The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism [Paperback]

Colin. Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1995

A lively and comprehensive social history of vegetarianism from ancient times to the present.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Author, playwright, and food columnist for the English newspaper The Guardian, Spencer here traces the religious, health, and social influences behind vegetarianism from prehistory to the present. The result is a fascinating study of one of humanity's oldest and most maligned eating habits. One of the more interesting questions Spencer addresses is why vegetarians have been the victims of harassment and even persecution by the mainstream culture throughout history. He explains that, for better or worse, vegetarianism has been linked to radical social, political, and religious reformists who have challenged the mostly carnivorous status quo. Although vegetarianism belongs much more within the cultural heritage of the East, Spencer confines his study to the West, with occasional forays to India and the Far East. Keeping in mind this Western, indeed, Anglo-specific point of view, this book is recommended for academic and larger public libraries and wherever the subject is of interest.
Jeffery Ingram, Newport P.L., Ore.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

6 x 9 1/4 trim. LC 95-5004

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: UPNE; 1st edition (May 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874517605
• ISBN-13: 978-0874517606
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,256,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Heretic's Feast: One Spicy Banquet, August 21, 2000

By 

Leslie Reissner "Sprocketboy" (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism (Paperback)

This excellent book presents a vast smorgasbord of history. From the Dawn of Man to the Ancient Greeks to the Early Christians and onwards, the book looks at the different practicalities and philosophies underlying vegetarianism and their impact on believers. The section on Pythagoras, more famous for his mathematics than his diet, is especially interesting in demonstrating how the Greek may fairly be considered "the first humanist."

The central part of the book deals with early Christian sects and is a genuine eye-opener, although it is not the lightest reading in the book. Quoting the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient sources, it is clear that the success of the Pauline concept of Christianity was not a foregone conclusion. It is fascinating to read about other opinions, some of which painted Jesus Christ as an enlightened teacher in the style of Buddha rather than as divine. Many of these sects were vegetarian but also shared many views that came to be considered as the foulest heresies, including the equality of women. The author shows the unfriendliness of Pauline Christianity towards animals and it is easy to see how a religion where humanity is promised the power to terrorize animals could result in centuries of abuse and horror. As well, the Established Church conducted hideous crusades against Christians who interpreted their religion in a different way. For many of these heretics, the refusal to eat meat was a sign of asceticism and sacrifice. The issues of animal rights and human health seem to be quite recent in terms of vegetarian philosophy.

The book is somewhat weaker as it moves into more modern times when it takes on a primarily English focus, although Asian vegetarianism does receive some attention in the appendices. It becomes a catalogue of movements and less of an overview. There are some striking errors in this well-researched book. For example, the author states the Canary Islands were named after the songbirds as support for his comment that new discoveries were named after birds. In fact, the Canaries were named after the dogs (from the Latin Canus) found there. There are also references that require more local knowledge. For example, "the snoek saga of 1948, which was a complete Government fiasco..." has no further details. My Oxford Concise defines "snoek" as the South African term for barracuda, so there is probably a fascinating story here too.

"The Heretic's Feast" suggests that throughout history, the desire to be vegetarian has required some courage. It runs counter to received wisdom although its logic is unassailable. Whether seeking to find a closer road to God, to exercise compassion in avoiding the killing of sentient fellow-creatures or just to protect one's own health and environment, the vegetarian in history has, with a few noteworthy exceptions, suffered a range of punishments from ridicule to murder.

With our knowledge of the environmental impact of intensive meat production, the effects of meat consumption on human health and the well-publicized horrors of factory-farming and slaughterhouses, coupled with the extraordinary array of fruits and vegetables now available in the industrialized world, there is simply no rational reason to consume dead animals. Mr. Spencer's thoughtful and entertaining book shows how far people have come towards this ideal as they have grappled with these troubling issues for millennia.

Many of the people quoted in the book demonstrate high intelligence and unquestionable compassion. I am particularly fond of the quotation from American naturalist Henry Beston, who wrote about animals in 1928: "They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Join the huge multitude of vegetarians., January 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism (Paperback)

I picked up this book out of idle curiosity and was immediately sucked in. It is a true history of vegetarianism. I knew that there had been a few prominent vegetarians in history, like maybe Benjamin Franklin. My knowledge turned out to be very superficial. Animal slaughter and the eating of animal flesh has been a subject of both horror and religious prohibition since mankind became a thinking being. In fact, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve did not eat meat and the lamb was safe with the lion. It was distressing to learn of the Christian Church's prosecution of vegetarians! This book follows vegetarianism from early man, through Greek, Indian, and Christian times, onward into the Enlightenment and the present day. An absolute must-read for vegetarians wanting to learn about their illustrious philosophical ancestors!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent starting point, July 27, 2001

By 

MLS "kramserohs" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism (Paperback)

Colin Spencer does an excellent job of covering the last couple million years of vegetarianism. This book is not an easy read, especially in the sections about the diet of early man, and the analysis of some of the early Christian sects. You'll learn why mainstream society traditionally looks at vegetarians as "cranks" Puritanical, or just plain heretical. This is slowly beginning to change, but I think that in some areas of the world, (esp. where I live) vegetarians are still those weird outsiders who are thumbing their nose at the hallowed institution of eating meat. You'll also learn that early vegetarians weren't vegetarians for animal welfare reasons. For the Greeks like Plutarch or Pythagoras it was all about reincarnation (metempsychosis or transmigration of souls) For the early Christian sects eating meat was a symbol of man's Fall from grace. Some early Christian hermits also abstained from meat & alcohol because they thought consuming these didn't jive with the ascetic lifestyle; you had to deprive yourself of luxuries to become spiritually closer with your God.

My only quibble is that Spencer could've covered the last 100 years in more depth. The last 50 pages is surprisingly lacking in the same kind of detail that Spencer devoted to, (for instance) the Early Christian era. Maybe the last 100 years has been covered better in other books? I don't know, since this is the first book of its type that I've read.

OK, actually I have one other quibble.....In the last 20 pages, Spencer goes off on a rant about corporate farming, the effects of livestock farming on the environment, the dangers of eating meat (salmonella, heart disease, cancer). I thought this was a "history" of vegetarianism??? I mean, I agree with all the things he says about the above topics. I'm an ardent vegetarian myself, but I wish he had devoted more space to the last 100 years of vegetarianism, instead of the polemic.

Another thing to consider is tha Spencer goes go more in detail about vegetarianism in Europe and the UK. If you want a lengthier discussion on vegetarianism in the U.S try somewhere else. This is still an excellent book for a history of vegetarianism. I hope that other authors will take up this topic.