The Untold History of the Potato

Oct 10, 2024 7:30 PM

Author:John Reader

Where does our food come from? The story of one of the world's most important crops

From the gold potatoes at the Sun Temple in Cuzco, Peru, the muddy ones in Ireland and those grown in China for McDonald's chips, the story of the spud is both satisfying and fascinating. John Reader follows the thread of the potato's story through the tapestry of human history, from its origins and evolution to its mysterious arrival in Europe, where it became a crucial part of gastronomic and social fabric. As global population swells and environmental sustainability becomes ever more crucial, Reader asks what role the potato still has to play - in this lively, readable study of our most humble foodstuff.

‘Each chapter is discrete in content and manner, yet densely connected to the rest. Wonderful: to understand the whole world through a single crisp’ Guardian

Reviews

As a staple of the global diet the potato is worth this digestible book devoted to its biology, history and social influence

—— The Times

The most nourishing book of the month

—— Guardian

Traversing imperialism, politics, technology and diet, Reader's elegantly written, discursive book weaves the progress of centuries and continents together in the story of the potato's ascendancy

—— Daily Telegraph

This accessible account embraces the latest scholarship and addresses the failings of previous works on the subject. Indeed the book, like the tuber it describes, fills a void: the spud now has the biography it deserves

—— Economist

Superb

—— Sunday Times

Each chapter is discrete in content and manner, yet densely connected to the rest. Wonderful: to understand the whole world through a single crisp

—— Guardian

John Reader's excellent history...his style has a playful sobriety and a laudable disdain for cliché (he gets an extra star for never once using the term 'the humble spud

—— Time Out

This enjoyably meandering history

—— The New Yorker

The tone is light and Moore a delightful writer

—— London Lite

A live and amusing... interesting and entertaining read

—— TNT Magazine

For any biographer this would be a dream of a life, but Snyder is exceptional in bringing not only a vast expertise to the subject, but also an elegant style and gift for narrative.

—— Christopher Hart , The Sunday Times

An engaging portrait of a little-known and puzzling character

—— Ian Pinder , Guardian

The talented historian Timothy Snyder recounts an intriguing life-history against the turbulent backdrop of east-central Europe in the first half of the 20th century

—— History Magazine

Timothy Snyder is not only one of the leading authorities on Central European history writing today, he is also an elegant stylist, with a talent for storytelling - a wonderful combination

—— Anne Applebaum

It reads like Sovietology rendered by John le Carré

—— Timothy Snyder

The book is well written with flashes of mordant humour and sufficient records of personal foibles and institutional stupidity to keep the reader going through some dreadful moments of human history

—— Political Studies Review

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