Cod - Mark Kurlansky

Cod

By Mark Kurlansky

  • Release Date: 1998-07-01
  • Genre: Nature
Score: 4
4
From 110 Ratings
$9.99 On itunes Buy on Amazon

Description

JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER | BY THE AUTHOR OF THE VIRAL TIKTOK BOOK SALT

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Salt, an unexpected, energetic look at world history via the humble cod fish

"In [Kurlansky’s] hands, the cod proves intriguing… a hero of history… emblematic of a great crisis in the relation of people to nature."—New York Times

Wars have been fought over it, revolutions have been spurred by it, national diets have been based on it, economies have depended on it, and the settlement of North America was driven by it. Cod, it turns out, is the reason Europeans set sail across the Atlantic, and it is the only reason they could. Cod is a charming tour of history with all its economic forces laid bare and a fish story embellished with great gastronomic detail. It is also a tragic tale of environmental failure, of depleted fishing stocks where once the cod's numbers were legendary. In this deceptively whimsical biography of a fish, Mark Kurlansky brings a thousand years of human civilization into captivating focus.

Reviews

  • Complete Picture

    4
    By #CLJ
    Interesting read. Was slow in parts but very well written and informative.

  • Harsh realities

    4
    By Ty steve
    I found this book interesting, however if you do not like to read non-fiction this would be a tough book to get through. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book that talked about the 16,17,1800s because I really did not realize how big of an impact that Cod fish had on different world events. As the book came to a close it was sad to read about the harsh realities of over fishing. Is there an accurate way to predict when fish have become overfished? Or an accurate way to determine when the populations will return? Maybe technology can help us better answer these questions but I feel that this is another prime example of how detrimental humans can be to the environment.

  • Cod

    5
    By little conestoga
    Great read! It's amazing that one fish could have such a profound influence on who we've become and how we got that way over centuries.

  • Culinary historical non-fiction.

    5
    By Wordlazz
    This is an excellent book to introduce yourself to the fish that changed the world. Kurlansky manages to write a biography of the codfish and relate it to the history of the Basque, the settlement of North America, and the development of the salt industry all in one short book. It so happens that Kurlansky has other books on the same topics. If you enjoy food and history, this book will excite you and leave you a Kurlansky fan. I recommend this book for its easy reading and if nothing else a few "extras" like archaic cod recipes from days gone by.

More by Mark Kurlansky