The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
by Mark Kurlansky
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mark KurlanskyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-09
ISBN: 0345476395
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Reviews of The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
Book Review: How can anyone not love this book?
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not sure what kind of person would buy this book. It's not 100% history, not 100% science, not 100% recipe, it's a little of everything. After reading this book, I'd say this book is for someone who's not afraid to try something different, some who likes oysters and a little history to go with their oysters. So what is this book about?
1) It's a little bit oysters. The science: such as scientific names, reproduction, anatomy, etc. Just a little, not too much to bore the casual reader, but not enough to interest the casual scientist. I tried to find more about oysters online but there's not a lot of info, I suppose I should go read a book on it.
2) It's a lot about the early to mid-1800's history of New York City. As I like history, I really liked this part.
3) It's a little about oyster recipes. Sprinkled throughout this book are recipes, many from old books and from famous cooks and restaurants. That's a gem. It must have take some effort to collect the recipes and whether you like them or not they are interesting, at least for their historical aspect.
4) It's a little about the history of the oyster trade. This is a very good part of the book as I don't think you could find much written on it anywhere else.
5) New York society in the old days. Talked about the who's who and where they would eat. Interesting reading.
6) New York slums and the inhabitants, also interesting reading.
So to summarize, this book is about oysters, the eating of oysters, the oyster trade and New York city. You can't pidgeonhole this book because it's not history, not gastronomy, but a little of everything. It's quite well written and very easy to read. I enjoyed reading it, a break from my regular diet of thrillers. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I'm going to get Cod and Salt, two other books by this author that got mixed reviews. But I think the author deserves my custom after this book.
Summary of The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
?Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.??The New York Times
?A small pearl of a book . . . a great tale of the growth of a modern city as seen through the rise and fall of the lowly oyster.?
?Rocky Mountain News
Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants?the oyster.
For centuries New York was famous for this particular shellfish, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city?s life that the abundant bivalves were Gotham?s most celebrated export, a staple food for all classes, and a natural filtration system for the city?s congested waterways.
Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight?along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos?this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the seventeenth-century founding of New York to the death of its oyster beds and the rise of America?s environmentalist movement, from the oyster cellars of the rough-and-tumble Five Points slums to Manhattan?s Gilded Age dining chambers. With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious.
?Suffused with [Kurlansky?s] pleasure in exploring the city across ground that hasn?t already been covered with other writers? footprints.?
?Los Angeles Times Book Review
?Fascinating stuff . . . [Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.?
?The Wall Street Journal
?Kurlansky packs his breezy book with terrific anecdotes.?
?Entertainment Weekly
?Magnificent . . . a towering accomplishment.?
?Associated Press
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