Reviews

Advance praise for The Big Oyster
" In his portrait of the once-famous oyster beds of New York Harbor, Kurlansky beautifully illustrates food' s ability to connect us deeply to our particular place in the world, and shows how our nourishment is so vitally tied to the health of the natural world."
- Alice Waters
" Mark Kurlansky has done it again. The Big Oyster is a zesty love song to a bivalve and a city- intelligent, informative, and impossible to put down."
- Nathaniel Philbrick, National Book Award-- winning author of In the Heart of the Sea Praise for Mark Kurlansky
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
" Memorable, essential, and in its own way wondrous."
- The Boston Globe Salt: A World History
" Bright writing and, most gratifyingly, an enveloping narrative."
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
" This eminently readable book is a new tool for scanning world history."
- The New York Times Book Review

Advance praise for The Big Oyster
"In his portrait of the once-famous oyster beds of New York Harbor, Kurlansky beautifully illustrates food's ability to connect us deeply to our particular place in the world, and shows how our nourishment is so vitally tied to the health of the natural world."
-Alice Waters
"Mark Kurlansky has done it again. The Big Oyster is a zesty love song to a bivalve and a city-intelligent, informative, and impossible to put down."
-Nathaniel Philbrick, National Book Award--winning author of In the Heart of the Sea Praise for Mark Kurlansky
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
"Memorable, essential, and in its own way wondrous."
-The Boston Globe Salt: A World History
"Bright writing and, most gratifyingly, an enveloping narrative."
-San Francisco Chronicle
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
"This eminently readable book is a new tool for scanning world history."
-The New York Times Book Review

Few Americans realize that New York City was once a coastal paradise, with sweet breezes, shimmering marshes, and clear waters nurturing the best oysters in the world. Native Americans tossed into middens millions of discarded shells that are still being unearthed, and, until the early 1900s, oysters were the signature food of the metropolis. Kurlansky (Cod) dishes details of social and culinary history, Colonial recipes, and anecdotes about larger-than-life oyster eaters like Diamond Jim Brady. The bounty endured for centuries, with plump, tasty, abundant, and cheap oysters nourishing the city's rich and poor every day. The dense oyster population also filtered the entire harbor of impurities. Sadly, their descendants finally succumbed to pollution, and the days of "the big oyster" have long been forgotten. John H. Mayer's timeless voice resonates as he relays Kurlansky's tale of a paradise squandered. A big, satisfying listen; highly recommended.-Judith Robinson, Univ. at Buffalo Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Praise for Mark Kurlansky
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
" Memorable, essential, and in its own way wondrous."
- The Boston Globe Salt: A World History
" Bright writing and, most gratifyingly, an enveloping narrative."
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
" This eminently readable book is a new tool for scanning world history."
- The New York Times Book Review

Praise for Mark Kurlansky
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
"Memorable, essential, and in its own way wondrous."
-The Boston Globe Salt: A World History
"Bright writing and, most gratifyingly, an enveloping narrative."
-San Francisco Chronicle
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
"This eminently readable book is a new tool for scanning world history."
-The New York Times Book Review