Items related to Salt: A World History
Synopsis
Homer called salt a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. Today we take salt for granted, a common, inexpensive substance that seasons food or clears ice from roads, a word used casually in expressions ("salt of the earth," take it with a grain of salt") without appreciating their deeper meaning. However, as Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates in his world- encompassing new book, salt—the only rock we eat—has shaped civilization from the very beginning. Its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind.
Until about 100 years ago, when modern chemistry and geology revealed how prevalent it is, salt was one of the most sought-after commodities, and no wonder, for without it humans and animals could not live. Salt has often been considered so valuable that it served as currency, and it is still exchanged as such in places today. Demand for salt established the earliest trade routes, across unknown oceans and the remotest of deserts: the city of Jericho was founded almost 10,000 years ago as a salt trading center. Because of its worth, salt has provoked and financed some wars, and been a strategic element in others, such as the American Revolution and the Civil War. Salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia and have also inspired revolution (Gandhi's salt march in 1930 began the overthrow of British rule in India); indeed, salt has been central to the age-old debate about the rights of government to tax and control economies.
The story of salt encompasses fields as disparate as engineering, religion, and food, all of which Kurlansky richly explores. Few endeavors have inspired more ingenuity than salt making, from the natural gas furnaces of ancient China to the drilling techniques that led to the age of petroleum, and salt revenues have funded some of the greatest public works in history, including the Erie Canal, and even cities (Syracuse, New York). Salt's ability to preserve and to sustain life has made it a metaphorical symbol in all religions. Just as significantly, salt has shaped the history of foods like cheese, sauerkraut, olives, and more, and Kurlansky, an award-winning food writer, conveys how they have in turn molded civilization and eating habits the world over.
Salt is veined with colorful characters, from Li Bing, the Chinese bureaucrat who built the world's first dam in 250 BC, to Pattillo Higgins and Anthony Lucas who, ignoring the advice of geologists, drilled an east Texas salt dome in 1901 and discovered an oil reserve so large it gave birth to the age of petroleum. From the sinking salt towns of Cheshire in England to the celebrated salt mine on Avery Island in Louisiana; from the remotest islands in the Caribbean where roads are made of salt to rural Sichaun province, where the last home-made soya sauce is made, Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of history, a multi-layered masterpiece that blends economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale.
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About the Author
Mark Kurlansky is well-known to readers through his popular books Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, and, more recently, The Basque History of the World (both published by Walker & Company.). Salt is an appropriate bookend to these books: the story of a humble but ubiquitous substance inextricably interwoven with the history of mankind.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Salt : A World History
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
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Condition: Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 4227932-6
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Salt : a World History
Seller: Daedalus Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Later Printing. A nice, solid copy.; B & W illustrations; 8vo; 484 pages. Seller Inventory # 351065
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Salt: A World History
Seller: Indianabookbuyer, Bloomington, IN, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. hardcover, fine DJ, , clean, unmarked pages, good binding, Seller Inventory # A1341 03152025
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Salt: A World History (Inscribed Copy)
Published by
Walker and Company, 2002
ISBN 10: 0802713734
ISBN 13: 9780802713735
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Seller: M.S. Books, Salisbury, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Inscribed Copy of this lively history of one of humanity's most vital natural resources -- salt. Inscribed by Mark Kurlansky to a previous owner on the title page. 484 pages. Minimal sign of previous use. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 017129
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Salt; A World History
Seller: Last Exit Books, Charlottesville, VA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. 8vo. Published by Walker & Co, New York, 2001. 484 pgs. Signed by Mark Kurlansky on the title page. First Edition/First Printing. DJ has light shelf-wear present to the DJ extremities. Bound in cloth boards with titles present to the spine. Boards have light shelf-wear present to the extremities (UPC code tipped to the rear board). No ownership marks present. Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. Best-selling author Mark Kurlansky 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, Salt is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.; 8vo 8" - 9" tall. Seller Inventory # 74442
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Salt: A World History
Seller: Bookplate, Chestertown, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: As New. Advanced Reading Copy from the uncorrected manuscript. Sixty pages total, not the entire ARC/Book. Signed to the title page by the author. Rare. TM/ARC/Galleys. Seller Inventory # ABE-1770948424651
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Salt: A World History
Seller: The Anthropologists Closet, West Des Moines, IA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Like New. Dust Jacket Condition: Like New. Like new hardcover in a like new dust jacket. Previous owners same on the front cover paste down hidden behind the book flap. 8vo. (6.12 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches) Clean text free of marks or underlining. Includes bibliography and an index. 484 pp. Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. Homer called salt a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. Today we take it for granted; however, as Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates in this world-encompassing book, salt-the only rock we eat-has shaped civilization from the very beginning. Its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. Until about 100 years ago, when modern geology revealed how prevalent it is, salt was one of the most sought-after commodities, for without it humans and animals could not live. Salt has often been considered so valuable that it served as currency, and it is still exchanged as such in places today. Demand for salt established the earliest trade routes, across unknown oceans and the remotest of deserts: the city of Jericho was founded almost 10,000 years ago as a salt trading center. Because of its worth, salt has provoked and financed wars; it was, as well, a strategic element in the American Revolution and the Civil War, among other conflicts. Salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia and have also inspired revolution (Gandhi's salt march in 1930 began the overthrow of British rule in India); indeed, salt has been central to the age-old debate about the rights of government to tax and control economies. The story of salt encompasses fields as disparate as engineer-ing, religion, and food, all of which Kurlansky richly explores. Few endeavors have inspired more ingenuity than salt making, from the natural gas furnaces of ancient China to the drilling techniques that led to the age of petroleum, and salt revenues have funded some of the greatest public works in history, including the Erie Canal and the Great Wall of China. Salt's ability to preserve and to sustain life has made it a metaphorical symbol in all religions. Just as significantly, salt has shaped the history of foods like cheese, sauerkraut, olives mal more, and Kurlansky conveys, in his saga and through forty historic recipes how they have in turn molded civilization and eating habits the world over. Salt: A World History is veined with colorful characters, from Li Bing, the Chinese bureaucrat who built the world's first dam in 250 B.C., to Pattillo Higgins and Anthony Lucas who, ignoring the advice of geologists, drilled an east Texas salt dome in 1901 and discovered an oil reserve so large it gave birth to the age of petroleum. From the sinking salt towns of Cheshire in England to the ancient saltwork in southern San Francisco Bay; from the remotest islands in the Caribbean where roads are made of salt to rural Sichuan province where the last homemade soy sauce is produced, Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of history, a multilayered masterpiece that blends economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale. Seller Inventory # 203630
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Salt: A World History
Seller: SZ Global, Toronto, ON, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Collectible-Very Good. Kurlansky, author of 'Cod' and 'The Basque History of the World' takes an extraordinary look at an ordinary substance--salt, the only rock humans eat-- and how it has shaped civilization from the very beginning. 7 maps. 40 photos. 15 recipes. Seller Inventory # 9780802713735
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Salt: A World History
Seller: Griffin Books, Stamford, CT, U.S.A.
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hardcover. Condition: New. Brand new gift quality hardcover in jacket Please email for photos. Larger books or sets may require additional shipping charges. Books sent via US Postal. Seller Inventory # 132633
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Salt: A World History
Seller: Wize Books USA, Davis, CA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. New 1st edition Hardcover book and DJ. --Shrink Wrapped. Be Wize . Upgrade your book seller experience with Wize Books. We give you an honest price, ship next day (M-F), provide tracking, and 1st class customer service. We guarantee it! Make us your go-to bookseller. Seller Inventory # I1346 1Nh 3 ? 02 140