History Through The Drinking Glass: August 2024 Book Recommendation

Welcome to the first of many monthly book recommendations. I want to have a mix of both fiction and nonfiction works represented in this blog, and what is a better way to start this off with a history book. 

Being both a business major in college and an avid lover of history, I would agree with the following statement: History is defined by the need for resources and how they are used. It's part of the reasons why empires expand, wars are waged, and science is innovated. The Author, Tom Standage would most likely agree with this perspective too, as the book perfectly illustrates. This book came out in 2005, so why am I just recommending it now? Well, I believe that this book would be a perfect and fun introductory reading material that can help you understand this perspective of history. A much better book similar to this is "An Edible History of Humanity", also by Tom Standage, but that covers a much larger scope and best serves as a second book to this one. 

As it's name suggests, there are six drinks, each pertaining to a different era of human history (Beer, Wine, Spirits/Rum, Coffee, Tea, Coca-Cola). Beer, the oldest human-produced drink, marked the next step for sedentary farming life for humans in the cradle of civilization. Wine, predominantly consumed in the Greco-Roman sphere, became a catalyst for trade and philosphy in antiquity. The book skips over the middle ages and goes straight to the age of exploration, where distilled beverages such as spirits fueled the early colonization of the Americas. Next, we are introduced to coffee, the drink of choice for many enlightment-era thinkers, and led to the rise of many innovations and ideas that laid the groundwork for the industrial revolution. Despite having ancient origins, tea was the beverage that marked the industrialized modern world, informing centuries of British imperialism and the balance of power in Asia. Lastly, Coca-Cola was emblematic of the age of globalization, and Standage has delved a bit into the cold war and cultural imperialism. 

The book contains very fun historical annectdotes and some historical facts that I did enjoy. The only main flaw of this book is the the prevelant western-centrism throughout the book, and would not accurately reflect the history of other parts of the world. I can't really blame Standage for his limited view, He is an economist from England, and he is certainly is an expert at what he writes about. I had this book sometime during the peak of the pandemic, but it was only until recently that I began to read this. 

As mentioned before, I believe this book can be a great and fun way to learn about history via a small scope, whether you are already a historian or someone new to the subject, this book and other works by Tom Standage would be a great introduction to historical non-fiction. Overall, I would give this book a 4, it is very fun read, and you can learn a several things from it as well.