Cod

I loved this. Picked it up as a budget title to pad out my BSc reading as I was getting bored of dry textbooks and found it an astonishing read. I genuinely re-learned a few things, including the discovery and European settlement of America. Great read for anyone with an interest in history, ecology, or just seeing things through a new perspective. For a marine ecology / fisheries student, an easy read like this that's so full of information is very, very useful.

A superb book - starts with a fascinating look at the history of cod fishing and the vital role it played in the development of the New World, including (disconcertingly) supporting the Carribean slave economies, before moving into the devastating story of industrialised cod fishing in the 20th century. This is no polemic though - he simply explains what happened to cause the catastrophic collapse of North Atlantic cod and the bleak prospects for the future. The evidence is powerful enough to hit home.

Why read a book about cod? Because I had read Mark's latest Basque history and I was intrigued to see if he could repeat the compulsive reading about a subject about which I knew little. "Cod" is strong on the role the fish played in power politics, navigation and the making of history in past centuries. It weaves into the book the struggle for sea supremacy particularly between the Portugese and the Spanish and the British. It is graphic in its description of the rigours and risks of fishermen. It ascribes the nutrition provided by cod to allowing the great voyages of peoples from the Vikings to the Basques. It provides the background to the opening up of Newfoundland and New England and the voyages to discover other parts of the world. But the book is more than a book about fish. It reinterprets in some detail the American War of Independence and the attitude to the slave trade in the light of the importance of the Grand banks fishing grounds. Historically cod fishing was a crucially important economic driver. But, in recent years, lack of control or international coordination of overfishing has resulted in decimation of stocks. Glimmers of hope are provided by the fact that decimated cod stocks have been restored fairly quickly in some cases, such as in 1989 when the Norwegian government realised its cod stocks were in serious decline. And the possibility that cod farming holds out for re-establishing stocks. But Mark Kurlansky is very sceptical of the ability of to restore stocks where overfishing has been severe. He is very scathing of the EU Common Fisheries policy and of the ability of nations to cooperate on fishing. It is not just the fish that are dying, it is the fishing communities and the fishermen. The book sees no hope for the future of a cod fishing industry of significance or importance. A good read. Not as powerful as Mark's Basque history and deflating in its conclusions.

'Cod' is truly a one of a kind book. It details not only the historic practices of fishing and packing, transporting, and selling the fish but also the impact this fish had on the global economy. Combined with the other Kurlansky book I've read, (Salt) the two help to form a very interesting and seldom considered aspect of history. Well worth a read.

I was somewhat disappointed in this book after the great reviews. The overall concept is good and there is some interesting information in here, but it could be so much better. For example, given that there is so much geographical context, where is the map showing where all these places are? Other maps could have shown fishing routes and how the fish was transported after being caught and treated. That would have been so much more supportive of the text than endless recipes. This was a book club read and I wasn't alone in my reaction - my 3 out of 5 here is better than the overall 2 out of 5 that our whole group gave it. I so wanted to like it and I did learn a lot from it, but the editor/publisher could have made much more out of this book.

I haven't finished reading my copy. I had to buy it because I was too busy dipping in and reading someone else's copy before they moved away. Such an interesting book. If you ever eaten fish and chips on the way home on a Friday night or if you have eaten cod in the finest restaurant you would be amazed by historical significance. It has had more influence on your life than you could have ever imagined. Loved it!

Superb book, although I found his "Salt" book more interesting. Couldn't fault this one. The man is a genius when it comes to researching and writing about food.

You wouldn't think that a book about Cod could be so interesting, but this book is further evidence of Mark Kurlansky's skill at microhistory. I read this after stumbling across The Big Oyster, which was similarly informative and entertaining. Further proof that Kurlansky is one of the best living non-fiction writers.

元々はソローの『Cape Cod（コッド岬）』（1865年）を読んどったんやが、そもそも「cod（鱈）」ってなにもんなんや、『白鯨』にも矢鱈美味そうな鱈のチャウダーが出てくるし、ってんで茶化し半分に読み始めた。 めちゃくちゃ面白く、めちゃくちゃタメになる本だった。 副題に「世界を変えた魚の伝記」とか書いてあって、大袈裟でかわいいな、biographyとか言ってもらってタラも喜んでるよ、などと微笑ましい程度に思っていたのだが、いやマジで人類史を幾度となく揺り動かしてきた超重要生物なのだった。 諸地域の食文化、交易、外交、そして遠洋航海からの植民、都市的発展、国家的独立、さらには国際法や排他的経済水域の形成まで、この魚が今日にいたる人間の歴史のなかで果たしてきた役割の大きさは、まず驚愕に値する。 19世紀後半から20世紀半ばにかけて起こった技術革新により、タラ漁は飛躍的に大規模・効率化してゆく。 本書の終盤は、かつて漁業の中心地として繁栄し、やがて乱獲と高度化した資本主義の結果として荒廃した諸地方のルポルタージュ。 イングランド南西端に位置する漁村ニューリンについて書かれていることは、EU脱退に揺れる現在へとまっすぐに繋がっている。 「英国の労働者階級にとってフライドフィッシュなみに基礎的かつ共通のものがあるとすれば、それはゼノフォビア（外国人嫌い）だ。外国人が英国の労働者からタラを奪おうとしているという主張には、ゆえに政治的な訴求力がある。英国の漁師たち、そしてまた多くの庶民にとって、それぞまさしくEC、今でいうEU、が行ったことなのだ。」 本書を読んでおいて良かったと感じる機会は実に多い。 先日フローベールの小説『ブヴァールとペキュシェ』（1880年）を読んでいた時も、肉食の禁じられる聖金曜日の晩餐にペキュシェが鱈の切り身を食べている場面があり、訳注もなかったが、ああ、復活したイエスがガリラヤ湖で獲らせた魚がタラと考えられたことから断食日にも白身魚だけは食すことが許されていたというアレね、と瞬時に理解出来た。 メルヴィルのチャウダー描写がそっくり引用されていたのも好印象。

Il libro é arrivato in buone condizioni tenuto conto del fatto che ha parecchi anni. Non ci sono sottolineature. Sono soddisfatta dell'acquisto

This book was incredibly and surprisingly gripping. As soon as I started reading it, I was hooked and could not put it down. It is so well written, it feels like reading a really good novel. This is probably the only book that I, my father, and my father in law have all read and said the same thing: "couldn't put it down". I have since recommended it to many people and bought it as a gift for a few people. A must read for sure!

This is a really intersting story regards to the cod fish. It is about the people involved in making a living from this creature. Not a book I would normally buy but am glad that I did as I have learnt a lot. Would highly recommend it to anyone intersted in a true story of the lives of the people and the industry that thrives on this fish.

Informative and entertaining, as was his book, Salt. Very well written and paced.Cod was more important than anyone ever thought. The human failing that led to the demise of the industry is not surprising.