OP: A Taste of Tuscany and A Taste of Provence (2 volumes)
Little Brown and Company, Boston, 1985, 1987. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. First US printing.
Canadian graphic designer Leslie Forbes (1953–2016), once the illustrator for Vogue magazine, turned her attention in the late 1980s to the dreamiest destinations of Italy and France, Tuscany and Provence.
A Taste of Tuscany (1985) and A Taste of Provence (1987) both emphasize a rustic sensibility where everything is seasonal and made from scratch and nothing is wasted. Forbes’ vibrant pencil illustrations only enhance the sense of luxurious simplicity in dishes like:
- Strisce con ceci—ribbon noodle soup with chickpeas and aromatics
- Cinghiale alle mele—red wine-marinated wild boar braised with apples
- Caneton au miel de lavande et au citron—roasted duckling with a lavender honey and lemon glaze
- Thon à la Provençale—grilled or poached tuna with an herbed anchovy and caper sauce
Each book, in its headnotes and interluding essays, establishes an inviting sense of place, encouraging travel, either real or through the flavors or images alone.
We offer here first printings of each gorgeously designed volume. The first printings are particularly special because they used Forbes’ own handwriting. The publisher, Little Brown, created a typeface based on Forbes’ hand for subsequent printings; it was not the same. Both copies are Near Fine with Very Good, lightly shelfworn jackets.
