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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia Paperback - 2001

by Jeffery Smith

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A memoir encompassing a rich sampling of mythology, natural history, biography, cultural studies, and iconography, this book tells what happens when a psychiatric case manager decides to stop taking antidepressants and get to the essence of melancholia.

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From the publisher

Winner of the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir

Jeffery Smith was living in Missoula, Montana, working as a psychiatric case manager when his own clinical depression began. Eventually, all his prescribed antidepressant medications proved ineffective. Unlike so many personal accounts, Where the Roots Reach for Water tells the story of what happened to Smith after he decided to give them up. Trying to learn how to make a life with his illness, Smith sets out to get at the essence of--using the old term for depression--melancholia.

Deftly woven into his "personal history" is a "natural history" of this ancient illness. Drawing on centuries of art, writing and medical treatises, Smith finds ancient links between melancholia and spirituality, love and sex, music and philosophy, gardening, and, importantly, our relationship with landscapes.

First line

I AM WALKING HOME, I kept telling myself.

Details

  • Title Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
  • Author Jeffery Smith
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Paperback
  • Pages 304
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher North Point Press, New York
  • Publication date 2001-02-15
  • Features Bibliography
  • ISBN 9780865475922 / 086547592X
  • Weight 0.88 lbs (0.40 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.08 x 4.93 x 0.75 in (23.06 x 12.52 x 1.91 cm)
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Depression, Mental, Adjustment (Psychology)
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Review of Books, 10/04/2001, Page 12

About the author

Jeffery Smith was born in West Virginia and was raised just across the the Ohio River in the Allegheny foothills. He now lives with his wife, Lisa Werner, in Coshocton County, Ohio, where he is working on a book about the traditional music of the Appalachians.

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where the roots reach for water - a personal and natural history of melancholia
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where the roots reach for water - a personal and natural history of melancholia

by smith, jeffrey

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Trade Paperback. North Point Press 1999. Light Wear. Clean Text, No Water Damage, Strong Binding. Unless Listed in this decription, VG or Better.
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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

by Jeffery Smith

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Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2001. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

by Smith, Jeffery

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal & Natural History of Melancholia

Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal & Natural History of Melancholia

by Smith, Jeffery

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New York, New York, USA: North Point Press, 2001. First Paperback Edition. Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7?" - 9?" tall. First Paperback Printing. Trade paperback in Very Good Condition. A story of one man's struggle with his dark side and also an exploration of this illness, its history and its place in the larger world. Clean and bright, tight glued binding, no edgewear. Pages clean and unmarked, first few pages are wavy along fore edge, one dog-eared page. 292 pages with Bibliography. 8.5 x 5.6 inches. North Point Press, New York, 2001.
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WHERE THE ROOTS REACH FOR WATER; A PERSONAL & NATURAL HISTORY OF MELANCHOLIA
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WHERE THE ROOTS REACH FOR WATER; A PERSONAL & NATURAL HISTORY OF MELANCHOLIA

by Smith, Jeffery

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New York: North Point Press, 2001. Soft cover. Fine/No Dust Jacket. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. (12)292pp. Biblio.
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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

by Smith, Jeffery

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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
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Where the Roots Reach for Water : A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

by Smith, Jeffery

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780865475922 / 086547592x
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Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia
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Where the Roots Reach for Water: A Personal and Natural History of Melancholia

by Smith, Jeffery

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by Smith, Jeffery

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