Journal Entry 1 by rootmartin from Marlborough, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, June 03, 2008

From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history
Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

For Tom Standage, each drink is a kind of technology, a catalyst for advancing culture by which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again.

 

Journal Entry 2 by rootmartin from Marlborough, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, June 03, 2008

I was so excited to snag this book off of paperbackswap.com because it's been on my wishlist for a long time.

And a delightful read, it was! Many of the events covered were indeed items that had been addressed in my school history classes but I loved their presentation from the vantage point of specific drinks. It had never occurred to me how prominent certain drinks were over time and how very important they were as they were more protective than water.

I'm sending this on to peachy93722 who is the June Joe girl. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 3 by peachy93722 from Seattle, Washington USA on Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A friend recommended this book to me and I had the chance to read bits of her copy. But she had lost it in a move before finishing it and wasn't able to pass it on to me. Can't wait to read this.