Tastes of paradise

More about the book

This rich and captivating book tells the story of how humanity transformed its history in the course of finding the rare condiments, stimulants, intoxicants, and narcotics that helped to make life more tolerable. Schivelbusch documents how the drive for pleasurable substances such as coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol, and opium fueled the Old World to cross the oceans and enter a new age. 125 illustrations.