I started Salt: A World History a while ago, even before I started and finished a few of the other books this summer. I finally finished this non-fiction scan of the centuries through a prism of salt while flying to New York a couple of weeks ago. It’s a fun idea for a history, and it certainly was an important “rock that you can eat” for ages, until it became easy/economic enough to produce to become less than a commodity. I will say I slowed down in it because Mark Kurlansky’s habit of throwing in historical recipes for color dragged me to a halt many times, even though I soon learned to glaze over them. Also — and I’ve found I feel the same way about in the past about Michener books, for instance — any historical scan of several centuries almost inevitably leaves me eager to get to the present-day, so see why this topic still matters… if it does still matter. Salt doesn’t matter much anymore, which leaves you disappointed in the end. I think there is a larger story in the 20th century transition for salt (and other edible necessities) from expensive commodities to run-of-the-mill items. And, perhaps, the transition of water and other items from run-of-the-mill items to ever more precious items.