{"product_id":"the-big-oyster-history-on-the-half-shell-0345476395","title":"The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0345476395\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kurlansky, Mark\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e New\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e?Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining.?-The New York Times?A small pearl of a book . . . a great tale of the growth of a modern city as seen through the rise and fall of the lowly oyster.?-Rocky Mountain NewsAward-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants-the oyster.For centuries New York was famous for this particular shellfish, which until the early 1900s played such a dominant a role in the city?s life that the abundant bivalves were Gotham?s most celebrated export, a staple food for all classes, and a natural filtration system 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 seventeenth-century founding of New York to the death of its 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. With The Big Oyster, Mark Kurlansky serves up history at its most engrossing, entertaining, and delicious.?Suffused with [Kurlansky?s] pleasure in exploring the city across ground that hasn?t already been covered with other writers? footprints.?-Los Angeles Times Book Review?Fascinating stuff . . . [Kurlansky] has a keen eye for odd facts and natural detail.?-The Wall Street Journal?Kurlansky packs his breezy book with terrific anecdotes.?-Entertainment Weekly?Magnificent . . . a towering accomplishment.?-Associated Press\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mia Karts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51536189751584,"sku":"NEW0345476395","price":16.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0980\/7426\/3840\/files\/914VjsPxmXL_f55bb93f-46db-4921-9581-8d031021c6da.jpg?v=1777410600","url":"https:\/\/miakarts.com\/products\/the-big-oyster-history-on-the-half-shell-0345476395","provider":"Miakarts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}