Mark Kurlansky

Homer called salt a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates in his world encompassing new book, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and it's story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. So valuable that it has often served as currency (and still does in places today), salt inspired the earliest trade routes across unknown oceans and the remotest deserts.

Veined in colourful characters, Salt encompasses fields as disparate as engineering, religion and food, all of which Kurlansky richly explores. Salt revenues have funded some of the greatest public works in history, including the Port of Liverpool, while salt's ability to sustain life has made it a metaphorical symbol in all religions. Just as significantly, as Kurlansky, an award-winning food writer, relates, salt has moulded eating habits and culture the world over.