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Powells.com Staff Pick
I like salt. When I was younger and less self-conscious about eating a
chip made from a potato paste, I used to lick each side of a Pringle until
I found the saltier one, and put that side tongue-down so I could get the
maximum salt intake. Salt is good. And yet, I honestly had no interest
in reading about salt. It's a condiment! What's next, a heavily researched
tome on catsup? Relish? Salsa?
Imagine my surprise, then, to find that Kurlansky has managed to tell the history
of salt in the context of the entire world's history — and he's actually
pulled it off. Kurlansky makes a convincing argument that salt has shaped
the course of civilization as we know it. Wars have been fought to obtain
and control it, societies have collapsed without it — and just imagine
McDonald's fries without that finely granulated salt they use! Kurlansky
alternates intricate historical detail with pungent anecdotes, and the
result is a book that informs while it entertains. And if it makes you
a little hungry, well, you can find plenty of low-fat pretzels to satiate
that salty desire. Bolton, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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.
Book News Annotation:
Kurlansky combines thorough research with an engaging writing style
to make this a readable and fascinating history. This is a handy
paperback reprint of the first edition, which was published by Walker
& Co. in 2002.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Review:
"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." Publishers Weekly
Review:
"Kurlansky thinks big....This is the big story Kurlansky unfolds in chapters that proceed from time immemorial to the present and cover such specific topics as 'Salt?s Salad Days' in ancient Rome....Tasty, very tasty!" Ray Olson, Booklist (Starred Review)
Review:
"Kurlansky exhaustively documents every salt-related twist and turn of world history, but that becomes problematic....History's cyclical repetitions can be worth investigating, but much of Salt's timeline-marking activity could have been collapsed into one lengthy chapter and spiked with more analysis." Noel Murray, The Onion A.V. Club
Review:
"[A] remarkable book....While homemakers and master chefs alike should enjoy this book, it's also likely to consume the interest of those who survive on TV dinners." Alan Prince, BookPage
Synopsis:
The bestselling author of "Cod" and "The Basque History" turns his attention to salt, a common household item with a long and intriguing history. In this multilayered masterpiece, Kurlansky explains how salt provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions.
Synopsis:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 453-465) and index.
About the Author
Table of Contents
pt. 1. A discourse on salt, cadavers, and pungent sources. A mandate of salt — Fish, fowl, and pharoahs sic — Saltmen hard as codfish — Salt's salad days — Salting it away in the Adriatic — Two ports and the prosciutto in between — pt. 2. The glow of herring and the scent of conquest. Friday's salt — A Nordic dream — A well-salted hexagon — The Hapsburg pickle — The leaving of Liverpool — American salt wars — Salt and independence — Libertâe, egalitâe, tax breaks — Preserving independence — The war between the salts — Red salt — pt. 3. Sodium's perfect marriage. The odium of sodium — The mythology of geology — The soil never sets on ... — Salt and the great soul — Not looking back — The last salt days of Zigong — Ma, la, and Mao — More salt than fish — Big salt, little salt.
