Washoe County Library System

Throughout history, food has acted as a catalyst of social change, political organization, geopolitical competition, industrial development, military conflict, and economic expansion. An Edible History of Humanity is a pithy, entertaining account of how a series of changes-caused, enabled, or influenced by food-has helped to shape and transform societies around the world. The first civilizations were built on barley and wheat in the Near East, millet...

"From the author of 1491--the best-selling study of the pre-Columbian Americas--a deeply engaging new history that explores the most momentous biological event since the death of the dinosaurs. More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed totally different suites of plants and animals. Columbus's voyages brought them back together--and marked the beginning...

Beginning with Norman Borlaug and going back to those who influenced him directly or indirectly, shows how one ordinary boy came to develop "super plants" that helped save billions of people from starvation. The bestselling book now featuring revised content and new illustrations! The Kid Who Changed the World tells the story of Norman Borlaug, who would one day grow up and use his knowledge of agriculture to save the lives of two billion people....