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Product Description
Product Description
The 'couch potato' is an idler, the 'cabbage-head' a dunce, Swede-bashers are stupid and you may as well give up life if you become a vegetable. A vegetable existence may imply dull monotony, but the human vegetable has sparked protests, threatened to topple a British government and almost triggered a revolution. From the Scottish Presbyterian campaign against the 'sinful potato' to the class act that turned the carrot into a propaganda tool, from garlic inscriptions on Egyptian pyramids to Neolithic broad beans and medieval cabbage, and from the Dig for Victory campaign to their use in perfumes, Spade, Skirret and Parnsip shows vegetables in a fascinating new light.
About the Author
BIll Laws has written seven books on garden history; his last title, 'Artist's Gardens' (Ward Lock 1999) has sold 20,000 copies in the UK. He writes for The Telegraph, Sainsbury's Magazines, Period House and Its Garden. Formerly a professional gardener, he manages an organic garden on the Welsh borders.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
With its intriguing title, this book promises to be a good read for vegetable growers, and eaters. But though I persevered with reading it to the end, it didn't grow on me.
A loosely organised collection of facts and factoids, it gives out an air of unreliability. Somehow how it falls between two stools: it can't pretend to be a serious history (there are no references to support the many assertions the author provides) and the flippant tone of the text doesn't ever manage to be amusing. In attempting to cover so much ground in a small space, the whole effect is superficial.
I was hoping the bibliography would go some way towards redeeming this book by leading me to something on the subject which would be a little more fruitful. Even this was disappointing; it includes quite a few references to articles in old colour supplements but little you can get your teeth into. Disappointing.
A loosely organised collection of facts and factoids, it gives out an air of unreliability. Somehow how it falls between two stools: it can't pretend to be a serious history (there are no references to support the many assertions the author provides) and the flippant tone of the text doesn't ever manage to be amusing. In attempting to cover so much ground in a small space, the whole effect is superficial.
I was hoping the bibliography would go some way towards redeeming this book by leading me to something on the subject which would be a little more fruitful. Even this was disappointing; it includes quite a few references to articles in old colour supplements but little you can get your teeth into. Disappointing.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ever wondered why early Protestants eschewed the potato whilst devouring the parsnip? Or how the introduction of Russian comfrey was the result of a communication error? Then Spade, Skirret and Parsnip is the book for you.
Concentrating mainly (but not exclusively) on domestic production, Laws guides us on the ancestry of vegetables to the histories of the allotment and organic movements and the working conditions of gardeners on country estates. At around 200 pages, this concise volume can provide no more than an overview of the history of vegetable growing, but is nevertheless a welcome inclusion to the bookshelves of any grower or gourmet.
Concentrating mainly (but not exclusively) on domestic production, Laws guides us on the ancestry of vegetables to the histories of the allotment and organic movements and the working conditions of gardeners on country estates. At around 200 pages, this concise volume can provide no more than an overview of the history of vegetable growing, but is nevertheless a welcome inclusion to the bookshelves of any grower or gourmet.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Much more than Vegetables!
29 Sep 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book for everyone who loves vegetables, history, and folklore. It will entertain you for hours, and provide a great source of information for "did you know that?" situations! The book is hard to put down, but easy to go back to.
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