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A review by john01meyer
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
4.0
Salt: A World History falls into the wonderful recent trend of books that provide another angle to view the complexity of world history from a zoomed-in look at a particular commodity that has had a significant, if inconspicuous, effect on society as we know it today. Similar books include Kelly's [b:Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World|1013652|Gunpowder Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics The History of the Explosive That Changed the World|Jack Kelly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390655722l/1013652._SY75_.jpg|999775] and Ghosh's [b:The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis|57331880|The Nutmeg's Curse Parables for a Planet in Crisis|Amitav Ghosh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623551679l/57331880._SX50_.jpg|89724924].
That being said, presentation is everything with a history like this. And, well, Kurlansky fell a bit off the mark in structuring this book, as it was often very dry reading (no pun intended). The book is more encyclopedia than a genuine narrative. This is not the kind of book that can be read in a few sittings. I recommend stretching out the reading of this book into somewhere between 13 and 26 sittings, read 1 to 2 chapters at a time. I can also only recommend this book if you have something more than a mild interest in the subject. If not, I suspect your reading experience of this book will go something like what other reviewers have (rightly) noted in their own reviews of Kurlansky's book.
If both of these criteria are met (stretching out the reading, genuine interest in the material), then Kurlansky's book is, of course, brilliantly researched and analyzed. True to the title, Kurlansky covers salt's importance and development all over the world, though he focuses especially on Europe and China. Salt has been used in so many different ways (see all of the interesting recipes throughout!), is the surprising etymological source behind many different words, and has been the subject of significant political/economic tension. I especially enjoyed learning about all the different inventions that have been used to refine the salt gathering process over thousands of years.
That being said, presentation is everything with a history like this. And, well, Kurlansky fell a bit off the mark in structuring this book, as it was often very dry reading (no pun intended). The book is more encyclopedia than a genuine narrative. This is not the kind of book that can be read in a few sittings. I recommend stretching out the reading of this book into somewhere between 13 and 26 sittings, read 1 to 2 chapters at a time. I can also only recommend this book if you have something more than a mild interest in the subject. If not, I suspect your reading experience of this book will go something like what other reviewers have (rightly) noted in their own reviews of Kurlansky's book.
If both of these criteria are met (stretching out the reading, genuine interest in the material), then Kurlansky's book is, of course, brilliantly researched and analyzed. True to the title, Kurlansky covers salt's importance and development all over the world, though he focuses especially on Europe and China. Salt has been used in so many different ways (see all of the interesting recipes throughout!), is the surprising etymological source behind many different words, and has been the subject of significant political/economic tension. I especially enjoyed learning about all the different inventions that have been used to refine the salt gathering process over thousands of years.