The best cook and wine books?

[All over the world]

... and paintings with golden frames? Or do you prefer the ones in shades of blue, to go with the curtains?

Yes, a nice golden frame for paintings and a silver frame for photographs. But... What does that have to do with books? You have me confused!

[Costi]

Undoubtedly, it is only with the mind that one possesses things, and one does not possess a painting because it hangs in one’s dining-room if one is unable to understand it, or a country because one lives in it without even taking a look at it.

- Albertine Disparue, paperback edition - because books are not possessions, they are friends.

[All over the world]

Undoubtedly, it is only with the mind that one possesses things, and one does not possess a painting because it hangs in one’s dining-room if one is unable to understand it, or a country because one lives in it without even taking a look at it.

- Albertine Disparue, paperback edition - because books are not possessions, they are friends.

Paperbacks wither away, they are not something your great great great grandchildren will own nor are they something you want to pass on to them.

[Costi]

I'd rather they bought their own paperbacks for love of literature (even kitchen literature) than inherit my hardbacks as shelf decoration.
Paperbacks make good companions - they sit well in a pocket, they fit easily in a travel bag, you can flip through them. They are soft and friendly - like a lightly structured coat, if you wish. Plus a lot of excellent literature is never issued as hardcover. Lots of good novels appear(ed) as feuilleton - I'd be more proud to own a collection of such magazines (no cover at all).
Good luck collecting cardboard! Oh, and don't assume too much about your great-great-great-grandchildren... maybe they won't be so great-great-great

[All over the world]

I'd rather they bought their own paperbacks for love of literature (even kitchen literature) than inherit my hardbacks as shelf decoration.
Paperbacks make good companions - they sit well in a pocket, they fit easily in a travel bag, you can flip through them. They are soft and friendly - like a lightly structured coat, if you wish. Plus a lot of excellent literature is never issued as hardcover. Lots of good novels appear(ed) as feuilleton - I'd be more proud to own a collection of such magazines (no cover at all).
Good luck collecting cardboard! Oh, and don't assume too much about your great-great-great-grandchildren... maybe they won't be so great-great-great

They better be great!

Maybe I should write some moral requirements into my will... Ah, the decadent youths.

But wait! I'm quite young myself!

[Costi]

They better be great!

Right - some genes skip a generation... lucky you! Or lucky them Let me see: great->great-> great... Great! Oh, but there's "grand" to take into consideration, too... I don't know, really.

[All over the world]

They better be great!

Right - some genes skip a generation... lucky you! Or lucky them Let me see: great->great-> great... Great! Oh, but there's "grand" to take into consideration, too... I don't know, really.

A beautiful book collection filled with even more beautiful and interesting words is what makes me feel grand.

[Maquis]

As this is my first post, I'd like to first send a warm hello to everyone. (I just received my first bundle of Spring 2011 Cloth Club fabrics today—The RAF PoW, and the Agnelli flannel. Wonderful!)

As I'm fairly new to the bespoke process, I've enjoyed following the discussions here but haven't felt the need to participate—until now. As a professional book designer (including cookbooks), I must disagree with the venerable Costi on the importance of design! While I understand the desire to decry the modern tendency to elevate style over substance (no, not *that* kind of style, Costi ), book design is an exception. How a text functions; how it guides the reader and assists understanding through the subtle use of cues (color, size, direction, typeface, etc.) is vital. This is the value of good design.

A humble example: have you ever caught yourself re-reading the same sentence over and over? It probably wasn't just the extra glass of wine you had last night; the proven best line length is about 65 characters. Longer than that and there is a danger of eye strain or getting lost in the text. (And the necessity to add the proper amount space between the lines of text is another important factor...)

And that's just an example with straight text. With the images and informational diagrams sometimes used in cookbooks, the subtle structure that is built through design is even more critical. But then there's the aesthetics, as well—something that Mr. Costi has written so eloquently about. A well-designed book is like a well-written or well-played piece of music; at its best it can capture a brief glimpse of the wonder of humanity. Sounds worth it to me!

Unfortunately , I can't unconditionally recommend many cookbooks, beyond the line of Phaidon books previously mentioned (although they can get a bit rarefied for some). Artisan has a fairly strong, approachable line and some of their titles are worthy (although I think the newer ones are better designed.) To state the obvious, the publishing industry is a profit-making venture, so there is a strong (and strengthening) push to keep costs down. Making long-lasting, archival books that don't scream "buy me!" is one of the first casualties.

[couch]

Back to the request for specific Hugh Johnson titles: he's always a lively and engrossing writer (no accident, perhaps, that NJS, himself another example, commends him). If you only acquire one title, the choice depends on your aims and experience.

Vintage: The Story of Wine (1989) accompanied a television series and is a fascinating tour of the history and development of wine. If you want to understand and appreciate wine as a cultural product, this is your book, and a ripping yarn. It is outdated when it comes to current producing areas (especially so-called New World wines) and the modern wine trade, so not much practical help in selecting specific bottles.

The Vintner's Art: How Great Wines are Made (1992, coauthored with James Halliday) is an accessible discussion of the technical aspects of wine production, from viticulture to selection, fermentation, blending, aging, and various interventions by the winemaker. It's particularly useful for understanding the reasons for the variations in style among regions and producers working with similar varietals, and gaining insight into how traditional and innovative makers work to accentuate or compensate for the characteristics inherent in their local terroirs, climates, and fruit. Again, its age means that some contemporary (bio)technology and techniques are missing, but still a great survey that even winemakers have found useful. (Emile Peynaud's Knowing and Making Wine is the graduate-level oenologist's version of this topic and worth reading if you love great Bordeaux, though very technical).

Hugh Johnson's Modern Encyclopedia of Wine went through four editions up through 1998. Organized alphabetically, packed with good stuff across the whole range of wine topics. But like all encyclopedias, the fascinating individual entries do not necessarily make a coherent reading experience. Best for reference, and not for timely topics.

Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion: The Encyclopedia of Wines, Vineyards and Winemakers (2009, revised by Stephen Brook) is a friendlier though still encyclopedic version of the the above. Includes more practical emphasis on how to enjoy wine.

The World Atlas of Wine (6th revised edition, 2007, since 2003 coauthored with Jancis Robinson) is probably my favorite of Johnson's wine books, and certainly the greatest innovation and achievement. This book gives wine a sense of place by showing maps of the world's growing/producing regions, with very detailed information on topography, climate, and owners/producers. You can look at the maps of the Bordeaux appelations, for instance, to see which chateaux are neighbors, how their vineyards are situated as regards elevation, soil type, nearness to the river, sun exposure, and so on, and gain insight into the character of the wines, which ones are likely to have resemblances (and which less familiar names near the great ones are likely to be good value when new owners bring in expert winemaking teams), and so on.

Then there's Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2011 which is a practical vade-mecum and updated annually. It includes many reviews of specific wines, aging status of vintages, food pairings, etc. It sells something like 400,000 copies a year and nobody ever seems to have a bad word to say about it. I don't know this one personally, but it may well be the best place to start. Michael Broadbent (erstwhile director of wine for Christie's) used to produce a similar pocket handbook and I found it quite a useful format, especially when I was first developing my palate, as his guides to tasting (including excellent illustrations of color progression with age) and evaluation were precise and detailed.

I should note that Johnson also wrote a splendid book called The Principles of Gardening, which in its field comes closest to the "one book" desideratum the original poster articulated. I've often thought that Johnson must have one of the most satisfying careers in the world, devoting his life to the eloquent articulation of the pleasures of making and enjoying wine and gardens--two of our most elemental and enduring pursuits.

Happy reading!

[Costi]

Dear Maquis,

Welcome to the bright side of the Moon! If my words had the sole effect of making you start posting, my time with this topic is well spent as your voice proves to be such a valuable contribution here.
I absolutely agree with you that a well designed, printed and finished book adds greatly to the pleasure of reading. But a hardback is not always a guarantee for well DESIGNED book, as you aptly explain.
I also believe that, if one has a choice, a nicely put together edition is preferable. However, average printing conditions will not deter me from buying a book that I want to read, if there is no choice. Reading is first a necessity and only after that a pleasure, no?
Between a bad translation from Dante in a sumptuous edition and a good translation in paperback, I will no doubt choose the latter. Although I did spend the money for copy no. 879 of 1000 of a leather bound, large sized edition in the original language, with all of Gustave Dore's illustrations, annotated by Camerini and printed on "carta Uso Mano con legno" (English, please?). And it IS a different experience.
But I will not wait 20 years until an interesting author first published today will be issued as a hardback collector's edition
I was arguing against the notion of buying only hardcover books as a criterion for populating one's library But I am sure you understood that and I thank you for reminding me how important it is to honour a good book with a good edition.

PS: congratulations for your taste in cloth My PoW is due for delivery tomorrow and my tailor is just back from his holidays, which means the cloth will spend only one night in my house... no regrets!

[NJS]

Costi, you raise an interesting point of potential difference between necessity and pleasure but some might argue that pleasure is a necessity, at least, for them and, by that I do not just mean satisfying vices but even the pleasure, not to be sought (but certainly to be derived), from doing good things. But the points of difference and overlap between pleasure and necessity might make a whole website.

Moreover, although books are not primarily intended to be furniture, (remembering that he also said "live in the best company when you read"), I agree with Sidney Smith, that books "make the best furniture" and long may they continue to be printed as hard copy.
NJS

[Gruto]

Please enlighten me: what makes Hugh Johnson's wine books so influential? Does he simply have a superior experience and taste?

I'm no expert in wine, but it has always seemed odd to me that such a subjective field like wine can be dominated so much by one single person. We would never accept that in the field of style

[Costi]

And a soft point you make about the hard copy - we see ever more bookless houses, which is a real shame... iPad, Kindle and the kind don't hold a Candle to a real book. And they don't make good furniture, though they only come as hardbacks. With upgradable soft
I like what you propose: the necessity of pleasure. There are so many ways to offer ourselves pleasure, without engrossing our senses and our spirits in mindless pursuits. Nothing hedonistic about it - pleasure found but not sought is so much the more rewarding. And do we know how to offer pleasure to others - and how to find pleasure in that? There is pleasure on both sides of generosity.
Not to speak of finding pleasure IN necessity (and making a virtue of it...). Living a life of pleasure takes on a whole new meaning
And talking about transmuting the pleasure of the senses (fine food and wine) into pleasures of the spirit, a movie comes to mind: "Babette's Feast". Highly recommended and available on youtube in 10 installments x 10 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNRlgj31 ... re=related

[NJS]

Babette's Feast - one of my late sister's favourite films and I shall, at last, watch it!
NJS

[NJS]

Please enlighten me: what makes Hugh Johnson's wine books so influential?

Ask the millions of people who have bought his books. You do not seem to be one of our number.

I'd like to think that we constitute a different demographic from those other millions who buy the works of the fatuous Delia Smiff and Jymie Olivah. I mean - a TV programme on "How To Boil An Egg". Please!! These twits are a bit like Armani and Ralph Lauren: for those who cannot fink for femselves.
NJS