---
product_id: 49581401
title: "Cod"
price: "€ 34.45"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/49581401-cod
store_origin: FR
region: France
---

# Same-day dispatch if ordered before noon 4.4/5 average rating from 1,772 readers 135,285+ global sales rank Cod

**Price:** € 34.45
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Unlock the epic saga of cod—where history meets the high seas!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Cod
- **How much does it cost?** € 34.45 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fr](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/49581401-cod)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
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## Key Features

- • **Fast & Reliable Delivery:** Order before noon and get your copy dispatched the same day—no waiting.
- • **Critically Acclaimed & Widely Loved:** Join 1,700+ readers who rated it 4.4 stars for its compelling narrative.
- • **Dive into History’s Hidden Currents:** Explore how cod shaped global exploration, politics, and economies.
- • **A Must-Read for Marine & Eco Enthusiasts:** Packed with rich insights on fisheries, ecology, and maritime culture.
- • **Uncover the Untold Story of a Vanishing Industry:** Understand the rise, fall, and future challenges of cod fishing worldwide.

## Overview

Cod First Edition by Mark Kurlansky is a critically acclaimed historical and ecological exploration of the cod fish’s pivotal role in shaping global history, from early exploration to modern fisheries challenges. With a 4.4-star rating from over 1,700 readers and a strong presence in fisheries and marine life categories, this book offers a compelling, accessible read dispatched same day if ordered before noon.

## Description

Buy Cod First Edition by Kurlansky, Mark (ISBN: 0000099268701) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Review: Doesn't look inspiring... but wait til you read it. - I loved this. Picked it up as a budget title to pad out my BSc reading as I was getting bored of dry textbooks and found it an astonishing read. I genuinely re-learned a few things, including the discovery and European settlement of America. Great read for anyone with an interest in history, ecology, or just seeing things through a new perspective. For a marine ecology / fisheries student, an easy read like this that's so full of information is very, very useful.
Review: Cod's key role in the development of nations - and its demise - Why read a book about cod? Because I had read Mark's latest Basque history and I was intrigued to see if he could repeat the compulsive reading about a subject about which I knew little. "Cod" is strong on the role the fish played in power politics, navigation and the making of history in past centuries. It weaves into the book the struggle for sea supremacy particularly between the Portugese and the Spanish and the British. It is graphic in its description of the rigours and risks of fishermen. It ascribes the nutrition provided by cod to allowing the great voyages of peoples from the Vikings to the Basques. It provides the background to the opening up of Newfoundland and New England and the voyages to discover other parts of the world. But the book is more than a book about fish. It reinterprets in some detail the American War of Independence and the attitude to the slave trade in the light of the importance of the Grand banks fishing grounds. Historically cod fishing was a crucially important economic driver. But, in recent years, lack of control or international coordination of overfishing has resulted in decimation of stocks. Glimmers of hope are provided by the fact that decimated cod stocks have been restored fairly quickly in some cases, such as in 1989 when the Norwegian government realised its cod stocks were in serious decline. And the possibility that cod farming holds out for re-establishing stocks. But Mark Kurlansky is very sceptical of the ability of to restore stocks where overfishing has been severe. He is very scathing of the EU Common Fisheries policy and of the ability of nations to cooperate on fishing. It is not just the fish that are dying, it is the fishing communities and the fishermen. The book sees no hope for the future of a cod fishing industry of significance or importance. A good read. Not as powerful as Mark's Basque history and deflating in its conclusions.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 89,790 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 8 in Fisheries 69 in Aquatic Creatures 81 in Marine Life |
| Customer reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,773) |
| Dimensions  | 12.9 x 2.3 x 19.6 cm |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| ISBN-10  | 0099268701 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0099268703 |
| Item weight  | 262 g |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 304 pages |
| Publication date  | 6 May 1999 |
| Publisher  | Vintage |

## Images

![Cod - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61WwpEqoX1L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Doesn't look inspiring... but wait til you read it.
*by M***N on 23 April 2014*

I loved this. Picked it up as a budget title to pad out my BSc reading as I was getting bored of dry textbooks and found it an astonishing read. I genuinely re-learned a few things, including the discovery and European settlement of America. Great read for anyone with an interest in history, ecology, or just seeing things through a new perspective. For a marine ecology / fisheries student, an easy read like this that's so full of information is very, very useful.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cod's key role in the development of nations - and its demise
*by M***N on 31 October 2010*

Why read a book about cod? Because I had read Mark's latest Basque history and I was intrigued to see if he could repeat the compulsive reading about a subject about which I knew little. "Cod" is strong on the role the fish played in power politics, navigation and the making of history in past centuries. It weaves into the book the struggle for sea supremacy particularly between the Portugese and the Spanish and the British. It is graphic in its description of the rigours and risks of fishermen. It ascribes the nutrition provided by cod to allowing the great voyages of peoples from the Vikings to the Basques. It provides the background to the opening up of Newfoundland and New England and the voyages to discover other parts of the world. But the book is more than a book about fish. It reinterprets in some detail the American War of Independence and the attitude to the slave trade in the light of the importance of the Grand banks fishing grounds. Historically cod fishing was a crucially important economic driver. But, in recent years, lack of control or international coordination of overfishing has resulted in decimation of stocks. Glimmers of hope are provided by the fact that decimated cod stocks have been restored fairly quickly in some cases, such as in 1989 when the Norwegian government realised its cod stocks were in serious decline. And the possibility that cod farming holds out for re-establishing stocks. But Mark Kurlansky is very sceptical of the ability of to restore stocks where overfishing has been severe. He is very scathing of the EU Common Fisheries policy and of the ability of nations to cooperate on fishing. It is not just the fish that are dying, it is the fishing communities and the fishermen. The book sees no hope for the future of a cod fishing industry of significance or importance. A good read. Not as powerful as Mark's Basque history and deflating in its conclusions.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Everything to do with the price of fish
*by H***N on 15 July 2017*

'Cod' is truly a one of a kind book. It details not only the historic practices of fishing and packing, transporting, and selling the fish but also the impact this fish had on the global economy. Combined with the other Kurlansky book I've read, (Salt) the two help to form a very interesting and seldom considered aspect of history. Well worth a read.

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*Product available on Desertcart France*
*Store origin: FR*
*Last updated: 2026-03-07*