The Devil's Cup - Coffee, the Driving Force in History (Paperback, Main)

The coffee revolution in the new United Kingdom steams ahead. Despite the popularity of coffee bars in the Sixties, Great Britain seemed happy to slide back into being the tea-drinking nation so often parodied by other countries. But now (as American coffee conglomerates make their mark in many UK high streets), coffee culture seems to be here to stay, and the brown nectar is unquestionably the hippest of drinks (real coffee, of course - instant coffee gets scant sympathy here). Lee Allen's delightful book (quite as flavoursome as the drink it celebrates) is a thorough examination of the subject that functions on all kinds of levels. First of all, it is the definitive social anthropology of the drink and of caffeine's impact on the human race. The author traces the geographical route from Ethiopia when the first coffee beans travelled to Yemen 1500 years ago. With his tongue not far away from his cheek, Lee Allen makes a case for coffee as the driving force in history, and his straight-faced humour is utterly beguilling. Of course, he never tried to persuade the reader that caffeine is good for them, but makes a strong as possible case for coffee as the vice of choice. With a whole mass of persuasive historical nuggets, he produces a rich dark brew quite as tempting as the drink he celebrates. The perfect book to curl up with - and make sure that cup of Colombian Mocha is to hand. (Kirkus UK)

Can you handle mornings without a brew? No? Multiply that. Imagine an entire population under a cloud of lethargy, unable to kick start their days. Now introduce coffee. Bingo. The brain moves into over-drive and it's time for empire building. So goes Stewart Lee Allen's crazy theory. Only thing is, after retracing coffee's journey to world domination - by train, rickshaw, cargo freighter and donkey - he has plenty of evidence to back it up. Stewart Lee Allen has filtered out the richest beans from coffee's hot and frothy history . . . serving up a steamy, high-energy brew that will stimulate you more than a triple-strength espresso.

General

Imprint:	Canongate Books Ltd
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	June 2001
Authors:	Stewart Lee Allen
Dimensions:	197 x 129 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	231
Edition:	Main
ISBN-13:	978-1-84195-143-0
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Health, Home & Family > Cookery / food & drink etc > Beverages > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Food & Drink > Beverages > General
LSN:	1-84195-143-9
Barcode:	9781841951430

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