Colin Spencer

"Author, playwright, and food columnist for the English newspaper The Guardian, Spencer here traces the religious, health, and social influences behind vegetarianism from prehistory to the present. The result is a fascinating study of one of humanity's oldest and most maligned eating habits. One of the more interesting questions Spencer addresses is why vegetarians have been the victims of harassment and even persecution by the mainstream culture throughout history. He explains that, for better or worse, vegetarianism has been linked to radical social, political, and religious reformists who have challenged the mostly carnivorous status quo. Although vegetarianism belongs much more within the cultural heritage of the East, Spencer confines his study to the West, with occasional forays to India and the Far East. Keeping in mind this Western, indeed, Anglo-specific point of view, this book is recommended for academic and larger public libraries and wherever the subject is of interest.'--Publisher's description.

"Colin Spencer's Vegetarianism provides an in-depth look at meat abstention throughout the ages. Spanning the millennia, he discusses those who came to vegetarianism by choice, not necessity. He profiles vegetarian movements, such as Hinduism and Seventh Day Adventism. He looks at the different practices and philosophies underlying vegetarianism as well as a few of the prominent vegetarian advocates, including Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Gandhi, and Adolf Hitler." "No longer a fringe movement in the United States, vegetarianism currently claims 2.5 million Americans. Whether seeking a closer relationship with God, avoiding animal cruelty, or seeking to protect their own health and the environment, vegetarians are highly regarded and given unquestionable compassion in Spencer's sweeping history."--Jacket.