The World of Caffeine
Subtitle: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug
Publisher: Routledge
Published: August 2, 2002
Place of publication: New York; London
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 394
ISBN-13: 9780415927239
First sentence: With every cup of coffee you drink, you partake of one of the great mysteries of cultural history.
Description: "This book is not about drug addiction, the preparation of gourmet beverages, psychology, religion, social classes, international trade, or love, art, or beauty.

But, in telling the story of the natural and cultural history of caffeine, it necessarily encompasses all of these topics and many aspects of the human condition, fully considering the health impact of caffeine, and also taking an engaging tour of the fascinating cultural history of the drug that - through the agency of some of their favorite beverages - has captivated men and women, young and old, rich and poor in virtually every society on earth.".

"The World of Caffeine is the first natural, cultural, and social history of our favorite mood enhancer - how it was discovered, its early uses, and the unexpected parts it has played in medicine, botany, painting, poetry, learning, and love. Weinberg and Bealer tell an intriguing story of a remarkable substance that has figured prominently in the exchanges of trade and intelligence that constitute the history and intercourse of nations.

Its most common sources, coffee, tea, and chocolate, have been both promoted as productive of health and creativity and banned as corrupters of the body and mind or subverters of social order." "This is a tale of art and society - from India to Balzac to cybercafes - and the ultimate caffeine resource."--BOOK JACKET.
Table of contents: title: Overview : Caffeine encounters; title: Prologue : The discovery of caffeine; title: Part 1 : Caffeine in history.; title: Coffee : Arabian origins; title: Tea : Asian origins; title: Cacao : American origins; title: Part 2. Europe wakes up to caffeine.; title: Monks and men-at-arms : Europe's first caffeine connections; title: The caffeine trade supplants the spice trade : tea and coffee come to the West; title: The late adopters : Germany, Russia, and Sweden join in; title: Judgments of history : medical men debate caffeine; title: Postscript : Why did caffeine come when it came?; title: Part 3 : The culture of caffeine.; title: Islands of caffeine (1) : Japan : the tradition of tea, the novelty of coffee; title: Islands of caffeine (2) : England : caffeine and Empire; title: The endless simmer : America and the twentieth century do caffeine; title: Caffeine culture and Le fin de Millenaire; title: Part 4 : The natural history of caffeine.; title: Caffeine in the laboratory; title: Caffeine and the plant kingdom : "My vegetable love"; title: Part 5 : Caffeine and health.; title: Caffeine and the body : health effects, reproductive issues, and fitness; title: Thinking over caffeine : cognition, learning, and emotional well-being; title: Caffeine dependence, intoxication, and toxicity; title: Epilogue : A toast to the future; title: Appendixes.; title: The London coffeehouse during the Commonwealth and Restoration; title: Supplementary tables; title: Additional studies of caffeine's physical effects; title: Methodological pitfalls