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The Life of a Lobster

The Beauty of an Ugly Creature

The Life of a Lobster cover

The Life of a Lobster

The Beauty of an Ugly Creature

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Pre-order. Available May 12 2026
$26.09 RRP $28.99 Website price saving $2.90 (10%)

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

From the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Cod and Salt, a new global history of the mysterious, misunderstood, globally beloved crustacean.

When Mark Kurlansky was 17, he took his first job as a commercial fisherman in the Atlantic on a 45-foot, wooden-hulled, two-man lobster boat, thus igniting a lifelong fascination and kinship with the mysterious creature. Yet since that defining experience, the lobster's role in cuisine and culture have changed dramatically, as it has throughout history: once thought of as peasant food (“Lobster again?” some 18th century New Englanders are reported to have griped), the humble crustacean, a cornerstone of coastal cuisine and economies, is now considered a delicacy, an animal rights cause célèbre, and a scientific marvel.

In The Life of a Lobster, Kurlansky examines the lobster and its scientific, cultural, historical, and culinary identities throughout history and around the world, including fifteen historic recipes that bring to life eras and cultures devoted to capturing and cooking the crustacean.

Product details

Published May 12 2026
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 272
ISBN 9781639734399
Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing
Illustrations B&W photos, illustrations, maps throughout
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Mark Kurlansky

Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling a…

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