Salt: A World History
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.
Publishers Weekly
Only Mark Kurlansky, winner of the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing for COD: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, could woo readers toward such an off-beat topic of SALT: A World History...Throughout his engaging, well-researched history, Kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes. A piquant blend of the historic, political, commercial, scientific and culinary, the book is sure to entertain as well as educate.
Library Journal
In his latest work, Kurlansky is in command of every facet of this topic, and he conveys his knowledge in a readable, easy style. Deftly leading readers around the world and across cultures and centuries, he takes an inexpensive, mundane item and shows how it has influenced and affected wars, cultures, governments, religions, societies, economies, cooking (there are a few recipes), and foodsЉAn entertaining, informative read, this is highly recommended.
Los Angeles Times - Rubin
In Salt: A World History, Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur.
Publishers Weekly
Only Kurlansky, winner of the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing for Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, could woo readers toward such an off-beat topic. Yet salt, Kurlansky asserts, has "shaped civilization." Although now taken for granted, these square crystals are not only of practical use, but over the ages have symbolized fertility (it is, after all, the root of the word "salacious") and lasting covenants, and have been used in magical charms. Called a "divine substance" by Homer, salt is an essential part of the human body, was one of the first international commodities and was often used as currency throughout the developing world. Kurlansky traces the history of salt's influences from prehistoric China and ancient Africa (in Egypt they made mummies using salt) to Europe (in 12th-century Provence, France, salt merchants built "a system of solar evaporation ponds") and the Americas, through chapters with intriguing titles like "A Discourse on Salt, Cadavers and Pungent Sauces." The book is populated with characters as diverse as frozen-food giant Clarence Birdseye; Gandhi, who broke the British salt law that forbade salt production in India because it outdid the British salt trade; and New York City's sturgeon king, Barney Greengrass. Throughout his engaging, well-researched history, Kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes. A piquant blend of the historic, political, commercial, scientific and culinary, the book is sure to entertain as well as educate. Pierre Laszlo's Salt: Grain of Life (Forecasts, Aug. 6) got to the finish line first but doesn't compare to this artful narrative. 15 recipes, 4o illus., 7 maps. (Jan.) Copyright 2001Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
In his latest work, Kurlansky (Cod, The Basque History of the World) is in command of every facet of his topic, and he conveys his knowledge in a readable, easy style. Deftly leading readers around the world and across cultures and centuries, he takes an inexpensive, mundane item and shows how it has influenced and affected wars, cultures, governments, religions, societies, economies, cooking (there are a few recipes), and foods. In addition, he provides information on the chemistry, geology, mining, refining, and production of salt, again across cultures, continents, and time periods. The 26 chapters flow in chronological order, and the cast of characters includes fishermen, kings, Native Americans, and even Gandhi. An entertaining, informative read, this is highly recommended for all collections. [For another book on the topic, see Pierre Laszlo's more esoteric Salt: Grain of Life, LJ 7/01; other recent micro-histories include Joseph Amato's Dust, Mort Rosenblum's Olive, and Tom Vanderbilt's The Sneaker Book. Ed.] Michael D. Cramer, Raleigh, NC Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A lively social history that does for salt what Kurlansky previously did for Cod (1997). Perhaps the author slightly oversells his subject by claiming it is far more important and interesting than the evolution of language or the harnessing of fire. But maybe he has a point: Without salt, Kurlansky states at the outset, there would be no life, let alone a nifty preservative for everything from herring to mummies. Salt keeps the muscles pumping, the blood flowing, the brain firing. Its importance has trailed endless strife. Salt enters written history (as so many things do) with the Chinese, who had the first known salt works, imposed the first known salt tax, and fought the first known salt war. They also used it to preserve the wondrous 1,000-year-old egg, which "takes about 100 days to make, and will keep for another 100 days"-give or take, evidently, 365,000 days. From there Kurlansky follows salt through its deployment by the Egyptians on to the Basques, who salted the cod that they chased all the way to North America a thousand years ago, and on through essentially all of history. In salt, politics and food mix continually, if uncomfortably. The Incans, Aztecs, and Mayans rose to power partly on the back of salt; control of it made and unmade royal houses in Europe and the Far East. There developed a whole semiotics of salt, and Kurlansky deconstructs it. A couple of curious errors, such as attributing the famous comment "Kill them all. God knows his own" to "an Albigensian leader" rather than to the Albigensian-slaughtering Pope Innocent III, are piddling in relation to the study's encyclopedic brilliance. Numerous old salt-specializing recipes are included. Enlightening anddelighting as he goes, Kurlansky is, like Jane Grigson before him, a peerless food historian. History Book Club/National Science Book Club/Quality Paperback Book Club alternate selection; author tour
What People Are Saying
Anthony Bourdain
SALT is the fascinating, indispensable history of an indispensable ingredient. Like Kurlansky's earlier work, COD, it's a must-have book for any serious cook or foodie.
—author of the best-selling Kitchen Confidential
Anthony Bourdain
A must-have book for any serious cook or foodie.
— Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential
New interesting textbook: Geographies of Consumption or Operations Management
Financial Management: Theory & Practice (with Thomson ONE - Business School
Author: Eugene F Brigham
Written for and praised by students just like you, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: THEORY AND PRACTICE gives you relevant, practical, and easy-to-understand information covering all of the financial management topics you need to succeed in this course. Underlying theory is presented first in an accessible style and then followed by the practical application.
Table of Contents:
Part One: FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
1. An Overview of Financial Management and the Financial Environment. Web Extension 1A: A Closer Look at Markets: Securitization and Social Welfare. Web Extension 1B: An Overview of Derivatives. Web Extension 1C: A Closer Look at the Stock Markets.
2. Time Value of Money. Web Extension 2A: Continuous Compounding. Web Extension 2B: The Tabular Approach.
3. Financial Statements, Cash Flow, and Taxes. Web Extension 3A: The Federal Income Tax System for Individuals.
4. Analysis of Financial Statements.
Part Two: SECURITIES AND THEIR VALUATION.
5. Bonds, Bond Valuation, and Interest Rates. Web Extension 5A: A Closer Look at Zero Coupon Bonds. Web Extension 5B: A Closer Look at TIPS: Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. Web Extension 5C: A Closer Look at Bankruptcy and Reorganization. Web Extension 5D: A Closer Look at Bond Risk: Duration. Web Extension 5E: The Pure Expectations Theory and Estimation of Forward Rates.
6. Risk, Return, and the Capital Asset Pricing Model. Web Extension 6A: Continuous Probability Distributions. Web Extension 6B: Estimating Beta with a Financial Calculator.
7. Portfolio Theory and Other Asset Pricing Models.
8. Stocks, Stock Valuation, and Stock Market Equilibrium. Web Extension 8A: Derivation of Valuation Equations.
9. Financial Options and Applications in Corporate Finance. Web Extension 9A: The Binomial Approach.
Part Three: PROJECTS AND THEIR VALUATION.
10. The Cost of Capital. Web Extension 10A: The Divisional Cost of Capital. Web Extension 10B: EstimatingGrowth Rates. Web Extension 10C: The Cost of Equity in the Nonconstant Dividend Growth Model. Web Extension 10D: New Equity Issues and the Marginal WACC.
11. The Basics of Capital Budgeting: Evaluating Cash Flows. Web Extension 11A: The Accounting Rate of Return (ARR).
12. Cash Flow Estimation and Risk Analysis. Web Extension 12A: Replacement Project Analysis. Web Extension 12B: The Risk-Adjusted Project Cost of Capital.
13. Decision Trees, Real Options, and Other Capital Budgeting Topics. Web Extension 13A: The Abandonment Real Option. Web Extension 13B: Risk-Neutral Valuation.
Part Four: CORPORATE VALUATION AND GOVERNANCE.
14. Financial Planning and Forecasting Financial Statements. Web Extension 14A: Financing Feedbacks. Web Extension 14B: Advanced Techniques for Forecasting Financial Statement Accounts.
15. Corporate Valuation, Value-Based Management, and Corporate Governance.
Part Five: STRATEGIC FINANCING.
16. Capital Structure Decisions: The Basics. Web Extension 16A: Degree of Leverage.
17. Capital Structure Decisions: Extensions.
18. Distributions to Shareholders: Dividends and Repurchases.
Part Six: TACTICAL FINANCIAL DECISION.
19. Initial Public Offerings, Investment Banking, and Financial Restructuring. Web Extension 19A: Rights Offerings.
20. Lease Financing. Web Extension 20A: Percentage Cost Analysis. Web Extension 20B: Leasing Feedback. Web Extension 20C: Leveraged Leases.
21. Hybrid Financing: Preferred Stock, Warrants, and Convertibles. Web Extension 21A: Calling Convertible Issues.
Part Seven: SPECIAL TOPICS.
22. Working Capital Management. Web Extension 22A: Secured Short-Term Financing.
23. Derivatives and Risk Management. Web Extension 23A: Risk Management with Insurance. Web Extension 23B: Bond Portfolio Immunization.
24. Bankruptcy, Reorganization, and Liquidation. Web Extension 24A: Multiple Discriminant Analysis.
25. Mergers, LBOs, Divestitures, and Holding Companies. Web Extension 25A: Comparison of Alternative Valuation Models.
26. Multinational Financial Management. WEB CHAPTERS.
27. Providing and Obtaining Credit.
28. Advanced Issues in Cash Management and Inventory Control.
29. Pension Plan Management.
30. Financial Management in Not-for-Profit Businesses.
