Short Synopsis
In this history of fishing—not as sport but as sustenance—archaeologist and bestselling author Brian Fagan argues that fishing was an indispensable and often overlooked element in the growth of civilization.

Full Synopsis
In this history of fishing—not as sport but as sustenance—archaeologist and bestselling author Brian Fagan argues that fishing was an indispensable and often overlooked element in the growth of civilization. It sustainably provided enough food to allow cities, nations, and empires to grow, but it did so with a different emphasis. Where agriculture encouraged stability, fishing demanded movement. It frequently required a search for new and better fishing grounds; its technologies, centered on boats, facilitated movement and discovery; and fish themselves, when dried and salted, were the ideal food—lightweight, nutritious, and long-lasting—for traders, travelers, and conquering armies. This history of the long interaction of humans and seafood tours archaeological sites worldwide to show listeners how fishing fed human settlement, rising social complexity, the development of cities, and ultimately the modern world.

"Gently scholarly, elegant. . . . A compelling picture of how fishing was so integral in each society's development. A multilayered, nuanced tour of 'fishing societies throughout the world' and across millennia." ---Kirkus

"A vastly illuminating, deep and worldwide history of fishing and marine foraging. We’ve waited a long time for an archaeologist of Brian Fagan’s breadth and leaning to show us that fishing is as important as farming in the story of mankind." ---James C. Scott, author of Seeing Like a State

"This unabridged audiobook edition of Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization, fluidly read by award-winning audiobook narrator Shaun Grindell, is fascinating, edifying, and enthusiastically recommended for public library collections and personal audiobook lists." ---Midwest Book Review