Salt: A World History
Where to buy Salt: A World History books online?
- ISBN13: 9780142001615
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling leader 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 tale is a glittering, regularly 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.
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i am a salt historian and it left a salty taste in my mouth.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
One of the most fascinating aspects of salt is that it is hygroscopic. That is due to its compound scenery, it is slightly cooler than “room temperature”. Consequently, water will form on the surface of salt from the atmosphere if it is even moderately humid (hence the reason why most of us place rice in our salt shakers – to absorb the water salt collects). You do not have to be a brain surgeon to know the process. Imagine my surprise when I establish in the very first chapter, Kurlansky waxing on whimsically about how he tried to “cook” all of the water out of his pet salt crystal so that water would not come out of it and dissolve the surface. I figure that he knows that salt is made up of NaCl (although I now have my doubts) and there is not much room for water in its crystal structure (nearly zero water in it). Here is a guy that has written an entire book on the theme salt. I presumed when I bought the book that he would be to some extent of an power on the theme. To say the least, I have to question his abilities to write a book on salt based on the fact that he does not have the foggiest thought about one of the most appealing properties of his theme. Wow. This is a case of a excellent writer attempting to write on a theme he forgot to read about. By the way, a casual search of salt properties on the internet would have agreed him the right information.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
If Bush is reading this piece of arcania, I’ll start to worry about him. This hopeless John McPhee wannabe stuffs the book with a lot of vignettes but, trust me, any encyclopedia article on salt is better written and more appealing. It’s exceeded in tedium only by his book on cod. If you’re having distress getting to sleep at night, THIS is the book that will solve your problem…quick.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
I purchsed this book used, and that’s just what I got: a used book. Some of the pages were bent and the take in a small worn, but additional than that it was ok. It looked as if it had been read more than once. But that’s what I ordered…so it was ok.
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
The thought of how salt influenced world history sounded like an intriguing read when I first chose this book. But, I was reasonably disappointed because the book turned out to be mostly about the History of Salt. Your time can be better spent elsewhere considering that the book is also 400+ pages.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5