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.

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.

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.

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!

Very well written book. Perfectly introduces the history of the Atlantic Cod. From its biology and reproduction to over-fishing and exploitation in fisheries. I had to read this book for University and wasn't looking forward to reading about cod...but once i got started i couldn't put it down (but then again...this is coming from an aspiring marine biologists point of view). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in marine life, biology, and also just the history of Atlantic and Mediterranean countries and cuisine.

Brilliant book! A must-read in my opinion. The history of fishing cod and how it impacts upon the commercial and political history of Western economies.