Salt

A World History

By: Mark Kurlansky

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

So much of our human body is made up of salt that we'd be dead without it. The fine balance of nature, the trade of salt as a currency of many nations and empires, the theme of a popular Shakespearean play... Salt is best selling author Mark Kurlansky's story of the only rock we eat.

From its single origin, to the other discoveries made because of it, fascinating tales of salt and the people who have been involved with it through the ages are interwoven here. Fifteen recipes are included that will meet with every taste. Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of history, a multi-layered masterpiece that blends economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale.

Enjoy Mark Kurlansky's books? Listen to an interview with the author on To the Best of Our Knowlege.

©2002 Mark Kurlansky (P)2002 New Millenium Audio, All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"A piquant blend of the historic, political, commercial, scientific and culinary, the book is sure to entertain as well as educate." (Publishers Weekly)
"Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

liked it

This is one I wish i had read instead, but it was very good nonetheless

some parts are interesting,but too long

This book should have been about an hour. It was way too detail oriented and gave the same recipe about 10000 times.

Good Read

Enjoyable especially the second half. Drags a little 1/3 way through. Narration is pleasantly unremarkable.

Salt who knew?

This was a great dive into how salt affected human history. It’s a shame subject matter like this isn’t something being taught in more classrooms.

Great historical info

Tremendous amount of research and interesting details about salt sources, uses, value and impact on world culture.

Fascinating and unexpected, great narrator.

I must confess that my ignorance of salt was thoroughly exposed. I was both educated and entertained by this book, a great combination!

The fundamental human need for salt has had far greater impact on civilization than I would have ever imagined. This book abounds in fun and interesting facts and historical reference. As reviewer Thomas states quite nicely, "This is one of those books that just opens your eyes to something you never knew."

Contrary to a few reviews that were less than thrilled at the pace of the book or the inclusion of details such as ancient recipes, I found that the book moved at a pace appropriate to the high level of detail and, for me, it is the precisely the extensive detail that makes the narrative so compelling. While it may be enough for some to hear that, "Salt was important in the Roman diet", I found the author's method of illustrating exactly HOW it was important, such as the inclusion of recipes, or formulas, or method for curing fish, meat, etc., helped to integrate the subject matter directly into the everyday lives of our ancestors in a more vivid and meaningful way. I respectfully suggest that the depth and impact of the book would suffer if such details had been left out.

Acclaimed narrator, Scott Brick, does a masterful job of bringing the story of salt to life. The sound quality and audio production is excellent. Highly recommended.

I will never think of history the same way again

I will never think of history the same way again. Lots of cool, little twists on historical trends, large and small. Very engaging book.

Fascinating and informative

I found Salt to be an incredibly fascinating book. The impact of such a simple thing as salt on social, economic, and political development throughout the history of human kind is just amazing.

I am looking forward to other books by Mark Kurlansky.

Also, Scott Brick's reading is wonderful. He has a great voice that I have enjoyed on other titles.

Interesting, but...

Interesting, but a few too many tangents, making it drag. If this was edited down a bit, it would have been really great.

An amazing way to understand history

Where does Salt rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ever since I listened to History of the World in Six Glasses I have been fascinated by looking at our history and social and cultural evolution in unique ways. This is fascinating account of the impact one of the most simple items, salt, has had on our history and what makes us who we are today. I would never have guessed that salt had such an influence on the growth of nations.

What other book might you compare Salt to and why?

History of the World in Six Glasses

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

I always like Scott Brick as narrator.

Any additional comments?

A great overall read