El café: Historia de una semilla que cambió el mundo

mark pendergrast elsa mateo blanco

Presenting the history of coffee from its discovery on an ancient Ethiopian hillside to its role as an elixir in the age of Starbucks, this account discusses the rise and fall of regional brands in the United States, the role of advertising, the global economic impact of coffee prices, and the recent emergence of specialty coffee retailers. The social and environmental ramifications of coffee are discussed in terms of recent campaigns for a livable wage and environmental protection in coffee producing nations such as Brazil, making this an excellent reference on what is considered the second most valuable exported legal commodity on earth.

Genres historynonfictionfoodmicrohistoryfood and drinkeconomicsfood historyhistoricalbusinessscience

448 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20,1999

This edition

Format: 448 pages, Hardcover
Published: November 1, 2005 by Javier Vergara
ISBN: 9789501522297
ASIN: 9501522296
Language: Spanish; Castilian

About the author

mark pendergrast

Mark Pendergrast was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, the fourth of seven children in a family that valued civil rights, the environment, sailing, reading, and games of chase and charades. He earned a B.A. in English literature from Harvard, taught high school and elementary school, then went back to Simmons College for a masters in library science and worked as an academic librarian—all the while writing freelance articles for newspapers and magazines. In 1991, he began writing books full time, which allows him to follow his rather eclectic interests.

Pendergrast's books have been published in 15 languages. For God, Country & Coca-Cola was named a notable book of the year by the New York Times, and Discover Magazine chose Mirror Mirror as one of the top science books of the year. Pendergrast has given speeches to professional groups, business associations, and college audiences in the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Germany. He has appeared on dozens of television shows, including the Today Show, CBS This Morning, and CNN, and has been interviewed on over 100 radio programs, including All Things Considered, Marketplace, Morning Edition, and many other public radio shows. He lives in Colchester, Vermont.