Volume 32, Number 16 · October 24, 1985
Conspicuous Consumption
By J.H. Elliott
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
by Sidney W. Mintz
Viking/Elisabeth Sifton Books, 274 pp., $20.00
A book with the title of Sweetness and Power suggests a belated attempt to solve the riddle of Samson. The riddle, it will be recalled, ran as follows: 'Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.' For a great British public that has ceased to read its Bible, the answer has for many years been thoughtfully provided by Messrs. Tate and Lyle on their tins of golden syrup. In this measured and intelligent book, however, Sidney Mintz is posing a riddle of his own, which turns out on inspection to be a great deal more interesting than that posed by Samson.
Review, 2636 words
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