Lobster

The Beauty of an Ugly Creature

By: Mark Kurlansky

Joining New York Times-bestselling author Mark Kurlansky’s groundbreaking, award-winning Cod and Salt—a new classic-in-the-making.

When Mark Kurlansky was seventeen, he took his first job as a commercial fisherman in the Atlantic on a forty-five-foot, wooden-hulled, two-man lobster boat, thus igniting a lifelong fascination and kinship with the mysterious creature. Since that defining experience, the lobster’s role in cuisine and culture have changed dramatically, as it has throughout history. Once thought of as peasant food (“Lobster again?” some eighteenth century New Englanders are reported to have griped), the humble crustacean, a cornerstone of coastal cuisine and economies, is now considered a delicacy, an animal rights cause célèbre, and a scientific marvel.

In Lobster, Kurlansky examines the lobster and its biological, cultural, and culinary identities throughout history and around the world, including fiffteen historic recipes that bring to life eras and cultures devoted to capturing and cooking the crustacean.

Critic reviews

An unraveling of the onion botanically, historically, medicinally, literally, economically and gastronomically around the world . . . a lively read.

There are few authors better suited to exploring the history of the onion than Mark Kurlansky . . . Kurlansky manages to make the cultivation and culinary use of the onion feel like an epic tale as he follows the beloved allium across history, across the globe, and of course, across our plates.

Mark Kurlansky has made a name for himself with deep dives into singular ingredients.

Mr. Kurlansky is a veteran writer. Over the course of 34 books, he has come to be known for his ability to weave history, philosophy and personal experience into compelling narratives . . . [This] book offers fascinating chapters on the history of fly fishing and tackle flies, rods, reels, lines, even waders . . . The fishing trivia Mr. Kurlansky cites is often marvelous.