Children of the Corn Belt

July 27, 2009

As “corny” as it may seem, we really should spend some time thinking about corn. As a child, a corn field could frighten me. Once it surpassed “knee high by the Fourth of July” and my diminutive height, the rustle of the stalks and the greenish cast of the field would set my imagination on high alert–running wild with thoughts of that lurking beyond the first row. (Weirdly, as an adult, though, I enjoy Shyamalan’s movie, “Signs” for how brilliantly he captures that eeriness of a stand of corn).
These musings aside, the transformation from successful grass to commodity crop generates another kind of awe and proves to be an interesting history–and one that is well-documented within library collections. Among these collections are the titles listed below. Speak with your librarians for assistance locating these and related titles. Additional search terms, for use in library catalogs and journal indexes, include: maize, teosinte, and zea mays. Title: Handbook of Maize: Its Biology / edited by Jeff L. Bennetzen, Sarah C. Hake.
Publisher: New York: Springer, 2009.
Description: ix, 587 p.: ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Title: Corn: Origin, History, Technology, and Production /editors, C. Wayne Smith, Javier Betran, E.C.A. Runge.
Publisher: Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, c2004.
Description: xi, 949 p., [8] p. of plates: ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.Author: Fussell, Betty Harper.
Title: The Story of Corn / Betty Fussell.
Publisher: New York: Knopf, 1992.
Description: 356 p.: ill. ; 25 cm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [335]-344) and index.