A History Of The World In 6 Glasses Summary

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In A History of the World in 6 Glasses, author Tom Standage attempts to give a general overview of world history from by examining it through six eras each defined by a specific drink. Standage argues that beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola, influenced the course of history. Following these beverages provides a convenient vehicle through which to explore history in a fresh way – a way that is much less intimidating but just as informative as a textbook. Throughout the six sections of the book, Standage’s overall thesis is that each drink in its respective era stimulated cultural transitions, advancements in technology, and the connection of civilizations. Beer is the author’s first chosen drink of importance. It brought people together socially and religiously; in its early days, was consumed out of a large shared vessel. Its importance and value to the people of Egypt and Mesopotamia was evident through its use as both a religious offering and form of early edible money. Cereal grains drove the development of…show more content…
The structuring of the book into interrupted instances of history allowed him to assign each beverage a specific era, but it also made the topics seem more manageable to a reader that may be unfamiliar with the topics covered. It allowed him to show common threads between each of the drinks – their ultimate influences on social, political, economic, and religious changes. Though each section had a mini thesis, each fell under the umbrella of his larger point. This type of organization made it more obvious and impactful. His light-hearted tone and use of anecdotes made the book less intimidating to the common reader as well. Because the history was told through stories of his selection, Standage did not need to acknowledge any opposing views. He was only telling the stories which supported the theme - beverages driving the course of
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  • History Of The World In 6 Glasses Summary

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    historians who divided history by ages, empires or wars, Tom Standage divided history by the era of development of different predominant beverages. In his book, “A History of the World in 6 Glasses”, Standage took his readers on a tour of the past, for a period ranging from the time when the humans on the earth started living settled life with the advent of agriculture to the 20th century. This is an interesting book which teaches important historical events with the history of development of everyday

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