The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
Files
Document Type
Book
Description
Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Author Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains unparalleled. For centuries New York was famous for its oysters, Gotham's most celebrated export, a staple food for the wealthy, the poor, and tourists alike, and the primary natural defense against pollution for the city's congested waterways. Filled with cultural, historical, and culinary insight, from the island hunting ground of the Lenape Indians to the death of the oyster beds and the rise of America's environmentalist movement, here are the stories behind Peter Stuyvesant's peg leg and Robert Fulton's "Folly"; the oyster merchant and pioneering African American leader Thomas Downing; the birth of the business lunch at Delmonico's; early feminist Fanny Fern, one of the highest-paid newspaper writers in the city; and even "Diamond" Jim Brady.--From publisher description.
Publication Date
2006
Publisher
Ballantine Books
City
New York
State
NY
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Creative Writing | History | Nonfiction
Repository Citation
Kurlansky , M. (2006). The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
