Mark Kurlansky began his career as a foreign correspondent writing about the last years of Francoism in Spain, especially in the Basque provinces, and he has returned there annually for the past twenty-five years. He is the author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, which won the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing, and also of A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny, and A Chosen Few: The Resurrection of European Jewry. He lives in New York City.
In this study, award-winning author Kurlansky examines Europe's oldest and most mysterious surviving culture from pre-Roman times to the present. The Basques fought with Hannibal against Rome and became the first to circumnavigate the globe when a Basque took the helm after Magellan's death. They were Europe's first commercial whalers and played a prominent role in commerce with the New World. The author's lively style is most endearing; he'll often use Basque recipes as a means of transition. Since this does a first-rate job explaining relations among modern Basques, Spaniards, and Europeans, the work is an important source. What makes this recorded book version so exquisite is George Guidall's magnificent narration he finds drama and humor where no one else can. James L. Dudley, Westhampton Beach, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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