Bananas: An American History by Virginia Scott Jenkins.   Though it does give a brief overview of the social acceptance of the banana in America, this is mostly a history of distribution and advertising. I could have done with a good deal more about the original 'discovery' of the fruit, as well as info on how the banana tied into the economy in South American/tropical plantations.

To be fair, this is an American history - it's just a somewhat bland and incomplete one – those looking for a casual overview of the subject should find this quite satisfactory.

Originally read March 2005