Salt

A World History

De: Mark Kurlansky

Narrado por: Scott Brick

The author of Cod and The Basque History of the World takes an extraordinary look at an ordinary substance — salt, the only rock humans eat — and how it has shaped civilization from the very beginning. 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.

©2006 Mark Kurlansky (P)2006 Phoenix Books, Inc.

A palatable approach to history

What more can I say about Mark Kurlansky's economic history of the world that the previous reviewers have not already said? Stop reading these reviews already and add the book to your shopping cart. You won't be sorry that you did.

Original history done by lens through specific product

This was a breathtaking history done through the lenses of need for salt, purchases of salt, and the cultural effects of salt. When I first started listening it blew my mind.

Wonderful narrator too. One of the best.

I did find some sections lagged by reciting recipes, some of them pretty gross.

Inaccurate history

It's a tidily written narrative. Not scholarly history. It falls apart completely when talking about the Dead Sea. No mention of Palestine as a country or even Palestinian people when discussing the region before and during the British occupation. I was confused about the time periods due to these omissions, but then he quoted Herzl and called him a visionary. So that cleared that up. Zionism. I know this is pop history but it should be factual, at the very least.

Enjoyable history of salt's effect on mankind.

Enjoyed story of man's interaction with salt. Informative history spanking thousands of years. Narration was clear and understandable.

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.