The History and Social Influence of the Potato

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What a boring 685 pages! - Rated
First published in 1949 and showing its age. So much new research has been done that Salaman's arguments (and even his facts) now seem questionable. Moreover, he tackles his subject in grossly excessive detail, virtually recapitulating the whole of Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English history merely to show where the potato fits in. It amazes me this book is still in print, and perhaps it shouldn't be. The history of the potato needs a succinct, to-the-point rewrite for the 21st century. Salaman's book, I'm afraid, is a historical artefact in its own right.

A masterpiece of potato-based scholarship - Rated
This is the definitive study of the history of the potato. I first read this book in the mid-1980s. I was working with the then Education Secretary Kenneth Baker on the development of the national curriculum. As a big fan of the noble tuber, he was keen to ensure that Potato Studies was a compulsory subject in secondary schools - including history of the potato, practical modern usage (such as the then fashionable potato print painting method) and nutritional value. I remember visiting his office, where he kept on display a fine collection of dried potatoes - Anyas, King Edwards, Kerr's Pinks; he even let me touch his prize Maris Piper. Of course, in the end this dream was to come to nothing and Potato Studies was replaced by History. I think there a still a few schools in Norfolk that teach it.

This is a wonderful book. It is beautifully written with full colour illustrations and pop-ups.