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Potato - Object Lessons

by Christopher Schaberg, Ian Bogost, Rebecca Earle
Potato - Object Lessons
Potato - Object Lessons

Unearthing potato's global impact and symbolic meanings.

For you who find delight in discovering how the simplest of things can embody complex cultural significance, "Potato - Object Lessons" will be a treat. It's a thought-provoking journey that links a humble vegetable to vast topics like global food security and philosophical musings, revealing how a spud can mirror society's evolution. This isn't just a book about a root vegetable; it's a lens through which to view human history, beliefs, and our relationship with the natural world.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Potato - Object Lessons

by Christopher Schaberg, Ian Bogost, Rebecca Earle
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9781501344312
Authors: Christopher Schaberg, Ian Bogost, Rebecca Earle
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Date of Publication: 2019-03-21
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: History
Related Topics: Historical
Goodreads rating: 3.78
(rated by 65 readers)

Description

Baked potatoes, Bombay potatoes, pommes frites . . . everyone eats potatoes, but what do they mean? To the United Nations they mean global food security (potatoes are the world's fourth most important food crop). To 18th-century philosophers they promised happiness. Nutritionists warn that too many increase your risk of hypertension. For the poet Seamus Heaney they conjured up both his mother and the 19th-century Irish famine. What stories lie behind the ordinary potato? The potato is entangled with the birth of the liberal state and the idea that individuals, rather than communities, should form the building blocks of society. Potatoes also speak about family, and our quest for communion with the universe. Thinking about potatoes turns out to be a good way of thinking about some of the important tensions in our world. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
 

Unearthing potato's global impact and symbolic meanings.

For you who find delight in discovering how the simplest of things can embody complex cultural significance, "Potato - Object Lessons" will be a treat. It's a thought-provoking journey that links a humble vegetable to vast topics like global food security and philosophical musings, revealing how a spud can mirror society's evolution. This isn't just a book about a root vegetable; it's a lens through which to view human history, beliefs, and our relationship with the natural world.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.