“Eagle, a chef and food writer, uses a nine-dish lunch as the occasion to ruminate about cooking, and life” (New York Times Book Review). First, Catch is a cookbook without recipes, an invitation to journey through the digressive mind of a chef at work, and a hymn to a singular nine-dish festive spring lunch. In Eagle’s kitchen, open shelves reveal colorful jars of vegetables pickling over the course of months, and a soffritto of onions, celery, and carrots cook slowly under a watchful gaze in a skillet heavy enough to double as a murder weapon. Eagle has both the sharp eye of a food scientist as he tries to identify the seventeen unique steps of boiling water, as well as of that of a roving food historian as he ponders what the spice silphium tasted like to the Romans, who over-ate it to worldwide extinction. He is a tour guide to the world of ingredients, a culinary explorer, and thoughtful commentator on the ways immigration, technology, and fashion has changed the way we eat. He is also a food philosopher, asking the question: at what stage does cooking begin? Is it when we begin to apply heat or acid to ingredients? Is it when we gather and arrange what we will cook—and perhaps start to salivate? Or does it start even earlier, in the wandering late-morning thought, “What should I eat for lunch?” Irreverent and charming, yet also illuminating and brilliantly researched, First, Catch encourages us to slow down and focus on what it means to cook. With this astonishing and beautiful book, Thom Eagle joins the ranks of great food writers like M.F.K. Fisher, Alice Waters, and Samin Nosrat in offering us inspiration to savor, both in and out of the kitchen. Winner of the Fortnum and Mason’s Debut Food Book Award Shortlisted for the 2018 Andre Simon Food & Drink Book of the Year BBC Radio 4 Food Programme Best Foodbooks of 2018 Times Best Food Books of 2018 Financial Times Summer Food Books of 2018 “A contemplation of cooking and eating, a return to the great tradition of food writing inspired by M.F.K. Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me . . . Eagle writes with a wit and sharpness that can turn a chapter on fermenting pickles into a riff on death and decay while still making it seem like something you would like to put in your mouth.” —Mark Haskell Smith, Los Angeles Times “In two dozen short chapters linked like little sausages, he serves up a bounty of fresh, often tart opinions about food and cooking . . . Eagle is a natural teacher; his enthusiasm and broad view of food preparation is both instructive and inspiring . . . Eagle’s prose, while conversational in tone, is as crafted and layered as his cuisine. Never bland, it is also brightly seasoned with strong opinions . . . Rare among food writing, this book is bound to change the way you think about your next meal.” —Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor

"WHY CAN'T JENNY CATCH A FISH?Jenny wants to surprise her mom by teaching herself how to fish. Join Jenny on her adventure through a mangrove estuary where she meets several different wading birds including a Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Wood Stork, and Great Blue Heron. Each new friend tries to teach Jenny their fishing method, but Jenny's big spoonbill just won't work like the other birds' bills! Young readers will learn all about Florida's wading birds alongside Jenny, as she discovers important lessons about perseverance and being true to herself."

Experience the magic of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch Brand for a younger audience in this sweet Christmas board book for kids! It's Christmas Eve, one of the most magical nights of the year, and one child has a wish: to catch Santa as he delivers gifts so he can hug him tight! Brimming with sweet rhymes and adorable art, this new holiday story will delight readers as they follow the child and his cat and puppy friends in building playful lures and simple traps for the winter legend himself! Filled with sweets, presents, toys, and lots of Christmas spirit, this holiday treat makes a perfect addition to any Christmas stocking stuffer, gift book for babies and toddlers, or a festive and heartwarming holiday read aloud for ages 0-3! It's Christmas Eve and it's my one and only night To catch Santa in my house and hug him really tight. Looking for more read aloud fun? Also in the How to Catch series: My First How to Catch a Witch How to Catch a Gingerbread Man How to Catch an Elf My First How to Catch the Easter Bunny How to Catch a Snowman And more!

Gingerbread is a loved sweet treat. Enthusiastic bakers and families baking together since lockdown will enjoy the history and recipes.

Experience the magic of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch brand in this sweet Halloween board book for little ones! Can you catch a witch? It's the spookiest night of the year and one child has a wish: to trap a witch on her broomstick so she can touch a twinkle star in the sky! Brimming with charming rhymes and delightful art, this Halloween book for kids will enchant little readers as they follow the child, her black cat, and puppy friend in building playful lures for the witch on the broom! Filled with cute jack-o'-lantern pumpkins, trick-or-treat costumes, candy, and more, this spellbinding story makes a perfect addition to any Halloween trick-or-treat basket, holiday gift for babies and toddlers, or a festive fall read aloud for ages 0-3! To ride on a magic broom on Halloween night You'll have to catch a witch so you can take flight! Looking for more read aloud fun? Also in the How to Catch series: My First How to Catch Santa Claus My First How to Catch the Easter Bunny How to Catch a Monster How to Catch a Gingerbread Man How to Catch a Unicorn ... And more!

Berlin 1939. A few months after Kristallnacht, eighteen-year old Irene Spicker tries to flee to Belgium but ends up in a Nazi prison. Freed after a few weeks, she tries again—this time, in the dark of night, she successfully crosses the frontier. The Germans invaded Belgium, and Irene was forced into hiding. Constantly on the move, she worked as a farmhand, at one point using false identity papers. Arrested by the Gestapo, she sat in a cellar prison cell destined for transport to Auschwitz. To calm her fears, she made a small detailed drawing of her hand which was to save her life. Incarcerated in the concentration camp in Mechlen, she was assigned to paint signs, posters and numbers for her co-prisoners to wear around their necks. This is Irene Awret’s story of her first twenty-five years, from coming of age in a middle-class Jewish family to Mechlen where she met the young sculptor Azriel Awret, to liberation and freedom once more. Copublished with Dryad Press.

Analyzing more than 150 years of recipes and cookbooks, this study chronicles the culinary history of New Zealand, looking at curious dishes such as boiled calf's head and stewed liver with macaroni, to the more traditional favorites such as homemade jams and chutneys. It explores what makes New Zealand cooking distinctive, and examines how the culture has changed, from the prevalence of whitebait and mussels in the 1920s, to the arrival of Asian influences in the 1950s, and finally to the modern emphasis on fresh ingredients and fusion cooking.