As they contemplate that bracing cup of hot java every morning, probably few people reflect on the history of their favorite drink.

That’s a shame because, even though coffee came on the scene relatively recently compared to beverages such as beer and wine, its story is fascinating.

In his book “Coffee: A Dark History” (Norton, $25.95) Antony Wild offers a torrent of fact and fable about his topic and, true to the title, takes a decidedly dark approach to the tale.

Rather than coddle readers by drawing them in with some history or anecdotes, Wild charges forth in chapter one to detail the plight of the underpaid and exploited millions whose livelihood depends on raising coffee beans while large marketers reap huge profits.

Only then does he turn to the history of coffee, its first appearances in Ethiopia and Yemen, where the city of Mocha gave its name to the beverage, and its growth as a popular drink in the 16th century.

Wild offers fascinating tales of coffee’s history on the remote island of St. Helena, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years in exile; reports that German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe inspired Swiss chemist Gustav von Runge’s discovery of caffeine; and tells of Franz Georg Kolschitsky, who is said to have used beans left behind by a retreating Turkish army to open the first coffeehouse in Vienna.

But the dark side is never far below the surface as Wild stresses how coffee followed sugar in promoting the international slave trade. And he ends up back where the book started, stressing the poverty of today’s coffee farmer and the Fair Trade effort to guarantee the small grower at least a decent price, an effort he deems “laudable but ultimately inadequate.”

– By Randolph Schmid, Associated Press Writer.

¢ In “True North” (Norton, $24.95), Bruce Henderson tells the enthralling story of the efforts of two Americans, Robert E. Peary and Frederick A. Cook, to be the first to set foot on the North Pole.

Peary showed an early interest in the Arctic. A trip to Greenland in 1886 made him determined to be the first to reach the North Pole. In a letter to his mother, Peary wrote:

“My last trip brought my name before the world; my next will give me a standing in the world. … I will be foremost in the highest circles in the capital, and make powerful friends with whom I can shape my future instead of letting it come as it will. … Remember, mother, I must have fame.”

His eight polar expeditions would fail, despite generous financial backing from individuals and from influential scientific institutions in Washington, D.C.

In 1891 Peary advertised for a surgeon to accompany him on his second trip to Greenland. Cook, who was also interested in Arctic exploration, got the job.

After the 1891 expedition with Peary, Cook built an independent reputation for himself, engaging in other Arctic and Antarctic ventures.

In 1907 Cook accepted financing for an Arctic expedition from wealthy gambler John R. Bradley. Bradley wanted to hunt big game in the Arctic and Cook wanted to continue his research of Eskimo ethnology and anthropology.

Bradley encouraged Cook to try to reach the Pole. Their plan wasn’t announced until Cook was already in Greenland. Peary, in Washington organizing what he intended to be a successful last dash for the Pole, was shaken by Cook’s intentions, but pressed on with his plans.

On Sept. 2, 1909, a headline in The New York Herald proclaimed, “The North Pole Is Discovered by Dr. Frederick A. Cook.” Five days later, The New York Times declared, “Peary Discovers the North Pole After Eight Trials in 23 Years.”

The claims surrounding the journey conflicted from the beginning, but Henderson presents the case for each man with commendable fairness. The reader will make his own decision.

– By Norman Brown, Associated Press Writer.