Break out the TV dinners! From the author who gave us Cod, Salt, and other informative bestsellers, the first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.
Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Birdseye:
"In the shadow of America’s great inventors—Edison, Ford and Bell, to name a few—stands an unheralded giant: Clarence Birdseye, the father of the modern “fresh frozen” pea. Wander any supermarket and you’ll find Birdseye’s legacy.... [Kurlansky's] book is a delight—and a quiz bowl team’s treasure-trove. Fabulous factoids abound."—Abigail Meisel, New York Times Book Review
"The first book-length biography of Clarence Birdseye…. [An] intriguing book that…coaxes readers to re-examine everyday miracles like frozen food, and to imagine where places with no indigenous produce would be without them."—Janet Maslin, New York Times
"There's a particular pleasure in being reminded that the most ordinary things can still be full of magic. Frogs may turn into princes. Lumps of dirt can hide sparkling gems. And having just read Mark Kurlansky's new biography of Clarence Birdseye, I now see the humble fish fillet in a whole new light. For as Kurlansky tells it, when Clarence Birdseye figured out how to pack and freeze haddock...he essentially changed the way we produce, preserve and distribute food forever."—NPR's The Salt
"Piecing together the first book-length biography of Birdseye was not easy. It's not just the episodic quality of Birdseye's life but the sparse and spotty nature of the surviving information about him. And there are many myths that surround his life, some perpetuated by the man himself.... [Yet] Kurlansky has pieced together a lively and readable biography about one of America's most unusual innovators."—Andrew F. Smith, Newsday
"Best known for his deliciously knowledgeable food histories (Cod, Salt, The Big Oyster), Kurlansky['s]...wide-ranging curiosity matches his subject’s, and his narrative of Birdseye’s life displays great feeling for a fellow adventurer.... [R]eaders will emerge from this breezy book with a fondness for its engagingly eccentric protagonist—and a much better understanding of the intricate interconnection of traditional practices, technical breakthroughs, business deals, and social change that put those frozen peas in our refrigerators."—Wendy Smith, Daily Beast
"Kurlansky brings Birdseye to life.... Covering the science behind Birdseye's... inventions along with intimate details of his family life, [he] skillfully weaves a fluid narrative of facts on products, packaging, and marketing into this rags-to-riches portrait of the man whose ingenuity brought revolutionary changes to 20th-century life."—Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Yes, the frozen-food guy really was named Clarence Birdseye (1886–1956), and the story of his adventures is another satisfying dish from the remarkable menu of the author of Cod (1997), Salt (2002) and other treats.
Kurlansky...places Birdseye in the same category as Thomas Edison: amateurs who got curious about a problem, played around with it (sometimes for years) and eventually figured it out. Birdseye had many more interests than frozen foods, writes the author; he invented, among other things, a kind of light bulb and even a whaling harpoon. He also grew up in a world that seemed to have limitless resources—no worries about plundering the planet. He killed creatures with abandon for decades, many of which he enjoyed eating, including field mice, chipmunks and porcupine. His curiosity also made him fearless. He conducted field research on Rocky Mountain spotted fever (collecting thousands of ticks), and he lived in the frigid Labrador region of Canada (and took his equally fearless wife and their infant). It was in the North that he began to wonder why foods frozen there—naturally—tasted so much better than the frozen foods back home. He discovered, of course, that it was quick-freezing at very cold temperatures that did the trick. He eventually invented the process that produced vast amounts of good frozen food, but then had to wait for the supporting infrastructure (transportation, storage, etc.). Kurlansky tells the exciting tale of Birdseye’s adventures, failures and successes (he became a multi-millionaire) and his family, and he also offers engaging snippets about Velveeta, dehydration and Grape-Nuts.
The author notes that Birdseye knew that curiosity is “one essential ingredient” in a fulfilling life; it is a quality that grateful readers also discover in each of Kurlansky’s books."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Kurlansky’s narrative gifts shine through every chapter."—Booklist
Praise for Mark Kurlansky:
The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
“Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.”
—William Grimes, The New York Times
“Fascinating stuff . . . Kurlansky has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.”
—The Wall Street Journal
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
“Splendid . . . Evocative . . . No one before Kurlansky has managed to evoke so rich a set of experiences in so many different places—and to keep the story humming.”
—Michael Kazin, Chicago Tribune
“Highly readable . . . A rich perspective . . . Kurlansky is a writer of remarkable talents and interests.”
—Walter Truett Anderson, San Francisco Chronicle
Salt
“Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt . . . Fascination and surprise regularly erupt from the detail.”
—Edward Rothstein, The New York Times Book Review
“Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur.”
—Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
“Every once in a while a writer of particular skill takes a fresh, seemingly improbable idea and turns out a book of pure delight. Such is the case of Mark Kurlansky and the codfish.”
—David McCullough
“An elegant brief history . . . Related with fast brio and wit.”
—Anne Mendelson, Los Angeles Times
"In the shadow of America’s great inventors—Edison, Ford and Bell, to name a few—stands an unheralded giant: Clarence Birdseye, the father of the modern “fresh frozen” pea. Wander any supermarket and you’ll find Birdseye’s legacy.... [Kurlansky's] book is a delight—and a quiz bowl team’s treasure-trove. Fabulous factoids abound."—Abigail Meisel, New York Times Book Review
"The first book-length biography of Clarence Birdseye…. [An] intriguing book that…coaxes readers to re-examine everyday miracles like frozen food, and to imagine where places with no indigenous produce would be without them."—Janet Maslin, New York Times
"There's a particular pleasure in being reminded that the most ordinary things can still be full of magic. Frogs may turn into princes. Lumps of dirt can hide sparkling gems. And having just read Mark Kurlansky's new biography of Clarence Birdseye, I now see the humble fish fillet in a whole new light. For as Kurlansky tells it, when Clarence Birdseye figured out how to pack and freeze haddock...he essentially changed the way we produce, preserve and distribute food forever."—NPR's The Salt
"Piecing together the first book-length biography of Birdseye was not easy. It's not just the episodic quality of Birdseye's life but the sparse and spotty nature of the surviving information about him. And there are many myths that surround his life, some perpetuated by the man himself.... [Yet] Kurlansky has pieced together a lively and readable biography about one of America's most unusual innovators."—Andrew F. Smith, Newsday
"Best known for his deliciously knowledgeable food histories (Cod, Salt, The Big Oyster), Kurlansky['s]...wide-ranging curiosity matches his subject’s, and his narrative of Birdseye’s life displays great feeling for a fellow adventurer.... [R]eaders will emerge from this breezy book with a fondness for its engagingly eccentric protagonist—and a much better understanding of the intricate interconnection of traditional practices, technical breakthroughs, business deals, and social change that put those frozen peas in our refrigerators."—Wendy Smith, Daily Beast
"Kurlansky brings Birdseye to life.... Covering the science behind Birdseye's... inventions along with intimate details of his family life, [he] skillfully weaves a fluid narrative of facts on products, packaging, and marketing into this rags-to-riches portrait of the man whose ingenuity brought revolutionary changes to 20th-century life."—Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Yes, the frozen-food guy really was named Clarence Birdseye (1886–1956), and the story of his adventures is another satisfying dish from the remarkable menu of the author of Cod (1997), Salt (2002) and other treats.
Kurlansky...places Birdseye in the same category as Thomas Edison: amateurs who got curious about a problem, played around with it (sometimes for years) and eventually figured it out. Birdseye had many more interests than frozen foods, writes the author; he invented, among other things, a kind of light bulb and even a whaling harpoon. He also grew up in a world that seemed to have limitless resources—no worries about plundering the planet. He killed creatures with abandon for decades, many of which he enjoyed eating, including field mice, chipmunks and porcupine. His curiosity also made him fearless. He conducted field research on Rocky Mountain spotted fever (collecting thousands of ticks), and he lived in the frigid Labrador region of Canada (and took his equally fearless wife and their infant). It was in the North that he began to wonder why foods frozen there—naturally—tasted so much better than the frozen foods back home. He discovered, of course, that it was quick-freezing at very cold temperatures that did the trick. He eventually invented the process that produced vast amounts of good frozen food, but then had to wait for the supporting infrastructure (transportation, storage, etc.). Kurlansky tells the exciting tale of Birdseye’s adventures, failures and successes (he became a multi-millionaire) and his family, and he also offers engaging snippets about Velveeta, dehydration and Grape-Nuts.
The author notes that Birdseye knew that curiosity is “one essential ingredient” in a fulfilling life; it is a quality that grateful readers also discover in each of Kurlansky’s books."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Kurlansky’s narrative gifts shine through every chapter."—Booklist
Praise for Mark Kurlansky:
The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
“Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.”
—William Grimes, The New York Times
“Fascinating stuff . . . Kurlansky has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.”
—The Wall Street Journal
1968: The Year That Rocked the World
“Splendid . . . Evocative . . . No one before Kurlansky has managed to evoke so rich a set of experiences in so many different places—and to keep the story humming.”
—Michael Kazin, Chicago Tribune
“Highly readable . . . A rich perspective . . . Kurlansky is a writer of remarkable talents and interests.”
—Walter Truett Anderson, San Francisco Chronicle
Salt
“Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt . . . Fascination and surprise regularly erupt from the detail.”
—Edward Rothstein, The New York Times Book Review
“Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur.”
—Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
“Every once in a while a writer of particular skill takes a fresh, seemingly improbable idea and turns out a book of pure delight. Such is the case of Mark Kurlansky and the codfish.”
—David McCullough
“An elegant brief history . . . Related with fast brio and wit.”
—Anne Mendelson, Los Angeles Times
About the Author
MARK KURLANSKY is the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including The Food of a Younger Land, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, Salt: A World History, 1968: The Year That Rocked the World, and The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. He lives in New York City.
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More About the Author
Mark Kurlansky is a New York Times bestselling and James A. Beard Award-winning author. He is the recipient of a Bon Appétit American Food and Entertaining Award for Food Writer of the Year, and the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award for Food Book of the year.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a child growing up in the 1960s, I distinctly remember packages of Birds Eye frozen food in the grocer's freezer. I always wondered about the name of the product as it seemed a somewhat unusual name. I didn't realize at that time that the name of the product was derived from the name of the individual that invented the process for freezing food. I do know it was a premium brand, and my mother used to buy cheaper brands for everyday use. The only time we get Birds Eye food was when we were having company or my mother was cooking a dinner for celebration.
Clarence "Bob" Birdseye was a distinctly unique individual. The author follows his life from the time he was a young boy interested in hunting and nature and on to his time at Amherst College. He details the Birdseye family and Clarence's time in the desert Southwest working as a naturalist and how he had to drop out of college due to financial hardship in the family. He then describes Birdseye's work in the Rocky mountains investigating outbreaks of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. From there, Birdseye went to Labrador where he lived for a number of years eking out a living as a fur trader. It was during this time that Birdseye began to wonder why food frozen Labrador was so much better than food frozen in the United States.
Birdseye was obviously a very talented man with running credible imagination and a thirst for knowledge of how things operated. If he didn't understand them, he would study them until he did understand them. It appears he had an incredible memory and an ability to think outside the box. Birdseye is famous for a number of inventions and it amazes me that he is not better known for the work he did, not only in frozen food, but in numerous other fields. I am also amazed that I had never learned anything about Clarence Birdseye, as he spent much of his career working in Gloucester Massachusetts. I grew up in Massachusetts, and yet had never really known much about man. He is a historical figure that can teach us a great deal about the process of invention.
Mark Kurlansky has done a wonderful job of detailing the life of Clarence Birdseye and the inventions that he created. The book is very readable and completely enjoyable. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, inventions, industrial figures or who is just plain curious about the invention of frozen foods.
Clarence "Bob" Birdseye was a distinctly unique individual. The author follows his life from the time he was a young boy interested in hunting and nature and on to his time at Amherst College. He details the Birdseye family and Clarence's time in the desert Southwest working as a naturalist and how he had to drop out of college due to financial hardship in the family. He then describes Birdseye's work in the Rocky mountains investigating outbreaks of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. From there, Birdseye went to Labrador where he lived for a number of years eking out a living as a fur trader. It was during this time that Birdseye began to wonder why food frozen Labrador was so much better than food frozen in the United States.
Birdseye was obviously a very talented man with running credible imagination and a thirst for knowledge of how things operated. If he didn't understand them, he would study them until he did understand them. It appears he had an incredible memory and an ability to think outside the box. Birdseye is famous for a number of inventions and it amazes me that he is not better known for the work he did, not only in frozen food, but in numerous other fields. I am also amazed that I had never learned anything about Clarence Birdseye, as he spent much of his career working in Gloucester Massachusetts. I grew up in Massachusetts, and yet had never really known much about man. He is a historical figure that can teach us a great deal about the process of invention.
Mark Kurlansky has done a wonderful job of detailing the life of Clarence Birdseye and the inventions that he created. The book is very readable and completely enjoyable. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, inventions, industrial figures or who is just plain curious about the invention of frozen foods.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A. Guy
Format:Hardcover
First off, let me say that this is not a bad book. However, it is not a real good book either.
Part of the problem is that Kurlansky covers ground that he as covered before. So, if you've read "Salt", "Cod" or "The Last Fish Tale" large swaths of the book will be seem quite familiar. The other problem is that Kurlansky tries, and fails, to use Birdseye as a launching pad for a more far ranging view on innovation in early 20th century America. By the end of the book, it feels as if Kurlansky has lost interest in Birdseye altogether. The section on Birdseye's time in Peru feels tired and tacked on as an afterthought.
What you end up with is book that is neither fish nor fowl, it's not a strong biography of a man and its not a great charting of a time period.
Part of the problem is that Kurlansky covers ground that he as covered before. So, if you've read "Salt", "Cod" or "The Last Fish Tale" large swaths of the book will be seem quite familiar. The other problem is that Kurlansky tries, and fails, to use Birdseye as a launching pad for a more far ranging view on innovation in early 20th century America. By the end of the book, it feels as if Kurlansky has lost interest in Birdseye altogether. The section on Birdseye's time in Peru feels tired and tacked on as an afterthought.
What you end up with is book that is neither fish nor fowl, it's not a strong biography of a man and its not a great charting of a time period.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Jon Hunt
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Who would have thought about writing a book on Clarence Birdseye? Thankfully, Mark Kurlansky did, and his book is a gem. What's remarkable is that there is more unknown than known about Birdseye yet the author fills in the gaps with aplomb.
We do know that Birdseye had his finger in many a pie (sometimes literally) when it came to experimenting, inventing and producing things that we take for granted today. He seemed also to have married the right partner...one who shared in, or at least believed in, his risk-taking abilities. But what makes this book so rich is Kurlansky's own history with products like salt and cod. He's terrific at explaining methods of freezing, drying and the like and this complements Birdseye's own personal story.
"Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man" is informative, with a nice narrative style for which the author is well regarded. I highly recommend this book.
We do know that Birdseye had his finger in many a pie (sometimes literally) when it came to experimenting, inventing and producing things that we take for granted today. He seemed also to have married the right partner...one who shared in, or at least believed in, his risk-taking abilities. But what makes this book so rich is Kurlansky's own history with products like salt and cod. He's terrific at explaining methods of freezing, drying and the like and this complements Birdseye's own personal story.
"Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man" is informative, with a nice narrative style for which the author is well regarded. I highly recommend this book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting read
I really enjoyed this book about Bob Birdseye. It is always fascinating to me to learn more about these people whose names are household names, but we don't really know much about... Read more
Published 14 days ago by coffemidget
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting View from a great Author
I am a big fan of Kurlansky's other books, and this one was very interesting also. Very readable and brings light to a part of life we take for granted. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Dan G
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for a Sunday afternoon read
A short read that describes some interesting facts and perspectives of 2oth Century American cultural and mechanical history. Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. Brozeit
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required?
Do I go to jail if I refuse? Am I charged more, my children taken from me? Tell me more..
Published 1 month ago by Why?
4.0 out of 5 stars
The scoop on frozen foods
I found Birdseye's life pretty uninteresting.
My interest was revived, however, in the section dealing with the problems which had to be overcome for the spread of... Read more
My interest was revived, however, in the section dealing with the problems which had to be overcome for the spread of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Richard A. MacKinnon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Birdseye:The adventures of a Curios Man
This book is about the man who developed the process of freezing vegetables. It is a wonderful stores of a man who was a scientist and a adventurer. Read more
Published 3 months ago by William A. Bormann
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Man
This was a story that needed to be told. Birdseye was a most interesting man involved in so many things and traveling so much. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bonnie V. Stanaitis
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not great
I worked in the consumer product business by whole career and was very interested in reading this history. But, I was very disappointed. Not a very good read.
Published 4 months ago by Gasper N. Ferraro
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting about what could be considered a renaissance man/.
Very interesting about a rather interesting man and his career. It was informative to find out Birdeye was more than frozen foods.
Published 5 months ago by D. W. Nolan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Frozen in time
Mark Kurlansky never fails to bring insight into periods and products by detailed exploration of a life of a history. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jonathan A. Weiss
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