Start reading potato a history of the propitious esculent on your kindle in under a minute dont have a kindle get your kindle here or download a free kindle reading app product details paperback publisher yale university press 2011 language english isbn 10 0300171455 isbn 13 978 0300171457 product dimensions 152 x 19 x 229 cm shipping weight 431 g customer reviews 47 . Buy the paperback book potato a history of the propitious esculent by john reader at indigoca canadas largest bookstore free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders the potato humble lumpy bland familiar is a decidedly unglamorous staple of the dinner table or is it john readers narrative on the role of the potato in world history suggests we may be underestimating . It was also published under the titles the untold history of the potato and potato a history of the propitious esculent the potato has been present and influential during the major events in the last 500 years these include the historical moments of discovery and culture change that have led to the present globalized world. The wild potato is a masterpiece of evolution botanists have discovered 169 species of them widely dispersed across the americas but primarily located in the andes wild spuds have been able to adapt to every type of ecosystem except for lowland tropical rainforest