Cook's Delights: An Anthology of Food, Fantasy and Indulgence - Tapa dura

A fascinating and quirky anthology of the literature and art of gastronomy, illustrated with rare prints and engravings

Selected from the literature of different periods and countries, this book is a celebration of culinary delicacies, fantastic feasts, and gluttonous gourmets. The pieces have been chosen from the writings of such authors as Charles Dickens, Edward Lear, Evelyn Waugh, S. J. Perelman, Mark Twain, Colette, E. M. Forster, de Maupassant, Tolstoy, and Proust, and there are items by Brillat-Savarin, George Sainsbury, and other famous epicures on special aspects of gastronomy. The text is peppered with classic favorite recipes and culinary adventures, such as Raymond Blanc's childhood hunts for wild asparagus or the roasting of the first suckling pig in history. The book is beautifully illustrated with a selection of prints, engravings, and line drawings from historical manuscripts; facsimiles of rare and out of print cookbooks, and unseen prints from private collections. This treasury of the best writing on food is sure to warm the cockles of every cook's heart.

Helen Saberi is one of the founders of the Oxford Symposium for Food. She was an assistant editor onThe Oxford Companion to Food and is the author of several books, includingAfghan Food & Cookery. Madeline Swan is the author of A Curious History of Cats.Tom Jaine is the former editor of the Good Food Guide, the author ofBaking Bread at Home and Building a Wood-Fired Oven for Bread and Pizza, and the owner and editor of PPC (Petits Propos Culinaires), a journal of food history.