Since the early history of man, salt has always been nearby. Salt: A World History, written by Mark Kurlansky, is describing the importance and the effects on history that salt has had over the thousands of years of human history.
Salt: A World History begins with a simple introduction, which explains what content will be included in the book. Topics range from salt in the past,—Greece, Rome, Egypt, France, Germany, Poland, and Israel—to recipes and instructions on making certain foods, and to the etymology of words such as salary and salami: both which are stems of the word ‘salt.’
The book is divided into three sections, by specific periods of time. In the first section, Ancient China, Egypt, and Rome are the focus, while in the second, countries such as Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, America, and Israel. Finally, the third and last section is about salt in modern times, after 1800 or so. There are also acknowledgements, a bibliography, and an index.
The book has been presented in a way, such that it can be perceived as it is an informational book. The chapters are filled w...
The start of the book focuses mainly on how salt was first discovered and used in the ancient world.
When people think of the ancient Roman civilization, notions of trained legions bent on conquering territory and evocative oratory from celebrated politicians often come to mind. And while early Romans will always be credited for both their insatiable military expansion and their enlightened ideas of government, the rapid growth of Rome was not built on these two pillars alone. Indeed, what led to the rise of such a dominating power in a matter of centuries was not simply from the end of a sword, but from that which grew from the earth -- what the people cultivated, traded and consumed. One very significant agricultural need of a growing population that transformed the bounty of the harvest into a cultural ritual and tradition of Roman life was wine. This presentation will demonstrate how the beverage became a locally grown and manufactured staple that played a powerful role in the social, institutional and economic life of the civilization.
According the sweeping introduction of the book, I am already able to envision a number of entry points for the investigation of this
I first read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel in the Fall 2003 based on a recommendation from a friend. Many chapters of the book are truly fascinating, but I had criticisms of the book back then and hold even more now. Chief among these is the preponderance of analysis devoted to Papua New Guinea, as opposed to, say, an explanation of the greatly disparate levels of wealth and development among Eurasian nations. I will therefore attempt to confine this review on the "meat and potatoes" of his book: the dramatic Spanish conquest of the Incas; the impact of continental geography on food production; and finally, the origins of the Eurasian development of guns, germs, and steel. In terms of structure, I will first summarize the book's arguments, then critically assess the book's evidentiary base, and conclude with an analysis of how Guns, Germs, and Steel ultimately helps to address the wealth question.
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There is a lot of information presented in the text. This is why McNeill has to be careful with the organization of concepts in his book. M...
of a book a person may want to know what’s the basic outline of the
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
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Lewis, Bernard. The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years. New York: Scribner,
Classzone.com. Retrieved February 7, 2011, from http://www.lmoskal.net/worldhistory/whtext/ch22/W5E22BAD.pdf
Stylistically, the book is arranged in rotating chapters. Every fourth chapter is devoted to each individual character and their continuation alo...
Damrosch, David, and David Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. The Ancient World. Volume A. Second Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Pgs. .656-691. Print.