Canning Gold: Northern New England's Sweet Corn Industry: A Historical Geography

by Paul B. Frederic

Overview

Canning Gold is a meticulously researched examination of how sweet corn canning helped shape the economy, landscape and people of rural Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont during the "corn shop century," 1860-1960's. Paul Frederic powerfully demonstrates the strong community bond essential for the industry's initial success. Interviews with farmers, factory owners and cannery workers who raised and packed the corn, combined with the written record, and Frederic's insight derived from growing up in the shadow of a corn shop, enrich the work and trace various threads linking local patterns to regional, national and global forces.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761821991
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	02/01/2002
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Paul B. Frederic is Professor of Geography at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 List of Figures Chapter 2 List of Tables Chapter 3 Acknowledgements Chapter 4 Introduction Chapter 5 Pre-Canning Antiquity of Sweet Corn Chapter 6 Birth of the Industry, 1840-1879 Chapter 7 Growth and Development of the Industry, 1880-1930 Chapter 8 Decline of the Industry, 1931-1968 Chapter 9 People and Corn Shops Chapter 10 Summary and Observations Chapter 11 Appendices Chapter 12 Notes Chapter 13 References Chapter 14 Index Chapter 15 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Frederic's book will appeal to scholars and lay readers alike...This is an important book on the history and geography of Maine and northern New England.

Maine History - Kimberly R. Sebold

Paul B. Frederic's 'Canning Gold: Northern New England's Sweet Corn Industry' is highly useful in understanding the origins, development, and decline of the industry within a limited geographical context.

Agricultural History - Derek Oden

'Canning Gold' is the product of meticulous research and, in good geographical practice, is strengthened by many useful maps.

Historical New Hampshire - William H. Wallace

I'll be pleased to add 'Canning Gold' to those books that I will keep in my small home library because it integrates and explains many of the variables of change in the interrelationships between people and places. It will fit nicely with William Cronon's 'Changes in the Land,' Peter Mardchand's 'North Woods,' and , of course Moses Greenleaf's 'Survey of the State of Maine.'

Frank Hodges

The manuscript is excellent; very well written, very carefully researched and most insightful.. . a very, very nice job!

John Jakle

This is historical geography at its best.

Portland (Maine) Sunday Telegram

I have enjoyed reading 'Canning Gold.' Frederic has taught me a lot.. .

John Frazer Hart

This is historical geography at its best.

From the Publisher

Frederic's book will appeal to scholars and lay readers alike...This is an important book on the history and geography of Maine and northern New England.
— Kimberly R. Sebold, University of Maine at Presque Isle

Maine History

Canning Gold' is the product of meticulous research and, in good geographical practice, is strengthened by many useful maps.
— William H. Wallace

Historical New Hampshire

Paul B. Frederic's 'Canning Gold: Northern New England's Sweet Corn Industry' is highly useful in understanding the origins, development, and decline of the industry within a limited geographical context.
— Derek Oden, Iowa State University

Agricultural History

The role of sweet corn canning in the geographical, cultural, and economic landscape of northern New England is examined in its historical and contemporary contexts. The development of the industry is traced from corn's pre-canning days, through the birth of the industry in the mid-nineteenth century, to its period of growth and eventual decline. The impact of globalization on the industry, and on the region, is specifically examined. Frederic teaches geography at the University of Maine at Farmington. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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