Micro Histories: A Book List for History Buffs

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

I've read all of these, but my favorite is "Salt."

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

by: Mark Kurlansky

This book offers some really interesting insights into the Carribean slave trade.

Amazon Price: $9.75 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $15.00

The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell

by: Mark Kurlansky

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 12/05/2009)
List Price: $23.95

Salt: A World History

by: Mark Kurlansky

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: $10.40 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $16.00

The Cod's Tale

by: Mark Kurlansky

This is a beautifully illustrated children's book based on "Cod."

Amazon Price: $12.23 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $17.99

Vegetables

The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World

by: Larry Zuckerman

Amazon Price: $11.25 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $15.00

The Story of Corn

by: Betty Fussell

Amazon Price: $23.89 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $24.95

Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits

by: Amal Naj

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $12.00

Fruits

Bananas: An American History

by: Virginia Scott Jenkins

Amazon Price: $11.84 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $16.95

Oranges

by: John McPhee

Amazon Price: $11.11 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $14.00

Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit

by: Mort Rosenblum

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $20.00

Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World

by: Dan Koeppel

My husband got me this one for valentine's day!

Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $23.95

Fish- Natural and Gastronomic Histories

Consider The Eel: A Natural And Gastronomic History

by: Richard Schweid

The biology of the eel is much more fascinating then you might think.

Amazon Price: $16.95 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $16.95

Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most Coveted Delicacy

by: Inga Saffron

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 12/05/2009)
List Price: $14.00

A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth

by: Samantha Weinberg, Fourth Estate

The wonderful story of a young woman who "discovered" a living fossil in the nets of a Madagascar fisherman.

Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $13.95

The Founding Fish

by: John McPhee

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $25.00

The Secret Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean (P.S.)

by: Trevor Corson

Amazon Price: $10.07 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $13.99

Beverages

A History Of The World In Six Glasses

by: Tom Standage

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $25.00

Uncommon Grounds The History Of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World

by: Mark Pendergrast

Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $19.95

The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee

by: Stewart Lee Allen

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $14.95

The Empire Of Tea

by: Alan Macfarlane, Iris MacFarlane, The Overlook Press

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $22.95

Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times

by: Don Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup

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 12/05/2009)
List Price: $23.95

More on Drinks

Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West

by: Beatrice Hohenegger

Thanks for the tip Azuki!

Amazon Price: $17.13 (as of 12/05/2009)

Food-Related Biographies

The True History of Chocolate

by: Sophie D. Coe, Michael D. Coe

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $18.95

Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal

by: Margaret Visser

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $16.00

Charlemagne's Tablecloth

by: Nichola Fletcher

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $35.13

Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey--The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World

by: Holley Bishop

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $24.00

Harvest of the Cold Months: The Social History of Ice and Ices

by: Elizabeth David

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $24.95

For Dessert...

Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

by: Steve Almond

A really interesting business story, this history of candy in America is sometimes sad, but also wonderfully nostalgic.

Amazon Price: $10.40 (as of 12/05/2009)

American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America's Back Roads

by: Pascale Le Draoulec

Amazon Price: $11.07 (as of 12/05/2009)

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food

by: Jennifer 8 Lee

I can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/05/2009)

Plants

Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization

by: Iain Gately

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/05/2009)

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

by: Michael Pollan

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/05/2009)

Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind

by: Henry Hobhouse

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 12/05/2009)

Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused

by: Mike Dash

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

Oak: The Frame of Civilization

by: William Bryant Logan

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

Birds

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird

by: Andrew D. Blechman

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction

by: David Quammen

Amazon Price: $15.84 (as of 12/05/2009)

Spices

Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History

by: Giles Milton

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $15.00

Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

by: Lizzie Collingham

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $28.00

Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance

by: Patricia Rain

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $22.95

Spice: The History of a Temptation

by: Jack Turner

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $15.95

Natural History

The Cloudspotter's Guide

by: Gavin Pretor-Pinney

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: $16.27 (as of 12/05/2009)

Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution

by: Richard Fortey

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

Utensil or Tool Related

Culture of the Fork

by: Giovanni Rebora

Amazon Price: $32.50 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $32.50

One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw

by: Witold Rybczynski

Amazon Price: $12.60 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $14.00

The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance

by: Henry Petroski

Amazon Price: $13.60 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $20.00

Military

Tank: The Progress of a Monstrous War Machine

by: Patrick Wright

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

Colors

A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire

by: Amy Butler Greenfield

Amazon Price: $17.79 (as of 12/05/2009)

Blue: The History of a Color.

by: Michel Pastoureau

Amazon Price: $29.16 (as of 12/05/2009)

Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World

by: Simon Garfield

Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 12/05/2009)

Color: A Natural History of the Palette

by: Victoria Finlay

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/05/2009)

Medicinal and Medical

Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug

by: Diarmuid Jeffreys

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria

by: Mark Honigsbaum

Anyone who works for a pharmaceutical company would want to read this. It's an amazing tale of exploration.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

The Miraculous Fever-Tree: Malaria and the Quest for a Cure That Changed the World

by: Fiammetta Rocco

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

Migraine

by: Oliver Sacks

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 12/05/2009)

Mathematical

Things We Do

Prayer: A History

by: Carol Zaleski, Philip Zaleski

Amazon Price: $11.96 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $15.95

Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero

by: Charles Sprawson

A wonderful meditation on the experience of swimming.

Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $19.95

Disasters

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

by: Simon Winchester

An absolutely stunning book.

Amazon Price: $19.72 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $25.95

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

by: Erik Larson

This is a really wonderful book about a hurricane that destroyed Galveston.

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $15.00

Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938

by: R.A. Scotti

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $14.95

Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916

by: Michael Capuzzo

Although this book centers on a specific event, it's also a very interesting look at historical attitudes toward the beach.

Amazon Price: $10.76 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $14.95

Obscure Places

Voyages

Uhhh...Unmentionables?

Merde: Excursions in Scientific, Cultural, and Socio-Historical Coprology

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Joan4 Joan4 Oct 7, 2008 @ 2:34 pm

Great list! I had not thought of the term "microhistories" and that is exactly what they are - how very interesting! Great lens idea!

Reply

Rebecca Rebecca Jun 29, 2008 @ 10:38 am

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...

Reply

jr jr Oct 12, 2007 @ 11:10 am

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.

Reply

Azuki Azuki Jul 31, 2007 @ 3:08 pm

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!

Reply

Julie Julie Jun 8, 2007 @ 9:40 am

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!