I'm ecstatic - my gift arrived yesterday and I absolutely love it!

I'm a huge food and reference nerd - I love to eat, I love reading cookbooks, I love non-fiction (Yes, I have read "6000 Years of Bread" and "The History of the Color Red" ...)But, a guy can purchase only so many books for himself, and the rest just wind up on an Amazon Wish List that no one ever looks at except for me, when I am dreaming about the day I can drop a few thousand ...

This book has been on the top of my wishlist for ever-so-long, but I just would never buy it for myself - it just seemed too indulgent, too decadent. And, now that I am living in Denmark it is just much more expensive to get the books I want - they must be ordered from a UK bookshop, so there is the added cost of postage, etc.

Why not get a Kindle, or another e-reader? Because those are not books, people! You cannot smell them, you cannot feel them, you cannot appreciate their heft. You cannot admire the typeface in the same manner that you can a real, honest-to-goodness printed and bound volume. It has to be a book, and it has to be fascinating.

And this book is! The description on Amazon reads, "A riveting narrative history of food as seen through 100 recipes, from ancient Egyptian bread to modernist cuisine.

We all love to eat, and most people have a favorite ingredient or dish. But how many of us know where our much-loved recipes come from, who invented them, and how they were originally cooked? In A HISTORY OF FOOD IN 100 RECIPES, culinary expert and BBC television personality William Sitwell explores the fascinating history of cuisine from the first cookbook to the first cupcake, from the invention of the sandwich to the rise of food television. A book you can read straight through and also use in the kitchen, A HISTORY OF FOOD IN 100 RECIPES is a perfect gift for any food lover who has ever wondered about the origins of the methods and recipes we now take for granted."

THIS IS PERFECT FOR ME!

I swear to the Invisible Pink Unicorn, I went around last night impersonating Molly Shannon, saying "Superstah!" And I am still smiling about it this morning.

Mysterious Secret Santa, whoever you are and wherever you live, thank you so INCREDIBLY much! I never, ever receive xmas or birthday gifts - this book just made my holiday! I will pace myself, devouring it like a delicious box of truffles ...