Subtitled "The Collected Gastonomical Works of M. F. K. Fisher, it is 5 books in one! Serve it forth/ Consider the oyster/ How to cook a wolf/ An alphabet for gourmets/ The gastronomical me. Each book is a gem. All reflect MFK's devotion to food and eating (and love). Each chapter begins with an appropriate quotation, and the book is "decorated" by Leo Manso. This is a book to dip into (but beware: you will spend more time with it than you had planned!) I do use some of the recipes, tho it is not primarily a cookbook. ( )

This is the first book that got me to think about eating, tasting and enjoying. I never knew there could be writing like this about such things. I want everyone I care about to read this work. And then, let's go for dinner and talk about it. ( )

How to Cook a Wolf: http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/a...

You don't get to call yourself a foodie until you've read M.F.K. Fisher. She was the best American writer on food that I know of. She was one of the best writers I know of in any genre. This is probably the easiest way to get caught up. Five of her books in one hefty volume. I love every moment of these books. ( )

A compilation of five books (Consider the Oyster and Gastronomical Me are two of my favorites) from the incomparable essayist, Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher. A few recipes are included but it is her wonderful, evocative prose that I treasure. ( )

This is a collection of essays, all reprints, by Fisher. Her prose is wonderfully paced and just makes me excited about the handling, preparation, and enjoyment of good food. There's really no recipes as such in here; the essays reflect what "foodie" culture was like long before foodies were identified as such. (For example, one pieces explores rationing in WWII and what it does to home cooking.) ( )

This book is not a cookbook (though it does contain some great recipes). And it isn't really just a memoir. Rather, it is 5 books by one of the greatest writers about food collected in one volume. Whether you choose to read the essays over a period of time, or stuff yourself silly by reading as much as possible in one go, if you are the type who loves to read about food, you are in for a treat.

Fisher covers great meals she has had and great meals she plans to have; she covers cooking from the highly expensive levels of decadence to true home economy (yes, you can live off sludge); she explores eating both as a social pastime and as an intimate, individual pleasure.

If like me some of your favourite books have earned that title due to the authors ability to write about the meals it contains, you are sure to salviate at this tome. A wonderful read for all foodies... ( )

Introduction Clifton Fadiman. Decorations by Leo Manso. ( )