This is a coffee table-sized hefty hardcover book, published in 1952, that explores the full breadth of France with a gastronomical focus. Samuel Chamberlain and his family stayed in inns and ate in restaurants and cafes everywhere, and collected recipes from chefs as they went. The result is pretty extraordinary for then, and now. Food has a lot to do with history and culture, so those are worked in as well--plus, quite a bit about how France is recovering (or not recovering) from World War II. At the time of publication, the scars in Normandy were especially visible. There are black and white photographs and illustrations through (done by the author). The back of the book includes even more recipes, organized by province, that were published by Gourmet Magazine.

As a modern day read... it's something of a slog. The tone is fairly formal, and the book is huge. This is a book best to read in small morsels. Even so, I liked it overall. If I were time-traveling to 1950 France I would totally take this book and have a foodie road trip. ( )