Editorial Review:
Homer called salt a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. Today we take it for granted; however, as Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates in this world-encompassing book, salt-the only rock we eat-has shaped civilization from the very beginning. Its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Until about 100 years ago, when modern geology revealed how prevalent it is, salt was one of the most sought-after commodities, for without it humans and animals could not live. Salt has often been considered so valuable that it served as currency, and it is still exchanged as such in places today. Demand for salt established the earliest trade routes, across unknown oceans and the remotest of deserts: the city of Jericho was founded almost 10,000 years ago as a salt trading center. Because of its worth, salt has provoked and financed some wars; it was, as well, a strategic element in the American Revolution and the Civil War, among other conflicts. Salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia and have also inspired revolution (Gandhi's salt march in 1930 began the overthrow of British rule in India); indeed, salt has been central to the age-old debate about the rights of government to tax and control economies. 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 preserve and to sustain 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 40 historic recipes-how they have in turn molded civilization and eating habits the world over. Salt: A World History is veined with colorful characters, from Li Bing, the Chinese bureaucrat who built the world's first dam in 250 BC, to Pattillo Higgins and Anthony Lucas who, ignoring the advice of geologists, drilled an east Texas salt dome in 1901 and discovered an oil reserve so large it gave birth to the age of petroleum. From the sinking salt towns of Cheshire in England to the ancient salt work in southern San Francisco Bay; from the remotest islands in the Caribbean where roads are made of salt to rural Sichaun province where the last home-made soya sauce is produced, Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of history, a multi-layered masterpiece that blends economic, scientific, political, religious, and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
AP World History Review  2007-12-06
Salt is an intriguing book with personal adventures and comical thoughts of the effect that the mineral salt has made throughout the history of the world. Mark Kurlansky does a wonderful job at describing the copious amount of historical events impacted by salt,these have come from every part of the world. While reading Kurlansky takes you on a whimsical ride through time describing the economical advantages of salt and its importance thorughout culture by sharing the value of different dishes within their native habitats. The real line and hook were his own descriptions and happening of his trips to the different continents. These he connnected with his knowledge of slavery, Asain and Pacific Trading Routes, and various revolutions.
What truly makes this book is the love for food Kurlansky has and his unwavering opinion of food and its high impact on society. One of his other books called Cod, demonstrates the ravishing effects of fish. From both books there is an automatic connection between growing populations and the necessity of food.Since both people and food are inevitable the factor of them influencing each other is refreshing yet extremely obvious. Kurlansky shows tons of evidence and is very knowledgable on the subject and in return his ideas open up the expansion of food and its influence.
Salt history is our history - quite a story 2007-09-02
This is a truly enjoyable work that informs and fascinates. Who knew that the history of mankind was so closely tied to salt?
One example: the first trails made by animals returning to salt licks, and then by men hunting the animals.
Highly recommended.
Salt: A World History 2006-07-24
A well written, interesting, fascinating book. I was constantly amazed at the extent of Kurlansky's research and the ability to make so many facts interesting and alive. This is really a history book seen through the eyes of salt but is no dry book full of obscure facts. This book has become one of the necessary classics in my library. Love it!!
Worth its weight in salt. 2006-05-18
For the longest time, history in the Western genre was defined in terms of heroes (and the occasional heroines) and their nemesis. This "great man" version of history glorified individuals like Churchill, Caesar, Alexander, Napeleon, Washington, Constantine, Lincoln, Peter the Great, etc, etc... In the late 20th century, a new hot phrase has hit the social sciences: sustainable societies. Accompanied by recent advances in analytical techniques, scientists are now combing back through history with an eye on how human societies are affected by nature, and affect nature in turn. This in turn has spawned a new genre of historical literature that emphasizes man's relations to various objects in his natural environment. Typical works include "Guns, germs and steel", "History of the World in Six Glasses", "La Diva Nicotina", "Botany of Desire" etc, etc... A great example of this genre is this book by Mark Kurlansky, "Salt: A World History".
Written as a series of short chapters, this book traces the role of salt in the development of human societies around the world over the centuries. The book shows how the use of salt allowed food preservation to become entrenched within human society. This in turn increases survival rates of human communities throughout the whole calendar year, which in turn increased population densities and fostered the growth of culture. The book also shows how the importance of salt was reflected in its numerous uses; i.e money, signal of natural gas, etc...
Each chapter is readable in under an hour, and the whole book is readable in one weekend. The book is very interseting, and contains many interesting and often subtle facts. I highly recommend it.
Minor Fact Check 2006-02-19
As a fan of this kind of history and a cooking enthusiast, I found this book very enjoyable reading, and would recommend it to anyone considering it.
I do have minor concerns about the factual accuracy of two of the tangential assertions or facts that Kurlansky offers. Not having any expertise I trust the core material of his book is factually accurate. However finding even a few small tangential factual inaccuracies detracts somewhat from that trust.
On p. 63 Kurlansky suggests that the latin word for salt was the etymological ancestor of the word soldier, but dictionary and online lookups suggest this is an error and that "soldier" actually derives instead from solidus, a Roman gold coin.
On p. 266 Kurlansky offers "...to George Edward Pickett, who later reached the most northerly point of any confederate in combat when, on July 3, 1863 he led a ruinous charge up a sloping Pennsylvania field -- the climax of the battle of Gettysburg." Even on the Gettysburg battlefield the point of Pickett's charge is by not nearly the most northerly point of the battle, and while Gettysburg was the most northerly "major" battle, it was not the most northerly (recognized) battle involving confederate forces. That is near Athens, MO. And various other sites contend for the distinction of being more northerly but less involved levels of engagement (e.g. Buffington Island; sites in the Dakotas; St. Albans, VT; Calais, ME; etc.)
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