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Title: A History of the World in 6 Glasses
ISBN: 0802715524
Author:
Tom Standage
Publicate Date: 2006-05-16
Publish: 2006-05-16
List Price: $15.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $1.40
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.80
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.85
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| Customer Review: |
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1: World History Through a Few Beverages
If you have never enjoyed reading history, this book may change that. But be forewarned, as you read this book, you may develop a thirst for the beverages that are being discussed.
Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Stone-Age Brew
Chapter 2: Civilized Beer
Chapter 3: The Delight of Wine
Chapter 4: The Imperial Vine
Chapter 5: High Spirits, High Seas
Chapter 6: The Drinks That Built America
Chapter 7: The Great Soberer
Chapter 8: The Coffeehouse Internet
Chapter 9: Empires of Tea
Chapter 10: Tea Power
Chapter 11: From Soda to Cola
Chapter 12: Globalization in a Bottle
Epilogue: Back to the Source
Acknowledgements
Appendix
In A History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage traces world history using six beverages; beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. The Epilogue adds one more to the list: Water. With each drink, Standage explains why and how it came to be, what was happening regionally or globally, and how the drink influenced civilization. Wine is a good example. Early in its development, it was only available in very specific regions. As such, key wine making areas were favorites of kings and sometimes the focus of wars or territory disputes. Finally, to see the vine make its way around the known world is a fascinating trip. Another fact shared by most of the beverages; in the days of cholera and other water born illnesses, drinking beer, wine, coffee, or tea were a good way to remain alive.
You have to commend Standage for this book: it is one of the most unique views of world history. Whether your favorite drink is beer, wine, rum, or water, you are presented with the history of the drink and an excellent tour of the past. In addition, you should go away with an appreciation for all of the beverages as well as an excellent understanding of how these drinks influenced world politics (some of which are still with us). Because Standage uses familiar beverages, you can't help but be drawn into the history of the world. Some chapters are more interesting than others, primarily because your favorite drink isn't central to the chapter. But regardless, you learn something about a particular time in history, using a cup of coffee, a pint of beer, or shot of whiskey. Another benefit of this book - you will have plenty of anecdotes to tell your friends over a beer, a cup of coffee, or a Coke. As an example, look at whiskey. The original phrase for distilled spirits was aqua vitae, or "water of life." The Gaelic for aqua vitae is uisge beatha, which is the origin of the word whiskey. You may think that you are simply having a drink, but you are really consuming history.
This is a fun, informative book and highly recommended.
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2: It's actually quite interesting
I had to read this book over the summer for my world history AP class. Usually any summer book I have to read for school I usually dislike. So when I got this book, I was kinda unsure about whether I would enjoy it, considering it was going to be about history. However, to my surprise it wasn't bad at all and it was interesting and way better than reading history out of a text book. The only downfall is that after I read it, I had to write an essay about for it for school.
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3: A fun telling of the history of humankind - through beveridges..
6 drinks that shaped the course of humankind; a much easier idea to embrace and enjoy than the strong wills or fierce egos of the historical figures traditionally taught in schools.
Lots of entertainment and facts in a little book. Makes a great gift too as its premise surprises and delights its adult recipients.
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4: A Drinker and Thinker's Delight
First I must acknowledge the manifest superiority of Wendy Smith's witty praise from the Los Angeles Times. It makes what follows only a tribute to her accuracy and wit. The book's wealth of details of the science of beverages, of historical facts and of appropriate quotes culled from every culture and all periods of history makes it a literate person's delight - like "a cool glass of beer on a hot day," like a bottle of wine shared with friends. It supports a saying I once found on a tee shirt: "God must have intended people to be happy, that's why He(She) gave them books." If memory serves me correctly it was Ms. Manners who informed her readers that it was neither necessary nor even proper to bring wine to a dinner party, but since the practice is so much a part of the culture of the Midwest I have come to my own compromise - I bring as a house gift a copy of "A History of the World in 6 Glasses" to be enjoyed at their leisure with the beverage of
their choice.
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5: A history of he world in 6 glasses
The book was written in a style that was easy to read without being condescending or stooping to the lowest common denominator. It provided sound bits of history loosely connected to six kinds of beverages. Did these beverages definitively effect the events discussed here, no! Was there some connection; sure along with a number of other variables. Still all in all it was an interesting read and I learned something which is always a positive experience.
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