Tobacco: The Story of how Tobacco Seduced the World

Tobacco was first cultivated and enjoyed by the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas, who used it for medicinal, religious, and social purposes long before the arrival of Columbus. But when Europeans began to colonize the American continents, it became something else entirely -- a cultural touchstone of pleasure and success, and a coveted commodity that would transform the world economy forever. Tobacco tells the story of this unusual plant and its unique relationship with the history of humanity, from its obscure ancient beginnings to its rise to global prominence, including its current embattled state today. Gately makes the case for the tobacco trade being the driving force behind the growth of the American colonies, the foundation of the Dutch trading empire, the underpinning of the African slave trade, and the financial basis for our victory in the American Revolution. He also traces the global evolution of its use: how the sacred calumet of the Plains Indian tribes was adopted by samurai warriors in Japan; how the courtly fashion of taking snuff overtook smoking in popularity in the late eighteenth century; how Napoleon's armies spread the cigarette as they conquered the European continent; and how filter tips and mentholated cigarettes were created in the late twentieth century as the detrimental health effects of smoking became increasingly better known. At each phase of tobacco's emergence, Gately brings to life the colorful cast of characters who brought the divine leaf to the world, from the explorer Sir Francis Drake to fashion pioneer Beau Brummel to the now-ubiquitous Marlboro Man. Witty, informed, and erudite, Tobacco is a vivid and provocative look into the complexhistory of this precious plant.