Mark Kurlansky wrote a book-within-a-book when he put together Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man. The author of Salt and Cod could not resist penning a new history of a ubiquitous consumable: ice. We learn about the role ice has played in human culture, from the dawn of civilization, through the industrial revolution, and into modern times. Frozen water went from an object of awe, to a luxury good, to an everyday convenience. Along the way, religious zealots pegged ice and refrigerators as machines working against the will of God, and consumers had to be convinced that frozen food was safe and healthy to eat.

This fascinating tale is framed by the story of Clarence Birdseye, the eponymous father of the frozen food industry, whose inventions (ranging from belt freezers to heat lamps) are still in wide use today. He's an inspired and inspiring explorer, and his adventurous spirit leads to many episodes that Kurlansky delights in retelling. This is not a biography in the traditional sense, but a focused history, following the course of a particularly frigid industry through the life of a singularly bright and warm man.

From founding a correspondence taxidermy school when he was a teenager to dropping out of Amherst to catch ticks in Idaho, Birdseye always followed a unique course in life. But when he moved to Newfoundland to farm foxes for their furs, he became interested in the substance that would change his life: frozen food. He eventually worked out the best way to keep frozen food tasty and sanitary, and made his fortune selling the rights to General Foods.

Even though the record on Birdseye's life is less than reliable, Kurlanksy does a fantastic job stitching what we have together into an amusing and inspiring story. Ultimately, he concludes that it was Birdseye's curiosity that made his unusual life possible. He could never know enough about the world around him, and his need to understand gave him the materials he required to create.

Bonus: Check out the irresistible free companion comic book here.