Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity

Nonfiction, History, World History, Modern
Cover of the book Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity by James Walvin, Pegasus Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Walvin ISBN: 9781681777207
Publisher: Pegasus Books Publication: April 3, 2018
Imprint: Pegasus Books Language: English
Author: James Walvin
ISBN: 9781681777207
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication: April 3, 2018
Imprint: Pegasus Books
Language: English

The modern successor to Sweetness and Power, James Walvin’s Sugar is a rich and engaging work on a topic that continues to change our world.

How did a simple commodity, once the prized monopoly of kings and princes, become an essential ingredient in the lives of millions, before mutating yet again into the cause of a global health epidemic?

Prior to 1600, sugar was a costly luxury, the domain of the rich. But with the rise of the sugar colonies in the New World over the following century, sugar became cheap, ubiquitous and an everyday necessity. Less than fifty years ago, few people suggested that sugar posed a global health problem. And yet today, sugar is regularly denounced as a dangerous addiction, on a par with tobacco. While sugar consumption remains higher than ever—in some countries as high as 100lbs per head per year—some advertisements even proudly proclaim that their product contains no sugar.

How did sugar grow from prize to pariah? Acclaimed historian James Walvin looks at the history of our collective sweet tooth, beginning with the sugar grown by enslaved people who had been uprooted and shipped vast distances to undertake the grueling labor on plantations. The combination of sugar and slavery would transform the tastes of the Western world.

Masterfully insightful and probing, James Walvin reveals the relationship between society and sweetness over the past two centuries—and how it explains our conflicted relationship with sugar today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The modern successor to Sweetness and Power, James Walvin’s Sugar is a rich and engaging work on a topic that continues to change our world.

How did a simple commodity, once the prized monopoly of kings and princes, become an essential ingredient in the lives of millions, before mutating yet again into the cause of a global health epidemic?

Prior to 1600, sugar was a costly luxury, the domain of the rich. But with the rise of the sugar colonies in the New World over the following century, sugar became cheap, ubiquitous and an everyday necessity. Less than fifty years ago, few people suggested that sugar posed a global health problem. And yet today, sugar is regularly denounced as a dangerous addiction, on a par with tobacco. While sugar consumption remains higher than ever—in some countries as high as 100lbs per head per year—some advertisements even proudly proclaim that their product contains no sugar.

How did sugar grow from prize to pariah? Acclaimed historian James Walvin looks at the history of our collective sweet tooth, beginning with the sugar grown by enslaved people who had been uprooted and shipped vast distances to undertake the grueling labor on plantations. The combination of sugar and slavery would transform the tastes of the Western world.

Masterfully insightful and probing, James Walvin reveals the relationship between society and sweetness over the past two centuries—and how it explains our conflicted relationship with sugar today.

More books from Pegasus Books

Cover of the book Bergson: Great Thinkers on Modern Life (Great Thinkers on Modern Life) by James Walvin
Cover of the book Springtime at Cherry Tree Cottage: A Taylton St. George Novel by James Walvin
Cover of the book Plaid and Plagiarism: The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series: Book 1 (The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series) by James Walvin
Cover of the book Wild Sex: The Science Behind Mating in the Animal Kingdom by James Walvin
Cover of the book Die Easy by James Walvin
Cover of the book Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by James Walvin
Cover of the book Kierkegaard: Great Thinkers on Modern Life by James Walvin
Cover of the book Ottoman Odyssey: Travels Through a Lost Empire by James Walvin
Cover of the book Crusoe by James Walvin
Cover of the book The Horror of Love by James Walvin
Cover of the book City of Masks: A Somershill Manor Novel (The Somershill Manor Mysteries) by James Walvin
Cover of the book The Thirty-One Kings: A Richard Hannay Thriller by James Walvin
Cover of the book Why Can't Elephants Jump?: And 113 Other Tantalizing Science Questions Answered by James Walvin
Cover of the book The Man in the Willows: The Life of Kenneth Grahame by James Walvin
Cover of the book A Journey Through Tudor England by James Walvin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy