Erika Rappaport’s new book, A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the Modern World (Princeton University Press, 2017), has won the prestigious Jerry Bentley Prize in World History. Professor Rappaport’s book examines how the global tea industry shaped and was shaped by the British empire, as well as the ways in which it helped shaped our modern consumer society.
The Bentley Prize is awarded annually by the American Historical Association to the best book dealing with global or world-scale history, with connections or comparisons across continents. The AHA established the prize in 2014 to honor Jerry Bentley’s tireless efforts to promote the field of world history, and his signal contributions to it.