-
The Food of a Younger Land
- The WPA's Portrait of Food in Pre-World War II America
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Categories: History, Americas
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Salmon
- A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Mark Kurlansky
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In what he says is the most important piece of environmental writing in his long and award-winning career, Mark Kurlansky, best-selling author of Salt and Cod, The Big Oyster, 1968, and Milk, among many others, employs his signature multi-century storytelling and compelling attention to detail to chronicle the harrowing yet awe-inspiring life cycle of salmon.
-
-
Beautiful, informative
- By harsh critic on 01-03-21
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Cod
- A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Talk about a fish story! New York Times and Harper's columnist Mark Kurlansky offers "history filtered through the gills of the fish trade." David McCullough, the historian behind John Adams, says Kurlansky's "charming tale" of a "seemingly improbable idea" will change the way people think of the fish and the history.
-
-
A great fish story
- By Karen on 10-13-03
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Milk!
- A 10,000-Year Food Fracas
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Brian Sutherland
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Kurlansky's first global food history since the best-selling Cod and Salt; the fascinating cultural, economic and culinary story of milk and all things dairy - with recipes throughout. According to the Greek creation myth, we are so much spilt milk; a splatter of the goddess Hera's breast milk became our galaxy, the Milky Way.
-
-
Horrible narration nearly kills Kurlansky
- By Scarlatti's Muse on 05-15-18
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
The Big Oyster
- History on the Half Shell
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants, the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled.
-
-
Ok, but not as good as his "Salt", or "Cod".
- By Frank H. on 03-22-17
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Paper
- Paging Through History
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paper is one of the simplest and most essential pieces of human technology. For the past two millennia, the ability to produce it in ever more efficient ways has supported the proliferation of literacy, media, religion, education, commerce, and art; it has formed the foundation of civilizations, promoting revolutions and restoring stability.
-
-
Flawed Recording Ruins a Fascinating History
- By C. D. Zuff on 07-18-16
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Salt
- A World History
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
More than SALT
- By Karen on 03-12-03
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Salmon
- A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Mark Kurlansky
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In what he says is the most important piece of environmental writing in his long and award-winning career, Mark Kurlansky, best-selling author of Salt and Cod, The Big Oyster, 1968, and Milk, among many others, employs his signature multi-century storytelling and compelling attention to detail to chronicle the harrowing yet awe-inspiring life cycle of salmon.
-
-
Beautiful, informative
- By harsh critic on 01-03-21
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Cod
- A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Talk about a fish story! New York Times and Harper's columnist Mark Kurlansky offers "history filtered through the gills of the fish trade." David McCullough, the historian behind John Adams, says Kurlansky's "charming tale" of a "seemingly improbable idea" will change the way people think of the fish and the history.
-
-
A great fish story
- By Karen on 10-13-03
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Milk!
- A 10,000-Year Food Fracas
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Brian Sutherland
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Kurlansky's first global food history since the best-selling Cod and Salt; the fascinating cultural, economic and culinary story of milk and all things dairy - with recipes throughout. According to the Greek creation myth, we are so much spilt milk; a splatter of the goddess Hera's breast milk became our galaxy, the Milky Way.
-
-
Horrible narration nearly kills Kurlansky
- By Scarlatti's Muse on 05-15-18
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
The Big Oyster
- History on the Half Shell
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants, the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled.
-
-
Ok, but not as good as his "Salt", or "Cod".
- By Frank H. on 03-22-17
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Paper
- Paging Through History
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paper is one of the simplest and most essential pieces of human technology. For the past two millennia, the ability to produce it in ever more efficient ways has supported the proliferation of literacy, media, religion, education, commerce, and art; it has formed the foundation of civilizations, promoting revolutions and restoring stability.
-
-
Flawed Recording Ruins a Fascinating History
- By C. D. Zuff on 07-18-16
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Salt
- A World History
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
More than SALT
- By Karen on 03-12-03
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
The Basque History of the World
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inhabiting the small corner where France meets Spain, the Basque speak their own language, Euskera. Evidence of their culture showed up as early as 218 BC, and now, with a population of 2.4 million, their influence on our world has been all-pervasive. In this "delectable portrait of an uncanny, indomitable nation," listeners will be enthralled as Kurlansky delves into the roots of an intriguing population, and shows us why they continue.
-
-
An eye opener that will break your heart
- By Perry on 12-18-04
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
The Last Fish Tale
- The Fate of the Atlantic and Survival in Gloucester
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fishing at sea, an ancient trade and a way of life that has defined coastal towns throughout history, may be coming to an end. The culture and traditions of coastal Britain and of seagoing nations everywhere are now threatened with extinction. Celebrated author Mark Kurlansky explores the fate of our oceans and the decline of our most ancient coastal enterprise.
-
-
Love me some Kurlansky!
- By Eric Walden on 09-08-15
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
American Cuisine
- And How It Got This Way
- By: Paul Freedman
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries, skeptical foreigners - and even millions of Americans - have believed there was no such thing as American cuisine. In recent decades, hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza have been thought to define the nation's palate. Not so, says food historian Paul Freedman, who demonstrates that there is an exuberant and diverse, if not always coherent, American cuisine that reflects the history of the nation itself.
By: Paul Freedman
-
The Food Explorer
- The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats
- By: Daniel Stone
- Narrated by: Daniel Stone
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 19th century, American meals were about subsistence, not enjoyment. But as a new century approached, appetites broadened, and David Fairchild, a young botanist with an insatiable lust to explore and experience the world, set out in search of foods that would enrich the American farmer and enchant the American eater. Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. But Fairchild's finds weren't just limited to food.
-
-
Unstructured and Insensitive
- By Catherine Puma on 06-01-19
By: Daniel Stone
-
Nonviolence
- The History of a Dangerous Idea
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Richard Dreyfuss
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this timely, highly original, and controversial narrative, New York Times best-selling author Mark Kurlansky discusses nonviolence as a distinct entity, a course of action, rather than a mere state of mind. Nonviolence can and should be a technique for overcoming social injustice and ending wars, he asserts, which is why it is the preferred method of those who speak truth to power.
-
-
A brief, necessary account of the history of nonviolence
- By Real Talk on 07-29-20
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
Four Fish
- The Future of the Last Wild Food
- By: Paul Greenberg
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our relationship with the ocean is undergoing a profound transformation. Just three decades ago nearly everything we ate from the sea was wild. Today rampant overfishing and an unprecedented biotech revolution have brought us to a point where wild and farmed fish occupy equal parts of a complex and confusing marketplace.
-
-
4 Reasons to Read "Four Fish"
- By Joshua Kim on 06-10-12
By: Paul Greenberg
-
Gettysburg
- By: Stephen Sears
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 23 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author and acclaimed Civil War expert Stephen W. Sears, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “arguably the preeminent living historian of the war’s eastern theater,” crafts what will stand the test of time as the definitive history of the greatest battle ever fought on American soil. Drawing on years of research, Sears focuses on the big picture, capturing the entire essence of the momentous three day struggle while offering fresh insights that will surprise even the best versed Civil War buffs.
-
-
The Storyteller's Craft and the Scholar's Care
- By John on 02-18-17
By: Stephen Sears
-
1968
- The Year That Rocked the World
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Christopher Cazenove
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this monumental new book, award-winning author Mark Kurlansky has written his most ambitious work to date: a singular and ultimately definitive look at a pivotal moment in history.
-
-
Don't let this reader near a foreign word
- By Eugene on 05-22-04
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
The Untold History of the Potato
- By: John Reader
- Narrated by: Martin Hyder
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The potato - humble, lumpy, bland, familiar - is a decidedly unglamorous staple of the dinner table. Or is it? John Reader's narrative on the role of the potato in world history suggests we may be underestimating this remarkable tuber. From domestication in Peru 8,000 years ago to its status today as the world's fourth largest food crop, the potato has played a starring - or at least supporting - role in many chapters of human history.
-
-
Potato Story
- By Joshua Kim on 06-10-12
By: John Reader
-
Havana
- A Subtropical Delirium
- By: Mark Kurlansky
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky presents an insider's view of Havana: the elegant, tattered city he has come to know over more than 30 years. Part cultural history, part travelogue, with recipes throughout, Havana celebrates the city's singular music, literature, baseball and food; its five centuries of outstanding neglected architecture; and its extraordinary blend of cultures.
-
-
Tough to get past impersonation of Spanish accent
- By IF on 01-02-20
By: Mark Kurlansky
-
The Book of Eels
- Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World
- By: Patrik Svensson
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Remarkably little is known about the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has become known as the “eel question”: Where do eels come from? What are they? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogether? Even in our age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don’t understand what drives them, after living for decades in freshwater, to swim great distances back to the ocean at the end of their lives. They remain a mystery.
-
-
Fascinating and profound
- By F Shaw on 12-13-20
By: Patrik Svensson
Publisher's Summary
While Kurlansky was researching The Big Oyster in the Library of Congress, he stumbled across the archives for the America Eats project and discovered this wonderful window into our national past. In the 1930s, with the country gripped by the Great Depression and millions of Americans struggling to get by, Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Federal Writers' Project under the New Deal to give work to artists and writers, such as John Cheever and Richard Wright. A number of writers - including Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, and Nelson Algren - were dispatched all across America to chronicle the eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local people. The project was abandoned in the early 1940s and never completed.
The Food of a Younger Nation unearths this forgotten literary and historical treasure. Mark Kurlansky's brilliant compilation of these historic pieces, combined with authentic recipes, anecdotes, photos, and his own musings and analysis, evokes a bygone era when Americans had never heard of fast food and the grocery store was a thing of the future.
Critic Reviews
"Fun, illuminating, and provocative, this historic reclamation appears while we're in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the one Franklin D. Roosevelt fought [and] while we're grappling with a plague of unsafe food and environmental woes associated with industrial agriculture. But don't despair. Whip up Ethel's Depression Cake, and throw a bailout party." ( Booklist)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Food of a Younger Land
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Sparkly
- 09-11-09
Perhaps better in print.
I am excited by the topic, and I enjoy anything about the cultural history or anthropology of food. This book was my special download for a week at an East Coast beach, and it turned out to be a strange choice.
The first chapter (the history of the WPA in general, and the regional food essays in particular) was fascinating. But I found that once the audio veered into the recipes themselves, I kept falling asleep. I would awaken VERY HUNGRY, and having brown sugar, vinegar, ham hock, and a pinch of mustard on my mind.
Positives - The recipes and stories are quite interesting. My favorite parts were the history of the clambake, and maple sugaring.
Negatives - the audiobook is not suited to searching and using the recipes. It is very frustrating that the information is, for all intents, inaccessible to me as a cook. I use an iPod Touch - perhaps there is another format that is searchable, but it is in no way as useful as a paper text for experimentation in the kitchen. In addition, listening to lists of ingredients for ten hours was too much even for me, though by the end of my vacation I did finish it.
On another note, I found that the author's choice of dramatizing Southern Black voices sounded really awkward, and I would have recommended some other strategy. (The author has, otherwise, a Northern accent.) I realize that there are many ways to approach this kind of thing in an audiobook - I just didn't think it was successful.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gene Bowker
- 09-17-14
Great for history buffs and foodies
Would you listen to The Food of a Younger Land again? Why?
Yes, I'd listen to it again as I'm sure there are parts that would sink in better on a second listen.
What other book might you compare The Food of a Younger Land to and why?
Any of the WPA writers guides to the states.
What about Stephen Hoye’s performance did you like?
Easy to listen to. Good pronunciation
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
yes. I found the history of the project fascinating and a great way to learn about food history in the US. I'm surprised how many foods which were common in the late 1930s are unknown today and how much food in the US has become homogenized over the last 70 years.
-
Overall
- James
- 05-30-10
Food Critics and Lovers Of Food Will Love This!
I'm not a big food connoisseur but I found this book interesting ans full of information as to where some of our food taste originate from.
If you like food and some history about where it comes from, you'll enjoy this read.