La Diva Nicotina: The Story of How Tobacco Seduced the World - Couverture souple

Gately, Iain

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0743208137 ISBN 13 : 9780743208130

Editeur : Scribner, 2002

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

'Whether smoked, chewed or snuffed, but particularly when smoked, tobacco always had ritual significance, at least until its real dangers were discovered. Mr Gately, a smoker himself, adopts a nicely detached attitude towards the passions which have surrounded it and which he records so assiduously here' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'Fascinating' THE TIMES
'Immensely researched ... funny and informative' TIME OUT
'Author Iain Gately paints an alluring picture of tobacco tracing its history - from its humble beginnings in ancient South American civilisations to its use today in rituals and as a universal stimulant' EVENING STANDARD
'LA DIVA NICOTINA is as enjoyable and seductive as a fine Silk Cut. I was hooked'
THE SPECTATOR
'Excellent...Gately, his mind sharpened no doubt by his own smoking habit, presents this eventful tale with lucid, if partisan, prose.' The Times (Saturday)
'A pacy journey through a sweep of history, full of energetic comparisons, tellings anecdotes and springy prose.' Sunday Times
'Thorough, fascinating and highly readable' THE GUARDIAN
'Plenty to enjoy' TLS
'Iain Gately's trawl through the history of smoking is riveting' INSIGHT
'Fascinating ... Gately's obvious passion for his subject and his impressively exhaustive research make it challenging for any reader, including the most fervent anti-smoker, to resist enjoying [LA DIVA NICOTINA] ... Deeply engaging and witty' NEW YORK TIMES
'With irreverent wit and uncommon grace, Gately shares his enthusiasms with any reader brave enough to buy a book with the demon weed on the cover' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'LA DIVA NICOTINA has been a very welcome injection of sanity, reasonableness and fact into the controversy about smoking ... Please accept my congratulations on the perfection of the technical aspects of the book ... delightful to the eye!'
A VERY PLEASED READER
'Follow his wonderful tale, which winds and wreaths like tobacco smoke. Take a peaceable look at tobacco, perhaps in the company of a well-stored Monte Cristo'
BUSINESS WEEK, South Africa
'A book that cuts through the fug of anti-smoking rhetoric and horror stories, LA DIVA NICOTINA is a well-researched history of the evil weed ... Gately's book is an intelligent, balanced historical document charting one of the most vilified plants on earth'
BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH
'A wonderful tale that winds and wreaths like tobacco smoke' BUSINESS DAY (Australia)
'Smart engaging history of the uses of, attitudes towards and wars over the world's most mysterious plant' KIRKUS
'Constantly fascinating' THE INDEPENDENT

Présentation de l'éditeur :

On October 12, 1492, after an arduous voyage, his crew near mutinous, his provisions exhausted, Christopher Columbus landed on a small island he believed to be part of China. He was met by representatives of the local tribe who offered him gifts of beads, fruit and dried leaves. He threw the latter in the sea. But Columbus and his crew did not remain ignorant of these leaves' powers or purpose for long.
LA DIVA NICOTINA traces the history of our relationship with a plant whose only function is to stimulate, from its beginnings amongst the ancient civilisations of South America to the present day. From Mayan gods to Marlboro Man, from Casanova to President Clinton, LA DIVA NICOTINA examines the roles tobacco has played in its long association with men and women, including its functions as spiritual messenger, as sexual ambassador, as a cure for cancer, global currency and ultimately as an assassin. Ever since the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, tobacco has been central to western civilisation, and in some cases has been the cause of revolutions and the birth of nations.
Tracing its development from ritual refreshment to universal habit, LA DIVA NICOTINA is a fascinating and witty dissection of this dangerously seductive plant.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Scribner
• Date d'édition: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0743208137
• ISBN 13: 9780743208130
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 416