The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky

The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky

From Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod, Salt, Birdseye, and Paper--the illuminating story of an ancient and enigmatic people

Straddling a small corner of Spain and France in a land that is marked on no maps except their own, the Basques are a puzzling contradiction--they are Europe's oldest nation without ever having been a country. No one has ever been able to determine their origins, and even the Basques' language, Euskera--the most ancient in Europe--is related to none other on earth. For centuries, their influence has been felt in nearly every realm, from religion to sports to commerce. Even today, the Basques are enjoying what may be the most important cultural renaissance in their long existence, as displayed by new cookbooks like chefs Alexandra Raij and Eder Montero's The Basque Book and restaurateur Jose Pizarro's Basque.

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 Sebastian 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

A delectable portrait of an uncanny, indomitable nation. -Newsday

Exciting, Illuminating, and thought provoking. -The Boston Globe

Entertaining and instructive. Kurlansky's] approach is unorthodox, mixing history with anecdotes, poems with recipes. -The New York Times Book Review

Mark Kurlansky worked for several years on commercial fishing boats in Canada and the US, and subsequently became a journalist, covering beats in Eastern and Western Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America for the Chicago Tribune and the International Herald Tribune. He has written for magazines including Harper's, Audubon, and the New York Times Magazine, and contributes a column on food history to Food & Wine magazine. In addition to Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, he is the author of A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny, A Chosen Few: The Resurrection of European Jewry, The Basque History of the World, and Salt: A World History. He lives in New York City.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780140298512
ISBN 10	0140298517
Title	The Basque History of the World
Author	Mark Kurlansky
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Putnam Inc
Year published	2001-02-01
Number of pages	400
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable