WORTHWHILE READS

Here are two books that offer a fascinating exploration into the beauty and variety of apples:

Apples, Roger Yepsen, W.W., Norton

Apples is a lovely little book that explores the history, taste, texture, and aroma of 181 apple varieties. Each apple is beautifully illustrated in such a manner that it is hard to believe they are not photographs. In addition to the wonderful descriptions of each apple, there are chapters on apple legends, how to buy a good apple, recipes, and what to look for in terms of variety for cooking, eating, and storage. This book reminds us that there are thousands of varieties of apples and what we see in the supermarket is but a small fraction of the possibilities.

The Apples Of Maine, George Albert Stilphen, Stilphen's Crooked River Farm

Black Permain. Blaine. Eustis. Grimes Golden. Blake. Bachelder Sweet. These are but a few of the hundreds of apples grown in Maine over the centuries. How many of these hundreds still exist is the sleuthing effort of The Apples of Maine. This book is a one-of-a-kind identification guide and a rich exploration of the history of Maine through the humble and yet stately apple tree.