Listen free for 30 days
-
Cod
- A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Cod
Buy Now for £19.39
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Critic reviews
"History filtered through the gills of the fish trade." ( The New York Times Book Review)
More from the same
What listeners say about Cod
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Louise
- 17-12-16
Thought provoking
I found the first few chapters incredibly tedious but as the book progressed towards the modern day, I became much more interested.
If you have even the slightest interest in the common fisheries policy, sustainability of fishing, fish farming etc, you will probably get something from this book.
Personally, it has given me a shove back towards veganism.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- B. W. Larsen
- 01-03-03
Seven and a half hour about COD???
Yep, that's what you get from Mark Kurlansky... over seven hours of engrossing information and storytelling about a fish. What a successful blend of journalist, historian, and novelist Kurlansky turned out to be as proven by this very readable book.
Who would have thunk that the cod played a significant role in the maintenance of the american slavery trade and keep? That the fish nearly started a war between UK and Iceland in modern time? That the Vikings discovered the American continent because of the darn cod? That our pilgrims of Thanksgiving fame failed to eat the bounty of the sea and elected rather to starve than feast on lobster and cod?
The chapters on the Basques made me pick up the next book by Kurlanski; he clearly has a tremendous knowledge of the area and the history of the Basque people.
Each segment is capped off by a number of appropriate recepies based on cod from the area narrated. I guess this is probably better suited to the printed page than in the audible edition.
The narration is very good and helps keep the attention throughout the story.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 13-10-03
A great fish story
This review will be short and sweet. Fascinating but a bit long. I rate it a "4" due to it's length. Now...for a definite "5" rating, read "Salt" by the same author.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joseph
- 09-11-13
I believe in Cod
This is a wonderfully written book. Mark Kurlansky’s protagonist could be seen as just a rather boring fish. But he demonstrates that this fish has been in the middle of great struggles, political battles, economic experiments and even wars. He throws a net around a thousand disparate facts and hauls in a fascinating catch.
I was less enthused by the narration. Whilst it was a solid performance I found the accents forced, even caricature like.
Chapters begin with a recipe, a nice technique that I quite enjoyed in the book “Like water for chocolate”. But I read that book, and listened to this one. It leaves me convinced that recipes are meant to be read, not heard.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 12-10-09
Interesting
Informational, sometimes boring. Would be better read than listened to.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-06-09
More like a coffee table book than a real history!
The subject is so thin, the author padded the book out by throwing in every cod recipe he could find and many, many random quotes. Also, a good part of the book discusses how sad it is for fishing towns and generational fishermen to not have cod to fish anymore. The explanation about how modern fishing techniques ruined its own industry is pretty good. I just wonder if it is worth a whole book?
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Stanley
- 07-03-05
Now, to find a supply of salt cod ...
Well recorded and full of surprises and discoveries. I'd be surpised if anybody could read this and say, on finishing it, "yeah, so what, I knew all that." Bet you didn't. A charmingly told tale that, by the end, had me searching the Internet to find a source for ordering some high-quality salt cod. Some complain about the "recipes" in the audio book -- obviously of less value than in the print version -- but even if you never cook and don't like the taste of fish you will likely find this his/story fascinating.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-06-04
Facsinating!
Enjoyed this book alot! Lots of great facts and historical links like his other book, "Salt".
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Andy
- 28-10-03
too many recipes
Generally a good listen, but far too many ancient cod recipes.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- reggie p
- 15-10-03
very informative yet extremely enjoyable
I found this book very informative and extremely interesting. I learned about fish, the fishing industry, the role cod played in this country's early history and foreign affairs as well as conservation and ecology regarding our natural resources. The narration was done very well too. There were recipes sprinkled throughout the book but they were relatively short so aren't too much of a bother. There were several grouped at the end which could probably be skipped but I perservered and learned a few interesting facts the author sprinkled about here too. Don't let the recipes stop you from reading the book. It is surprisingly enjoyable.
I was fascinated by what I learned in this book and look forward to reading others by this author, particularly the ones on Salt and the Basques.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Gene
- 04-03-03
A Fun Book
This book catapulted me into a new understanding of the major role of cod in world history. The topic almost seems absurd to begin with, but the author makes a very convincing case. A sub-theme of the book is the sad tale of how this magnificent fish is now virtually wiped out because of over-fishing. If you are looking for a book that is amusing and yet informative, this is an ideal choice. The end of the book is composed of one cod recipe after another, which you could profitably skip; it gets old after awhile. The reading is quite well done.
3 people found this helpful