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Book Review: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

World History is a long and complex hibernation, Western civilization was
topic. Though many accomplished authors awakened by the rediscovery of ancient
such as Bill Bryson and H. G. Wells have knowledge, long safeguarded in the Arab
attempted to condense history into a world. However, in an attempt to
single book, very few have succeeded. circumvent this Arab monopoly, European
There is just too much of it. Attempts to monarchs launched massive fleets into the
boil down the last 10,000 years have sea. This age of exploration was greatly
resulted in either superficial books with enhanced by the Arab knowledge of
very little depth, or great textbook like distillation, which made a whole new
tombs too inaccessible for the casual range of drinks possible. A History of
reader.Happily, A History of the World in the World in 6 Glasses describes how
6 Glasses by Tom Standage succeeds where these condensed forms of alcohol (namely
others have failed. Standage's book does Brandy, Whiskey and Rum) were so popular,
this by sacrificing the breadth of every especially in the new American colonies,
possible topic for an impressive depth that "they played a key role in the
and focus. Instead of trying to sum up establishment of the United States."The
the complete history of man, this book fourth beverage presented in this book is
spotlights a single topic, in this case coffee. Because of its sharpening effect
beverages, and then takes the reader on a on the mind, coffee quickly became the
journey through time to see how his topic drink of intellect and industry.
interweaves the past. Standage is a Replacing taverns as the sophisticated
delightful writer, mixing his light meeting place, the coffeehouse "led to
hearted style with exceptional historical the establishment of scientific societies
savvy not just on the topic of drinks, and financial institutions, the founding
but throughout.Despite my now positive of newspapers, and provided fertile
opinion of this book, I have to confess ground for revolutionary thought,
that when I first picked up A History of particularly in France." A History of the
the World in 6 Glasses, I did not expect World in 6 Glasses goes on to recount the
to enjoy it. Not only am I skeptical of intricate effect coffeehouses had on
any book claiming to sum up the antiquity Victorian culture, going so far as to
of man in 300 pages or less, but I myself dedicate an entire chapter to what the
do not drink any of the 6 beverages this book calls "The Coffeehouse
book discusses. As such, learning the Internet".Even though the inception of
history of these drinks did not sound tea date back many thousands of years, it
immediately appealing. However, what I didn't take hold upon western culture
quickly learned is that this book is not until the mid-seventeenth century. Once
a history of 6 drinks, but rather just as established as England's national drink,
the title states, a history of the world, the importing of tea from first China and
told through the story of 6 drinks. As then India led to trade and
the book points out in the introduction, industrialization on an unprecedented
second only to air, liquid is the most scale. A History of the World in 6
vital substance to man's survival. The Glasses describes the immense power of
availability of water and other drinking the British East India Company, which
sources have "constrained and guided "generated more revenue than the British
humankind's progress" and "have continued government and ruled over far more
to shape human history". Throughout time, people", wielding more power than any
beverages have done more than quenched other corporation in history. This
our thirst; they have been used as imbalance of power had an enormous,
currencies, medicines, and in religious far-reaching effect on British foreign
rites. They have served as symbols of policy, and ultimately contributed to the
wealth and power, as well as tools to independence of the United States.Like
appease the poor and downtrodden.A most of the drinks discussed in A History
History of the World in 6 Glasses is of the World in 6 Glasses, Coca-Cola was
broken down into six sections, one for originally devised as a medical drink.
each drink, the first of which is beer. More than any other product, Coca-Cola
Man's first civilizations where founded has stood as the symbol of America's
on surplus cereal production, much of "vibrant consumer capitalism". Rather
which was brewed. Ancient day beers were than shrink at the challenge, Coca-Cola
high in vitamin B, a vitamin previously took full advantage of the challenging
only obtained through meat. This allowed times it found itself in, gaining ground
the population to focus their nutrition through the depression, and then
efforts more and more on cereals, traveling alongside our soldiers into
effectively ushering in the transition WWII, becoming a global phenomenon.
from hunter-gatherers to farmers. According to the book, Coca-Cola still
Additionally, because early beers were accounts for "around 30 percent of all
boiled (to convert more starch into liquid consumption" today.A History of
sugars), the beer was significantly safer the World in 6 Glasses makes it clear
to drink than water. This significant that the history of mankind is a history
improvement in lifestyle "freed a small of our consumption. Whether we are
fraction of the population from the need drinking "liquid bread" in Mesopotamia,
to work in the fields, and made possible pondering revolution in a Coffeehouse in
the emergence of specialist priest, Paris, or throwing tea leafs into the
administrators, scribes, and craftsmen." ocean in Boston, these drinks have had a
Not only did beer nourish man's first profound impact on who we are. As
civilizations, but in many ways, made Standage says in the introduction to his
them entirely possible.Wine, the next book "They survive in our homes today as
beverage in the book, played a major role living reminders of bygone eras, fluid
in the flourishing Greek and Roman testaments to the forces that shaped the
cultures. As wine did not originate from modern world. Uncover their origins, and
the Mediterranean, the Greek's desire for you may never look at your favorite drink
this drink opened up vast seaborne trade, in quite the same way again." I highly
which spread their philosophy, politics, recommend this book to anyone thirsty for
science and literature far and wide, and knowledge about the world around them...
still underpins modern Western thought. A or even if they're just thirsty for a
History of the World in 6 Glasses points good drink.Jeff Beck is an entrepreneur
out how these advancements originated and and founder of several notable companies,
grew at formal Greek drinking parties, including the Book Price Comparison
called symposia. The Romans, who absorbed website As a student of the world
much of Greek culture, continued the around him, Jeff seeks understanding
strong use of wine. As the book notes, if through history and reasoning.Visit to
you trace the wine drinking areas of the read reviews, find similar titles, and
world on a map, you will find you have search for the lowest possible price for
traced the Roman empire at its A History of the World in 6 Glasses and
height.After a thousand years of other great books.




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