Selection of Food Books.

Asian Flavors, edited by Chuck Williams, recipes by Joyce Jue (San Francisco, Williams-Sonoma, Time-Life Books, 1999). The recipes (accompanied by appetizing photos) have been particularly well chosen. It is a case of quality, not quantity, and that can be an advantage when urgently looking for inspiration.

Asian Microwave Cooking, by K. Karuna (Singapore, Heinemann Asia, 1989). This is linked to promotion of a particular brand of Asian food products, but gives ideas and photos of some dishes one would not normally think of as microwavable, such as Chinese roast pork and tandoori chicken, that work.

A Book of Middle Eastern Food, by Claudia Roden (Harmonsworth, Penguin, 1970; hardcover - Thomas Nelson, 1968). This is the real classic on Middle Eastern (especially Egyptian) food in English. A great book that explains how to cure fish roe, stuff all sorts of vegetables, and much more. It covers most of what you would need for an authentic and complete cuisine, and it is easy to follow.

The Chez Panisse Menu Cookebook, by Alice Waters (New York, Random House, 1982). Some guidance and classic recipes from the inimitable chef of Chez Panisse.

China Moon Cookbook, by Barbara Tropp (New York, Workman Publishing, 1992). This is all that remains of that original San Francisco restaurant. It is a masterful guide to making and using a range of fragrant oils and other preparation that result in a delightfully subtle cuisine. One can ignore her preoccupation with partial precooking of most meat and still end up with delicious dishes.

Cooking in the Litchfield Hills, designed by Patricia and Kermit Adler (New Milford, The Pratt Center, 1993). A superb book which, if you've not got it at home, do by all means buy it. You can skip the (few) recipes that use processed foods like mayonnaise or salad dressing, and find some real inspiration here.

The Cooking of Singapore, by Chris Yeo and Joyce Jue (Emmeryville, CA, Harlow and Ratner, 1993). A guide to nonya cooking (a particular blend of Chinese and Malay). It can get boring as a steady diet but it's fun to try.

Easy Thai-Style Cookery, from the Home Library series of the Australian Women's Weekly (Sydney, 1991). Maybe not too easy to find, but the recipes are good and the photos very helpful.

A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America, by Lee Allen Peterson (Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1977). This can help in deciding before poisoning what to gather. It seems well planned, with drawings and photos plus some ideas for use.

Food in History, by Reah Tannahill (Briarcliff Manor, NY, Stein and Day, 1973). This major (and fun) book interweaves food habits and economic history (she studied history and economics, and subsequently wrote on cannibalism and on sex in history). It is complemented, not replaced, by the Oxford Companion to Food.

Foods of the World (New York, Time-Life Books, 1968-70). This series (14 volumes in all) still remains an amazing publication. An early introduction to authentic regional cooking across the globe, it found a winning formula for editing and authorship (outstanding local figures, who were allowed to focus on their area of greatest knowledge). This resulted in offering, e.g., Santha Rama Rau on Madras, for the cooking of India, and, for New England, Jonathan Norton Leonard, who managed cranberry bogs and provides specialities using them intensively). Volumes turn up in used book stores from time to time (I filled in some gaps thanks to Barbara Farnsworth)

Great Women Chefs: Marvelous Meals and Innovative Recipes from the Stars of American Cuisine, by Julie Stillman, with an introduction by Alice Waters (Atlanta, Turner Publishing, 1996). As one might expect from its pretention, this is a collection of starring dishes (plus many desserts), with the minor accompaniments relatively neglected. Still, the range is impressive, the photos enticing. It should no longer be possible to argue that only males make great chefs, and for that reason alone it is worth a second look.

Healthy Microwave Cooking: Better Nutrition in Half the Time, by Judith Benn Hurley (Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press, 1988). Out of print, but you can likely find a copy of this incredible cookbook on the web (bookfinder.com, for example). Whether you use a microwave or not, it is full of great ideas for an international cuisine. One of the most consulted books on the shelf. Take it to the desert island that has electricity and a microwave (assuming you wouldn't carry the Oxford companion to food, though it would keep you amused longer).

Healthy 1-2-3: The Ultimate Three-Ingredient Cookbook, by Rozanne Gold (New York, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2001). A fine formula - to provide only recipes that use 3 main ingredients, and the book offers unusual and appetizing selections. One can carry the simplification a bit further and reduce the number of sometimes-excessive steps.

The Herb Book, by John Lust (Bantam Books, New York, 1974). The classic reference on herbs. Information is organized under ailments, and then alphabetically by herb, and in a number of ways that help one find highly useful information. Since it was reprinted recently, you should be able to find a "new" copy on the web. The frontispiece refers to it as "the natural remedy bible", and it is hard to argue with that; it is also full of serious information on nutrition and the effects of various herbs. It is not anywhere near as out of date as you might think

Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopaedia of Food, Wine and Cookery, by Prosper Montaigne (New York, Crown Publishers, 1961). The most complete reference on classic French cooking in English, and a handy index on the English and French terms. It is preferable to the 1988 edition (edited by Jenifer Harvey Lang), which seems less complete (in this as in many other cases, newer is not necessarily better, in this writer's opinion).

Microwave Gourmet, by Barbara Kafka (New York, Avon Books, 1987). This small paperback is another handy reference. No photos, but some good ideas and recipes.

Modern French Culinary Art, by Henri-Paul Pellaprat (New York, The World Publishing Co, 1966). A traditional classic on French cooking. It was one of the books that helped to advance serious cooking in the US, and is still of occasional use when one wants to produce an elegant French-style meal.

The Oxford Companion to Food, by Alan Davidson (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999). This is an amazing book - a readable reference that most any cook would quickly find indispensable. Twenty years in preparation, its 892 pages reflect not only the erudition and literary skill of the food-historian author but also his exposure to many cuisines during his years as a diplomat. Not a single recipe in sight. Not even a color photo. It is in a class that it created. To offer a hint, here is a sequence of topics literally chosen at random: "crumpet, crustacean, crystallize, cubed, cucumber, cucurbits, cudbear, culatello, culinary ashes". To illustrate why it can also be fun to read, an example of the style (from the conclusion of the entry under "squid"): "All squid are remarkable in one respect. The processes of natural selection have operated on them in a manner which suggests that fitness for being stuffed by cooks in kitchens was a criterion for their survival." Enjoy.

Southeast Asian Cooking, by Barbara Hansen (Tucson, Fisher Books, 1992). No pictures, but some good and straightforward recipes.

Thai Cooking Class, by Somi Anuntra Miller and Patricia Lake (Kensington, NSW, Bay Books, n.d.). This also may be hard to find, but it makes sense and has helpful photos, so if you come across it, add it to your bookshelf.

The Wise Encylopaedia of Cookery (New York, Wm. H. Wise Co, 1954). An easy to use cookbook that is still not wholly outdated (and certainly progressive for its time) - mentioned in case you find it on a dusty shelf. (There are lots of dusty ones that should remain there.)

And, of course there are myriad books in which food features prominently. Among recent ones that are entertaining as well as informative: The Man Who Ate Everything, Kitchen Confidential, French Lessons, and The Botany of Desire.