Andrew Dalby

xvi, 408 pages : 25 cm

"Spices and aromatics are woven into human history. Since antiquity they have taken pride of place in the markets of the world for their irresistible contribution to food, drink, health, perfume, sex, religion, magic and ritual. Hunger for spices lies behind some of the great explorations and has led to wealth, conquest and even genocide.". "Dangerous Tastes offers a fresh perspective on these exotic substances and the roles they have played over the centuries. The author shows how each region became part of a worldwide network of trade - with local consequences ranging from disaster to triumph."--BOOK JACKET.

This text envelops the reader in a world devoted to the fulfilment of the senses, recapturing the Roman Empire as it was sensed and imaged by those who lived in it. It presents a survey of how the Romans depicted and visualised their food.

Book digitized by Google from the library of Oxford University and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.

"More than 400 living and extinct languages are detailed in this information-packed reference. Each article covers the political, social, and historical background of the language by stating the number of speakers; the countries where it is spoken; how many dialects it spawned; its origins, characteristics, and examples of both words and the alphabet; and pronunciations. Anecdotes, literary quotations, and charts of script and numerals appear in sidebars to illustrate the cultures connected to the languages. This is an essential guide to the languages of the world."----"Outstanding reference sources 2000", American Libraries, May 2000. Comp. by the Reference Sources Committee, RUSA, ALA.

In search of what people have thought and written about breakfast-and tasted, Andrew Dalby traces the meal's origins back to the Neolithic revolution.

Wikipedia has emerged as the reference source that most of us turn to most of the time. But how much do we know about it? And is it good enough? As mass collaboration gathers pace, this timely book examines what our dependence on one online encylopedia means now and in the future. Starting with a brief history of encyclopedias up to 2001 and covering the astonishing expansion of Wikipedia from then on, The World and Wikipedia looks at why we hate Wikipedia but still use it, and why we love it. It examines the people who wiki, cybercreation and wikivoyeurism, and draws its own conclusions on why you should trust Wikipedia... and why you shouldn't.—Jacket

Maurice and Ian are successful, but aging actors. The two are close friends whose conversation generally revolves around theatrical shop talk and the infirmities of other aging actors. Ian is fearful that death is right around the corner, so he agrees to let his niece's daughter, Jessie, move in to his flat to care for him. Jessie is a modern woman in her early twenties. She turns out to be a nightmare for Ian, especially since she is a hard-drinking, rude, and dismissive brat. But Maurice sees something else in the young woman, a potential for humanity which blossoms under his kindness and gentle guidance. For Maurice, something else blossoms as well--romantic love for a girl fifty years younger.

This illustrated cookbook offers a unique insight into what people were eating in Shakespeare's time, featuring 50 original menus and recipes from 16th and 17th century cookbooks, alongside food-related quotes from Shakespeare's canon.