Reviews of Spice by Jack Turner

Media Reviews

Los Angeles Times Jack Turner handles his subject with discernment and confidence, his style appropriately brisk and animated…Impressive and reassuring is his combination of sympathetic understanding and toughminded rationalism. Although he never condescends to the past, neither does he ever blur the line that separates fascinating lore from the objective truths of science.

New York Times In his fascinating new book…Jack Turner not only gives the reader a wonderfully vivid history of the quest for spices and the lucrative spice trade, but he also provides some intriguing insights into why spices once exerted such a hold over the human imagination -- and how they catalyzed the Age of Discovery.

Christian Science Monitor Turner combines erudition with a breezy style, and some wonderful touches of humor. Spice is history that hits home.

Orlando Sentinel Based on research that is broad and deep, Turner succeeds remarkably well in capturing the evanescent attractions of spice.

San Francisco Chronicle Turner impressively weaves a tremendous amount of information into a cohesive, pointed narrative…His study of spice illuminates modes of social behavior that are as prevalent now as they were centuries ago, reflecting humanity's timeless tendency toward stratification, fantasy and greed.

San Jose Mercury News A nifty grab bag of a book. Entertaining and informative.

The New York Times - Michiko Kakutani In this, his first book, Mr. Turner not only gives the reader a wonderfully vivid history of the quest for spices and the lucrative spice trade, but he also provides some intriguing insights into why spices once exerted such a hold over the human imagination -- and how they catalyzed the Age of Discovery.... a culinary history and a delightful read.

The New Yorker Turner arranges his history of spices thematically, in a series of lively essays on their role in different aspects of human endeavor, such as exploration (Columbus was looking for cinnamon when he discovered America) and love (a fifteenth-century tract prescribes an ointment of honey and ginger for Increasing the Dimension of Small Members and Making Them Splendid).

Washington Post - Sidney W Mintz Turner's history is chronological only for particular places; each definitive episode mostly stands on its own. Turner aims to tease out the more important continuities of spices' past and follow them down through time. Hence readers must be prepared to move from the spread of Islam after the death of Mohammed -- which cut Europe off from the clove islands for a time -- back to the peppercorns discovered in the nose of the mummy of Ramses II. In principle there is no reason why this serial presentation -- selected anecdotes about spices as flavorings, as medicines, as embalming agents, as magical agents and so on -- should not serve the reader well. And this is entertaining, for a while. Yet because of it, the book takes on something of the quality of a trip to the zoo, where one moves from the aviary to the monkey cage, with each case standing on its own.

Library Journal - Dale Farris Exhaustively researched and amply footnoted, Turner's title nicely updates J.W. Purseglove's Spices, fleshes out Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, and Flavorings, and provides more details about the intriguing story of spice than Andrew Dalby's Dangerous Tastes. Highly recommended.

Booklist - Mark Knoblauch Turner displays erudition without pretension in compelling prose; the result is a highly readable account of the oft-reported quest for spices.

Kirkus Reviews A wide-ranging, learned treat for epicures and cultural historians from - let us say it first - a man for all seasonings.

Publishers Weekly .....His account of religious uses, on the other hand, paints a richer picture and gets closer to imagining the mystery that people found in these startlingly intense flavors and fragrances. It is this mystery and the idea that sensations themselves have a history that make the entire book fascinating.

 Peter Mayle A fascinating and scholarly book that can help you improve both your cooking and your sex life. An excellent piece of work.

 Philip Ziegler Jack Turner possesses the two ingredients most essential for the great historian–scholarly detachment allied to a passionate obsession with his subject. He also writes uncommonly well. A splendid book.

Reader Reviews

Julianna
This first book by Turner is very entertaining and well written. It contains many bits of information which are entirely new to me. I appreciated all of the literary references made in the book.
I am looking forward to further books by this author.   Read More Johnpslater
A thorough encyclopedia of spice. Many interesting stories and facts. Best read over a period as a reference book...a little hard going as a continuous read.

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