Culinary historian, cookbook author, and biographer Joan Reardon has uncovered not only every creative recipe for preparing oysters, but every elusive fact and helpful hint; the oyster's history as a comestible; as well as quotations from oyster lovers who celebrate these sweet morsels of the sea, from Shakespeare to Julia Child. With its color identification section, displaying photos of North America's most distinctive oysters, and its glossary, defining dozens of varieties, this book enables anyone to order with authority in any restaurant or oyster bar. The recipes are old and new, featuring traditional Amer. cuisine, as well as side trips to the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. "Literary, informative, and written with an enthusiasm bordering on the poetic.".