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Loading... Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization (2001)by Iain Gately
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I enjoyed everything but the last 20 pages of this book. The author, a declared smoker, gives a fascinating and witty history of his subject for most of the book. Unfortunately, the last 20 pages deteriorate into a thinly-veiled rant against the anti-tobacco lobby. ( ) no reviews | add a review
When, in 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on a small island he believed to be China, he was met by representatives of the local tribe who offered him gifts of bread, fruit and dried leaves. He threw the leaves into the sea, but Columbus and his crew did not remain ignorant of these leaves'powers or purpose for long. In Africa tobacco was received as spiritual inspiration, the French effused over its beneficial properties, while those Reeking Gallants of England and Elizabethan society set about advertising it as the perfect medicine, capable of curing a number of illnesses, and so the weed made its way into the palaces of Europe. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)394.1Social sciences Customs, Etiquette, Folklore General Customs Eating, drinking, using drugsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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