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November 2015 Vol. 53 No. 3

This encyclopedic work edited by Goldstein (Williams College) offers nearly 600 entries by more than 250 contributors whose qualifications range widely; they include confectioners, cookbook authors, nutritionists, and scholars.  In his foreword, anthropologist Sidney Mintz (John Hopkins Univ.) introduces sugar's significance in history, and alphabetically arranged entries explore all aspects of sugar manufacture and consumption—from quirky sweets to sugar's bitter influence on colonialism and the slave trade.  A topical outline points readers to entries organized under 25 subject areas, e.g., specific sweets, brands, regions, and topics in health and history.  Entries provide cross-references, as does the lengthy index, but the short bibliographies accompanying each entry are far from comprehensive reading lists.  Many subjects feature black-and-white images, and the 32 pages of glossy color images illustrate notable artwork, exotic plants, desserts, and production processes.  Appendixes list films or songs referencing sugar, museums devoted to sweets, and notable pastry shops.  This interesting, approachable text will be of use to students in a number of disciplines, serving as a starting point for research in advertising and marketing fields, hospitality programs, study of cultural foodways, and the history and technology of sugar.

--L. Goode, College of William and Mary

Summing Up: Recommended. All audiences.