The Potato Book

- Chris Thorogood, author of Weird Plants and The Botany of Gin.

‘Everybody who possibly can ought to grow potatoes…’

First published towards the end of the First World War, this charming little book is a love letter to the potato, from its origins in South America, to Sir Francis Drake’s travels, the Irish potato famine and the great potato boom of 1903 when the ‘Eldorado’ changed hands at eye-watering prices.

Filled with practical advice which, much of which still holds true today, The Potato Book was written to advocate growing potatoes as a cheap and effective crop against a background of spiralling costs and food shortages. Chapters cover soil preparation, methods of propagating, chitting, planting, earthing-up and recommended varieties from King Edward to Kerr’s Pink. It also describes, with handy diagrams, how to guard against common pests and diseases.

With a witty and wonderful introduction by Kathy Clugston, this is the perfect gift for vegetable growers, allotment enthusiasts or anyone with enduring affection for the humble spud.

John Clark Newsham (d. 1927) was the author of several books on horticulture.