Sweets: A History of Temptation

Synopsis: We are all, secretly or openly, obsessed with sweet things. This title takes in the whole world and all of history - from how the Aztecs mixed chocolate with blood in sweet libations to their gods to how modern sweet production is shrouded in the kind of secrecy which would make Willy Wonka blush. Indexed.

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