The Story of Corn [Paperback]

Betty Harper Fussell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

Now in paperback for the first time, The Story of Corn is Betty Fussell's mesmerizing account of the extraordinary grain that built the New World. In a form as uniquely hybrid as its subject, it blends history and myth, science and art, anecdote and image, personal narrative and epic to tell the story of this amazing crop and the people who for centuries have planted, eaten, worshipped, processed, and profited from it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fussell ( Food in Good Season ) documents the history of corn on many levels in this well-researched book. As food, fertility symbol, genetic marvel, and subject of ancient myths, corn is one of the oldest food staples and a truly American food source. And because the author covers so much material, it's best to approach The Story of Corn bit by bit to avoid being overwhelmed. While it's fun to read about the history of popcorn (popcorn poppers dating back to A.D. 100 have been found in Peru), it's downright fascinating to read about what corn meant to native North and South Americans. Apparently corn was used in everything from funerals to birth rituals; corn images are embedded in the Hopi language. Fussell even tracked down a retired moonshiner to find out how corn was used to make corn whiskey and its more socially acceptable cousins, bourbon and Peruvian chicha . The author, descended from Nebraska farmers for whom corn was a mainstay, weaves her family's history into the larger saga. And along the way, she unfortunately consorts with some rather highfalutinok language ("The migration of my ancestors was across continents, up and away from the earth navel of fallen man. My own journey had been down . . . into the darkness of seeds and roots to find my dead mother and her mothers . . . in the womb not of Eden but of Mother Earth"). But the volume is otherwise so absorbing and well written that she's easily forgiven. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Like a modern variety of Zea mays , this book is a sophisticated hybrid, a skillful blend of history, science, art, and anthropology. Written in a lively and nontechnical style, with 150 photographs and 100 line drawings, it is an accessible, handsome volume. Fussell, food journalist, historian of foodways, and author of cookbooks, including the highly recommended Food in Good Season ( LJ 9/15/88), is known as a likeable and knowledgeable writer. These qualities are evident in this tour de force about corn, covering every aspect of this important commodity and offering an extensive bibliography. Anyone reading all or a substantial portion of this book will never pass a cornfield again in quite the same way. Recommended.
- Richard Shotwell, Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: North Point Press; 1st North Point pbk. ed edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865475458
• ISBN-13: 978-0865475458
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,349,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A persuasive treatise on a pervasive food..., December 30, 2000

By 

"brassmclean" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Corn (Paperback)

A fun, crammed compendium on how this food became ubiquitous--like the apple in our diet. It's forms and functions are seemingly unending. You'll be surprised how much and in what ways you've consumed it. Stock photos, quotes, recipes, postcards: a loving scrapbook and historical tale of corn. If you're a cook, you'll love it. It's like a year of Gourmet magazine with every issue on a different facet of corn. A fun gift to give.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Story of Corn, July 24, 2010

By 

Tony A. Gallegos (Las Vegas, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Story of Corn (Paperback)

This book fulfilled all my expectations. Excellent, thorough history of corn. Delivery was expeditious and condition of book was excellent.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A specialized food history, January 6, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Corn (Paperback)

Food historian Betty Fussell's survey of corn history blends folklore, anthropology, botany and social and art history to provide a lively blend of anecdotes and facts about world corn, from its influence on war and ritual uses in the Inca and Aztec worlds to its use as a key ingredient in different cultures' cuisines. The Story Of Corn isn't a cookbook; it's a specialized food history which will appeal across many different lines, from students of anthropology and sociology to culinary enthusiasts and history buffs.