There is a moment every morning when the countryside takes a pause. The birds stop singing, the dogs choke back their barks, and cats pause mid-stride. Everything waits. It's in this vacuum that a man working alone has the best chance of finding truffles... The plot of land was perfect, just what they'd been looking for, offering expansive views across the valley and within walking distance of the local village. There was only one small problem, there was no house. And yet the land was affordable and came, the agent promised, with a possible income from a copse of truffle oaks. Just after the birth of their first daughter, after leaving the London rat race behind, here was a chance for Jamie and his wife to finally realize their dream of owning a property. With one final salivating glance at the oak trees the decision was made. All they needed now was a dog. And their quest to find and train a truffle dog turns out to be as full of hidden discoveries as a truffle hunt itself. With delicious humor and superb storytelling, Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog is sure to delight anyone who loves dogs, food, and rural France.

To a dog, there is no such thing as "fresh air." In Being a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz, a leading researcher in dog cognition, unpacks the mystery of a dog's nose-view, in order to more fully understand our irrepressibly charming canine companions. She follows the dog's nose-exploring not only its abilities but the incredible ways it is being put to use.--Adapted from dust jacket.

The second most expensive food in the world after saffron, truffles are treasured, coveted, and savored for their mysterious and exotic flavor. This complete field guide shows chefs and fungi aficionados how to forage for and identify the wide variety of truffles that grow in temperate forests throughout North America. Written by expert horticulturalists who have studied, classified, and enjoyed truffles for decades, the FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN TRUFFLES makes these celebrated underground jewels accessible to all. • The first full-color illustrated guide to identifying North American truffles by their key features, including profiles of more than 80 species of truffles. • Includes more than 80 photographs of rare and hard-to-find truffle species. • Features flavor profiles, delectability index, and culinary tips for each species. • Perfect size for carrying in a pocket or daypack. Reviews"It's the first book of its kind, complete with photographs, cross-sectional views of indigenous truffle varieties, guides to seasonal availability, and foraging tips for hundreds of kinds of truffles (both the edible and inedible kinds), as well as tasting notes and cooking tips." —Saveur

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A captivating exploration into the secretive and sensuous world of truffles, the elusive food that has captured hearts, imaginations, and palates worldwide. The scent of one freshly unearthed white truffle in Barolo was all it took to lead Rowan Jacobsen down a rabbit hole into a world of secretive hunts, misty woods, black-market deals, obsessive chefs, quixotic scientists, muddy dogs, maddening smells, and some of the most memorable meals ever created. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground. They plant forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay $6,000 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in their presence. Why? Truffle Hound is the fascinating account of Rowan's quest to find out, a journey that would lead him from Italy to Istria, Hungary, Spain, England, and North America. Both an entertaining odyssey and a manifesto, Truffle Hound demystifies truffles-and then remystifies them, freeing them from their gilded cage and returning them to their roots as a sacred offering from the forest. It helps people understand why they respond so strongly to that crazy smell, shows them there's more to truffles than they ever imagined, and gives them all the tools they need to take their own truffle love to the next level. Deeply informed, unabashedly passionate, rakishly readable, Truffle Hound will spark America's next great culinary passion.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January's frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing through the middle of town, and delights in the glorious regional cuisine. A Year in Provence transports us into all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life and lets us live vicariously at a tempo governed by seasons, not by days.

From fictional dogs to war-time dogs, faithful dogs to working dogs, life-saving dogs to dogs in space and science, the stories in this book tell the adventures of courageous, trustworthy and dutiful dogs, reminding us of the true worth of having a canine as a companion.

Guaranteed to spark America's next great culinary passion, a James Beard Award-winning author explores the secretive and seductive world of truffles, the elusive food that has captured hearts, imaginations and palates worldwide.