The encyclopedia of French eating.

Five and a half pounds of France. Cheese maps, regional recipes, the bistros, the cafes, the things to argue about at a dinner table after the third bottle of wine. A cookbook you open on a Sunday afternoon with no particular plan and close two hours later having learned why a galette des rois has a bean inside. A wedding gift for the cook with French in-laws. A retirement gift for the friend who tracks Michelin stars. A coffee table book that earns its weight.

For the cook who has reached the stage where the trip to France is the point. For the wedding where one of them has French in-laws. For the friend whose Saturday is incomplete without a long lunch.

Hardcover. 432 pages. 9.5 x 11 inches. 5.6 pounds.