A rare gem, this handsome book is for all those who seek to master the art of French cooking but have never been clearly told how to do it. What Descartes did for philosophy, the author has done for sauces, the soul of French cooking. If you do not understand sauces, you cannot make French dishes. Here all the classic French sauces are presented in a logical and orderly manner so that, in the end, they become simple. Each sauce is followed by an excellent dish in which it is used. You begin with a 40-quart stock pot, the best idea in the book. Witty and wise, this will remain the classic book on sauces. We are lucky to have it.