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Loading... Salt; A World Historyby Mark Kurlansky
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. As unlikely as it sounds, this book about common salt is truly fascinating. Kurlansky tracks the progress (and transgressions) of humans and civilizations as they discover the amazing powers of salt. Empires rise and fall, inventions abound, daily diets and world economies are all dramatically transformed and it's all because of an inexpensive substance most of us take for granted. I found "Salt" to be a very tasty educational epic consisting of a little basic chemistry, some fundamental geology, a hint of art, a good dose of engineering, some light humor, a smidgeon of cooking and a generous portion of world history. I doubt anyone who reads this book will ever look at their salt shaker the same way again. Definitely worth the read. World history of the extraction and use of salt and its consequences for human life. Interesting insight into how it shaped political and economic forces from the strategic weakness of the south in the USA civil war to the raise and decline of Venice etc. And promoted and sustained the power of the state-interesting potential for a Marxist case study here. Interesting, but reads like a series of wikipedia entries. A fascinating history of salt, from its origins as a form of currency in ancient Rome (thus the word 'salary') to the many techniques of harvesting and varieties of salt on our planet. Kurlansky turns this basic chemical element into a saga of both historical and culinary delight. 0.060 seconds to build listing
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0142001619, Paperback)Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:55 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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If you start with the assumption that by telling world history through the lens of salt, as it were, the history will be a little skewed, it is an excellent book. Was salt really a major driving force in the US Civil War? Probably not to the degree you might think if this was your only source. Was it still at least tactically important? Almost certainly.
The history is engaging and easy to read covering with fact or reasonable conjecture the involvement of salt across a few thousand years of human history. Along the way it touches on some other interesting technologies, developments, and events (drilling techniques, canal building, India and British colonial policy to name a few). And for someone who just enjoys collecting random bits of information to annoy their friends at parties it is a great source of information. For instance, did you know that ketchup was originally a salt-preserved fish sauce?
I can easily see how Kurlansky would arrive at a book on salt after writing a book on Cod, since salt is so heavily involved in food preservation, especially fish. Much as like this one, I'm not sure I'm ready to run out and read another one of his food-centered histories. (