{ "item_title" : "The Big Oyster", "item_author" : [" Mark Kurlansky "], "item_description" : "Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.-The New York Times A small pearl of a book . . . a great tale of the growth of a modern city as seen through the rise and fall of the lowly oyster.-Rocky Mountain News Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants-the oyster.For centuries New York was famous for this particular shellfish, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city's life that the abundant bivalves were Gotham's most celebrated export, a staple food for all classes, and a natural filtration system for the city's congested waterways. Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight-along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos-this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the seventeenth-century founding of New York to the death of its oyster beds and the rise of America's environmentalist movement, from the oyster cellars of the rough-and-tumble Five Points slums to Manhattan's Gilded Age dining chambers. With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious. Suffused with Kurlansky's] pleasure in exploring the city across ground that hasn't already been covered with other writers' footprints.-Los Angeles Times Book Review Fascinating stuff . . . Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.-The Wall Street Journal Kurlansky packs his breezy book with terrific anecdotes.-Entertainment Weekly Magnificent . . . a towering accomplishment.-Associated Press", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/34/547/639/0345476395_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "20.00", "online_price" : "20.00", "our_price" : "20.00", "club_price" : "20.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

Overview

Customers Also Bought

Details

The Big Oyster

Kurlansky, the best-selling author of Cod and Salt, never fails to find fascinating stories in unexpected places. His newest book is an intriguing overview of the oyster industry in New York City, a lively historical narrative that examines how the trade has affected the growth and development of the Big Apple over the centuries. As Kurlansky recounts, the oyster has long been a beloved part of the city's culture. The shellfish served as a peace offering in the 1600s, when Native Americans in the area offered it to English explorers, and oyster beds have for decades provided a livelihood for locals. Throughout the city, the oyster is a favorite food, a delicacy to people of all races and classes, and appropriately enough, Kurlansky includes plenty of oyster-based recipes in the book. He also takes a look at the current status of the shellfish, writing with his trademark authority about the destruction of New York's famous oyster beds and what the future may hold for the industry, as pollution alters the delicate ecological equation the fish requires in order to flourish. Spinning a compelling narrative from an unassuming subject, he writes with style and command about science, history and culinary matters. A reading group guide is included in the book.