Pendergrast, an independent scholar and author, chronicles the history of coffee from its origins in Ethiopia to current trends and changes. This revised edition includes the recent crisis that flooded the marketplace with cheap coffee, the surge in sales and public awareness of Fair Trade coffee, the recession and its impact on Starbucks, and the role of the internet in making prices transparent and giving growers increased marketing opportunities. He traces the origins and dissemination of coffee throughout the Arab world and Europe, the modern coffee industry of late nineteenth- century America, coffee as a major consumer product in the twentieth century, and connected themes like its role in shaping governments, postponing the abolition of slavery, changing the natural environment, and driving economic growth, as well as the relationship between poor producing countries and wealthy consuming nations, health effects, trends in advertising, the process of growing and roasting beans, the shift towards higher quality, and key companies. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)