Fussell, a food historian and author, blends history, mythology, science and art to relate the story of the food most essential to the development of the New World. From the indigenous peoples' first cultivation of corn to the South Dakota Corn Palace, she explores corn's roles as a food, fetish, crop and commodity. The text's many illustrations underscore the ubiquity and versatility of this grain. This is a paperbound reprint of a 1992 work. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)