The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary: A Curious Fable of the Cotton Plant. To Which Is Added a Sketch of the History of Cotton and the Cotton Trade

In this lively investigation the author takes the medieval legend of the “vegetable lamb” – a mysterious plant‑animal said to grow woolly lambs on its branches – and pulls it apart thread by thread. Drawing on centuries‑old texts, he shows how the story, once taken at face value, was really a misreading of early observations of a very practical plant. By following the trail of scholars from the Middle Ages to the Royal Society, the narrative sheds light on how a simple cotton pod was transformed into a fantastical creature in the imaginations of travelers and chroniclers.

Beyond the myth, the work offers a concise sketch of cotton’s journey from exotic novelty to the backbone of a global trade. Readers will discover the curious ways scientific curiosity, artistic imagination, and commercial ambition intertwined, turning a humble seed‑pod into one of history’s most enduring legends.