Felt a lot like the history of NYC in relation to oysters which I wasn’t expecting. Really interesting to think about how plentiful oysters were until about the 1910s or so in the NY area, and how the waterways became so polluted with sewage and trash and heavy metals people realized eating oysters was not the best (cholera, typhoid). Oysters used to be the food of both the rich and the poor and were sold in VAST quantities, with many variations of species and waters so some people preferred Virginia ones or RI ones due to taste or size differences. Oyster barges in NYC where you could walk and buy lots, or oysters being sold as commonly in the city as you currently see hot dog stands were wild to think about. Hopefully they’ll be plentiful again there in the future!

I started this book completely fascinated, and really did learn a great deal about oysters and the history of New York. Lots of great trivia and fascinating bits that I'm glad to know and that help other bits fall into place in my mind. But about halfway through, the book just starts to discintegrate. This should either have been a much shorter and really great New Yorker article or it needed a good editor to give it some strong organization. It's all over the place and feels a bit like the author pushed it out as fast as he could after pouring over stacks of books at the library. Those lovely index cards full of worthwhile details would have benefited from a bit of thought while pulling them together.

(4.5 stars, actually.) I loved Salt and this book satisfied me much the same way. It's a big-picture look at the history of NYC, told through the lens of the rise and fall of the oyster trade. I love books that make me look at the ground beneath my feet in a whole new way, and this one made me long for the days when NYC was an unspoiled natural wonder.

I've been canoeing on the Gowanus Canal before (long story), and to think that it was once the crystal clear home to abundant oyster beds, striped bass and even sharks is just amazing. How great would it be if we could restore these waterways? Granted, we couldn't eat anything that lived there (too many metals and PCBs are in the riverbed), but at least wildlife would return ... and that smell would go away.

Anyway, in honor of this book, I plan to go have some raw half shells (non-local, sadly) and a beer. Who's with me?

I liked The Big Oyster, even though I was expecting to read about different types of oysters and associated history around the world. This book was mainly part history of New York and part natural history of one type of oyster, and how they intertwined. The discovering of New York and environs I read quickly through; I more enjoyed reading about the 1800s. And Kurlansky referred a lot to present place/street names, in relation to historical events, that meant nothing to me, but I think someone more familiar with New York would find these parts interesting.

The book also made me mad/glum though; it's another case of human-kind thinking the riches (New York Harbour and area used to have 50% of the world's oysters) will last forever but actually being a part of it's destruction.

I finally swallowed the last of The Big Oyster. The enjoyment of eating bivalves ain't what it used to be... But the book was interesting.

This is the second book I've read this year by Mark Kurlansky. I would have waited but the opportunity to visit and work at an oyster farm in Oregon changed that.

I learned a lot about oysters and even more than I expected about the history of New York. What has stuck with me most is what I can only describe as the growing pains and evolving communal perspective of the metropolis that is New York. The issue with that description is that it doesn't quite speak directly to the ugliness of those growing pains and how those pains are directly associated with human / sociological behavior in a capitalist landscape. (Also very interesting is the idea that a New York never inhabited by humans is a world-unique estuary with a profound biodiversity of record sized fish and birds that in modern times would merit national park conservation efforts!)

Kurlansky frequently references a cycle that is intrinsic to New York: Discover something beautiful in abundance. Exploit and harvest the hell out it. Abandon it once all its worth has been sapped. Allow it to rot to contamination. Destroy it all and build over it. Reading about this cycle as it applies to specific points in history is deeply interesting but describing it here feels shallow.

Most of the experience was entertaining, but much of it was tedious. I allowed my focus to blur in several sections whilst still retaining the more general information. While there are other cities within this country I'm more interested to learn about, reading about the history of New York felt foundational to my understanding of U.S. cities in general.

In hindsight, I would have preferred that my eagerness to learn about oysters didn't overshadow my experience as often as it did because this book often feels more about New York than about oysters.

Survey of the rise and fall of the oyster industry in New York City. It parallels the history of itself, from Native Americans to the environmental movement. Good discussion on the visits of Charles Dickens as well as the migration of free blacks from Maryland to Staten Island to prosper in the oyster trade. The establishment of American restaurant and food culture beginning with Delmonico’s and through the creation of home cook books for the middle class. The sharing of the recipes was also very interesting. The prose could get repetitive at times but over all an interesting lens to look into NY history.

I was given this book as a gift for Christmas to begin reading on the airplane to NYC. What a perfect gift for someone who loves NYC. I also love oysters, but I admit that I was clueless about them until now. I learned so much about the interesting history of NYC from the perspective of the oyster. I would often declare fun facts to my family as I read the book while in NY. I was enthralled with the book, and I have a much deeper understanding and appreciation for oysters and NYC. I don't believe you need to like oysters to love this book. Maps, illustrations and recipes added to the book's value as well.

You wouldn't think that a whole book could be written about oysters, but not only could it be written, but it would prove an interesting read. Kurlansky takes us on a historical tour of the oyster experience in New York from the first settlers practically through the present day. The growth and consumption of oysters went through booms and busts affected by supply and demand, technological advances and pollution. While the oyster may never return to the abundance it once produced, there are signs that it is making a comeback; if not as an item on a menu but as a tool for cleaning the waters of the harbour and providing a safer environment for the diverse fish which once populated it.

The book is about more than oysters. It is an interesting look into the history of growth and development of an industry and a people.

This author wrote "Salt" which is the book that got me hooked on micro-histories, which, along with loving NYC, is why I picked up this book, despite being a vegetarian who has never (TG) eaten any kind of seafood of any sort and is very happy about it. I did tune out when he read off recipes or particularly gruesome bits (I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT RAW OYSTERS ARE ALIVE AND PEOPLE ARE EATING LIVING ANIMALS, OMG. D: ), but I thought it was a really interesting book, and I enjoyed seeing the history of the city through such a specific lens (I have previously read the history of Bellevue as well which was similar, except through the lens of NYC hospitals instead of oysters..). Worth reading for anyone interested in NYC history or seafood or microhistories!

Awesome book. It is more than just about oysters! Lots of tidbits on food and general history of NYC and NJ. Definitely will be in my top 10 of 2014. Chapter headings and acknowledgement are also super word-nerdy funny. He thanks caffeine! Haha!

Excellent. Of course, I love History, eating Oysters, and reading Kurlansky. Pretty much in that order.