Examining the mutual influence between rice and human social evolution over the past 9000 years, this book discusses man''s use of the rice plant and its various parts and the genetic and cultivative improvement of the plant by man to increase productivity. It looks at the variations in use from region to region and the drastic and sometimes riotous reactions of the population to rice scarcity. Additionally, this book studies rice as a form of currency, a ration for military conquest, and the impetus for fantastic feats of engineering.
