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“A fascinating history of the role of food in causing, enabling and influencing successive transformations of human society … An extraordinary and well-told story, a much neglected dimension to history.”—Sir Crispin Tickell, Financial Times
“The emphasis on food as a cultural catalyst differentiates Standage from Michael Pollan, whose plants’ eye view of the world keeps the consumables central. With Standage it is not what changes in food that matters, but rather what food changes. And it’s not just one food lifting and guiding history, but what Adam Smith might have called the ‘invisible fork’ of food economics.”—New Scientist
“Earliest civilizations appeared on earth when farmers banded together and exploited their excess crops as a means of trade and currency. This allowed some people to abandon agriculture [leading to] organized communities and cities. Standage traces this ever-evolving story through Europe, Asia, and the Americas and casts human progress as an elaboration and refinement of this foundation … Standage also uncovers the aspects of food distribution that underlay such historic events as the Napoleonic Wars and the fall of the Soviet empire.”—Booklist
“[Standage] shows how one of humanity’s most vital needs (hunger) didn't simply reflect but served as the driving force behind transformative and key events in history… Perhaps the most interesting section is the final one, which looks at the ways in which modern agricultural needs have acted as a spur for technological advancement, with Standage providing a summary of the challenges still faced by the green revolution.”—Library Journal
“This meaty little volume… ‘concentrates specifically on the intersections between food history and world history.’ But history isn’t Standage’s only concern. He takes the long view to illuminate and contextualize such contemporary issues as genetically modified foods, the complex relationship between food and poverty, the local food movement, the politicization of food and the environmental outcomes of modern methods of agriculture … Cogent, informative and insightful.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The History Of Food.,
By
This review is from: An Edible History Of Humanity (Hardcover)
This book attempts to explain the history of food and the effects on the human population. I rather enjoyed the story. Food is obviously an important aspect of every human society. Food also has an effect on warfare, politics, immigration, culture, and just about everything else.Standage covers a lot of material, so things are kept fairly brief. Most readers will be familiar with most of the stories, but the addition details should help fill in the blanks. I would recommend this book, to anyone that enjoys different aspects of human history.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By
This review is from: An Edible History Of Humanity (Paperback)
This book was amazing. it is written from a perspective on how food changed us and how we have changed food since the "invention" of agriculture... it talks about societal influences since the advent of agriculture, nutritional impacts, and how it provided motivations for trading and exploration throughout history. this is not a book about a certain food in particular but how certain foods have influenced the course of history. a must read for the history buff!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Collected sophomore papers,
By
This review is from: An Edible History Of Humanity (Hardcover)
This book title invites you to believe that "World History" will be discussed, with food as the theme. It would be good to have a continuous theme, and a better thought-out notion, any notion, of the course of history. Yes, it is true that food is necessary if people are going to act, but to contend that without food, things wouldn't have happened, and there's the role that food played, sheds little light on either history or food. Leaving out well-known, entertaining intelligent theses, for example that proposed by Carter and Dale in "Topsoil and Civilization", indicates the level of research. I conclude that the book is the hurried follow up to a financially successful book.
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