Tequila: A Natural and Cultural History - Tapa dura

"No mere barroom reference, this heady blend of agricultural history, Mescalero anthropology, Aztec mythology and nature writing is an appealing package for researchers and drinkers alike." --Publishers Weekly"A richly textured picture of tequila and the agave plant . . . Readers interested in the natural history and ethnography of the Southwest will enjoy it, as will tequila fanciers who want to learn about the history and manufacture of their drink." --San Diego Union-Tribune"Lyricism for all things agave infuses the prose, a rhapsody tempered by hard botanical science." --San Francisco Chronicle"A scholarly yet entertaining guide to the history and husbandry of this phenomenal beverage . . . For most readers, tequila may be better sipped than studied. But since a little tequila goes a long way, this book can provide an alternate, albeit less intoxicating, form of pleasure." --Natural History"This slender tome contains virtually everything you could want to know about tequila." --New Mexico Magazine

"With a poet's voice, a scientist's acumen, and a naturalist's sensibility" (Janos Wilder), the authors plumb the myth of tequila as they introduce the natural history, economics, and cultural significance of the blue agave plants cultivated for its production. 20 halftones.