Food 101

Just the Tonic is an accessible yet informative history of tonic water: its connections to the major disease malaria, the cure discovered in the bitter bark of the cinchona tree and its constituent alkaloid quinine. It is a history deeply intertwined with botanical exploration and empire in the Victorian era, and the role of botanical gardens such as Kew.

The story of soda is the story of the modern world, a tale of glamorous bubbles, sparkling dreams, big bucks, miracle cures, and spreading waistlines. Fizz: How Soda Shook Up the World charts soda's remarkable, world-changing journey from awe-inspiring natural mystery to ubiquitous presence in all our lives.

This is the first comprehensive, documented history of the soda fountain. For one hundred fifty years, this popular institution was a community social center, both in big cities and small towns. The evolution of the soda fountain reflected momentous developments in American history-- urbanization, the temperance movement and Prohibition, the Great Depression, technical progress, the decline of Main Street, and the rise of car culture and growth of suburbia.