Candy: The Sweet History

by Beth Kimmerle

Presents a history of candy and the candy industry, offering stories behind the candies, packaging, and the companies like M&M Mars.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Food History

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Arianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Atrocious editing of the written content, and the writing itself is pretty awful - simply not very readable. But I know this is more of a coffee table book, and is not necessarily meant to be read cover to cover as I am doing. In any case, the trek back into candy history is a neat one, and I do appreciate Kimmerle for that.

Upon finishing: Wow. Obnoxious writing. GLARING typos, which just made things annoying (did no one even SCAN the book before it went to press? I'd have noticed a bunch of those even without reading), but also the writing itself was pedantic, reminiscent of a child writing a report for school. I appreciated the CONTENT - Kimmerle had a lot of great fun facts for the readers, and I came away with some more knowledge of the American candy industry, which I always love. I recognize that this was not supposed to have been read straight through like a book, but even so - occasionally, someone may pick it up from a coffee table and take a glance through a few pages. It's disappointing how badly it came out, when a simple scan through by an editor and a copy editor would have done wonders for the content. Oh, well. Still fun enough. :)

[Sunny Welker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the visuals. Information was interesting but a bit dry. Lots of tasty memories.

[Katherine]

(3.5 stars) More of a picture book than a serious history, but I wanted to finally read this book on my shelf, after recently reading the memoir _Candy & Me_ and re-reading _Candyfreak_ (one of my favorite books!). It's a good one to have on hand if you read _Candyfreak_,; I think all the companies Steve Almond visits are pictured in it.

The writing is so-so and I caught a few typos and mistakes (references to factories located in "Chicago's Oak Park" and "north Chicago"--Oak Park and North Chicago are both suburbs), but I learned a fair amount (is it true that NECCO Wafers "are the oldest U.S. product continuously manufactured in unchanged form"?), and I've got quite a few candies I want to seek out in specialty shops and/or while traveling. (Marshmallow Cone, Choward's Violet mints...I've never even tried Chick-O-Stick or Sky Bar!)

I especially like the old ads from candy industry magazines, and display materials. The old slogans about the wholesomeness of candy bars are great: "Candy is Delicious Food, Enjoy Some Every Day!" The author considers today's protein/meal bars to be "repackaged adult candy," and you can see the candy bars were marketed as the meal bars of THEIR day. (Hey, a large Pearson's Salted Nut Roll seems like a legitimate light meal; at least it has protein.)

A fun coffee table book, but it'd be cruel not to have some candy on hand in case anyone reading it gets cravings (I was forced to rummage for some who-knows-how-old chocolate truffles in my fridge the day I read this...).

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who wants a history of some of the best candy has to check this book out. Amazing bits of trivia from all the greats and when and how they were started. It even includes some recipes to try out. The vintage photos were great. What's your favorite candy? This was a walk down memory lane for sure. Can you believe Goo Goo Clusters were advertised as a nourishing lunch and Choward's gum refreshes after eating, smoking or drinking? Can you see that now? Why are Circus peanuts orange and tastes like banana and named Circus peanuts when they were made by Spangler Candy Company? I never thought about it. I just knew my grandma would have them when we came to visit. Great book. Fun book.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such fun!