Salt: Grain of Life Hardcover - 2001
by Pierre Laszlo; Mary Beth Mader (Translator)
In the tradition of "The Story of Corn" and "Uncommon Grounds" comes a fascinating look at salt, a substance that is a necessity for the body, a treat for the tongue, and a commodity that shaped history. 10 halftones.
From the rear cover
For the sake of salt, Rome created a system of remuneration (from which we get the word "salary"), nomads domesticated the camel, the Low Countries revolted against their Spanish oppressors, and Gandhi marched against the tyranny of the British. Through the ages, salt has conferred status, preserved foods, and mingled in the blood, sweat, and tears of humanity. Today, chefs of haute cuisine covet it in its most exotic forms -- underground salt deposits, Hawaiian black lava salt, glittery African crystals, and pink Peruvian salt from the sea carried in bricks on the backs of llamas.
From proverbs to technical arguments, from anecdotes to examples of folklore, chemist and philosopher Pierre Laszlo takes us through the kingdom of "white gold". With "enthusiasm and freshness" (Le Monde) he mixes literary analysis, history, anthropology, biology, physics, economics, art history, political science, chemistry, ethnology, and linguistics to create a full body of knowledge about the everyday substance that rocked the world and brings zest to the ordinary. Laszlo explains the history behind Morton Salt's slogan "When it rains, it pours!" and looks into the plight of the salt miner, as well as spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Salt is a tour de force about a chemical compound that is one of the very foundations of civilization.
From the jacket flap
For the sake of salt, Rome created a system of remuneration (from which we get the word "salary"), nomads domesticated the camel, the Low Countries revolted against their Spanish oppressors, and Gandhi marched against the tyranny of the British. Through the ages, salt has conferred status, preserved foods, and mingled in the blood, sweat, and tears of humanity. Today, chefs of haute cuisine covet it in its most exotic forms -- underground salt deposits, Hawaiian black lava salt, glittery African crystals, and pink Peruvian salt from the sea carried in bricks on the backs of llamas.
From proverbs to technical arguments, from anecdotes to examples of folklore, chemist and philosopher Pierre Laszlo takes us through the kingdom of "white gold". With "enthusiasm and freshness" (Le Monde) he mixes literary analysis, history, anthropology, biology, physics, economics, art history, political science, chemistry, ethnology, and linguistics to create a full body of knowledge about the everyday substance that rocked the world and brings zest to the ordinary. Laszlo explains the history behind Morton Salt's slogan "When it rains, it pours!" and looks into the plight of the salt miner, as well as spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Salt is a tour de force about a chemical compound that is one of the very foundations of civilization.
Details
- Title Salt: Grain of Life
- Author Pierre Laszlo; Mary Beth Mader (Translator)
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition First Edition
- Pages 256
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Columbia University Press, New York
- Date 2001-06-27
- Illustrated Yes
- ISBN 9780231121989 / 0231121989
- Weight 0.96 lbs (0.44 kg)
- Dimensions 9.29 x 6.24 x 0.81 in (23.60 x 15.85 x 2.06 cm)
- Library of Congress subjects Salt - History
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001028227
- Dewey Decimal Code 553.63
Media reviews
Citations
- Choice, 02/01/2002, Page 1073
- Kirkus Reviews, 06/01/2001, Page 788
- Library Journal, 07/01/2001, Page 116
- Publishers Weekly, 08/06/2001, Page 83
- Scitech Book News, 09/01/2001, Page 160
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Salt: Grain of Life (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)
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by Pierre Laszlo; Translator-Mary Beth Mader
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Salt : Grain of Life
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