Tom Standage is one of those authors whose new works I will seek out when they are published. His best work to date is "The Turk" about the "automated" chess player from the 18th century. "A History of the World in Six Glasses" is up there, but not quite as good.
Essentially the book is divided into six sections of two chapters each, detailing how civilization evolved and changed due in some part to a particular popular new drink. These drinks are beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Each section devotes some time to the deveopment and use of the drink in question.
By far, my favorite section is the one on beer. The basic idea of settling in one place for agricultyral reasons (to raise the grain to make beer) is not refuted, entirely, but Standage makes some facts known that this was not solely the case.
He continues with wine, which at first was the elixir of only the nobility, while the commoners still drank beer. But that changed as the production of wine became easier. Soceity evolves as well as does the industrial technology as the book goes on, as a result of each new drink's introduction into the world.
The only section I really found boring was the one on tea, due in some part to the fact that I don't like, nor drink it, I'm sure. Otherwise it is a fascinating book, even for those who don't like history, I would wager.
Rate this on 7 stars.
Winthrop
No comments:
Post a Comment