false 18148544 988066 3347 0140298517 9780140298512 81 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163357144m/3347.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1163357144s/3347.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3347.The_Basque_History_of_the_World_The_Story_of_a_Nation 3.73 449
Mark Kurlansky's passion for the Basque people and his exuberant eye for detail shine throughout this fascinating book. Like Cod, The Basque History of the World blends human stories with economic, political, literary, and culinary history into a rich and heroic tale.

Among the Basques' greatest accomplishments:

• Exploration-the first man to circumnavigate the globe, Juan Sebastián de Elcano, was a Basque and the Basques were the second Europeans, after the Vikings, in North America
• Gastronomy and agriculture-they were the first Europeans to eat corn and chili peppers and cultivate tobacco, and were among the first to use chocolate
• Religion-Ignatius Loyola, a Basque, founded the Jesuit religious order
• Business and politics-they introduced capitalism and modern commercial banking to southern Europe
• Recreation-they invented beach resorts, jai alai, and racing regattas, and were the first Europeans to play sports with balls ]]> 1847 3.69 6844 1407 1999 4 0 false Sun Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 20:12:24 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 06 21:30:06 -0700 2008 more...]]>