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.