Mark Kurlansky

Author profile

born

in Hartford, Connecticut, The United States

December 07, 1948

gender

male

website

http://www.markkurlansky.com

genre

Nonfiction, Children's Books

About this author

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Mark Kurlansky (born 7 December 1948 in Hartford, Connecticut) is a highly-acclaimed American journalist and writer of general interest non-fiction. He is especially known for titles on eclectic topics, such as cod or salt.

Kurlansky attended Butler University, where he harbored an early interest in theatre and earned a BA in 1970. However, his interest faded and he began to work as a journalist in the 1970s. During the 70’s he worked as a correspondent in Western Europe for the Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and eventually the Paris-based International Herald Tribune. He moved to Mexico in 1982 where he continued to do journalism. He wrote his first book, A Continent of Islands, in 1992 and went on to write several books throughou...more

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Mark Kurlansky's Books

Average rating: 3.73 · 31,148 ratings · 3,605 reviews · 25 distinct works · Similar authors

	Salt: A World History 3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 17,147 ratings — published 2002 — 30 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 6,708 ratings — published 1997 — 33 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation 3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 3,008 ratings — published 1991 — 56 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 1,394 ratings — published 2005 — 21 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Food of a Younger Land: The WPA's Portrait of Food in Pre-World War II America 3.32 of 5 stars 3.32 avg rating — 1,066 ratings — published 2009 — 13 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky, Dalai Lama XIV (Foreword by) 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 512 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic & Survival in Gloucester, America's Oldest Fishing Port & Most Original Town 3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 avg rating — 309 ratings — published 1998 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Edible Stories: A Novel in Sixteen Parts 2.69 of 5 stars 2.69 avg rating — 253 ratings — published 2010 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Choice Cuts: A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World & Throughout History 3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 avg rating — 165 ratings — published 2002 — 9 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris 2.96 of 5 stars 2.96 avg rating — 156 ratings — published 2010 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Mark Kurlansky

“In every age, people are certain that only the things they have deemed valuable have true value. The search for love and the search for wealth are always the two best stories. But while a love story is timeless, the story of a quest for wealth, given enough time, will always seem like the vain pursuit of a mirage.”
― Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History

10 people liked it

“Man wants to see nature and evolution as separate from human activities. There is a natural world, and there is man. But man also belongs to the natural world. If he is a ferocious predator, that too is part of evolution. If cod and haddock and other species cannot survive because man kills them, something more adaptable will take their place. Nature, the ultimate pragmatist, doggedly searches for something that works. But as the cockroach demonstrates, what works best in nature does not always appeal to us.”
― Mark Kurlansky, Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World

tags: biology, ecology, evolution, extinction, humans, natural-world, nature, science

5 people liked it

“modern people have seen too many chemicals and are ready to go back to eating dirt.”
― Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History

5 people liked it

See all Mark Kurlansky's quotes »

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