- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press; illustrated edition edition (2 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0691070806
- ISBN-13: 978-0691070803
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15 x 3.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,407,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
A remarkable new book.
(Adam Gopnik New Yorker )
No one is better qualified to sift through the widely scattered clues [to the origins of winemaking] than McGovern, a skilled scientific sleuth who wields the most powerful tools of modern chemistry in his search for the roots of ancient wines.
(J. Madeleine Nash Time Magazine )
A rich treasury of lore on viticulture. . . . McGovern's book will likely remain a standard in every serious wine-lover's library for a long time. To that achievement--and to glorious wine itself--let us raise our glasses high.
(Laurence A. Marschall Natural History )
It takes nerve to tackle a subject as wide-ranging in chronology, geography and historical variability as the study of ancient viniculture, and it takes rhetorical flourish to make such a study riveting, informative and thought-provoking. Patrick McGovern has succeeded in doing just that. His Ancient Wine is a book to be highly recommended to lay and professional audiences alike.
(James C. Wright American Scientist )
It's obvious that McGovern has a passion for his research, and that his deep appreciation for wine is enhanced by his understanding of wine's role in civilization. Wine lovers who also enjoy delving into wine's rich history will find much to savor in this complex but intriguing book.
(Deborah Scoblionkov Philadelphia Inquirer )
The most fascinating scholarly wine book this year. . . . This is a tapestry woven from surviving cultural fragments and combines art, archeology, chemistry and gastronomy. It tracks the thread of wine through 8,000 years of human history and is not for the faint-hearted.
(Toronto Star )
This is a prodigiously learned book by a prodigiously learned man. . . . McGovern uses wine as a vehicle for exploring the reaches of ancient history, and for presenting some of the astonishing archeological discoveries that are still being made. . . . By the time we get to Persia, Greece and Rome it has become truly urgent, because it is now a story of civilizations and their clashes--the story in which we are still involved.
(Roger Scruton New Statesman )
This book is clearly written, generously illustrated, and thoroughly indexed.
(Harvey Finkel New England Wine Gazette )
(Adam Gopnik New Yorker )
No one is better qualified to sift through the widely scattered clues [to the origins of winemaking] than McGovern, a skilled scientific sleuth who wields the most powerful tools of modern chemistry in his search for the roots of ancient wines.
(J. Madeleine Nash Time Magazine )
A rich treasury of lore on viticulture. . . . McGovern's book will likely remain a standard in every serious wine-lover's library for a long time. To that achievement--and to glorious wine itself--let us raise our glasses high.
(Laurence A. Marschall Natural History )
It takes nerve to tackle a subject as wide-ranging in chronology, geography and historical variability as the study of ancient viniculture, and it takes rhetorical flourish to make such a study riveting, informative and thought-provoking. Patrick McGovern has succeeded in doing just that. His Ancient Wine is a book to be highly recommended to lay and professional audiences alike.
(James C. Wright American Scientist )
It's obvious that McGovern has a passion for his research, and that his deep appreciation for wine is enhanced by his understanding of wine's role in civilization. Wine lovers who also enjoy delving into wine's rich history will find much to savor in this complex but intriguing book.
(Deborah Scoblionkov Philadelphia Inquirer )
The most fascinating scholarly wine book this year. . . . This is a tapestry woven from surviving cultural fragments and combines art, archeology, chemistry and gastronomy. It tracks the thread of wine through 8,000 years of human history and is not for the faint-hearted.
(Toronto Star )
This is a prodigiously learned book by a prodigiously learned man. . . . McGovern uses wine as a vehicle for exploring the reaches of ancient history, and for presenting some of the astonishing archeological discoveries that are still being made. . . . By the time we get to Persia, Greece and Rome it has become truly urgent, because it is now a story of civilizations and their clashes--the story in which we are still involved.
(Roger Scruton New Statesman )
This book is clearly written, generously illustrated, and thoroughly indexed.
(Harvey Finkel New England Wine Gazette )
Review
I raise my glass to Patrick McGovern, who mixes authoritative knowledge of ancient viniculture with inspired writing into a heady drink for the mind. This is a beautifully written book, full of insight into the origins, culture, and economy of wine.
(Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University, 1981 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry )
(Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University, 1981 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry )
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
A SINGLE Eurasian grape species (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris), among approximately 100 that grow wild in temperature zones of Asia, Europe, and North America, is the source of 99 percent of the world's wine today (color plate 1). Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A SINGLE Eurasian grape species (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris), among approximately 100 that grow wild in temperature zones of Asia, Europe, and North America, is the source of 99 percent of the world's wine today (color plate 1). Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Amazon.com:
7 reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
An excellent and thorough history
23 Sep 2003
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have enjoyed many books on the history of wine and grapes, my favorite being Johnson's The Story of Wine. McGovern's new book may replace Johnson's at the top of my list. McGovern's attention to detail is wonderful but his story telling is really top notch. He manages to weave a great story while at the same time providing us with an academician's attention to detail -- all without boring us! His examination of early cultures and their use of the grape is fascinating. A very enjoyable and educational book.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Indispensible and Unique
20 Dec 2006
Format:Hardcover
There is no book on the history of wine that is so widely
quoted. In fact,it may not be possible to write a credible
history of wine without referring to this brilliantly
assembled volume.
What makes this book outstanding is its author's background.
He is a chemist and archaeologist. As such, he holds dual
citizenship in two of the least sentimental professions in
the world. While other authors may be taken in by their own
poetry, McGovern relentlessly sticks to the facts as manifest
in the physical evidence. This Joe Friday approach makes him
not only believable but readable.
A case in point is the Godin Tepe jar, an artifact some 5500
years old from Iran. McGovern gets his description rolling with
the following: "My laboratory had already developed techniques
for identifying very ancient biomolecules." You know you're in
the company of a heavy hitter with an opening like that. McGovern
goes on to describe his skepticism that the jar could have
contained wine and then his assurance, based on molecular-
level study, that it had.
Compare this with the High School Book Report nature of a lot
of wine history writing. No, don't bother. There is no comparison.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005
quoted. In fact,it may not be possible to write a credible
history of wine without referring to this brilliantly
assembled volume.
What makes this book outstanding is its author's background.
He is a chemist and archaeologist. As such, he holds dual
citizenship in two of the least sentimental professions in
the world. While other authors may be taken in by their own
poetry, McGovern relentlessly sticks to the facts as manifest
in the physical evidence. This Joe Friday approach makes him
not only believable but readable.
A case in point is the Godin Tepe jar, an artifact some 5500
years old from Iran. McGovern gets his description rolling with
the following: "My laboratory had already developed techniques
for identifying very ancient biomolecules." You know you're in
the company of a heavy hitter with an opening like that. McGovern
goes on to describe his skepticism that the jar could have
contained wine and then his assurance, based on molecular-
level study, that it had.
Compare this with the High School Book Report nature of a lot
of wine history writing. No, don't bother. There is no comparison.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Utterly fascinating
31 July 2007
Format:Paperback
I cannot remember holding a book in my hands that caused me more excitement and enchantment any time recently. And the best thing of all is that it is not a fairy tale, not even a "romanticized" account of the ancient history of wine; on the contrary, with all the diligence and impartiality of a good CSI detective, this book sticks to evidence and confirmed facts. Still, it manages to weave a compelling story of how wine was intricately connected with the very origins of civilization (or, should I say, civilizations). The book is not only difficult to put down, but as a viticulture and wine educator I find it impossible to ignore when preparing teaching materials. Granted, there is still a lot of uncertainty about certain wine archaeological issues and much more work to be done, but I find that part probably the most exciting. I recommend this book to the viticulture and wine professional and enthusiast alike, as well as anybody interested in archaeology and origins of civilizations.
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