Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History (Cooks Classic Library) [Paperback]

H. E. Jacob (Author), Lynn Alley (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1997 | Series: Cooks Classic Library

Yeast, water, flour, and heat. How could this simple mixture have been the cause of war and plague, celebration and victory, supernatural vision and more? In this remarkable and all-encompassing volume, H. E. Jacob takes us through six thousand dynamic years of bread's role in politics, religion, technology, and beyond. Who were the first bakers? Why were bakers distrusted during the Middle ages? How did bread cause Napoleon's defeat? Why were people buried with bread? Six Thousand Years of Bread has the answers. Jacob follows the story from its beginning in ancient Egypt and continues through to modern times. The poignant and inspiring conclusion of the book relays the author's experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, subsisting on bread made of sawdust. (6 X 9, 416 pages, illustrations)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bread's history has frequently been a recipe for disaster. The well-baked loaf--aside from being the main event in one of the major food groups--has caused wars, supernatural visions, festivals, and plagues. H. E. Jacob's celebratory book toasts bread from its earliest beginnings in Egypt, where it was one of the treasures entombed with the dead, to the author's own experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, where a bread made of sawdust kept him alive. The maker of paupers and kings, our daily bread and its evolutions are deliciously described in this illuminating text.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st,Revised edition (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558215751
• ISBN-13: 978-1558215757
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,736,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Multi-faceted book-wow February 22, 2005

By J. EE

Format:Hardcover

As a bread baker, I read this book anticipating information on bread through history. Who would have ever known that bread was so important. What a bonus it was learning about agriculture, religion, politics, literature , etc. and their connection to bread. It was facinating how the author found so many connections to bread, which was obviously more important in history than it is today-(referring to low-carb craze). The first 90 pages are a "tough-read", but it gets easier. I have purchased 6 more copies and am distributing them to friends. A very valuable book in my estimation. The deceased author (book published in 1944 and translated from German for the current edition)would have been quite surprised to see what has happened since 1944. If writing more chapters after 1944, he would certainly need a chapter on "chemical bread"-bread on the grocer's shelf that has a 30 day shelf life due to addition of anti-molding agents (sounds healthy doesn't it) requested by the grocery chains. It smells awful. Anyone that loves history, religion or agriculture would certainly find this book enlightening.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating way to view the history of the western world September 1, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I bumped into Jacobs' book by accident while browsing the shelves in a library; what a joy to see it's been reissued! (The edition I found was dated 1943.) I have learned so much interesting history from this book; the Temple of Eleusis and its similarities to the life of Christ; the invention of the windmill; why the village hated the miller and Chaucer's Miller's Tale; on and on, there are fascinating things in each new thread he picks up.

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most uniquely philosophical books i've ever read April 4, 2000

By shuvalkin

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jacob's Six Thousand Years of Bread is an amazing presentation of the relationship between bread and the history of Western Civilization. Even if it were just about bread's history, it would be an amazing book given its scope and knowledge. But it isn't REALLY about bread. It uses bread as an access point for discussing transformations of values and paradigms of knowledge through history. In a word, Jacobs presents a philosophical "genealogy" of Western Civilization through a discussion of the role of bread.

Thus, Jacob's is a unique philosophical work. I can't think of any other book in philosophy or history that makes such a clear presentation of the causes and forces of historical transformation. In fact, the term "genealogy" I have used above has a specific sense that is relevant here. Coined by Nietzsche, "genealogy" is a strategy employed for a philosophical discussion of historical transformations of the sort Jacob discusses. But whether comparing Jacob to Nietzsche, Foucault, Derrida, Heidegger, or even Hegel and Kant, I can't think of a better example of a philosophical discussion of historical transformations of values and knowledge. As a bonus, the Jacob's method of using a history of bread to present this genealogy makes it far more approachable than most philosophical discussions. I can't recommend a book more highly. I might even use it as a recommended reading for students in my philosophy classes.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bread as a catalyst for civilization July 29, 2005

By Jennifer Iannolo

Format:Paperback

I had always known bread was a staple of life. Rarely has a day gone by when I have not consumed it in one form or another. But I had no idea what an important role it played in the development of historical record.

Jacob's poetic prose is sometimes tangential, but he delivers such fascinating tidbits that a reader cannot possibly mind the distraction. In explaining the development of bread in ancient Egypt, where it originated, he says: "The threshing floor is the battlefield between the tenacity of the stalk and men's hunger for flour."

I recommend that you read this book curled up in a cozy chair with a cup of tea and a fresh, warm slice of rye. Your view of history is about to be changed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Perspective on World History June 6, 2003

By Anita Burns

Format:Paperback

I picked up a copy of Six Thousand Years of Bread in an anitque shop. It sat on my shelf for years. I finally read it. WOW! What a fascinating look into the history of civilization-all based on grain and bread. According to H.E. Jacob's convincing theories, the rise and fall of nations is all attributed to grain and bread. H.E. Jacob, a Nazi Germany escapee is an excellent writer and the book reads like an intriguing mystery novel that spans 6,000 years.

It was published in 1944 and ends it's story during WWII. I would love to see it revised and expanded to include new discoveries about history and to bring it 's story into the 21st Century.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great history lesson August 11, 2011

By PowerReader

Format:Paperback

I have often wondered about the things in our lives we take most for granted, simple things like a knot, a fork, bread. Where do they come from? Who created them? Six Thousand Years of Bread addresses these kinds of questions (and many, many more) about bread. It turns out these questions are not simple; the history of bread is not straightforward, but is tied up with the history of politics, war, religion and technology. The history of bread could almost be called the same as the history of humans. This book is well-researched and fascinating to read and it serves as a reminder that nothing in our lives is really simple. Everything has a story, and in most cases-certainly in the case of bread-it is a story worth knowing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rise of Western Civilization Through Bread January 15, 2008

By John J. Browne

Format:Paperback

This is a very interesting book which sets forth the impact that bread has throughout history, art, religion and politics down through the ages. Beginning with the earliest cultivators of grains through the manmade famines of World War II Jacob details the close relationship that bread has had with the growth of human civilization. The book does not take a merely historical approach but rather provides an overview of human development through bread's effect on art, religion, society and government. One learns why the miller was considered a force of evil in medieval Europe, why the peasants were tied to the land and the effect this had on class interaction and the role of bread in the development of Christianity. There is quite a bit of commentary on the advantages that America had vis a vi Europe in regard to our relationship to bread. The vast social changes caused in America by our forefather's initial reliance on corn as opposed to wheat are an especially fascinating section of this book. Although the book was written during World War II it is still relevant today. This book will be enjoyed by anyone who studies history, art, religion, sociology and related subjects.