This lens is dedicated to the type of book that is about the history of some particular thing. The genre is perhaps best personified Mark Kurlansky's excellent book "Salt".
For history buffs, this is a refreshing and entertaining way to get a fix.
By Mark Kurlansky
If he didn't invent this genre he at least put it on the map
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
This book offers some really interesting insights into the Carribean slave trade.
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.00
The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
Really brings alive New York City history through the lens of the oyster. A little sad to see how much has been lost--I had no idea the waters around Manhattan used to contain thriving oyster beds.
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $23.95
Salt: A World History
I can't recommend this book highly enough. The Civil War, Gandhi and India's independence, the Erie Canal...and in the background there is always salt.
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $16.00
The Cod's Tale
This is a beautifully illustrated children's book based on "Cod."
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $16.99
Vegetables
The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.00
The Story of Corn
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $24.95
Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $12.00
Fruits
Bananas: An American History
Amazon Price: $13.22 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $16.95
Oranges
Amazon Price: $11.05 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $13.00
Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $18.00
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
My husband got me this one for valentine's day!
Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $23.95
Fish- Natural and Gastronomic Histories
Consider The Eel: A Natural And Gastronomic History
The biology of the eel is much more fascinating then you might think.
Amazon Price: $16.95 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $16.95
Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most Coveted Delicacy
This one almost reads like a political thriller. From Russia and Iran to La Guardia airport on the trail of people who have risked their freedom, and even lives, for the allure caviar riches.
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.00
A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth
The wonderful story of a young woman who "discovered" a living fossil in the nets of a Madagascar fisherman.
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $13.95
The Founding Fish
Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $25.00
The Secret Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean (P.S.)
Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $13.95
Beverages
A History Of The World In Six Glasses
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $25.00
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World
Amazon Price: $17.10 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $19.00
The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
The Empire Of Tea
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $22.95
Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times
This would be a very nice unexpected gift for a WWII history buff. The regions in France that produce champagne were very heavily effected by bombing during that war, and the perseverance of the vintners is truly inspiring.
Amazon Price: $23.95 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $23.95
More on Drinks
Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West
Thanks for the tip Azuki!
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 09/05/2008)
Food-Related Biographies
The True History of Chocolate
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $18.95
Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $16.00
Charlemagne's Tablecloth
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $35.13
Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey--The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $24.00
Harvest of the Cold Months: The Social History of Ice and Ices
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $24.95
For Dessert...
Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
A really interesting business story, this history of candy in America is sometimes sad, but also wonderfully nostalgic.
Amazon Price: $10.40 (as of 09/05/2008)
American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 09/05/2008)
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
I can't wait to get my hands on this one!
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 09/05/2008)
Plants
Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 09/05/2008)
Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
Oak: The Frame of Civilization
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 09/05/2008)
Birds
Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird
Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 09/05/2008)
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 09/05/2008)
Spices
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.00
Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors
Amazon Price: $28.00 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $28.00
Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $22.95
Spice: The History of a Temptation
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Natural History
The Cloudspotter's Guide
Just as knowing the names of plants and trees makes the forest come alive, knowledge of the classes of clouds gives you a new perspective on the sky. I find myself staring at the sky (even while I'm driving!) all the time now.
Amazon Price: $16.90 (as of 09/05/2008)
Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution
Amazon Price: $17.16 (as of 09/05/2008)
Utensil or Tool Related
Culture of the Fork
Amazon Price: $32.50 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $32.50
One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw
Amazon Price: $11.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.00
The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance
Amazon Price: $13.60 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $20.00
Military
Tank: The Progress of a Monstrous War Machine
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
Colors
A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire
Amazon Price: $17.79 (as of 09/05/2008)
Blue: The History of a Color.
Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 09/05/2008)
Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World
Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 09/05/2008)
Color: A Natural History of the Palette
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 09/05/2008)
Medicinal and Medical
Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria
Anyone who works for a pharmaceutical company would want to read this. It's an amazing tale of exploration.
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
The Miraculous Fever-Tree: Malaria and the Quest for a Cure That Changed the World
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 09/05/2008)
Migraine
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 09/05/2008)
Mathematical
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.00
e: The Story of a Number
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $19.95
![An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i [the square root of minus one]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EdpS4WaIL._SL75_.jpg)
An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i [the square root of minus one]
Amazon Price: $31.96 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $42.00
A History of Pi
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.00
Things We Do
Prayer: A History
Amazon Price: $12.76 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.95
Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero
A wonderful meditation on the experience of swimming.
Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Disasters
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
An absolutely stunning book.
Amazon Price: $18.94 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $25.95
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
This is a really wonderful book about a hurricane that destroyed Galveston.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Although this book centers on a specific event, it's also a very interesting look at historical attitudes toward the beach.
Amazon Price: $11.21 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Obscure Places
Serpent in Paradise
Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $12.95
Pitcairn Island Refuge of the Bounty Mutineers
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $27.50
The Ice Museum: In Search of the Lost Land of Thule
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $24.95
Voyages
Longitude and Empire: How Captain Cook's Voyages Changed the World
Amazon Price: $30.56 (as of 09/05/2008)
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
Ghosts of Cape Sabine: The Harrowing True Story of the Greely Expedition
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
Uhhh...Unmentionables?
Merde: Excursions in Scientific, Cultural, and Socio-Historical Coprology
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $15.00
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $13.95
The F-Word: Second Edition
Amazon Price: (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 09/05/2008)
List Price: $14.99
Have a comment or suggestion?
Talk to me!
Thank you for your list. This genre seems to encompass a variety of topics near and dear to small groups of people, but that have a wide impact on the bigger culture. Genealogy, food history, inventions, curiosities, regional history...
Posted June 29, 2008
There was a book called The Devil's Feast or something; it was about dangerous foods, like absinthe and the corsican cheese with fly larvae in it. It might belong in this list.
Posted October 12, 2007
May I also suggest Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West by Beatrice Hohenegger. I think it worths all 5 stars it got on Amazon!
Posted July 31, 2007
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been looking in vain for a long time for the name of this genre! "Microhistories" is perfect. Somebody tell the Library of Congress!
Posted June 08, 2007
