A SPLENDID EXCHANGE How Trade Shaped the World

Spanning thousands of years and civilizations, from the ancient Sumerians to modern society, A SPLENDID EXCHANGE is a rich economic history. Narrator Mel Foster's delivery is unflagging as the work introduces us to a truly global panoply of civilizations. Phoenicians, Mongols, Saracens, Italians, Portuguese, and the British--trading silk, coffee, spices, sugar, slaves, opium, and energy--are just a few of those who have contributed to today's interdependent global economy. The history is at its most exciting, and Foster's presentation is the most engaged, as he portrays the worlds of the great European discoverers Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and Christopher Columbus. Foster keeps us listening, whether he's describing a seventh-century Syrian plague or the first transport of ice to Bombay. R.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]