Click the image to the left for a half-hour conversation with the author of this book, one of the most agile writers at The New Yorker.

Agility is a word that comes to mind considering the diversity of topics in his magazine writing (the Spanish Inquisition; dog ownership; drawing; the way the Internet has changed how we read, think, and interact; etc.) but it is also a function of his ability to write so fluidly and knowingly about topics so different from one another.

This book follows the lead of a previous book in his loving explanation of France’s lasting, meaningful contributions to the world.

We have made reference to his writing in the magazine here and here, but this book touches on a topic completely different from those two references.

Reviews have been positive and light-hearted.  Long, non-fiction works do not always enjoy such attention, but food is a topic of increasing interest and in the hands of this writer, a feast.