The Smoke of the Gods: A Social History of Tobacco (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781592134809)

Fox News Watch host Eric Burns, who chronicled the social history of alcohol in "The Spirits of America "turns to tobacco in "The Smoke of the Gods." Ranging from ancient times to the present day, "The Smoke of the Gods" is a lively history of tobacco, especially in the United States. Although tobacco use is controversial in the U.S. today, Burns reminds us that this was not always the case. For centuries tobacco was generally thought to have medicinal and even spiritual value. Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were tobacco users or growers, or both. According to Burns, tobacco changed the very course of U.S. history, because its discovery caused the British to support Jamestown, its struggling New World colony. An entertaining and informative look at a subject that makes daily news headlines, "The Smoke of the Gods" is a history that is, well, quite addictive.

Author: Eric Burns
ISBN-10: 1592134807
ISBN-13: 9781592134809
Publisher: Temple University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/01/2006
Pages: 296
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 9.24h x 6.24w x 0.94d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/26/2006 pg. 43
Library Journal 09/01/2006 pg. 159
Booklist 09/01/2006 pg. 26
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2007 pg. 1 - Outstanding