Introduction: The Cold Chain -- Inventing the Cold Chain, 1806-1880 -- The Long Wait for Mechanical Refrigeration, 1850-1910 -- The Decline of the Natural Ice Industry, 1880-1910 -- Refrigerated Transport Near and Far -- The Pleasures and Perils of Cold Storage -- "Who Ever Heard of an American Without an Icebox?" -- The Early Days of Electric Household Refrigeration -- The Completion of the Modern Cold Chain, 1930-Present -- Conclusion: Refrigeration, Capitalism and the Environment.