Salt a world history book reports

Although i was history major, my attention was never drawn to the importance of salt on the everyday lives of the world s inhabitants, until i read this book. The fascinating early history of salt january, 2014 melissa 2 comments there are a lot of different salts like potassium nitrate for gunpowder and sodium bicarbonate for baking but only one that truly meets our dietary needs and satisfies our craving for that salty taste sodium chloride nacl. Between 1943 and 1947, he held several positions in the upper lefthand corner, also one inch from the teacher, any report book world salt a history feedback if available, and any warnings if necessary. C solar evaporation of sea water system of ponds and sluices. Only kurlansky, winner of the james beard award for excellence in food writing for cod. World book advanced world book advanced includes full encyclopedic and multimedia databases supplemented with online books, primary sources, website links, back in time articles, special reports and more.

An unlikely world history from the bestselling author of cod and the basque history of the worldin his fifth work of nonfiction, mark kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history. 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. Granted, a truly global history would require a team of researchers, but even with that in mind, this author could have done better on both the research and the writing front. When a publishing company agrees to produce an authors first book, it will often try to stake a.

Understand that fact, and the history of salt suddenly becomes a fascinating insight into war, revolution and the collapse of empires. Clearly, the high value placed on salt in many cultures around the world has greatly contributed to the developmental course of human history. A world history, told npr in 2010 when wendys made a big deal. Surprisingly, this story does not feature in mark kurlanskys new book. From the sinking salt towns of cheshire in england to the celebrated salt mine on avery island in louisiana. This salt therapy is carried out in the salt room or salt cave.

In the introduction of salt, kurlansky talks about his view on salt and the people and how it was used throughout history. Salt world offers salt therapy for treating all types of respiratory problems, skin disorders and so on. Well written book about the history of salt and its contribution to the world. Only mark kurlansky, winner of the james beard award for excellence in food writing for cod a biography of the fish that changed the world, could woo readers toward such an offbeat topic of salt a world history. Although i was history major, my attention was never drawn to the importance of salt on the everyday lives of the worlds inhabitants, until i read this book.

Jan, 2014 the fascinating early history of salt january, 2014 melissa 2 comments there are a lot of different salts like potassium nitrate for gunpowder and sodium bicarbonate for baking but only one that truly meets our dietary needs and satisfies our craving for that salty taste sodium chloride nacl. Salt had the economic significance of oil for most of human history. Basically, this is all marketing, mark kurlansky, author of the book salt. When a publishing company agrees to produce an authors first book. The author never treats you like an idiot and the story moves along through to recent times. Ancient history encyclopedia receives a small commission for each book sold through our affiliate partners. Salt has played a prominent role in determining the power and location of the worlds great cities. Mark kurlanskys book salt, which was published in 2002, is a detailed history of salt and its place in both ancient and modern civilizations. The history of the world according to salt is simple.

Mark kurlansky is the author of many books including cod, the basque history of the world, 1968, and the big oyster. Despite its many varied uses and associations, saltsodium. Salt cay bermuda human powered wheel that pumped brine salts impact on drilling. Feb 24, 2002 the book is a natural outgrowth of kurlanskys previous exhaustive study of cod, which of course was preserved with salt and also affected world history. As kurlansky reports, the chinese first start using salt when they found salt rocks on the ground. Tonnes of interesting information, snippets from old recipe books and i mean old and a few pictures dotted in. However, as mark kurlansky so brilliantly relates in his world encompassing new book, salt the only rock we eat has shaped civilization from. Salt, salt, salt industry and trade, large type books publisher waterville, me. A biography of the fish that changed the world, could woo readers. Liverpool rose from just a small english port to become the prime exporting port for the salt dug in the great cheshire salt mines and thus became the entrepot for much of the worlds salt in the 19th century. A world history, author mark kurlansky delves into the history of salt, as well as its impact on empires, wars, and economies, in a text that is lively, comprehensive, and surprising. A world history from the worlds largest community of readers. This book literally changed my understanding of the how humble old salt shaped the world.

World book timelines world book timelines offers hundreds of pregenerated timelines across eight broad topics, which cover various time. Oct, 2015 salt a world history by mark kurlansky 1. It covers ancient rome, the us, uk and france, plus there is a token chapter on china. The book is divided into three parts and begins thousands of years in the past. 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. The fascinating early history of salt today i found out. Showing the same thing is the ghandi salt march, where he used salt to bring together the masses for a movementalso protesting a salt tax. The only problem is at 450 pages and 26 chapters, with numerous visits to different cultures, countries, eras and rulers in an attempt to cover as many of the 14,000 uses that salt is known for finishing salt. A world history by mark kurlansky 08027734, format. I think that the great lesson of salt history is that. So much of our human body is made up of salt that wed be dead without it. The salt heres where culture and history intersect.

A world history unabridged audiobook, by mark kurlansky. The overall evidence in the first half of the 1900s. Mark kurlansky wrote this book because he is fascinated by salt and wanted to write about the history of salt and how it has been used through all these years. Salt a world history book report with sample of character. Solnitsata, the earliest known town in europe, was built around a salt production facility. This book sets out to tell the history of the world s salt usage. The book is a natural outgrowth of kurlanskys previous exhaustive study of cod, which of course was preserved with salt and also affected world. A world history, but mark kurlanskys 450page global tour has too much salt in it. Led by members of the librarys programming committee, this group reads books of interest to food lovers. Salt is best selling author mark kurlanskys story of the only rock we eat. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. However, as mark kurlansky so brilliantly relates in his world encompassing new book, saltthe only rock we eathas shaped civilization from. If youre looking for a free download links of salt.

In the book of genesis, first come the legends, the story of the creation, mythical figures such as adam and eve and noah, generations of people who may or may. Salt enters written history as so many things do with the chinese, who had the first known salt works, imposed the first known salt tax, and fought the first known salt war. A biography of the fish that changed the world among the new york public librarys best books of the year in 1998, as well as a chosen few. A world history, told npr in 2010 when wendys made a big deal of adding sea salt to its fries. A world history summary march 28, 2019 may, 2019 jim farina self improvement 1sentencesummary. From the awardwinning and bestselling author of cod comes the dramatic, human story of a simple substance, an element almost as vital as water, that has created fortunes, provoked revolutions, directed economies and enlivened our recipes.

Salt world salt room therapy salt cave salt therapy for. Jeanbaptiste colbert son of a merchant family, controlled frances finance and commerce. As with his prior foodcentered historical exploration, cod. As mark kurlansky so brilliantly relates in his world encompassing new book, salt has shaped civilization from the beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Writing a global history of salt is a great idea, but this book is not it. Salt is the history of the world told from the point of view of the only rock that we eat, which is salt. The scope of this book is epic in that it starts at the beginning of recorded world history and ends at roughly present day times. A world history by mark kurlansky, paperback barnes. Thousands of napoleons troops died during the french retreat from moscow due to inadequate wound healing and lowered resistance to diseasethe results of salt deficiency. From the bestselling author of cod and the basque history of the world.

Salt is a good book to read in bits and pieces the chapters are fairly selfcontained, between other things, or as a leavening of nonfiction when you dont feel like continuing the novel youre working on. A world history is veined with colorful characters, from li bing, the chinese bureaucrat who built the worlds 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. The first several chapters in the first section of the book deal with the procurement and use of salt in the ancient world. A world history explores how the everyday mineral we know as table salt has shaped human civilization through the centuries, causing wars and the rise and fall of empires. Nor does the ensuing controversy about the gravity of the salthazard. Not a subject i had considered before, nor one i thought would be very engrossing, and yet, it was.

A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured. A piquant blend of the historic, political, commercial. Just be warned the book has little internal flow, and if you want the history and details, youre going to have to research further yourself. Copies of the latest book will be available at the librarys front desk. Mark kurlansky starts out by diving into ancient china and their exploitation of salt. When a publishing company agrees to produce an authors first book, it will often try to stake a claim to his or her second. Despite the human taste and desire for salt, dietary salt intake was likely extremely low in paleolithic times. Mark kurlansky is the author of the basque history of the world, the new york times bestseller cod. Located in presentday bulgaria, the town is thought by archaeologists to have accumulated wealth by supplying salt throughout the balkans salt was of high value to the jews, greeks, tamils, chinese, hittites and other peoples of antiquity. Salt fraud, crime of using salt from the sel du revoir to salt products.

When it rained, a brine soaked into the area around the rock and when the sun came out, the soil produced salt crystals. Kurlansky blends political, commercial, scientific, religious and culinary records into this history of the substance which he claims shaped civilization from the beginning. An unlikely world history from the bestselling author of cod and the basque history of the world in his fifth work of nonfiction, mark kurlansky turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history. In his fifth work of nonfiction, mark kurlansky turns his consideration to a normal family merchandise with a long and intriguing historic previous. Today we take salt for granted, a common, inexpensive substance continue reading. From prehistoric times, the easily obtainable salt supply was far more limited than now, and salt sources were often the basis of human settlements wordwide throughout history until only recently. The first several chapters in the first section of the book deal with the procurement and use of salt in the. Searching for the caribbean destiny, and several acclaimed works of short fiction and. This may be an odd complaint to level at a book called salt. The fine balance of nature, the trade of salt as a currency of many nations and empires, the theme of a popular shakespearean play. A biography of the fish that changed the world, kurlanskys latest reveals how a single curious commodity played a role in human advancement and destruction. Reading the book showed me once again that a wellwritten history book can be a fascinating enjoyment.

Salt world salt room therapy salt cave salt therapy. He wanted to provide insight of how salt is valuable to us humans. Recommended by numerous educational institutions recommend us, including oxford university, michigan state university, and university of minnesota. Its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. They also used it to preserve the wondrous 1,000yearold egg, which takes about 100 days to make, and will keep for another 100 daysgive or take, evidently. A world history leaves you in a brine of facts, but also very thirsty for a unifying theme or story and a more memorable read. History of salt warfare the effects of salt deficiency are highlighted in times of war, when human bodies and national economies are strained to their limits. A world history 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. Delaware county district library ohio american libraries. Heres where youll find foods back story and the role it is playing in shaping our present and future.

When the human menu shifted from saltrich game to cereals, more salt was needed to supplement the diet. The one rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, sometimes surprising part of the historic previous of humankind. Salt room therapy is, very recently, gaining popularity and reckoned as the effective method of treatment for respiratory problems and skin disorders. Mark kurlansky on the cultural importance of salt arts. Throughout his engaging, wellresearched history, kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes.

Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, salt by mark kurlansky is a supremely entertaining, multilayered masterpiece. From the bestselling author of cod and the basque history of the worldin. I had no idea that so much of what we consider important history was influenced by the universal need for salt or salted products. The chinese and the egyptians were the first to use salt on a large scale. Homer called salt a divine substance, while plato described it as especially dear to the gods. Part one a discourse on salt, cadavers, and pungent sauces.