I love to profile the books of fellow academics…especially when they write on compelling topics, like Frederick H. Smith has. Professor Smith–who also goes by Fred, depending on whether or not you’re his student–is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the College of William & Mary.
Here’s a descriptive bit about his Caribbean Rum: A Social and Economic History: “Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane to the New World on his second voyage. By 1520 commercial sugar production was underway in the Caribbean, along with the perfection of methods to ferment and distill alcohol from sugarcane to produce a new beverage that would have dramatic impact on the region. Caribbean Rum presents the fascinating cultural, economic, and ethnographic history of rum in the Caribbean from the colonial period to the present”
On Thursday, we’ll be treated to a description of how Professor Smith uncovered (literally!) his research subject. And here I was thinking that it had something to do with a love for good booze. In this case, it seems, his passion for rum came from a few fascinating items he found during an archeological dig.
It’s New Year’s Eve this week. Rum is just the perfect topic for Wonders & Marvels, don’t you think?
To put your name in for a copy of Caribbean Rum, click HERE.