The first full and authoritative biography of the father of gastronomy. MacDonogh not only chronicles Brillat's many pursuits, he also presents a fascinating picture of provincial France under the ancien regime and the dangerous years that followed its fall. The world of revolutionaries and gourmets explored with elegance and scholarship.-Observer.

"An engaging and well-researched biography...Brillat-Savarin emerges as an enormously likeable man." - Independent

"MacDonogh explores with elegance and scholarship the world of revolutionaries and gourmets." - Observer

"Highly readable...a convincing portrait of this marvelous hedonist." - Country Life

"An excellent, absorbing, and very amusing book." - Literary Review