Alain Huetz De Lemps is a French geographer, botanist and economist. His book Histoire du rhum is a must-read for anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of rum.
This comprehensive guide traces the history of our favorite eau-de-vie, and tells the story of how rum went from being a low-quality slave beverage to gradually competing with grain spirits in particular, and carving out a place for itself on the world's various markets.
The book not only describes the production sites of the past (you'll learn, for example, why the United States was a major producer in the 19th century) and today, but also the consumption sites.
You guessed it, it's our bedside book.
Full references
Paris, Edition Desjonquières, Collection Outremer, printed in 1997, 288 pages
