[.ca] The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the ... (ISBN 0415927226)

Well-researched but somehow boring:
This book is really well-researched. All you ever wanted to know about caffeine is in this book. The problem is that the authors stuff the book with so many facts and quotes from other books/treatises that they make it unreadable. This is especially true for the historical part (first part of the book). If you want to know about the history of caffeine, I would not buy this book. The book also has a lot of very interesting statistics and facts, and just for that reason, I will keep it.

Lovely Book:
Considering the amount of caffeine everybody consumes all around the globe, it's amazing how little we know about this drug - and how few popular books are written about it. We know all we need to know.....from personal experience. Or so we think! Probably most of us are addicts without admitting it. And imagine the advantage you can have over everybody else if you limit your intake of this potent drug. All the cultural background is interesting. I'd be even more grateful if at least one of the authors were medically trained. But they seem to have done their homework, and I applaud their effort. Treat yourself to a nice cup of steaming hot java (preferably de-caff), and sip slowly while you savor this fun book. Another good book to go with this one: "For God, Country & Coca-Cola" by Mark Pendergrast - all you want to know about the world's favorite sugar water (caffeinated, of course!)

Intriguing, Original:
We hear a lot about the evil of stimulants. Amateur doctors who get their info from infomercials or Aunt Clara have begun to equate beverage/food stimulants with tobacco, alcohol and those absurdly misnamed "recreational" drugs. There is no comparison between being a zoned-out zombie and perking up to a Pepsi or cafe latte. Those who don't see this need a reality check. In fact, I am sipping a Dr. Pepper as I write (and, I might add, without a twinge of guilt.) Caffiene is a modern development, especially the refining and concentrating of its powers. It emerged from the shadows in the Industrial Society and was indispensable in the conversion from a society of alcholic stupor to one that would revolutionize the world. The origins of both coffee and tea are quite similar - both being recognized for their medicinal purposes. Both had strong religious opposition (Islamic and Catholic) and both developed rituals and sites dedicated to the imbibing of the liquid. Coffee and a few other naturally occurring plants also contain caffiene. The scientific section was too advanced for 99% of the readers- more like a chemistry treatise - but the history of this ubiquitous drug was exciting and learned. The story of the rise of coffee houses, their political and social importance and the tale of the origins of afternoon "Tea" were both well done/ The history of soft drinks was an eye-opener as well. The book contains several illustrations and is best enjoyed with a hot cup of Costa Rican Arabica beaned coffee (not pre-ground).

Interesting:
First, a mistake by the authors: they write, "There is a case of a child who died from orally ingesting less than 5.5 grams, or the equivalent of about five cups of coffee." (p. 315) Now, 5.5 grams is equal to 5,500 milligrams. If the average content of a cup of coffee is taken to be about 100 mg (see Appedix A), then the child ingested not five but FIFTY-FIVE cups of coffee (or equivalent dose). This kind of mistake is often fatal but all too common in medical accidents, usually committed by pharmacists and doctors. What can I say? Neither author is medically trained - one is a lawyer and the other a writer. Their cautious endorsement of caffeine must be taken with a grain of salt (and not too much of that either). One complication of the matter is that people who consume much caffeine also tend to smoke a lot and have other unhealthy habits. By contrast, health-conscious people who don't smoke and do have healthful habits (like taking vitamins) drink their coffee only in moderation. The authors have not failed to point this out, but that's no defense for excessive coffee-drinking. Frederick the Great is mentioned as a campaigner against coffee. What they neglected to say is that Old Fritz was himself a manic drinker of coffee. (I know, because he's one of my heroes.) What excessive caffeine can do is most dramatically illustrated by a NASA experiment on p. 237. Exposed to four potent drugs - marijuana, benzedrine, choral hydrate, and caffeine - a spider spins a complete chaos on the last one only. This is an interesting book worth having on your bookshelf. Mine is already stained with black coffee - decaf.

Hugely interesting and beautifully written:
Popular treatments of scientific and botanical subjects have been selling well over the past few years (Secret Life of Plants, Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Longitude, Fermat's Last Theorem, etc.), and this hugely interesting and beautifully written book goes some way to explaining why. Caffeine is the global drug, used in a multitude of forms by just about every society, but non-specialist consumers really know very little about the substance. The "science and culture" of caffeine - the story of how and why it achieved its prominence in our diet and its place in our lives - makes fascinating reading, and the illustrations are extremely well chosen. This will remain the standard work on the subject for very many years.