This is an enjoyable addition to the growing literature of
commodities, the histories of substances which we take for granted
in everyday life. Caffeine encompasses tea and chocolate as well as
coffee, so this book, subtitled The Science and Culture of the
World's Most Popular Drug, is likely to appeal to a massive
readership of those dependent on one or more of these substances to
enhance their mood. The author starts by recounting the history of
caffeine and its arrival in Europe in its various forms from
Africa, Asia and South America, showing how each of the substances
underwent changes in processing to conform to European tastes -
Charles V of Spain, for example, is credited with first mixing
cacao with sugar in the 16th century. But it also takes in
sociology, anthropology, chemistry and medicine. The arrival of
coffee and coffee houses introduced Eastern customs to the West,
which had previously tended to regard Turks as stereotype villains;
the coffee houses also became venues for intellectuals to meet and
talk about philosophy and politics. Though the Romantics such as
Wordsworth lauded the joys of the natural world they still loved
their tea and coffee, and the book includes a very complicated
recipe for coffee found in Coleridge's diary. And of course, tea,
and the meal it led to, became a mainstay of English life. This is
a well-researched and scholarly book with a number of
black-and-white illustrations within the text. It explains in
detail the chemistry of caffeine, showing how it is processed and
how it achieves its mood-lifting effects, and examines the place of
caffeine in the modern world, even comparing the relative caffeine
content of the decaffeinated coffees offered by various
manufacturers. A fascinating and comprehensive survey. (Kirkus UK)
How much do we really know about our number one drug of choice? This book, the first natural, cultural, and artistic history of our favourite mood enhancer tells us more, by looking at how caffeine was discovered, its early uses, and the unexpected parts it has played in medicine, religion, painting, poetry, learning and love.
The World of Caffeine is a captivating tale of art and society containing many fascinating stories including:
* how Balzac's addiction to caffeine drove him to eat coffee and may have killed him
* how a mini Ice Age may have helped bring coffee, tea and chocolate to popularity in Europe
* how caffeine, in its various forms, was used as cash in China, Africa, Central America and Egypt.
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