Follow the story from the prehistoric up to the present day, discovering how the oyster became the food of both paupers and kings, contributed to the building of empires and the demise of ecosystems, and why it may be the creature to help save the world's dying coastal shorelines and reefs.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1. Definition and Science
• 2. Prehistoric and Ancient History
• 3. Oysters in Asia
• 4. Oysters from the Middle Ages to the 1800s
• 5. Oysters in the New World: America and Australia
• 6. The Gilded Age
• 7. The Twentieth-century Oyster
• 8. Oysters as an Aphrodisiac
• 9. The Future of Oysters
• Buying, Storing and Shucking Oysters
• Recipes
• Select Bibliography
• Websites and Associations
• Oyster Bars and Farms
• Oyster Festivals
• Acknowledgements
• Photo Acknowledgements