![[what I read in 2002]](/images/review_banner.gif)
Salt: A World History ::
I decided to read Salt because I couldn’t believe that anyone could write a 450-page book about something that was so ubiquitous. The fact that salt has always been so prevalent seems to preclude any drama or intrigue that makes for a good story. But as I read the book, I found that my original assessment, while not totally unfounded, was only about partially right.
It is true that salt has always been all over the planet. Its presence in the oceans makes it impossible for us to use it as a source of drinking water. What has proven difficult is our ability to procure and process it. Clever inventions, back-breaking work, and sometimes destructive industrial methods have always been required to get it from the oceans or from the mines to the marketplace. The salt industry has been the center of political control and social revolutions. From ancient China to the Roman Empire to Imperial England to twentieth century India, the mining and sale of salt has been at the center of a wide range of political and economic controls, as well as social revolutions (one of the defining moments for Gandhi was the protest he led against the English-dominated salt trade in India). And watching the way it has influenced humankind gives it a new, much more significant definition.
While salt may not be the single most sought-after compound in human history, its importance to humanity is surprisingly undeniable. We can learn a lot about human society simply by following salt’s trail. By placing it at the center of world history, it turns out that we can learn a lot about who we are, how we compete, how we try to control each other, and ultimately, what connects us all.
« top »