Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast

Uncommon Grounds

The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World

Mark Pendergrast

Basic Books · Print & ebook · July 9, 2019

The definitive history of the world's most popular drug Uncommon Grounds tells the story of coffee from its discovery on a hill in ancient Abyssinia to the advent of Starbucks.

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Who it’s for
A lively history of coffee’s reach, told with enough context to make the cup feel newly.
Genres
Coffee & Tea, World History, Economic History
Published
Basic Books, July 9, 2019

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About this book

The definitive history of the world's most popular drug Uncommon Grounds tells the story of coffee from its discovery on a hill in ancient Abyssinia to the advent of Starbucks. Mark Pendergrast reviews the dramatic changes in coffee culture over the past decade, from the disastrous "Coffee Crisis" that caused global prices to plummet to the rise of the Fair Trade movement and the "third-wave" of quality-obsessed coffee connoisseurs.

Continue reading

As the scope of coffee culture continues to expand, Uncommon Grounds remains more than ever a brilliantly entertaining guide to the currents of one of the world's favorite beverages.

Coffee’s Larger Story

A lively history of coffee’s reach, told with enough context to make the cup feel newly.

Come here for

  • coffee as a world-shaping commodity
  • clear cultural history with narrative momentum

Expect

  • broad historical sweep
  • insight with an easy read

Where it sits

Coffee & Tea76%
Economic History32%
World History24%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Economic History
  • Exports & Imports
  • Economic Development
  • The Food Business
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Corporate Histories
  • Globalization
  • Coffee & Tea
  • Food Through History
Authors
Mark Pendergrast
Publisher
Basic Books
Published
July 9, 2019
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Economic History