SALT: A World History. by Kurlansky, Mark - (2002)

New York:: Walker,, (2002). Fine in near fine dust jacket (price-clipped). First printing. "The story of salt encompasses fields as disparate as engineering, religion, and food, all of which Kurlansky richly explores. Few endeavors have inspired more ingenuity than salt making, from the natural gas furnaces of ancient China to the drilling techniques that led to the age of petroleum, and salt revenues have funded some of the greatest public works in history, including the Erie Canal and the Great Wall of China. Salt's ability to sutain and preserve life has made it a metaphorical symbol in all religions. Just as significantly, salt has shaped the history of foods like cheese, sauerkraut, olives and more, and Kurlansky conveys, in his saga and through forty historic recipes, how they have in turn molded civilization and eating habits the world over." Bibliography, index. xii, 486 pp.