The Life of a Lobster
The Beauty of an Ugly Creature
Will be published approx. on 4. June 2026
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-83643-233-3 (ISBN)
Description
Inside the curious lives of one of the ocean's most intriguing creatures
Mark Kurlansky is synonymous with narratives about fascinating sea creatures. Now he turns his lens on the lobster - a strange, alien-looking crustacean that swims backwards and can live for well over a hundred years. Yet this unlikely being possesses remarkable cultural cachet. A stalwart of international cuisine - from Paris to Boston to Beijing - it remains a hallmark of luxury. From the still lifes of the Dutch Masters to the Surrealists' lobster-mania, lobsters are a fixture on the art circuit. And with their remarkably long lives and navigational abilities, they continue to confound scientists.
Mark Kurlansky examines the cultural and culinary imprint of this brilliant shellfish from Apicius to the present day. Woven through fifteen historical recipes, The Life of a Lobster offers a gourmand's claw-to-tail tour of the lobster.
Mark Kurlansky is synonymous with narratives about fascinating sea creatures. Now he turns his lens on the lobster - a strange, alien-looking crustacean that swims backwards and can live for well over a hundred years. Yet this unlikely being possesses remarkable cultural cachet. A stalwart of international cuisine - from Paris to Boston to Beijing - it remains a hallmark of luxury. From the still lifes of the Dutch Masters to the Surrealists' lobster-mania, lobsters are a fixture on the art circuit. And with their remarkably long lives and navigational abilities, they continue to confound scientists.
Mark Kurlansky examines the cultural and culinary imprint of this brilliant shellfish from Apicius to the present day. Woven through fifteen historical recipes, The Life of a Lobster offers a gourmand's claw-to-tail tour of the lobster.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-83643-233-3 (9781836432333)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Mark Kurlansky is the author of international bestsellers Cod, Salt, 1968, Food of a Younger Land and The Basque History of the World. He has received the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Bon Appetit's Food Writer of the Year Award, the James Beard Award, and the Glenfiddich Award. He lives in New York. Learn more at markkurlansky.com.