From the Publisher
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.