2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The richest history of wine up to the 20th Century, January 1, 2008
This review is from: Gods, men, and wine (Hardcover)
This is the model of a wine history. It is cultivated and very firmly rooted in primary sources. If all you had of this book were its references and appendices, you'd be well on your way to an understanding of the way in which wine is embedded in Western Civilization and the ways in which wine has been formed by that relationship.
There are a few popular histories of wine available. They range from interesting to awful, but scarcely any can be considered serious except for this.
Unfortunately, the book ends at the beginning of the 20th Century. Like Geoge Sansom who did not continue his history of Japan because he felt too close to some events to report on them, this book was excludes everything that happened in the author's lifetime. It's our loss, and the tiny added chapter on wine in America (by another author) is too vague to be much consolation.
Lynn Hoffman, author New Short Course in Wine,The and the rich little bang BANG: A Novel
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