Salt
A World History
Description
From pre-history until just a century ago - when the mysteries of salt were revealed by modern chemistry and geology - no one knew that salt was virtually everywhere. Accordingly, it was one of the most sought-after commodities in human history. Mark Kurlansky illuminates the big picture by focusing on one seemingly modest detail. In the process, the world is revealed as never before.
About this Author
Mark Kurlansky is the author of The Basque History of the World and of Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, which won the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing. When not travelling, he lives in New York City.
Reviews
"Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur. Salt: A World History reveals all the hidden drama of its seemingly pedestrian subject.... an immensely entertaining read." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Stylishly written and wonderfully learned ... William Blake famously suggested that the world was to be seen in a grain of sand; Kurlansky has seen it in a grain of salt." -- The Observer
"Mark Kurlansky's almost 500-page opus on earth's only edible rock is the stuff of which epics are born...." -- Zsuzsi Gartner, The Globe and Mail, Saturday, January 26, 2002
"In Salt, Mark Kurlansky, who charmed readers with an entertaining volume on the codfish, turns to a chemical that is essential to human life....darned interesting.... Kurlansky gives us entertainment.... At its best, this is a "wow!" book: roving, startling, engaging." -- Sidney W. Mintz, The Washington Post, Sunday, January 27, 2002
"Only Mark Kurlansky, winner of the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing for Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, could woo readers toward such an off-beat topic of Salt: A World History...Throughout his engaging, well-researched history, Kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes. A piquant blend of the historic, political, commercial, scientific and culinary, the book is sure to entertain as well as educate." -- PW Daily, Friday, Nov. 16
If the product is in stock at the store nearest you, we suggest you call ahead to have it set aside for you, or you may place an order online and choose in-store pickup.