The Big Idea
The story of Coca-Cola is a remarkable one. The drink, first invented in 1886 by Confederate John Pemberton and Yankee Frank Robinson, is now one of the most dominant players in the global soft-drink trade. This was achieved after over a century of strict adherence to its trademark and so-called “secret formula” (with notable exceptions), wheeling and dealing, political maneuvers, savvy marketing efforts and under-the-table and backroom deals.

Coca-Cola itself, as Secret Formula’s author Frederick Allen stresses, is much more than just a soft drink. Rather, it is more than just the sum of its parts, as it has been right from the very start. The fiction of Coke has always been greater than the fact. This is the secret of its success.

About the Author
Frederick Allen is a former political editor and columnist with the Atlanta Constitution and commentator for CNN. His history of the Coca-Cola Company, Secret Formula, has been translated into seven languages. Atlanta Rising, his analysis of the forces that shaped modern Atlanta, is taught at several colleges.

His book on vigilante justice in Montana, A Decent, Orderly Lynching, has just been published by the University of Oklahoma Press. He and his wife, Linda, divide their time between Atlanta and Bozeman, Montana.