Description
Book SynopsisCombining economic theory with the history of technology, Making Tobacco Bright revises several narratives in American history, from colonial staple-crop agriculture to the origins of the tobacco industry to the rise of identity politics in the twentieth century.
Trade ReviewA discerning analysis of not only how a commodity-tobacco-was shaped and defined by technology, but also how technology can be influenced by a commodity... This interesting, thorough history will appeal to readers and researchers alike. Highly recommended. Choice Thoroughly researched, engaging, and enjoyable...An excellent first book. -- James C. Giesen Environmental History Strongly argued and deeply researched. -- Evan P. Bennett Agricultural History Hahn has produced an important book, thoroughly researched and persuasively argued, that deserves a wide audience among American historians. Journal of American History Hahn has written an ambitious book that examines how Americans created a commodity whose roots were densely-perhaps inextricably-tangled with those of the growing nation. Her work deserves a broad readership among students of southern agriculture, economic history, and the history of science and technology. -- Max Grivno Journal of Southern History ... Making Tobacco Bright is an impressive book, one that rewrites conventional understandings of tobacco as a crop, a commodity, and a symbol. From Jamestown to contemporary southern fields, Hahn tells an old story in an entirely fresh way. -- Drew A. Swanson Technology and Culture
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue
Part I
1. Making Tobacco Virginian
2. Growing the Business
3. Death and Taxes
Part II
4. Ripeness Is All
5. Inventing Tradition
6. Stabilization
Appendix
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index
