Sweets: A History of Candy - Softcover

Tim Richardson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1582343071 ISBN 13: 9781582343075

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2003

Synopsis

In Sweets, Tim Richardson takes us on a magical confectionery tour, letting his personal passion fuel the narrative of candy's rich and unusual history. Beginning with a description of the biology of sweetness itself, Richardson navigates the ancient history of sweets, the incredible range and diversity of candies worldwide, the bizarre figures and practices of the confectionery industry, and the connection between food and sex. He goes on to explore the role of sweets in myth and folklore and, finally, offers a personal philosophy of continual sweet-eating based on the writings of Epicurus.

A delicious blend of anecdote, history, and investigative reporting, Sweets is the perfect gift for anyone who loves candy.

About this title

Review:

Tim Richardson has always looked at life through candy-colored glasses (his grandfather worked for a toffee company and his father was a dentist), but in Sweets, as the world's first "international confectionery historian," he takes a look at the history of mankind. From prehistoric cave paintings of our forefathers eating honey to references of cocoa beans used as money by the ancient Mayans, Richardson has left no gobstopper unturned. Through intensive research, plenty of taste testing, and field trips around the world to places such as Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Haribo plant in Pontefract, Yorkshire, "birthplace of all English gummy bears," Richardson leads a whirlwind tour filled with unforgettable characters, intrigue, and high stakes. Along the way, he explains our planet-wide obsession with anything sweet--it's been scientifically proven that even newborn babies and elephants love anything sweet--and offers up a lifetime of trivia for the sweet-obsessed. Although Richardson is English and American readers might be unfamiliar with his number one favorite sweet, Rhubarb and Custards, chances are any sweet-lover will relish this quirky look at civilization and the truly fascinating history of candy-making and consumption. --Leora Y. Bloom

About the Author:

Tim Richardson's grandfather worked for a fudge company; his father was a dentist. A contributing editor to Wallpaper* magazine and a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times, he lives in London, where he is in the process of refining his own candy invention.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1582343071
• ISBN 13: 9781582343075
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400