Empire of Vines: Wine Culture in America (Nature and Culture in America)
"In this wonderfully researched and highly readable book, historian Erica Hannickel offers a compelling look at the intertwined story of wine, vineyards, and American identity. Hannickel takes us behind the mythology of winemaking—from the ideals of Jefferson's Monticello through twenty-first-century advertising—that too often has obscured the true costs to nature and human of this major agricultural industry. Filled with fascinating detail and thoughtful critique, Hannickel's work shows us that our image of American winemaking is as carefully cultivated as the grapes on which it depends."—Paul Bogard, author ofThe End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light"Erica Hannickel interweaves several strands of historical inquiry, literary and visual interpretation, cultural geography, and environmental awareness to create a compelling argument that American grape culture carried with it the tenets of national expansion. An original, broadly researched, and engaging work."—Marina Moskowitz, University of Glasgow