In 1935, after thirty years of research and ten years of writing, William H. Ukers completed his masterpiece All About Tea. This two volume set contains 54 chapters, 1152 pages, 1700 illustrations and approximately 600,000 words all devoted to the princely subject of tea.
Perhaps the most accurately named two volume set in Tillamook’s entire reference collection, All About Tea is very much all about tea. With chapters like ‘Tea’s Conquest of Java and Sumatra’, ‘Evolution of Tea Machinery’ and ‘History of Tea Advertising’, Ukers has left no aspect of tea uncovered.
One of my favorite items in the book is the Tea Thesaurus. Located in the front of the second volume, the Tea Thesaurus is broken into three categories; The Plant, The Leaf and The Beverage. Ukers’ own words best describe the thesaurus:
Presenting a Conveniently Arranged List of Encomiums and Descriptive Phrases Applicable to the Plant, the Leaf, an the Beverage
My favorite entries come from the Beverage section and include; Greatest friend to the man of letters, Lure that lurks in the teapot, and Tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wink-tipping cordial.
I would highly recommend visiting the Tillamook library and taking a look at All About Tea. Even if you do not care for tea, I think you will find these two unusual volumes worth the trip.
