Steeped in History: The Art of Tea

After water, tea is the most frequently consumed beverage on the face of the earth. Eleven distinguished historians and over 300 colorful illustrations trace the impact of tea from its discovery in ancient China to the present-day tea plantations of Assam, and reveal the multitude of ways tea has figured in the visual and literary arts. From a ritual element in the quest to enlightenment in Japan and afternoon tea in England to a catalyst for brutal international conflict and horrific labor conditions, it has played a variety of striking and often paradoxical roles on the world stage.