La Diva Nicotina [Hardcover]

Iain Gately (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2001

When, in 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on a small island he believed to be China, he was met by representatives of the local tribe who offered him gifts of bread, fruit and dried leaves. He threw the leaves into the sea, but Columbus and his crew did not remain ignorant of these leaves'powers or purpose for long. In Africa tobacco was received as spiritual inspiration, the French effused over its beneficial properties, while those "Reeking Gallants" of England and Elizabethan society set about advertising it as the perfect medicine, capable of curing a number of illnesses, and so the "weed" made its way into the palaces of Europe. Through wars, changing fashions, industrialization, anti-smoking campaigns, and the subject of advertising and sponsorship, tobacco has played a prominent part in global culture. This text traces the development of tobacco and smoking, from ritual refreshment to universal habit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

IAIN GATELY was born in 1963 and was brought up in Hong Kong. He studied law at Magdalene College Cambridge before working for five years in corporate finance. His first novel, THE ASSESSOR, attracted praise from THE TIMES for 'writing of the highest quality'. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (September 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743208129
• ISBN-13: 978-0743208123
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,056,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smoking read!, October 15, 2005

By 

Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: La Diva Nicotina (Hardcover)

La Diva Nicotina is a comprehensive narrative of tobacco usage by mankind as recorded in both written and oral history. The book covers the origins of tobacco use in the New World, its spread to the Old World via European explorers, and the transformation of tobacco business from family-owned plots to multinational corporations. Along the way, the book highlights the various ways governments have alternated between trying to stem the flow of its use, and trying to maximize its use as a way to improve tax reveneus.

The book covers the science behind tobacco. It shows the different processes used to convert the tobacco plant to consumer products. It also explains the effects nicotine has on human bodies, and how this is affected by the many additives often incorporated into cigarettes. The book describes the agriculture of tobacco, and clearly shows how this lent itself to slave labor in contrast with many other crops.

The book includes numerous anecdotes of individuals involved in the history of tobacco, such as the Turkish ruler who would prowl his city streets in disguise asking pedestrians for an illegal smoke, and then beheade those kind enough and unfortunate enough to offer him the banned substance. All in all, a great history book.