The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:
Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants–the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled.

For centuries New York was famous for its oysters, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city’s economy, gastronomy, and ecology that the abundant bivalves were Gotham’s most celebrated export, a staple food for the wealthy, the poor, and tourists alike, and the primary natural defense against pollution for the city’s congested waterways.

Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight–along with historic recipes, maps, drawings, and photos–this dynamic narrative sweeps readers from the island hunting ground of the Lenape Indians to the death of the 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.

Kurlansky brings characters vividly to life while recounting dramatic incidents that changed the course of New York history. Here are the stories behind Peter Stuyvesant’s peg leg and Robert Fulton’s “Folly”; the oyster merchant and pioneering African American leader Thomas Downing; the birth of the business lunch at Delmonico’s; early feminist Fanny Fern, one of the highest-paid newspaper writers in the city; even “Diamond” Jim Brady, who we discover was not the gourmand of popular legend.

With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious.


From the Hardcover edition.

The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky

From reader reviews:

Terri Rouse:

Why don't make it to be your habit? Right now, try to prepare your time to do the important action, like looking for your favorite e-book and reading a publication. Beside you can solve your short lived problem; you can add your knowledge by the publication entitled The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. Try to make book The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell as your close friend. It means that it can to get your friend when you feel alone and beside that course make you smarter than ever before. Yeah, it is very fortuned for you. The book makes you considerably more confidence because you can know anything by the book. So , we should make new experience and also knowledge with this book.

Tyron Lenahan:

Have you spare time for the day? What do you do when you have a lot more or little spare time? Yes, you can choose the suitable activity for spend your time. Any person spent their spare time to take a move, shopping, or went to typically the Mall. How about open or even read a book eligible The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell? Maybe it is being best activity for you. You already know beside you can spend your time with your favorite's book, you can more intelligent than before. Do you agree with the opinion or you have various other opinion?

Lorretta Cox:

As people who live in the modest era should be update about what going on or info even knowledge to make these people keep up with the era which is always change and progress. Some of you maybe will probably update themselves by reading books. It is a good choice for yourself but the problems coming to a person is you don't know which you should start with. This The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell is our recommendation so you keep up with the world. Why, as this book serves what you want and want in this era.

Jose Brown:

Your reading 6th sense will not betray you actually, why because this The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell reserve written by well-known writer who really knows well how to make book that may be understand by anyone who all read the book. Written with good manner for you, still dripping wet every ideas and composing skill only for eliminate your hunger then you still doubt The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell as good book not just by the cover but also from the content. This is one e-book that can break don't judge book by its cover, so do you still needing an additional sixth sense to pick this!? Oh come on your reading sixth sense already said so why you have to listening to an additional sixth sense.