• A History of the World in 6 Glasses

  • By: Tom Standage
  • Narrated by: Sean Runnette
  • Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (4,471 ratings)

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A History of the World in 6 Glasses

By: Tom Standage
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Editorial reviews

The precursor to his equally excellent book on hunger through the ages, An Edible History of Humanity, Tom Standage here charts the developmental course of beverages and their significance for human progress. Standage is really a journalist and a technologist, so A History of the World in Six Glasses is not your average history book. The author is clearly well-researched, but it’s his parlaying of the facts into a cohesive evolutionary narrative that keeps things interesting. Liquid refreshment is an essential part of our existence, and Standage doesn’t simply map out the parallel developments of drink and civilization, but more excitingly, builds a strong case for how each drink has made foundational contributions to its era.

Earphones Award winner and Audie Award-winning producer Sean Runnette does a terrific job of letting beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola speak for themselves. Standage has set forth a tone that is highly interested, but not pedantic or overly exclamatory. Runnette knows just what it takes to fade away into the background, neither bombastically lecturing to the listener nor merely monotonously reading Standage’s text. Every pause is justified and every consonant is crisp. This is nothing less than expected from Runnette, who has been in the audiobook business for more than a decade and is the son of Grammy Award-winning producer John Runnette. As the beverage cultures advance, Runnette increasingly recedes, leaving the text to shine on its own surprising merits.

No matter what your choice of drink, hearing more about its influence on the world is actually quite engrossing. Of particular interest is the appendix at the end, where you can learn about exactly which modern beers most closely resemble the ale of yore, which ancient blends of tea are still available today, and so on. Standage also gives us a taste of the future and comes full circle by speculating on the new millennial prospects for water, that most basic of all beverages. An underrated gem of scholarship, A History of the World in Six Glasses is completely worth the listen for all the fascinating tidbits you will soak up and then deliver the next time you’re pouring a glass of wine at a dinner party, or meeting someone for coffee. Megan Volpert

Publisher's summary

Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece, wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe, they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

For Tom Standage, each drink is a different kind of technology, a catalyst for advancing culture by which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. You may never look at your favorite beverage the same way again.

©2005 Tom Standage (P)2011 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Standage starts with a bold hypothesis - that each epoch, from the Stone Age to the present, has had its signature beverage - and takes readers on an extraordinary trip through world history." ( Publishers Weekly)

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What listeners say about A History of the World in 6 Glasses

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Recommended for Anyone

This is the first book that convinced me to make a written review. A great listen for people that are interested in the ‘history of the world’ side of the book but maybe even better for the people that are more curious about the ‘6 glasses’. Both type of readers will find new information presented in a concise manner.

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Surprising and fascinating

Learned so much more about the world history through this book I think anyone would enjoy it. None of it is what you expect. Great listen.

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A truly delightful walk through history!

A delightful and informative walk through history. It was fun to learn about the origins of some the worlds most popular drinks!

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Excellent Journey

Well-written and very informative. It engaged my attention the entire time. I even rewound it to make sure I caught certain details.

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Pretty Good

I have two complaints, neither of which breaks the book.
1) It is a little too Euro-centric, I would have appreciated a little more time spent outside of Western Society. China and the Middle East were major parts in Tea and Coffee respectively, but I would have liked this eclectic topic to serve as more of a gateway to other parts of the world.
2) I feel like certain parts stop being about the drinks (the conceit of the book) and are more just history happening in and around places where you might be able to order a beverage. The drinks become more of a background element (this is especially the case when coffee houses enter the narrative).

Overall this is a solid read for people who like history presented in a novel way or on novel topics.
Also, the performance is flawless. Runnette at once sounds like a college professor and a sommelier, nailing the tone. of the work perfectly.

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fun trip through history. it's not all booze!

fun trip through history. it's not all booze!

I might listen again. Cheers friend!

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I Learned SO Much from This Book!

A remarkable and poignant way to look at history. After reading, you will always remember the effect of the time's drink on it's historical happenings.

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An interesting take on history through drinks

The author has a well researched and interesting walk through 6 major drinks that have impacted modern history. A fun, quick listen.

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Fun history

I am a fan of most beverages, but particularly coffee. It’s interesting to hear the stories and history of the various beverages that shaped the world. I enjoyed hearing the events and the wars that were interconnected with the various drinks throughout the course of humanity.

If you like history, or you enjoy a particular beverage, you’ll probably enjoy his book.

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doesn't dive deep enough

Many stories (very eurocentric for coffee and tea in particular), but no deeper dive like you would get with guns, germs, and steel for example, which explains why things happened the way they happened from a more fundamental perspective.

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