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The Pineapple
King of Fruits
- Author: Francesca Beauman
- Category: Non-fiction
- Publisher: Chatto & Windus(UK)
- Pub date: 3 November 2005
- Length: 512 pages
About The Pineapple
A masterly dissection of a perfectly proportioned import
– GUARDIAN
Decidedly odd in appearance and difficult both to prepare and to eat, the pineapple has always been the sexiest, quirkiest and most glamorous member of the fruit world. Its nickname ‘the king of fruits’ is testament to this.
From the Guarani Indians to the Carib tribe, from Catholics to Protestants, from kings to sailors, those who encountered the fruit before it became widely known consistently received it with the most ecstatic of reactions. Despite its odd shape the pineapple is the perfect fruit: according to the ancient mathematical theory of the golden mean, the pineapple’s natural makeup is such that, to the human eye, its beauty is objective and indisputable.
PINEAPPLE weaves together history and horticulture to create a definitive guide to the world of the pineapple since it was first discovered by Christopher Columbus in Guadeloupe in 1493 up to the present day.
About the Author
Francesca Beauman is a historian and journalist. Born in London, Francesca was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College and Cambridge University. She spent a decade as a television presenter, and is now the author of four books: a history of the pineapple entitled The Pineapple: king of fruits, The Woman’s Book, How to Crack an Egg with One Hand: a pocketbook for the new mother, and Shapely Ankle Preferr’d: a history of the Lonely Hearts ad, 1695-2010. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film director James Bobin, and her two young children.