A very comprehensive guide and cookbook for beans. Every recipe starts with a brief description of the dish or often of the author's experience with those particular ingredients, solidifying her expertise and bringing a wonderful personal spin to what otherwise could have been a dry topic. The book is peppered with interesting facts, historical tidbits, and alternative methods. My only two criticisms are that some of the tidbits are overlaid with graphics, making them difficult to read, and the lack of photos of the recipes. ( )