I enjoyed learning the history behind sweets. It reminded me a lot of a show called "unwrapped" where they take you through the history and the making of candy. If you enjoy reading non-fiction and/or learning the history of various foods, you'll enjoy reading this book.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

As someone who enjoys sweets and have quite and addiction that I'm trying to get rid off, this book was fascinating to read. I love that the downside was also presented in the book. Very well documented.

A fun, if slightly disorganized survey of the history of sweets, defined mostly here as candy, chocolates, and mints or gum.

This book takes a look at the evolution of sweets, their purpose, and their sociocontextual role in history. For the most part it’s a well-rounded, fun read, with well-presented information and the type of light touch that this sort of nonfiction requires.

The most interesting components of the book center on the historical evolution of types of sweets and the changing ways their were made and used. These sections are exceptionally readable and informative.

Less successful were the scattershot list-style sections of the book, organized around things like “chocolate manufacturers in the UK.” The book is written for a British audience, so as an American reader, there was a lot of this sort of content that just didn’t interest me. It’s not really about the history of sweets that originated or evolved in the UK (which would be interesting no matter where you hail from), but rather a virtual phone book listing style collection that feels both unnecessary in its inclusion and unclear in the objective of its inclusion.

There’s also another disappointing list-style section at the end about books and music that mention sweets. The lists are nonsensical, non exhaustive and not especially representative of either the most interesting or significant mentions or the most famous mentions. For literature, for example, we of course get Narnia’s Turkish delight, but mostly whats included are incidental mentions in classic novels that have no significance to the story or hyper specific mentions in books that no one has heard of. The music section mostly reads as a list of what you’d probably get back if you googled “songs that mention candy or sugar.” Meh.

On the upside, the author’s tone and pacing was just right for the material, and the historical components of the book were both informative and fun to read.

Food histories are tough to do well (even though it seems like they ought not to be), so I commend anyone who takes on the challenge. Though not without issues, this is still a fun, quick read with some good information and lovely photographs.

Have you ever wondered where the idea for your favorite sweets came from? Well, Paul Chrystal has done all the research for you!

The History of Sweets give you an in-depth and deliciously detailed book.

As the Publisher presents it -- "We all know our sweets. We all remember sweets – objects of pure delight and the endless cause of squabbles, fights even, hoarding and swapping; a chance to gorge, suck, crunch and chew. But they’re by no means just a nostalgic thing of days past, and it’s not only children who love and devour sweets – gobstoppers, bulls eyes, liquorice, seaside rock, bubble gum and the like; grown-ups of all ages are partial to a good humbug, or a lemon sherbet or two – in the car, (annoyingly) at the cinema or while out walking – wherever and whenever, the sweet is there, the sweet delivers and the sweet rarely disappoints.

Sweets then are ubiquitous and enduring; they cross age, culture and gender boundaries and they have been around, it seems, forever. This book tells the story of sweets from their primitive beginnings to their place today as a billion pound commodity with its sophisticated, seductive packaging and sales, advertising and marketing. It explores the people’s favourites, past and present; but there is also a dark side to sweets – and this book does not shy away from the deleterious effect on health as manifested in obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. It delves into sweet and lollyshops in supermarkets and markets, retro sweet shops, fudge makers, vintage sweets on line, sweet manufacturing, chocolate, the grey line between sweets and ‘medicines’ ancient and modern. It goes round the world sucking, licking and crunching sweets from different countries and cultures and it examines how immigrants from all nations have changed our own sweet world."

I found not only the history and beginnings of my favorite sweets fascinating, but I also found the corporate side of it fascinating too! It might make your tummy sick, as when you eat too many Gobstoppers or Lik-A-Stiks, but you is something that we all need to read and digest so that we can better understand the "dark side" of the sweet industry. I know when I'm walking down the street, I can smell a candy store a mile away, as my body craves the stuff, even though I don't eat it as much as my tastebuds might want me to.

Paul Chrystal deep dives into this addicting world and never lets us down until the sugar high hits its low. This book is a read for those who are not only interested in history, but also for the education of the effects your body goes through and the warnings you might not want to read but should.

I found this book a sweet and yet, unsatisfactory read only because I didn't want to "hear" the effects. However, I am glad that I did. I will still chew my favorite Spearmint Green 80s created Extra Gum, will still snack on those Everlasting Gobstoppers because I am a product of Willy Wonka and his Chocolate Factory, and I will still melt a Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar with a 'mallow on a graham while camping, but I might now hesitate to reach eagerly for every carefully placed child-enticing sweet candy at the checkout counter wondering if I really want it, or if my brain is playing games on me with all those childhood brainwashed commercials during my favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Thank you, NetGalley, Pen and Sword, Paul Chrystal for "granting my wish" of reading this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful compilation of all things sweet, everything from chocolate to licorice to honeycomb. I took a journey down the timeline of when they were first introduced 8,000 bc to here and now. Its a fascinating read that opened my eyes to all the uses that certain sweets were used for like lozenges and comfits. It soon became apparent that not all sweets were actual treats in the beginning, quite a few were used for medicinal purposes then later became more. The advertising that was used throughout the years was eye opening and has definitely come a long way. As I went through the years I learned about where and how they were manufactured and the part somethings played in different time periods such as the war. There was so much I didn't know about the things I enjoy on a daily basis but I had a great time in learning all that this book had to share. If you enjoy reading, love sweets, and like learning new and interesting things this is definitely a book to add to your to be read list.

I could not finish this book unfortunately. All of the reasons I could not finish are completely based on my personal preference. It is not a bad book by any means. I love food and have found multiple food related non-fiction books fascinating, That being said, this subject matter is super interesting to me but the writing style was too clinical for my taste. If you enjoy very detailed and meticulous writing in your non-fiction than I think you will love this book.

Thank you #netgalley for the eARC of #HistoryofSweets

I'm not a huge fan of sweets and probably one of the few people that doesn't have a sweet tooth, but I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and I loved reading the history of sweets.

History. Candy. I never thought I'd ever come across a book that primarily talks about these two amazing topics. Highly recommend especially for those who love trivia and history; a huge bonus is that it's the history of sweets! (I mean pretty much everyone loves candy.) Seriously, am I the only one who didn't know that there is a difference between chewing and bubble gum?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this free ARC. This review is made of my own accord, with no monetary compensation whatsoever from the names mentioned above and/or the rightful owners of this ARC.

Who doesn't love sweets? More importantly it's hard to imagine that they were only available to those with wealth in the past when they're so readily available these days.
Easy to read and a lovely book to know more about how and where our sugar comes from.

🍭🍬🍫⭐

I have such a sweet tooth. How could I pass up the opportunity to read about the history of my favorite food group!? 😂

<b>PROS</b>
-- Delicious cover
-- Well written
-- Easy to read
-- Informative (full of historical facts)
-- Well laid out (especially loved the release dates information)
-- Full of facts and tidbits about name changes of sweets through the years

<b>CONS</b>
-- Mainly focuses on UK sweets
-- Some chapters felt out of place or randomly dropped in.
-- Somewhat repetitive at times

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I liked how it deals with the history of sweet but also with issues related to sugar consumption (I'm diabetic and appreciated it).
It's well researched, well written and informative.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a mostly interesting book about the history of sweets- hard candies, licorice, chocolate
, etc. - and it doesn’t shy away from looking into the less than sweet aspects of candy’s past. From the slave trade to the poisons added to candies Paul Chrystal does some of his best writing in the sections on the human cost of creating candy. Often the writing in other places was repetitious and that definitely led me to skim some parts, but others were full of new facts and interesting.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

All things sweet.

Sugar comes in many, many forms.
And this book contains the history of sweets. There isn't anything sweeter than that.
Recommend for a delicious and informative look at sugary treats.

Paul Chrystal’s History of Sweets (Candy to our US cousins) lives up to its name, although the narrative of that history is delivered in a variety of tones.

Chapter 1 is a brief timeline covering the evolution of sweets from 8000 BC to the late twentieth century. Chapter 2 then revisits the timeline, giving us both more detail about the development of sweets; and definitions of sweets, candy and confectionery. We also get a very short history of some iconic sweets, including Polos. I’m afraid the author’s reminder that Polo is “The Mint with the Hole” reminded me of when the Royal Mint transferred from London to Llantrisant, which was promptly dubbed “The Hole with the Mint”!

Chapter 3 is the history of sugar. Although it’s very interesting, it jumps around chronologically. It gives useful quotes and summaries from websites/books.
Chapter 4 tells us about sweets as medicine. We also get potted histories of pastilles, throat lozenges and quasi-medicinal brands such as Fisherman’s Friends and Victory V. I was saddened to read that the letter no longer contain ether or chloroform, as they did when I was young. Parts of this chapter read like a medical textbook, with words such as hypokalaemia tossed in without explanation. Some stars who endorsed medicinal sweets are described as “Medicated followers of fashion”, at which I nearly cried. Hopefully, the target reader base for this book will also remember the Kinks song.

Chapter 5 is an excellent essay on the cultural aspects of sweets in the early to mid-twentieth century: Rationing, Racism, Smoking Sweets and Women’s Rights. The next chapter covers the even darker topic of Sugar and Slavery. Chrystal doesn’t shy away from pointing out that global companies such as Nestle and Hershey signed the Harkin-Engle Protocol in 2001 but over 1m children are employed in the cocoa trade.

Chapter 7 covers adulteration of food and drink, not just sweets, although there is a case study of the Bradford Humbug Poisoning of 1858, where 20 people died and over 200 became ill because of humbugs accidentally made with arsenic. We then have a chapter on special type of sweets such as liquorice, chewing gum, rock, candy floss, jelly beans, etc.. There are sections on the types of sweet and then on the various firms involved such as Dunhills (now part of Haribo). I never knew that jelly babies had names. Brilliant is the red/strawberry one; Bubbles is the yellow/lemon one; etc.. And when Jelly Babies were eighty years old in 1999, Barnack Confectionery launched a range called Jellyatrics. I loved the way Chrystal slips in one-liners like this here and there.

There are a few chapters on chocolate. These are very well written and cover large and small firms from Mars and Cadbury to W&M Duncan and Co (yes, you have heard of them – they invented the Walnut Whip). I didn’t know that when Mars first set up in the UK, their Mars bars were covered in chocolate supplied by Cadbury. As Sir Adrian Cadbury asked recently, “Why ever did we do that?”. Nor was I aware that Dubai Duty Free sells over 1 tonne of Kitkats a day. Sadly, I bet they don’t at the moment. And no, Toberlone’s shape wasn’t inspired by the Alps. The inventor’s son admits it was inspired by the dancers at the Folies Bergeres, who formed a pyramid at the end of each show. Oh, and the patent for Toblerone was authorised by an official in the Bern Patent Office called Albert Einstein. You may have heard of him after he published the book he was working on in the evenings.

I was aghast to read that in the 1930s, you could buy chocolate containing radium – as Chrystal points out, one of the few products to have a half-life as well as a shelf-life. Although I wonder whether it was worse than the Vita Radium Suppositories you could buy “for restoring sex power”.

It was lovely to be reminded of the advertising jingles like “Murray mints – the too-good-to-hurry mints”. Although Chrystal doesn’t mention the version we schoolkids gleefully sang: “Trebor Mints are a minty bit stronger. Stick them up your b*m and they last a lot longer!”

Another dark chapter covers obesity, diabetes and bad teeth. We then a couple of short chapters on sweets from around the world, balancing out the UK-centricity of the book so far; then a long chapter of potted histories of many UK sweet companies, nearly all of the ones chosen are in the North. The penultimate chapter covers references in music (Brown Sugar, The Candy Man) and literature (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Pippi Longstocking), film and TV. The final very short chapter mentions Fairtrade and reminds us about the appalling rewards that cocoa farmers receive.

Overall, a really good book. Although I was initially unsure about the mixture of material, I think the wide-ranging coverage couldn’t have been handled very differently. I wish we’d been told more about Screaming Jelly babies, though. They are the dramatic result of a school experiment when the sweets are immersed in a strong oxidising agent…
#TheHistoryofSweets #NetGalley

Delicious…

Little did I know the length and breadth of the history behind the chocolates, gummi bears, sugary confections I’ve seen and enjoyed my whole life. Ranging from ancient times to modern, how and where these treats got their start is entertainingly outlined in this book. The author offers a wealth of information in conversational bites that were easy and happily gobbled up. Why our favourite treats came to even exist was sometimes much hard work but also by chance in many cases.

Supported by tasty tidbits, each grouping or specific sweet is given its mouth-watering due.
This book was full of details but laid out in a way that allowed me to set it down and pick it up at my own pace. Spanning the globe, with a U.K.-centric lens, the entire world seems to enjoy these sweet treats as much as I do. And now I know why… A slight warning: ensure you have your favourite chocolate close by as this read will activate your sweet tooth without doubt.

The History of Sweets by Paul Chrystal is a fun and detailed look at the history of candy and sweets with colorful old advertisements sprinkled all throughout the book. Chrystal did a great job researching not only the history of sweets, but detailing the UK candy manufacturers he writes about.

This book goes into all things confectionery. The chapters include a time line of candy and sweets, sweets in medicine, cultural issues, sugar in slavery, adulteration in confectionery, chocolate history and important families, marketing and advertising, and a look at different manufacturers of notable and not so notable brands. The candies and brands mostly come from Europe and not the U.S. so some of the names were foreign to me, but it was nice to read and learn about different candies from elsewhere.

A great read for anyone looking to know more about sweets.

This book was reviewed for my baking blog.

The History of Sweets is an interesting and informative layman accessible look at the confectionery industry especially in the UK written by Paul Chrystal. Due out 31st March, 2021 from Pen & Sword Books, it's 144 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is an engaging look at the history of sweets and the public's buying (and consumption) habits over the last several centuries. The book is absolutely filled with delightful minutiae such as the fact that according to records from 1851 £10 000 was spent on confectionery in London as opposed to the (to me) staggering sum of £19 448 on boiled eels (yikes) that year. The chapters are arranged roughly thematically and chronologically; the earliest history and timelines of sugar production and manufacture through to the modern era. This is a factual based history and doesn't turn away from a critical examination of sugar cultivation and its ties to slavery. Although it's not an academic text and doesn't contain copious chapter notes, it is well researched and meticulously presented.

Possibly the most attractive feature of the book for me personally was the abundance of rare and antique advertising memorabilia which is included reproduced in full colour facsimile. There are also numerous period photographs of sweet shops, schoolboys queueing to buy from their school's "tuck shop", and more modern confectioners and manufacturers. It's worth noting that the emphasis in this book's scope is for the British Isles (and some historical info about the British Empire's association with the manufacture and shipping of raw materials from colonial producers).

The book includes extensive links and a bibliography for further exploration as well as an index.

Five stars. Beautifully researched, well written, and accessible. I recommend it highly to readers of history, cultural studies, consumer studies, and advertising as well as anyone who loves sweets. There are no recipes or recommendations included in the text. I also enjoyed seeing ads for sweets from my long vanished youth as well as perennial favourites still available today.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

An interesting book on how sweets came about over the centuries. Its fun to see when some of my own favourites came into the market. It gives information not just on the sweets or candies as the Americans say, but also the companies who make them.

There are a number of pictures throughout the book, which are mostly old advertising campaigns rather than the sweets themselves.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Such an in-depth and interesting read! Way more information than I expected. Some parts were a little heavy for a book about sweets but it’s history and an important thing for us to remember. A good read for anyone interested in history.