Fish on Friday

“The details Fagan gives … reveal cunning man at his cleverest, always looking for ways, no matter how small, to make his life easier and more productive.”—Los Angeles Times

“In his just-published book Fish on Friday, the respected anthropologist Brian Fagan argues that fishermen who toiled to feed this European hunger probably laid eyes on Newfoundland before Columbus.”—Wall Street Journal

“Combining history, social commentary, scientific hypothesis, and fishing and sailing lore, as well as recipes for fish dishes in the ancient style, Fagan presents a refreshing and intriguing look at the discovery of America.”—Science News

“This superbly written and illustrated history of fishing is also a cookbook. Try the Roman fish stew recipe that survived the empire's collapse.”—New Scientist

“Brian Fagan is justly renowned for his immensely readable books on the human past. Fish on Friday is by far his best.”—Times Higher Education Supplement

“Brian Fagan weaves a detective story of Friday fish-eating, climate change, and ship design to guess who beat Columbus to the New World.” —Jared Diamond, New York Times bestselling author of Guns, Germs, and Steel

“Delightful.... The author's intelligence, erudition, and sheer enthusiasm for his subject shine through on every page.”—William Chester Jordan, Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Emeritus, Princeton University

“Enthralling history of one of our basic foods.”—Anne Willan, culinary historian and founder of LaVarenne