A gastronomic inventory of America's oysters, meticulously distinguishing among the dozens of varieties that diners encounter ... Jacobsen manages to illustrate the unique appearance, occurrence, shapes, colors, scents, and flavors of oysters hailing from each separate reef bordering American shores. He realizes all this through his exceptional command of language and his ability to resonate with the human passions of the oystermen he meets on his journeys from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico to Puget Sound. A remarkable, essential addition to any food collection. -- starred review Booklist With oysters looking and tasting completely different in every cove and bay, Rowan Jacobsen guides us through the array of choices with authority, verve, and charm. The Essential Oyster is a rare pearl. -- Mark Kurlansky, author of COD and THE BIG OYSTER From dedicated oyster aficionado Rowan Jacobsen, a book for all the oyster lovers in the world! A wealth of fun and information. -- Sandy Ingber, Executive Chef, Grand Central Oyster Bar Rowan Jacobsen is one of the best writers reporting on, and thinking about, food today. Period. -- Michael Ruhlman, author of THE SOUL OF A CHEF and RATIO One of the most remarkable single-subject books to come along in a while ... Jacobsen covers oysters in exhaustive detail, but with writing so engaging and sprightly that reading about the briny darlings is almost as compulsive as eating them ... There may be no more pleasurable food than a raw oyster, there almost certainly is no better guide. Los Angeles Times on A GEOGRAPHY OF OYSTERS Written in an accessible style by a hard-core ostreaphile, A Geography of Oysters is a fun read, inviting you to join Jacobsen on his quest for an oyster-rich life. Yes, please! Washington Post on A GEOGRAPHY OF OYSTERS [H]ere are the Winesap, the Pound Sweet, the Maiden's Blush and Black Twig, rendered in a vivid prose rarely seen outside of the wine list ... For anyone who's willing to get swept up in the grand romance of food, this handsome volume will make for seductive reading. Morning Edition, NPR, on APPLES OF UNCOMMON CHARACTER The most gripping aspect of James Beard Award winner Rowan Jacobsen's Apples of Uncommon Character is the author's loving, quirky, and so-vivid-it's-like-you're-eating-one-right-now descriptions of 123 different apples. Bon Appetit on APPLES OF UNCOMMON CHARACTER [A] verbally and visually succulent book ... Jacobsen may leave noncoastal readers drooling with jealousy, but vicarious oyster slurping is better than none. Kirkus Reviews

Rowan Jacobsen's first book on oysters, A Geography of Oysters, won the James Beard Award in 2007 and helped trigger the oyster mania we now find ourselves in. He is the author of Apples of Uncommon Character, Fruitless Fall, The Living Shore, and American Terroir. He has written for the New York Times, Harper's, Outside, Mother Jones, and others. He maintains the world's two leading web sources on oysters: Oysterguide (for his opinions) and Oysterater (for everybody else's). He lives in Vermont.