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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smoking read!,
By
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. |
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La Diva Nicotina by Iain Gately (Hardcover - September 3, 2001)
Used & New from: $0.12
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