“Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.”
–The New York Times
“A small pearl of a book ... read full description
–The New York Times
“A small pearl of a book ... read full description
reviews
Feb 18, 2009
Susan
rated it: 
Better premise than execution. An overview of New York history as seen through the oyster (or, better, the history of the oyster as seen through the lens of one city). Its great moments come from some fun historical oddities--e.g., the discovery of a new oyster bed is such major news that it makes the front page of the NYT. It sent me running to the Oyster Bar for a feed but otherwise didn't live up to my expectations.
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Feb 19, 2009
Megan
rated it:
I just gave up on finishing this book. And I hate not finishing a book. I so wanted to keep reading. But I found myself looking around the subway for something more interesting to entertain me every time I picked it up. This is definitely not a page turner, like some of the other reviews suggest. Maybe if you're a history buff, but otherwise, no. It's interesting and there are tons of little tidbits about New York City and how this metropolis came to be what it is today (both due and not due to
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Jul 03, 2011
Patty
rated it: 
This book had the elements that I like in Kurlansky's writings - good writing and fascinating facts. Many years ago, I read Cod and was intrigued by the links that the cod made between countries and eras of history. I had no idea that one fish could be so important. It is this kind of history that makes me want to read Kurlansky's non-fiction.
I knew more about oysters when I started this book than I had known about cod, but I had no idea of the links between New York City and the oy More...
I knew more about oysters when I started this book than I had known about cod, but I had no idea of the links between New York City and the oy More...
Dec 10, 2008
Jess
rated it: 
(4.5 stars, actually.) I loved Salt and this book satisfied me much the same way. It's a big-picture look at the history of NYC, told through the lens of the rise and fall of the oyster trade. I love books that make me look at the ground beneath my feet in a whole new way, and this one made me long for the days when NYC was an unspoiled natural wonder.
I've been canoeing on the Gowanus Canal before (long story), and to think that it was once the crystal clear home to abundant oyster More...
I've been canoeing on the Gowanus Canal before (long story), and to think that it was once the crystal clear home to abundant oyster More...
Sep 01, 2010
Jonathan
rated it:
A good way to cover the environmental history of New York City. As Kurlansky shows, Manhattan was identified for centuries with an abundance of oysters. Huge mounds, or "shell middens," of oyster shells appeared at Native American settlement sites on the island millennia before Europeans arrived, and well into the nineteenth century, oysters were daily food for the New York poor. By the early 1800s, however, oysters in New York Harbor were being overharvested and threatened by sewage
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Feb 05, 2009
Where Cod and Salt focused on individual ingredients and their place in world history, The Big Oyster constricts its focus to the role of oysters in the history of New York. For many reviewers, the narrowing of the subject makes his well-researched digressions seem out of place. Critics celebrate his account of Manhattan history and the often-surprising role oysters played in its burgeoning economy and social life, but they are generally disappointed in a story that is not as cohesive as they ha
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Jan 31, 2010
Jill
rated it:
I must say I had rather high expectations for this book. I rather like one of Kurlansky's earlier books - Cod - and how wrong could you go with a follow up about "the remarkable story of New York by following one its most fascinating inhabitants - the oyster"? Alas, to my chagrin, the blurb for the book was a tad misleading.
The Big Oyster starts out promisingly enough with its description of New York as a veritable Eden of oysters. According to the estimates of some biolog More...
The Big Oyster starts out promisingly enough with its description of New York as a veritable Eden of oysters. According to the estimates of some biolog More...
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Dec 28, 2009
Samira
rated it:
An inherent problem with being a historian reading popular history is that there is a bunch of exposition in most popular histories that I already know, and so I often find that popular American history can drag a bit. While that was sometimes true of The Big Oyster, it was very easy to skim those sections and Kulansky's writing style and use of language are so entertaining that I did not really mind. I had no idea there was so much to say about a food that has always struck me as salty snot o
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Mar 15, 2010
Much of the charm of this sort of monograph lies in judicious wandering off the main topic and back... and in that regard I have to admit I found Kurlansky rather heavy-handed. He's grimly focused on a single storyline: New York City was built on top of shit-tons of oysters, but a classic tragedy of the commons has left the Big Oyster with nary a namesake to call its own. For light relief, he reprints numerous old oyster recipes -- and you know, there aren't THAT many fundamentally different
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Dec 24, 2011
I read this a month or two ago in a leisurely way and found it fascinating and delightful in its combination of history, science, and odd facts and stories about New York and oysters. As a person whose oyster consumption is pretty much limited to the occasional oyster stew and (when possible!) Chinese oysters with ginger and scallions, I find it pretty mindboggling that oysters were once a major food item for both Americans and Europeans. The thought of people passionately shoveling huge numbers
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Jun 07, 2011
Hester
rated it:
Typical Kurlansky, in that he uses a very small topic to explore very big themes. I did not know that oysters used to be the food of the poor, that New York used to be a major oyster producer, and that the typical New York eatery was an oyster saloon.
New York harbor used to be filled with oysters, until they were killed off by pollution and overharvesting. The pollution, however, is from about a hundred years ago. As the Hudson becomes cleaner, the oysters are very slowly coming More...
New York harbor used to be filled with oysters, until they were killed off by pollution and overharvesting. The pollution, however, is from about a hundred years ago. As the Hudson becomes cleaner, the oysters are very slowly coming More...
Aug 05, 2011
Charissalee
rated it:
Uhhh. A friend and I picked up this book as oyster eating enthusiasts. I'm not sure what exactly we were expecting, but it is much more colonial history than bivalve love fest. Which is okay. For people into colonial history. I personally care less about the van Der Schnauzer family or whatever, and am much more into learning about the actual oysters. The book did touch on this, so I really enjoyed those sections, as well as the recounting of the ecological history of the NY area.
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Aug 07, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
By the man who wrote Salt and Cod, both awesome books that use the aforementioned products to trace out the development of the world itself, comes another book along the same wonderful lines, but this one with a narrower focus: the oyster beds of New York City. I found this to be a fascinating read, and it gave me lots of insight into New York that I didn't even know I was lacking. I was born and Raised in New Jersey, and I was astounded by how little I knew about the history and evolution of
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Sep 09, 2011
Ruben
rated it:
Interesting history of the oyster in America that was entertaining but at times too concerned with US history. Many parts of the book--especially within part 1--read as if the author was writing a history of New York and would merely sprinkle references about oysters that fit the time period he was discussing. That is not true for the entirety of part 1, but there are many instances where Kurlansky delves into US history so much that he neglects the oyster. Part 2, on the other hand, was very
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Apr 11, 2009
Seán
rated it:
Not as encyclopedic as advertised, and definitely the literate foodie/gourmand has more to profit by than the historian, but an enjoyable read nevertheless that makes one pang for lost oyster cellars, the Washington Market, and all-night ferries. Kurlansky cites him a few times, but I suggest anyone really interested in knowing about the Black Staten Island oystering community, the oystering legacy of the South Shore of Strong Island, and the withering of New York Harbor fisheries of every strip
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Aug 17, 2010
Kathy
rated it:
Fascinating history of New York City through the suprisingly engrossing history of the once-abundant oyster beds in the surrounding waters. At one time, a diet staple of the rich and poor alike, this seemingly inexhaustible resource was eventually lost to terrible pollution. The historical insights along the way are fascinating: the archaeological mounds of oyster shells left by the Lagnape tribes, the early restaurants (oyster cellars), the Five Points gangs, Diamond Jim Brady and Lillian Gish,
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Jan 14, 2010
Liesl
rated it:
I started this book completely fascinated, and really did learn a great deal about oysters and the history of New York. Lots of great trivia and fascinating bits that I'm glad to know and that help other bits fall into place in my mind. But about halfway through, the book just starts to discintegrate. This should either have been a much shorter and really great New Yorker article or it needed a good editor to give it some strong organization. It's all over the place and feels a bit like the auth
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Feb 16, 2009
Ross
rated it:
There might not be enough material to write an entire book around the oyster and New York City. At least that's how it feels when Kurlansky goes off on tangents about steamboats or slums or any number of things. And the chapter titles are cutesy and overdrawn: e.g., The Crassostreasness if New Yorkers; Enduring Shellfishness.
But underneath all that are some interesting facts about oyster shells, oyster farming, the oyster trade, and the popularity of oysters. It is hard to believe t More...
But underneath all that are some interesting facts about oyster shells, oyster farming, the oyster trade, and the popularity of oysters. It is hard to believe t More...
Jul 31, 2011
Audrey
rated it: 
Kurlansky examines the history of New York City through the lens of the oyster. That's right, New York used to have oysters - and delicious oysters at that! There's a bit of biology, but mostly it's the economics and the social history of what was a staple food here for both the rich and the poor. You wouldn't think developments in oystering and oyster-selling would be so rich, but it's amazing how the oyster interacts with and shapes so many facets of New York. Environmentally, it's a sad and p
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May 23, 2011
Carin
rated it:
I finally finished this book. It took way too long, I had to force myself to not give up. I love nonfiction books filled with historical, random facts, and after having lived in New York I am even more of a lover of New York City history than an average reader. I thought this book would have the perfect blend of both. Alas, I should have remembered: while I did love Mr. Kurlansky's Cod, I did not finish and eventually gave away Salt, after getting about 1/3 of the way through. The Big Oyster sho
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Jan 18, 2011
Doctorteeth
rated it:
I decided to try this because I read and liked Kurlansky's Salt, and while The Big Oyster was also good, it suffered a little in comparison.
I found reading about the ecological aspect of oysters, and their importance to New Yorkers throughout the ages, very interesting, and I also appreciated getting the story of the changing political and municipal landscape through the years. (The historical recipes are also a great historical curiosity, and some even make me want to try a couple More...
I found reading about the ecological aspect of oysters, and their importance to New Yorkers throughout the ages, very interesting, and I also appreciated getting the story of the changing political and municipal landscape through the years. (The historical recipes are also a great historical curiosity, and some even make me want to try a couple More...
May 23, 2008
Pilouetta
rated it:
why i love an oyster, kurlansky says it all:
the fact that oysters are about the only food eaten alive is part of what makes them a unique gastronomic experience, that and the sense that no other food brings us closer to the sea.
i appreciated the thorough research about the oyster a la new york, but given the overwhelming presence of the bivalve, kurlansky strayed at times, back and forth to europe, chicago and california. maybe there is just too much to say. i was glued More...
the fact that oysters are about the only food eaten alive is part of what makes them a unique gastronomic experience, that and the sense that no other food brings us closer to the sea.
i appreciated the thorough research about the oyster a la new york, but given the overwhelming presence of the bivalve, kurlansky strayed at times, back and forth to europe, chicago and california. maybe there is just too much to say. i was glued More...
Mar 29, 2011
Chad
rated it:
The importance of the oyster to New York's history and the sociological and economic aspects of this book are very interesting. It jumped around a bit temporally sometimes, but that was probably unavoidable. The bad note for me was there were too many excerpts from old cookbooks. In my opinion, that information could have been bundled together as a separate document or addendum at the end of the book as it seemed to interrupt the historical narrative. In his defense, the author is also a food
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Aug 01, 2011
Emily
rated it:
I didn't know that NYC was at one time The Big Oyster instead of the Big Apple. The Hudson River estuary had an abundance of oysters, so much so that it was a leader in oyster production, exporting them around the world. This book weaves the history of the NYC metropolitan area and oysters. Unfortunately, many oysters have disappeared or became contaminated so NY is no longer associated with this mollusk. I found the book interesting and readable and hope to read other books by the author in
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May 13, 2007
sandy
rated it: 
139/280 Wow, this was so painful to read, that at times I even preferred writing my thesis than reading it. It is easy to read, but just not interesting. All you ever wanted to know about the history of the oyster industry in New York and loads more. The highlights are an oyster recipe written in Middle English, and describing eating New York oysters so large that it was like eating babies. Some interesting knick-knack information interspersed, but too few and far in between with oyster fact
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Mar 18, 2010
Melody
rated it:
I found the history of New York City, its watershed, and the formerly famous oysters very interesting. The story of pollution and habitat destruction is sad but also interesting. The old oyster recipes are fun little extra. I thought the authors thorough research made for a good read, and I'll probably read more of his books.
Jul 04, 2011
David R.
rated it:
It's hard to believe New York City was the center of a world-class oyster fishery. Those days are long gone, perhaps for generations if ever again. In this book Kurlansky (who took on Cod some years ago) reviews the sorry record from seemingly limitless fishing to the waste-wracked present, giving great understanding to each infuriating step downhill. It's a wonderfully constructed tale, and with it come interesting recipes for oysters going back to Dutch days! Highly recommended...
May 05, 2011
Heyheybrett
rated it:
If I'd only known that a love for oysters could teach me so much about American history I would have begun eating them in high school. It could have saved me a lot of trouble. (In college as well)
Great book, full of facts, recipes, history, and humor. A taste for bivalves adds to the enjoyment.
Great book, full of facts, recipes, history, and humor. A taste for bivalves adds to the enjoyment.
Oct 10, 2009
Corey
rated it:
We were totally into eating oysters when I read this book. Following, I actually really enjoyed learning the history about them, and thinking that they used to be as big as a plate. This is true Kurlansky writing, full of well-researched details, old recipes, and an interesting story about place and food.
Aug 02, 2011
Margaret
rated it:
A really interesting and engaging book! Kurlansky's books are so edifying, and I learned a lot about how important oysters were in New York history. I especially like how the epilogue hits you in the head with the environmental message that comes through the rest of the book much more subtly.
