My new book, Trade World , is out NOW. In an effort to try to nudge you into buying a copy, here is a little essay featuring one of the most fascinating, obscure stories from the Trade World. And, as an added incentive, if you buy a copy in the next few days and email me at [email protected] attaching a proof of purchase, I will send you an exclusive essay with even more bonus material!

The next time you eat a sandwich, one of those triangular ones you get from a supermarket or Pret, or put some sliced bread into your toaster, pause for a moment and take a close look at the bread. On the surface of it you will see hundreds of little holes - cells, as bakers sometimes call them.

I suspect you’ve never paid them all that much attention. I certainly hadn’t. That was until I discovered that those cells are a clue to one of the most fascinating stories in postwar history.…