About the Author

Product Description A journey into the heart of sweetness.Humans are all, secretly or openly, obsessed with sweet things-and we always have been. The Aztecs mixed chocolate with blood in sweet libations to their gods; Saladin entertained Richard the Lionheart with exotic sherbets and sugared jellies; Victorian sweets magnates built the towns of Bournville and Hersheyville from fortunes made through successful candies; and today the manufacture of sweets is shrouded in a level of secrecy that would make Willy Wonka proud. In Sweets, Tim Richardson takes us on a magical confectionery tour through time and space, letting his personal passion fuel the narrative of candy's rich and unusual history. Beginning with a description of the biology of sweetness itself, Richardson navigates the ancient history of sweets, the incredible range and diversity of candies around the world, the bizarre figures and practices of the confectionery industry, and the connection between sweets and sex. He goes on to explore the role of sweets in myth and folklore, and finally, a personal philosophical justification for continual sweet-eating based on the writings of Epicurus. A delicious blend of anecdote, history, and investigative reporting, Sweets is the perfect gift for everyone with a sweet tooth.Amazon.com ReviewTim Richardson has always looked at life through candy-colored glasses (his grandfather worked for a toffee company and his father was a dentist), but inSweets, as the world's first "international confectionery historian," he takes a look at the history of mankind. From prehistoric cave paintings of our forefathers eating honey to references of cocoa beans used as money by the ancient Mayans, Richardson has left no gobstopper unturned. Through intensive research, plenty of taste testing, and field trips around the world to places such as Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Haribo plant in Pontefract, Yorkshire, "birthplace of all English gummy bears," Richardson leads a whirlwind tour filled with unforgettable characters, intrigue, and high stakes. Along the way, he explains our planet-wide obsession with anything sweet--it's been scientifically proven that even newborn babies and elephants love anything sweet--and offers up a lifetime of trivia for the sweet-obsessed. Although Richardson is English and American readers might be unfamiliar with his number one favorite sweet, Rhubarb and Custards, chances are any sweet-lover will relish this quirky look at civilization and the truly fascinating history of candy-making and consumption.--Leora Y. BloomFrom BooklistThe human palate has always hungered for sweet foods. Richardson reports the lengths to which people have gone to satisfy that compelling craving. Some of history's earliest writings consist of instructions on the collection of honey and associated principles of beekeeping. The Turks invented caramel, but it was first put to use in the harem as a depilatory. Pastilles and gums came into the market originally as media for medicines, their sweetness counteracting medicines' bitterness. The Near East also gave rise to sweet pastries such as baklava, which Istanbul's Janissaries honored annually by carrying trayfuls of the confection in solemn procession. In addition to the stark contrast between Chinese sweets and those from Europe, there are many gradations within Western sweets. Britain's ideal milk chocolate, the Cadbury bar, offers a much smoother texture than does American's longtime favorite Hershey variety, which the English find gritty and harsh. Richardson's research offers so many insights, many counterintuitive, into the vast story of confectionery that it belongs in every food history collection.Mark KnoblauchCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorTim Richardson's grandfather worked in a fudge factory, and his father was a dentist. He is a contributing editor to Wallpaper* magazine, a theater critic for Country Lif