The Smoke of the Gods

by Burns, Eric

• ISBN13: 9781592134809
• ISBN10: 1592134807
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-09-28
• Publisher: Temple Univ Pr

Summary

Eric Burns, who chronicled the social history of alcohol inThe Spirits of Americaturns to tobacco inThe Smoke of the Gods. Ranging from ancient times to the present day,The Smoke of the Godsis a lively history of tobacco, especially in the United States.Although tobacco use is controversial in the U.S. today, Burns reminds us that this was not always the case. For centuries tobacco was generally thought to have medicinal and even spiritual value. Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were tobacco users or growers, or both. According to Burns, tobacco changed the very course of U.S. history, because its discovery caused the British to support Jamestown, its struggling New World colony.An entertaining and informative look at a subject that makes daily news headlines,The Smoke of the Godsis a history that is, well, quite addictive.

Table of Contents

Introduction The Ancient World	1	(13)
The Old World	14	(22)
The Enemies of Tobacco	36	(20)
The Politics of Tobacco	56	(15)
The Rise of Tobacco	71	(26)
Rush to Judgment	97	(6)
Ghost, Body, and Soul	103	(25)
The Cigarette	128	(12)
The Carry Nation of Tobacco	140	(28)
The Last Good Time	168	(21)
The Case against Tobacco	189	(27)
The Turning Point	216	(24)
Epilogue ``The Ten O'Clock People''	240	(5)
Acknowledgments	245	(2)
Notes	247	(12)
Select Bibliography	259	(6)
Index	265