first saw Brian Murphy’s extensive travelogue The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet this summer, when the magazine I was working for received an advance copy, but I didn’t get to read it until just recently. Initially, I was interested because my family has a long tradition as rug merchants, both in Iran and abroad. What drew me in and impressed me, however, was Murphy’s fascination with carpets and the lengths to which he went to understand them, traveling extensively through Iran and Afghanistan (and in a surprise twist, to New York City), talking to merchants and weavers, and looking beyond Persian carpets to understand the culture from which they are born. The book benefits a great deal from his many years as a journalist, the last several of which have been as the AP’s religion writer, and Murphy’s strength here seems to be in untangling both the convoluted history of the carpet and of the region it comes from.

At times, the book takes sappy turns steeped a little too deeply in the Hafez with which the writer peppers the story. Some of the tricks of Murphy’s trade, namely the short sentences that work in news stories, don’t work in a long, narrative form and interrupt the flow of the story. Ultimately, though, the book’s impressive body of historical information and Murphy’s genuine enthusiasm for and knowledge of Persian rugs make this a more than worthwhile read, particularly in special sections that explain the business and craft of dyeing, weaving, and selling the carpets. If you are intrigued at all by the world of Persian carpets, The Root of Wild Madder should be at the top of your reading list.