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The Food of a Younger Land Spiral-Bound | 2010-04-06

Mark Kurlansky

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From the New York Times bestselling author who "powerfully demonstrates the defining role food plays in history and culture" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Recommended by Chef José Andrés on The Drew Barrymore Show!

A portrait of American food--before the national highway system, before chain restaurants, and before frozen food, when the nation's food was seasonal, regional, and traditional--from the lost WPA files.


From the New York Times bestselling author who "powerfully demonstrates the defining role food plays in history and culture" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

In the throes of the Great Depression, a make-work initiative for authors-called "America Eats"-was created by the WPA to chronicle the eating habits, traditions, and struggles of local Americans. Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt and Cod, unearths this forgotten literary treasure, chronicling a bygone era when Americans had never heard of fast food or grocery superstores. Kurlansky brings together the WPA contributions-featuring New York automats and Georgia Coca-Cola parties, Maine lobsters and Montana beaver tails-and brilliantly showcases them with authentic recipes, anecdotes, and photographs.
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 480 pages
ISBN-10: 1594484570
Item Weight: 0.8 lbs
Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.0 x 7.8 inches
"Kurlansky continues to prove himself remarkably adept at taking a most unlikely candidate and telling its tale with epic grandeur."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Everyone once in a while a writer of particular skill takes a fresh, seemingly improbable idea and turns out a book of pure delight."--David McCullough

"[Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail."--Wall Street Journal

"Let's raise our glasses to author Mark Kulansky for putting together a compendium of essays, poetry, short stories, and recipes that take us back, in a savory, scary, and sometimes funny way, to what Americans of an earlier era ate and why."--Boston Globe

"It's hard to imagine a better editor...for this delightful compilation of pieces...A review can only hint at the marvelous variety and vivacity of the material assembled here with such care (plus nice dollops of history and biography) by Kurlansky."--Chicago Tribune

"At a time when comparisons with the Depression are being drawn and interest in 'local food' is on the rise, in America and elsewhere, Mr. Kurlansky's book is especially welcome."--The Economist

Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including The Food of a Younger Land, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World; Salt: A World History; 1968: The Year That Rocked the World; and The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. He lives in New York City.