"A loving eulogy not only to a fish, but to the people whose lives have been shaped by the habits of the fish, and whose way of life is now at an e...
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Nov 13, 2007
Samantha
rated it: 
I got stuck with this book for AP European History book report #2. I got to chose last in the class from the book list, and so... Cod.
I actually kinda liked it at the time. It was short, humorous at times, but went a little above and beyond with the fish so that the world turned and society advanced all thanks to Cod. Kinda made Cod look like God.
I actually suggested this book to the school librarian who was a family friend, for her to read on the way to her vacation. She cam More...
I actually kinda liked it at the time. It was short, humorous at times, but went a little above and beyond with the fish so that the world turned and society advanced all thanks to Cod. Kinda made Cod look like God.
I actually suggested this book to the school librarian who was a family friend, for her to read on the way to her vacation. She cam More...
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Feb 24, 2010
Eric_W
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There is no way you could ever get me to eat cod, despite my partial Norwegian background where they eat a variety of disgusting fish dishes, the most famous being lutefisk, a kind of rotten, spoiled gelatinous mess. But I loved this book. Kurlansky is another John McPhee, supplying all sorts of interesting details. Turns out cod has been extremely important to civilization and almost as essential as bread. It was easy to fish and preserve and probably made discovery of North America by the
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(4 people liked it)
Oct 09, 2008
Danceswithwords
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A much more focused narrative than Salt, about Atlantic cod fisheries and the ways that inexpensive, salt-preserved fish changed diets and economies in Europe from the middle ages to the present. The central story of the book, though, is the way what was once regarded as a limitless resource has been fished to the edge of collapse, and the affect that has had on the communities that depend on it, and the difficulty of harnessing competing economic entities to work to restore the populations.
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Jan 29, 2008
Ngolana
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While one would think a book entirely devoted to codfish would enervate, if not actually annoy, in fact this work is a fascinating examination of the human tendency to greed as played out on a global scale. This is easily equal in quality and complexity, to my mind, with a novel by Dostoevsky, for instance. It follows the trail of guilt and rapacity from early times to today's sad, inadequate harvest and is witty in to the bargain. A great read.
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Apr 20, 2011
Alisa
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I enjoyed this lively little book about the history of cod. What could seem like an obscure topic for a history book turned out to be an entertaining and very informative narrrative about a species of fish that has sparked war, shaped international political discourse, impacted diverse cultures, markets, and the environment. The author did a good job of weaving in odd little facts within the larger discussion. Seems a bit ironic that he would lamment the near extinction of the fish while simulta
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 26, 2008
Ana
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Great book! I wondered if I would like it , but I was surprised to really enjoy it. Kurlansky does a great and fascinating job in telling the story of Atlantic Cod fishing over the past 1000 years, tying it to world history and politics in general.
It definitely make me worried about over-fishing and has made me reconsider my fish-eating unless I can be assured that the fish I ate were either farmed or fished in sustainable conditions-- I think a difficult task! As a Portuguese gal More...
It definitely make me worried about over-fishing and has made me reconsider my fish-eating unless I can be assured that the fish I ate were either farmed or fished in sustainable conditions-- I think a difficult task! As a Portuguese gal More...
Apr 28, 2008
Ellis
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This book had some interesting info about how cod fishing led to discovery of new lands, and about the politics of food harvesting from the sea. The serious over-fishing of the sea is discussed. The Cod Wars between Iceland and England were something that I'd never heard about before.
I probably would have given this book 4 stars except that I had to read about 100 cod recipes. That wasn't really my cup of tea. By the way, there are a surprising number of dirty inuendos based on More...
I probably would have given this book 4 stars except that I had to read about 100 cod recipes. That wasn't really my cup of tea. By the way, there are a surprising number of dirty inuendos based on More...
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Dec 16, 2011
Richard
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Rating: 3.75* of five
Victorian scientists said that cod was the fish in the miracle of the loaves and fishes because there were so darn many of them....
Yeah, late to the party yet again...13 years late. I read this book, I would swear, when it came out; I recognized a few of the anecdotes, and I remember the jacket design very clearly. But a lot had slipped from my memory, and I now wonder if I actually read it, or had enough conversations about it to think I had.
We More...
Victorian scientists said that cod was the fish in the miracle of the loaves and fishes because there were so darn many of them....
Yeah, late to the party yet again...13 years late. I read this book, I would swear, when it came out; I recognized a few of the anecdotes, and I remember the jacket design very clearly. But a lot had slipped from my memory, and I now wonder if I actually read it, or had enough conversations about it to think I had.
We More...
Jun 12, 2011
Paul
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Mark Kurlansky wrote a miscellany. Not particularly thorough, not particularly well organized, it does not really add anything, as they say, "to the literature". There are even recipes tossed in randomly, as if to pad this book out to publishable length.
Still, it's a fun diverting read. Even if most of the content of the book could be cobbled out of the kind of paperback books (and cookbooks...) that are sold out of wire racks next to the tee shirts, lobster shot glasses, More...
Still, it's a fun diverting read. Even if most of the content of the book could be cobbled out of the kind of paperback books (and cookbooks...) that are sold out of wire racks next to the tee shirts, lobster shot glasses, More...
May 28, 2011
Kristine
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What did I do after finishing this biography of the fish that changed the world? Of course! I began obsessing about eating some COD -- even as I realized that the supply of cod has diminished drastically over the centuries and, almost certainly, hasn't fully rebounded since this book was published in the 90s.
So I face a dilemma: how can I, a cod-lover for decades, encourage others to read this (pretty good!) book and maybe also start obsessing about eating their very own cod din More...
So I face a dilemma: how can I, a cod-lover for decades, encourage others to read this (pretty good!) book and maybe also start obsessing about eating their very own cod din More...
May 24, 2011
Tom
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This book was a great fit for my interests. It talks about how food (which I love to eat), geography (which has always fascinated me), and history (which I studied in school). It even included historic recipes from various cultures which ate cod.
I don't think I've ever had cod, particularly salt cod, and based on how catastrophically it has been over fished, I may never have it. It was such a widely traded commodity for centuries, it's not shocking that it became depleted. The most More...
I don't think I've ever had cod, particularly salt cod, and based on how catastrophically it has been over fished, I may never have it. It was such a widely traded commodity for centuries, it's not shocking that it became depleted. The most More...
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Dec 03, 2010
Fuzzy
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My friend Michael Strening, Jr, in addition to being an awesome musician, is teaching middle school social studies this year and he told us about a book that his class was reading—Cod by Mark Kurlansky. His description, that the book was an examination of the last thousand years or so of North Atlantic history through the lens of the titular fish, was really intriguing. Especially since I've just finished listening to the BBC's podcast of A History of the World in 100 Objects, which similarly ex
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Feb 06, 2010
Dennison
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Those who argue that economic exploitation of natural "resources" can go on for ever because it always has gone on, should read Mark Kurlansky's book "Cod, A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World". The book is not primarily about the collapse of stocks in the early 1990s but rather a fascinating investigation of all aspects of this fish - cultural, economic and political - without which the American Revolution might never have taken place or at least have been delayed
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Dec 26, 2009
Jim
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Looking at the world from the point of view of a species of food fish can lead to fascinating results. For instance, it is quite possible that Basque fishermen discovered the New World decades before Columbus, and that Columbus may have known this. So much of American history (and wealth) is connected with cod fishing that it is quite sobering to see us come to the possible end of a species of whom Alexandre Dumas wrote, "It has been calculated that if no accident prevented the hatching of
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Sep 15, 2009
Linda
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I have read in my colonial history research about the plentiful schools of very large cod that were found along the New England coast in colonial times, and decided to see what else I could learn about the fisheries. This little book is well written and readable, with a section of cod recipes at the end of the book. (Many of these, like Fried Cod Head, or Stewed Codfish Tongues, seem to be of historical interest only.) Cod was dried and/or salted to preserve it through the winter months, and w
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Aug 10, 2009
Marilynmayer
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I love books like this in which a very narrow topic gives broad insight into our world. This story tells the history of cod fishing, the Basque were one of the first grps. to successfully & secretly fish for cod on a commercial scale, all the way to modern fishing techniques in which schools of fish could be located & over-fished through GPS. Cod fishing brought wealth to many nations, became a treasured part of many diets (Its high protein count made it a valuable source of protein in the cen
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Jan 16, 2012
Sylvia
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Before I read this book, I never thought much about cod, the flaky white fish found in frigid waters of the North Atlantic. It turns out that cod was once so abundant and so significant in the economic and political history of the West, that it was responsible for, among other things: spurring the earliest Viking explorations to the New World; forming the economic basis for independent American colonies and thus spurring the Revolution; serving as a critical link in the triangular pre-Civil War
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Jan 18, 2012
Bdalton
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This book was published in 1999 and changed how people thought about the seafood that they eat. It tells the story of man's relationship to cod, a species once so prolific in the Atlantic that it was said that you could walk across the ocean on the backs of cod. But, through overfishing the species has been decimated, forever changing the working life of many communities on the eastern seaboard. Cod is integral to the life and culture of communities in Newfoundland, Iceland and Massachuesetts
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Feb 22, 2009
Mike
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 08, 2010
Amy
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So far pretty interesting to tell you the truth. From the exploration of the New World, to New England merchants growing fat off the slave trade, to the idea that a world could not have the classic fish n chips England is notorious for... Cod is everywhere. It is everything as far as the fish world is concerned. Fishermen lose jobs and we lose the tasty treat that is salted cod. Okay, I really have no clue if salted cod is a tasty treat as I have never consumed it. Unfortuantely, there is the re
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Jul 19, 2007
Ryan
rated it:
Like Kurlansky's other history on salt, Cod tells the story of the Cod fish and how it has influenced civilization as we know it. This book also has a distinctively environmentalist angle. Whereas salt it an almost inexhaustible mineral, the Cod fish population has been greatly reduced by over-fishing and bad fishing practices such as dragging. Although not as good as Salt this book is still one that shouldn't be missed.
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Nov 06, 2010
Sam
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I borrowed this book off a friend (after borrowing another book called Leviathan: Or, The Whale by Philip Hoare) and I have to say I enjoyed it jsut as much despite the subject matter not appearing as dramatic. Kurlansky not only brings the cod to life in all its glory but also takes the reader on a journey from the moment that cod entered the diet of man on a local, national and ultimately international level. Kurlansky includes throughout the book quotes from various fictional and factual so
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Jun 09, 2011
John
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This was a fun little pop history. Though I wonder if Mr. Kurlansky realized at a certain point that he didn't really have the material for a particularly hefty tome, and if that might be the reason why he closes the book with 40 pages of cod recipes. Recipes for the cooking of a fish that he has just spent 200 pages convincing me that I can't eat anymore. What is the use of these recipes? No one would buy this for a cookbook, and the people who buy it because they like fun little pop histories
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Apr 10, 2011
Emily
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Kurlansky is the Master of social history and odd facts strung together to make perfect sense. I happened on this a few years ago and while I have not particular interest in food, food writing or in fish, I was enthralled. Who knew the world was like this not so very long ago--that cod was a major industry and a major nutritional source in North America and Europe. Now I have found Kurlansky's "Salt" which takes us back a few thousand years and into cultures I have never heard of beca
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Feb 17, 2011
Brian
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It seems that humanity goes through the same disastrous steps every time we exploit a finite natural resource.
First we discover the resource and begin to harness its economic benefits. Merchants and scientists agree that nature's bounty is limitless and can never be exhausted by man. Next, we apply technological advances that allow us to harvest the resource at an ever increasing pace. Human population increases, and with it the market for the resource. Improved transportation te More...
First we discover the resource and begin to harness its economic benefits. Merchants and scientists agree that nature's bounty is limitless and can never be exhausted by man. Next, we apply technological advances that allow us to harvest the resource at an ever increasing pace. Human population increases, and with it the market for the resource. Improved transportation te More...
Feb 05, 2010
Jorge
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Eu sou louco por bacalhau, cozinhado em qualquer uma das suas 1001 maneiras, excepto na mais recente (com natas).
Mas nunca imaginei que o peixe tivesse sido tão importante na história de vários países nomeadamente do norte da Europa e América. No seu apogeu, há alguns séculos atrás, o bacalhau chegou a ser consumido por 60 % dos europeus!
Para além do seu alto valor intrínseco a combinação com o sal, teve um tremendo impacto nas economias de vários países ao proporcionar um alimento c More...
Mas nunca imaginei que o peixe tivesse sido tão importante na história de vários países nomeadamente do norte da Europa e América. No seu apogeu, há alguns séculos atrás, o bacalhau chegou a ser consumido por 60 % dos europeus!
Para além do seu alto valor intrínseco a combinação com o sal, teve um tremendo impacto nas economias de vários países ao proporcionar um alimento c More...
Oct 05, 2010
AdultNonFiction
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Teton Co Library Call No: 333.95 KURLANSKY
Marisa's rating: 3 stars
Well, if you were wondering if this book could possibly be all about the cod fish -- it most definitely is. However, what makes this book and all "microhistories" is that while this book is mostly on the history of this particular fish (its qualities, its ability to be salted and transported, its tendencies) it is really about the history of North America and its relationship to mainly Europe but also t More...
Marisa's rating: 3 stars
Well, if you were wondering if this book could possibly be all about the cod fish -- it most definitely is. However, what makes this book and all "microhistories" is that while this book is mostly on the history of this particular fish (its qualities, its ability to be salted and transported, its tendencies) it is really about the history of North America and its relationship to mainly Europe but also t More...
Oct 23, 2009
Isis
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Parts of this book are fascinating, such as the role codfish played in the "molasses to rum to slaves" triangle trade. (It still boggles me that people in the Caribbean islands - which are surrounded by, you know, fish - imported dried salt cod from the North Atlantic. But apparently it was more cost effective to have every available hand working in the sugar cane fields rather than out fishing.) I also enjoyed hearing about the Cod Wars between Iceland and England, and how fish sto
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Oct 14, 2010
Melissa
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This was a lovely little book all about the history of the cod fish and the people who ultimately contributed to its demise. I really enjoy reading historical non-fiction and Kurlansky's prose makes reading this book a joy. I learned more than I ever thought that I could know about cod and how this one fish was one of the most important trading items in history. At one time, man never thought that he could cut down all of the trees. Look what happened in Eastern Europe. It was almost completely
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Aug 30, 2009
Bonny
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This is a book I picked up in a small bookstore that offers books not always found in the chain stores. Local authors and also subjects that have been cultural as well as international current events were more easily fund in this small book shop. Some really great gems.
I had never heard of Mark Kurlansky before, much less read any of his books. This book is amazing! I was completely caught up 'hook, line and sinker'. So many issues reported over the years seemingly separate from one More...
I had never heard of Mark Kurlansky before, much less read any of his books. This book is amazing! I was completely caught up 'hook, line and sinker'. So many issues reported over the years seemingly separate from one More...
