Birdseye: Summary and book reviews of Birdseye by Mark Kurlansky, plus links to an excerpt from Birdseye and a biography of Mark Kurlansky.

Break out the TV dinners! From the author who gave us Cod, Salt, and other informative bestsellers, the first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.

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Throughout this smart, eloquent and sometimes troubling biography, Kurlansky celebrates the restless and particularly American energy that animated Birdseye: no experience or opportunity was wasted. Birdseye lived the way he ate, digesting everything. He was a curious adventurer eager to discover the next big thing, and he always looked forward. And though Birdseye lived and worked unworried by the consequences of what he did and what he made, people today must struggle with the repercussions of his inventions.  (Reviewed by Jo Perry).

Full Review (1009 words).

Media Reviews

Janet Maslin, New York Times The first book-length biography of Clarence Birdseye… [An] intriguing book that… coaxes readers to re-examine everyday miracles like frozen food, and to imagine where places with no indigenous produce would be without them.   Booklist Kurlansky's narrative gifts shine through every chapter.   Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Covering the science behind Birdseye's other inventions along with intimate details of his family life, Kurlansky skillfully weaves a fluid narrative of facts on products, packaging, and marketing into this rags-to-riches portrait of the man whose ingenuity brought revolutionary changes to 20th-century life.   Kirkus Reviews Starred Review. Yes, the frozen-food guy really was named Clarence Birdseye (1886-1956), and the story of his adventures is another satisfying dish from the remarkable menu of the author of Cod, Salt and other treats.

Recent Reader Reviews

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