"Sweet Tooth is a book with a real edge, a balanced firsthand account of [the author's] obsession with candy and a detailed look at its history and development. The sugary treats we enjoy today have a prominent past: They've delighted kings, cured the ill, and were developed into a billion-dollar industry. At the same time, however, the bitter side of this chronicle tells how the confectionery industry helped create an environment of unhealthy overindulgence,...

"Until the first bombs fell on Belfast in 1941, the city had little direct experience of the war: there was plenty of food, no conscription and the only air raids that residents saw were on news reels. But, in April and May of that year everything changed. The Luftwaffe targeted the city, launching bombing raids of such ferocity that one observer described the Nazi planes as being like a 'giant swarm of insects'. Over one thousand people were killed,...