* requiem for disappearing boulangeries in france; nice recipe for pain au levain naturel (uses an apple to get things started)

*** nicely written, clear recipes; no sourdough

***** unique; how to grow wheat, reap, thresh, winnow, grind, build an oven and bake, all in under 100 pages!

*** some interesting and obscure recipes; includes sourdough section

*** poîlane-style miche recipe is interesting; nice photos; good selection of recipes (not overwhelming in number); contains a section on sourdough

*** interesting kneading technique; his sourdough loaves look flat; decent free dvd included

***** my favorite; great place to start with sourdough breads

***** i love this guy's bread books; great recipes; "families" of sourdough rye and pain au levain recipes

** well-written recipes; no sourdough

***** great classic recipes organized by region; author's b+w photos

** some interesting starters; not as good as his "breads of france"

*** italian regional breads and where to buy them in italy; no recipes

** recipes for jewish rye and bialys

** good sourdough section

** 100 pages concern bread; good explanation of gluten and chart of protein content of flours; recipe for wet sourdough starter

***** impressive section on sourdough; nice design; good bibliography; useful to advanced breadmakers

** nice design; nice photos; appealing recipes; no sourdough

* some nice photos of dough

** interesting stuff about old bread ovens

small section on bread; ugly design; uninspired sourdough starter formulas that use yeast

***** beautiful photos of ancient, rustic, regional breads such as "l'artichaut" and of the people that make them

the history of bread

tiny (3" x 4"); no photos

***** in english/french; expensive; beautiful; good sourdough starter recipe

** recipe for "levain liquide" and other sourdough starters; wild decorative pieces including one topped by a stuffed marmot

* industrial; lots of stuff about machines (huge mixers, rotating ovens, etc)

** very technical; by france's #1 bread expert; interesting chart on p. 32 shows how long various breads take at each stage (pousse, pointage, etc)

includes instructions on how to build a bread oven out of a metal drum

** nice glossary; simple sourdough starter recipes; photos and design look like 1960

* how to construct panyol ovens; nice photos of a primitive "cloche"

***** good illustrations of door hardware; includes instructions on how to make a bread oven out of stones

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***** the best book on bread ovens

*** good for french terminology; lots of information on sourdough

*** stuffy french prose; nice poppy baguette recipe

* for beginners