Summary of Mark Kurlansky's The Basque History Of The World

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 The game the rest of the world knows as jai alai was invented in the French Basque town of St. Pée-sur-Nivelle. The Basques, as they often did, went in a completely different direction than the French. They were the first Europeans to use a rubber ball, and the added bounce of wrapping rubber rather than string led them to play the ball off walls.

#2 The gâteau Basque, like the Basques themselves, has an uncertain origin. It appears to date from the eighteenth century and may have originally been called bistochak. Today, it is a cake filled with either cherry jam or pastry cream.

#3 The Basques are a mythical people, and their land, which is surrounded by France and Spain, is only 8,218 square miles. They have seven provinces that are defined by language.

#4 The Basques are a unique group that has many physical traits that set them apart from other Europeans. They have a high concentration of type O blood, which is rare in other Europeans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669353300

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Insights on Mark Kurlansky's The Basque History of the World

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The game the rest of the world knows as jai alai was invented in the French Basque town of St. Pée-sur-Nivelle. The Basques, as they often did, went in a completely different direction than the French. They were the first Europeans to use a rubber ball, and the added bounce of wrapping rubber rather than string led them to play the ball off walls.

#2

The gâteau Basque, like the Basques themselves, has an uncertain origin. It appears to date from the eighteenth century and may have originally been called bistochak. Today, it is a cake filled with either cherry jam or pastry cream.

#3

The Basques are a mythical people, and their land, which is surrounded by France and Spain, is only 8,218 square miles. They have seven provinces that are defined by language.

#4

The Basques are a unique group that has many physical traits that set them apart from other Europeans. They have a high concentration of type O blood, which is rare in other Europeans.

#5

The most important artifact left behind by the ancient Basques is their language. Linguists have found that while the language has adopted foreign words, the grammar has proven resistant to change.

#6

Euskera is a difficult language, but it is not especially confusing. It is difficult to understand because it is so different from other languages. The language is phonetic with some minor pitfalls, such as a very soft b and an aspirated h as in English.

#7

The first book entirely in Euskera was not published until 1545. The Basques were not early enough to document their language, and so many have used their imagination to link Euskera to the origins of other languages.

#8

The theory that the Basques are Jews was made by a French clergyman in 1900. It states that the people of ancient Sparta were Jewish, and that the Spartans colonized northern Spain.

#9

The first Basques were observed acting like Basques, defending their land and culture. They made complex decisions about the degree of independence needed to preserve their way of life, while looking to the rest of the world for commercial opportunities.

#10

The Basques were said to be unconquerable because of their mountainous terrain, but it is also possible that few coveted this land. Many passed through, disproving the assumption that their mountains were impenetrable.

#11

The Basques were a people who