Review
"Lee... describes many interesting developments associated with the modern production of various types of sake, including processes related to nutrition, alcohol content, and flavors, ultimately influencing the Japanese manufacture of antibiotics." ― Choice
"The Arts of the Microbial World is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the industrial food system. ― Isis
"In The Arts of the Microbial World, Lee explores how Japanese scientists treated microbes not as threats, but as gifts, from which they conjured new foods, drinks, drugs, fuels, and tastes. The result is a thrilling and surprising new history of fermentation biology that offers a nuanced counterpoint to western, gene-centric histories. Wonderfully written and brilliantly researched, this is compelling and exciting work." -- Christopher Otter, Ohio State University
"In this brilliant tour de force, Lee orchestrates science, politics, and production to show how microbes—and the understanding of microbes—shaped Japan’s distinctive modernity. If you’ve ever eaten soy sauce or drunk sake, you’re the beneficiary of age-old fermentation practices. This deep-rooted knowledge, based on the insight that life is fermentation, played a vital role in the twentieth-century developments that put Japan at the forefront of modern medicine, food processing, and environmental understanding. This nuanced history demonstrates that although scientific problems may be universal, scientific practices are subtly shaped by culture and politics." -- Julia Adeney Thomas, coauthor of The Anthropocene: A Multidisciplinary Approach
"Lee successfully pursues a sustained argument that remains integrated and coherent even as she explores its varied instantiations in different topics, times, and locations. The originality of the book lies not only in providing a history of Japanese fermentation science in the twentieth century in its institutional, economic, and cultural dimensions, but especially in demonstrating the continuing importance of an indigenous craft tradition in shaping the twentieth-century field. In doing so she convincingly shows the inadequacy of interpreting Japanese fermentation science as simply a case of technology transfer." -- John Lesch, University of California, Berkeley
About the Author
Victoria Lee is assistant professor of the history of science and technology at Ohio University.
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