Home › Books for Ages 9–12 › Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds: How Plants Made Our World

Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds: How Plants Made Our World

by Andy Warner

A graphic history of the plants behind global change

Regular price $13.37 USD
Regular price $22.29 USD Sale price $13.37 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New English

Format

Print BookAvailable Hardcover $20.80 USD$34.67 USD
Print BookCurrently viewing Paperback $13.37 USD$22.29 USD
Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

A graphic history of the plants behind global change

Plants take center stage in this nonfiction graphic novel about their role in shaping economies, empires, conflict, and everyday food. Andy Warner connects familiar crops and seasonings—including pepper, wheat, tea, corn, rice, and pasta—to historical developments such as exploration, urban life, and war. The book frames plants as resources whose cultivation, trade, and distribution have had far-reaching human consequences, moving from Aztec floating fields to grain supplies in ancient Rome. Presented through comics, it gathers these wide-ranging episodes into an accessible look at the intertwined histories of people and the plant world.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Kids interested in history told through graphic nonfiction
  • Readers curious about food, agriculture, and global trade
  • Fans of science-and-nature comics with surprising historical connections

Themes

Plants and human historyFood and agricultureTrade and explorationEmpires and conflictNatural resources

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

From New York Times bestselling author Andy Warner comes a highly entertaining, informative graphic novel that traces our ever-evolving relationship with plants through time.

Did you know that plants helped shape our modern world?

It may sound ridiculous, but empires have risen and fallen because of stuff you'd find in your grocery store's vegetable aisle. Through wars, famine, prosperity, and more, every aspect of our lives and livelihoods has something to do with plants!

Whether or not you notice them, plants are as central to our day-to-day lives as a bowl of rice or a plate of pasta, and they have shaped our history the same way a gardener trims a topiary.

Did you know that a pepper blockade led to the Age of Exploration? How about that huge wheat barges once kept Rome running with free bread? Or that whole wars were fought over tea? Get ready to follow corn's weird journey from the floating fields of the Aztec emperors to the glossy shine on this book's cover.

Andy Warner sifts through the roots and leaves of our long, complicated history with the earth's original green resources in this hilarious, fact-filled follow-up to Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews