To Catch a Fish: Essays on the Joy, Frustration, Curiosity, and Allure of Fishing
essay-collection · First published 2026
Author guide
Mark Kurlansky Books in Order
Mark Kurlansky is an American journalist, former commercial fisherman, and author. His books span history, food writing, cultural criticism, memoir, fiction, essay collections, and children's nonfiction. He is best known for Cod, Salt, The Basque History of the World, 1968, The Big Oyster, Paper, and Milk!.
historynonfictionfood writingcultural historymemoirfictionshort storieschildren's literature
Catalog record updated .
Mark Kurlansky's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
The defining entry point to Kurlansky's acclaimed history of food, trade, ecology, and culture.
Salt: A World History
A representative and accessible example of his commodity-centered global history.
The White Man in the Tree and Other Stories
The best starting point for his fiction and short stories.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (24)
- A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny
nonfiction · 1992
- A Chosen Few: The Resurrection of European Jewry
nonfiction · 1995
In A Chosen Few, Mark Kurlansky explores the many reasons why Jews have returned to Germany and Poland, and why Jews remain in Europe, how they have managed not only to continue their way of life, but to thrive and prosper. Through the…
- Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
nonfiction · 1997
Cod spans a thousand years and four continents. From the Vikings, who pursued the codfish across the Atlantic, and the enigmatic Basques, who first commercialized it in medieval times, to Bartholomew Gosnold, who named Cape Cod in 1602,…
- The Basque History of the World
nonfiction · 1999
The Basque History of the World is the illuminating story of an ancient and enigmatic people. Signs of their civilization existed well before the arrival of the Romans in 218 B.C., and though theories abound, no one has ever been able to…
- Salt: A World History
nonfiction · 2002
“Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt.” – New York Times Book Review An unlikely world history from the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World Best-selling author Mark Kurlansky turns his attention to a…
- 1968: The Year That Rocked the World
nonfiction · 2004
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “In this highly opinionated and highly readable history, Kurlansky makes a case for why 1968 has lasting relevance in the United States and around the world.”—Dan Rather To some, 1968 was the year of sex, drugs, and…
- The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell
nonfiction · 2006
Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants--the…
- Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea
nonfiction · 2006
The conventional history of nations, even continents, is a history of warfare. According to this view, all the important ideas and significant changes of humankind were put forward in an effort to win one violent bloody conflict or…
- The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Survival in Gloucester, America's Oldest Fishing Port and Most Original Town
nonfiction · 2008
"A marvelous, compelling tale"(Rocky Mountain News) from the New York Times bestselling author of Salt and Cod. Gloucester, Massachusetts, America's oldest fishing port, is defined by the culture of commercial fishing. But the threat of…
- The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food from the Lost WPA Files
nonfiction · 2009
Award-winning New York Times–bestselling author Mark Kurlansky takes us back to the food and eating habits of a younger America, before the national highway system brought the country closer together, before chain restaurants imposed…
- The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macorís
nonfiction · 2010
"A fantastic social history" from the author of Salt and Cod (USA Today) In the Dominican Republic town of San Pedro de Macorís, baseball is often seen as the only way to a better life. For those who make it, the million-dollar paychecks…
- Battle Fatigue
young-adult-fiction · 2011
Joel Bloom chronicles his life experiences during the 1960's which eventually lead him to oppose the war in Vietnam and to flee to Canada rather than be forced to kill Vietnamese.
- Ready for a Brand New Beat: How 'Dancing in the Street' Became the Anthem for a Changing America
nonfiction · 2013
Can a song change a nation? In 1964, Marvin Gaye, record producer William "Mickey" Stevenson, and Motown songwriter Ivy Jo Hunter wrote "Dancing in the Street." Recorded by Martha and the Vandellas and released on July 31, the song was…
- Paper: Paging Through History
nonfiction · 2016
Tracing paper's evolution from antiquity to the present, the bestselling author of Cod and Salt challenges common assumptions about technology's influence, affirming that paper is here to stay. Paper will be the commodity history that…
- Havana: A Subtropical Delirium
nonfiction · 2017
"Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky presents an insider's view of Havana: the elegant, tattered city he has come to know over more than thirty years. Part cultural history, part travelogue, with recipes, historic engravings, photographs,…
- Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas
nonfiction · 2018
- Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate
nonfiction · 2020
- The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing
nonfiction · 2021
- Big Lies: From Socrates to Social Media
young-adult-nonfiction · 2022
- The Core of an Onion: Peeling the Rarest Common Food—Featuring More Than 100 Historical Recipes
nonfiction · 2023
An Eater Best Food Book of 2023 A Smithsonian Best Food Book of 2023 From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cod and Salt, a delectable look at the cultural, historical, and gastronomical layers of one of the world's most beloved…
- Cheesecake
novel · 2025
From New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky, a delectable novel following one Manhattan block as an ancient cheesecake recipe-and a conniving landlord-change the Upper West Side forever. West 86th Street knows its desserts. It's…
- The Boston Way: Radicals Against Slavery and the Civil War
nonfiction · 2025
Nonfiction (4)
- Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want to Be One
biography · 2011
Profiles the Jewish-American baseball player who, in 1934, risked his chance to beat Babe Ruth's home run record by sitting out a game on Yom Kippur, and describes his impact on Jewish-American history.
- Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man
biography · 2012
Ever wonder how those frozen peas and carrots in your freezer came to be there? A remarkable first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric inventor whose fast-freezing method revolutionized America's diet. Birdseye was an inspired…
Short fiction (3)
- The White Man in the Tree and Other Stories
short-story-collection · 2000
- Edible Stories: A Novel in Sixteen Parts
short-story-collection · 2010
All-new stories about the food we share, love, and fight over from the national bestselling author of Cod and Salt. In these linked stories, Mark Kurlansky reveals the bond that can hold people together, tear them apart, or make them…
- City Beasts: Fourteen Stories of Uninvited Wildlife
short-story-collection · 2015
Essays and speeches (1)
- To Catch a Fish: Essays on the Joy, Frustration, Curiosity, and Allure of Fishing
essay-collection · 2026
Children's books (6)
- The Cod's Tale
children's-nonfiction · 2001
Describes the Atlantic cod fish and how it has been fished throughout history to near extinction.
- The Girl Who Swam to Euskadi
children's-fiction · 2005
- The Story of Salt
children's-nonfiction · 2006
"[T]his salutary…micro-history will have young readers lifting their shakers in tribute." —Kirkus Reviews, *starred review* "A lively and well-researched title, with exemplary art." —School Library Journal, *starred review* From the team…
- World Without Fish
children's-nonfiction · 2011
A KID’S GUIDE TO THE OCEAN "Can you imagine a world without fish? It's not as crazy as it sounds. But if we keep doing things the way we've been doing things, fish could become extinct within fifty years. So let's change the way we do…
- Frozen in Time: Clarence Birdseye's Outrageous Idea About Frozen Food
children's-nonfiction · 2014
- Bugs in Danger
children's-nonfiction · 2019
Edited works (1)
- Choice Cuts: A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World and Throughout History
edited-collection · 2002
Frequently asked questions about Mark Kurlansky
Who is Mark Kurlansky?
Mark Kurlansky is a journalist and writer best known for creative nonfiction that connects everyday subjects with history, economics, culture, and environmental change. He has also written fiction and books for children.
Sources: ala.org (opens in a new tab)weissman.baruch.cuny.edu (opens in a new tab)
Where is Mark Kurlansky from?
He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1948, and lives in New York City.
Sources: weissman.baruch.cuny.edu (opens in a new tab)bloomsbury.com (opens in a new tab)
What was Mark Kurlansky’s career background before and alongside his books?
Kurlansky began as a playwright before becoming a foreign correspondent for several newspapers, including the International Herald Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also worked as a commercial fisherman, dock worker, paralegal, cook, and pastry chef.
Sources: ala.org (opens in a new tab)weissman.baruch.cuny.edu (opens in a new tab)
Why does Mark Kurlansky write about food and ordinary commodities?
Kurlansky has explained that his commodity writing grew partly from his experience as a commercial fisherman and his interest in how valued goods become embedded in cultures. He uses food and materials as lenses for examining trade, technology, society, and environmental change.
Sources: time.com (opens in a new tab)history.chass.ncsu.edu (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)
What awards has Mark Kurlansky won?
Among his honors are the James Beard Award for Food Writing, Bon Appétit’s Food Writer of the Year Award, and the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award. He also won the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for nonfiction for Nonviolence.
Sources: bloomsbury.com (opens in a new tab)weissman.baruch.cuny.edu (opens in a new tab)daytonliterarypeaceprize.org (opens in a new tab)