Books about Provence

A Year in Provence/Toujours Provence
Peter Mayle



Who hasn't dreamed, on a mundane Monday or frowzy Friday, of chucking it all in and packing off to the south of France? Provençal cookbooks and guidebooks entice with provocatively fresh salads and azure skies, but is it really all Côtes-du-Rhône and fleur-de-lis? Author Peter Mayle answers that question with wit, warmth, and wicked candor in A Year in Provence, the chronicle of his own foray into Provençal domesticity.
Beginning, appropriately enough, on New Year's Day with a divine luncheon in a quaint restaurant, Mayle sets the scene and pits his British sensibilities against it. "We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers," he writes, "looked with an addict's longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreamed of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window." He describes in loving detail the charming, 200-year-old farmhouse at the base of the Luberon Mountains, its thick stone walls and well-tended vines, its wine cave and wells, its shade trees and swimming pool--its lack of central heating. Indeed, not 10 pages into the book, reality comes crashing into conflict with the idyll when the Mistral, that frigid wind that ravages the Rhône valley in winter, cracks the pipes, rips tiles from the roof, and tears a window from its hinges. And that's just January.

In prose that skips along lightly, Mayle records the highlights of each month, from the aberration of snow in February and the algae-filled swimming pool of March through the tourist invasions and unpredictable renovations of the summer months to a quiet Christmas alone. Throughout the book, he paints colorful portraits of his neighbors, the Provençaux grocers and butchers and farmers who amuse, confuse, and befuddle him at every turn. A Year in Provence is part memoir, part homeowner's manual, part travelogue, and all charming fun.
--L.A. Smith

 A Year in Provence/Toujours Provence


Flavors of Provence
de Isabelle De Borchgrave, Andre Charial



Book Description
Oscar Wilde said that when good Americans die they go to Paris, but today they would more likely go to Provence. The Flavors of Provence envelops you in the charm of this magical land, combining gorgeous paintings that capture the sights with recipes from the most respected Provençal chefs that evoke the tastes and smells of the region. Provence continues to captivate the imaginations of millions in the wake of Peter Mayle's bestsellers. And its Mediterranean cuisine, the health benefits of which have received so much attention in recent press, has only added to the phenomenon.

Here you'll discover a field of lavender, a café table under plane trees, an orchard of olive trees, a rocky promontory by the sea-all rendered by Isabelle de Borchgrave in the vibrant colors that made Van Gogh's works so beloved. The dishes, which capitalize on simple combinations that are easy to achieve at home, include regional specialties like Red Mullet with Basil, Duck with Olives, and Warm Apricot Soufflé, as well as innovative takes on classics such as Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Curry, Truffled Raviolis with Leeks, and Goat Cheese and Blackberry Terrine. Interspersed throughout are brief essays on the essential elements of Provençal culture. Exceptionally packaged, The Flavors of Provence conveys both the visual beauty and the culinary poetry of this land as no other book has.

Flavors of Provence


Lavender: Fragrance of Provence
Hans Silvester (Photographies)



Book Description
The scent of lavender fills the air in the French region of Provence. Hans Silvester, who has lived in Provence for almost 40 years, has photographed lavender in all four seasons, capturing the changing colors, shapes, and formal beauty of the plant. This vibrant new edition of the 1996 original features an updated design and a smaller format. The stunning photographs, 40 of which are new to this edition, are complemented by a revised text and the addition of informative captions.

As Silvester's photographs show, the fields of lavender encapsulate the sometimes contradictory nature of Provence: the rich, potent purple of summer contrasting with the subdued amber of autumn; the hard, gray earth of winter giving way to the tender green of spring. His images also reveal the area's varied terrain, from broad plains to hills and mountains, where scattered farms form a lavender patchwork on the rocky slopes. The text, by fragrance expert Christiane Meunier, recounts the history of lavender, which, as this sumptuous volume demonstrates, remains an essential element of the character and beauty of Provence. AUTHOR BIO: Hans Silvester, an acclaimed photographer and member of the Rapho agency, lives in Provence. He has published close to 20 photography books, including Abrams' Horses of the Camargue, Desert Eves: An Indian Paradise, and H2O: The Beauty & Mystery of Water. Christiane Meunier is a professional in the fragrance industry. She has published several books and articles on the history and economy of lavender.

Ingram
The scent of lavender fills the air in the French region of Provence. Hans Silvester, who has loved and lived in Porvence for 30 years, here presents photographs of lavender in all four seasons, capturing the changing colors, shapes, and formal beauty of the fields. The text by Christiane Meunier, a professional in the fragrance industry, recounts the history of lavender. Ce texte se rapporte à une édition épuisée ou indisponible de ce titre.

About the author
Hans Silvester, an acclaimed photographer and member of the Rapho agency, lives in Provence. He has published close to 20 photography books, including Abrams' Horses of the Camargue, Desert Eves: An Indian Paradise, and H2O: The Beauty & Mystery of Water. Christiane Meunier is a professional in the fragrance industry. She has published several books and articles on the history and economy of lavender.

Lavender: Fragrance of Provence

Patricia Wells' Provence 2005 Calendar
Patricia Wells, Steven Rothfeld


Book Description
Join award-winning cookbook author Patricia Wells on a tour of the good life and the gustatory pleasures of Provence, complete with recipes.

About the author
Patricia Wells is the author of Bistro Cooking and Simply French. She divides her time between Paris and Provence. Steven Rothfeld is a photographer whose work has appeared in Travel & Leisure, Bon Appetit, and Gourmet. He lives in Napa Valley, California.



Patricia Wells' Provence 2005 Calendar