Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled.
"Starred Review.... a chatty, free-wheeling history of New York City told from the humble perspective of the once copious, eagerly consumed, now decimated eastern oyster."
"Although not quite as fascinating as Cod or Salt--there are a few too many recipes this time, and narrower geographic constraints limit the surprises--Kurlansky's "average" book is most writers' best." - Booklist.
"A compelling, highly readable treat, whether you partake of Ostreidae or not." - Kirkus.
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Mark Kurlansky was born in Hartford, Connecticut. After receiving a BA in Theater from Butler University in 1970, and refusing to serve in the military, Kurlansky worked in New York as a playwright, having a number of off-off Broadway productions, and as a playwright-in-residence at Brooklyn College. He won the 1972 Earplay award for best radio play of the year.
He worked many other jobs including as a commercial fisherman, a dock worker, a paralegal, a cook, and a pastry chef.
In the mid 1970s, unhappy with the direction New York theater was taking, he turned to journalism, an early interest he had been an editor on his high school newspaper. From 1976 to 1991 he worked as a foreign correspondent for The International Herald Tribune, The ...
... Full Biography
Link to Mark Kurlansky's Website
Name Pronunciation
Mark Kurlansky: ker-LAN-ski
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