{"product_id":"the-big-oyster-history-on-the-half-shell","title":"The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell","description":"\"Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e-The New York Times \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A small pearl of a book . . . a great tale of the growth of a modern city as seen through the rise and fall of the lowly oyster.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e-Rocky Mountain News\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAward-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants-the oyster.\u003cbr\u003eFor centuries New York was famous for this particular shellfish, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city's life that the abundant bivalves were Gotham's most celebrated export, a staple food for all classes, and a natural filtration system for the city's congested waterways. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFilled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight-along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos-this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the seventeenth-century founding of New York to the death of its oyster beds and the rise of America's environmentalist movement, from the oyster cellars of the rough-and-tumble Five Points slums to Manhattan's Gilded Age dining chambers. With \u003ci\u003eThe Big Oyster\u003c\/i\u003e, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Suffused with [Kurlansky's] pleasure in exploring the city across ground that hasn't already been covered with other writers' footprints.\"\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Fascinating stuff . . . [Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.\"\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Kurlansky packs his breezy book with terrific anecdotes.\" \u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Magnificent . . . a towering accomplishment.\"\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eAssociated Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\r","brand":"Mark Kurlansky","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44441249579244,"sku":"9780345476395","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9780345476395.jpg?v=1708834558","url":"https:\/\/allstora.com\/products\/the-big-oyster-history-on-the-half-shell","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}