The Devil's Cup: Coffee, the Driving Force in History

The Devil's Cup: Coffee, the Driving Force in History

by Stewart Lee Allen (Author)

Synopsis

Can you handle mornings without a brew? No? Multiply that. Imagine an entire population under a cloud of lethargy, unable to kick start their days. Now introduce coffee. Bingo. The brain moves into over-drive and it's time for empire building. So goes Stewart Lee Allen's crazy theory. Only thing is, after retracing coffee's journey to world domination - by train, rickshaw, cargo freighter and donkey - he has plenty of evidence to back it up. Stewart Lee Allen has filtered out the richest beans from coffee's hot and frothy history ...serving up a steamy, high-energy brew that will stimulate you more than a triple-strength espresso.

$11.51

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: paperback
Publisher: Canongate Books
Published:

ISBN 10: 1841951439
ISBN 13: 9781841951430

Media Reviews
this is lively, interesting stuff, laced with dry wit and canny observations. * * Scotland on Sunday * *
Stewart Lee Allen certainly delivers ... he cuts a caffeine-fuelled arc that runs from coffee's Ethiopian origins, through its Arabian distillation, across its European domestication, before terminating in a cross-country search for the worst cup of American coffee ... a funny book that takes some funny routes. * * The Independent * *
Two parts travelogue and history to one part caffeine-fuelled theory ... From the genteel cafes of Vienna to wired, late night email conversations on the internet, the book celebrates coffee's ability to sharpen the mind and give society a jolt. Not just mocha do about nothing. * * The Face * *
I loved this informal bio of the humble cup of joe... Allen's funky history provides the answer and sets the standard. * * Sunday Herald * *
Author Bio
Currently living in Brooklyn, Stewart Lee Allen has also called California, Kathmandu, Sydney, San Cristobel, Calcutta and San Francisco home. When not lounging about a cafe in a far-flung corner of the globe, he has worked as a grape-picker, theatrical director, bathroom attendant, grave-digger, punk musician, smuggler and, of course, a writer. He is the author of the award-winning fiction collection The Art of Rape as well as his acclaimed history of coffee, The Devil's Cup.