About this title: This collection of Fisher's first five food-related books chronicle her life in Europe throughout the 1930s and 1940s, covering not only the delights of French cooking but the deprivations and substitutions of the war years. It includes AN ALPHABET FOR GOURMETS, THE GASTRONOMICAL ME, CONSIDER THE OYSTER, HOW TO COOK A WOLF, and SERVE IT FORTH. Fisher, beloved as not only a foodie but as a writer who can evoke a time and a place with a few well-chosen words, also includes recipes, which range from a simple (and incomparably delicious) gingerbread to the wonderfully named "Eggs in Hell" to ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Macmillan
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780330281423ISBN:0330281429
Description: Acceptable. Slight bend FC, little tape top and bottom spine, previous owner's signature, page tanning, but all text clean, very readable. - read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Collier Books
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780020322207ISBN:0020322208
Description: Good+ with no dust jacket; Ex-lib w/usual markings; edge & shelf wear; light rippling on bottom of front cover and first few pages; a few corner creases; otherwise, inside is clean, tight & bright. 0020322208. Ships immediately with free delivery confirmation.; Ex-Library; Large 8vo 9"-10" tall; 749 pages. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780020322207ISBN:0020322208
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Spine straight w/o creases, binding tight, no reader/remainder/library marks, covers/pgs flat w/sharp corners, very slight shelf wear. 749 numbered pgs., Audience: General/trade. Photos or other information available by e-mail. Daily orders/e-mail responses. E-mail confirmation of shipment. Books stored in smoke-free, climate controlled environment. Check our feedback. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Macmillan Co., New York
Date Published: 1971
Description: Good in good dust jacket. Ex-library. Bookplate Library card. xviii, 749 p. 24 cm. Contents: Serve it forth. --Consider the oyster. --How to cook a wolf. --The gastronomical me. --An alphabet for gourmets. @philabooks: booksellers read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Collier Books, New York
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780020322207ISBN:0020322208
Description: Very Good. Book Club. 8vo. Lightly rubbed at corners; spine smooth and binding tight. A clean, unmarked copy. xx, 749 pp. Index. Includes an Introduction by Clifton Fadiman and an Appreciation by James A. Beard. read more
Description: Near Fine; MacMillan; 1990; 4th Printing; Softcover. 0020322208. Collection of 5 books by the grande dame of gastronomy. 12th printing.; 8vo; 749 pp. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Wiley
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780764542619ISBN:0764542613
Description: Very Good. Unread publisher overstock copy! ! Pages are crisp and clean! Very light shelf wear to cover. Orders shipped next business day. Tracking number provided. read more
Description: Good. 2004-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Edition: Reprint Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Company, New York
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780020322207ISBN:0020322208
Description: Very Good. 8vo-8"-9" Tall. Reprint ediiton featuring introduction by Clifton Fadiman, an appreciation by James Beard and new preface by the author. This volume includes Serve it Forth, Consider the Oyster, How to Cook a Wolf, The Gasronomical Me, and An Alphabet of Gourmets. Clean, tight copy, spine smooth. Corners slightly rubbed, crease to back cover. 749pp., index. read more
"The first words that came to mind when I finished listening to this book were "food snob". She does qualify, in my opinion, but I enjoy her books tremendously. She makes things I know I would never want to put in my own mouth sound so tempting and delicious. Her character sketches are a hoot, her thoughts on the history of humankind's eating habits informative and thought-provoking, and her take on all things "food" unique and entertaining. Be you gourmet or gourmand, you'll "relish" Fisher's work."
"This book is comprised of essays largely un-connected to each other. This allows the book to spend a year on a table near where you often sit, so that every week or so you can pick it up and follow Ms. Fisher to France, or California, or out to sea. Ostensibly, she writes about food. But she does so in such a way that you learn what she's been learning--by sharing in her series of insights into herself, and relationships then humanity at large.
Also, this book will light a fire under your relationship with your kitchen. I didn't even know that my concern for a frying pan or my interest in peeling an orange had frozen. This book melted the ice away."
"This chunk of a book includes five of MFK Fisher's works: "Serve it Forth," "Consider the Oyster," "How to Cook a Wolf," "The Gastronomical Me" and "An Alphabet for Gourmets." Favorite pieces include "The First Oyster" (1924) which Fisher samples at Miss Huntingdon's School for Girls at the age of 16. I also enjoyed her descriptions of dining on ocean cruises and (one of her favorite subjects) of dining alone. At 744 pages, this may not have been the best choice for a summer read, but I did enjoy it."
"A thoroughly enjoyable collection of some of M.F.K. Fishers early works. I particularly liked "How to Cook a Wolf". Written in 1942, Fisher was writing for an audience facing wartime shortages and rationing. Sadly, quite a bit of the advice given is applicable today. But, ultimately her message is about making the best out of what you have (the best being defined by your own rules and no one else)and respecting the meals you create and enjoying them the same way you would in times of luxury. I found these books fascinating from a historical perspective. Fisher studied in France from 1929-1932, lived in Switzerland from 1936-1939, and in '39 traveled by train through Italy. While no direct mention of politics is made, it is clear that we are looking at a Europe in flux. What is not clear, is if Fisher herself saw it, or if it is something only obvious in hindsight. This collection isn't just for Foodies or 20th century history enthusiasts, it's for anyone who just likes good writing."
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