Fisher Mary Frances Kennedy - M.F.K. Fisher : musings on wine and other libations

For
Whitney Schubert

STERLING EPICURE is a trademark of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
The distinctive Sterling logo is a registered trademark of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
2012 by Robert Lescher, as trustee of the Literary Trust u/w/o M.F.K Fisher

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4027-7813-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4027-9441-4 (ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

M.F.K. Fisher : musings on wine and other libations / edited by Anne Zimmerman.
p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4027-7813-1 (hardback)

1. Fisher, M.F.K. (Mary Frances Kennedy), 1908-1992. 2. Food writers

United StatesBiography. 3. Wine and wine makingFrance. 4. Dijon

(France)Social life and customs. I. Zimmerman, Anne, 1977
TX649.F5M44 2012
641.092dc23

[B]

2011037279

Two photos on endsheets, M.F.K. Fisher in later life sitting in her study and
standing near her kitchen table: Paul Harris/PacificCoastNews.com

Four photos on endsheets, a youthful M.F.K. Fisher cooking and entertaining
at home (in white-collared dress): 1978 John Engstead/mptvimages.com

Remaining photos on endsheets, inside cover, and on
frontispiece courtesy of Kennedy Friede Golden

For information about custom editions, special sales, and
premium and corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales
at 800-805-5489 or specialsales@sterlingpublishing.com.

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Praise for
M.F.K. Fisher: Musings on Wine and Other Libations

Before wine writing became insufferable, it was exuberant. M.F.K. Fisher didnt concern herself with noses or mid-palates; rather, she was a proper storyteller, whose musings are marked by sharp observation and a sharper wit. In curating some of Fishers finest essays on wine, biographer and editor Anne Zimmerman has created a fascinating chronicle of wines ever-changing role throughout the 20th century. Readers first will be charmed, then convinced that Fisher deserves to be recognized as one of the worlds finest wine writers.

Katherine Cole, wine columnist for The Oregonian
and MIX magazine and author of Voodoo Vintners

This book is a treasure for anyone who loves wine, and yet it is more than that. In the writing of M.F.K. Fisher, we discover the pleasures of life in vivid description. Thanks to Anne Zimmerman, we now have a seamless collection of some of the finest writing on wine and food ever published. I simply loved each fast-paced piece of writing, and Zimmerman's research adds color to an already radiant oeuvre.

Evan Dawson, author of Summer in a Glass
and managing editor, New York Cork Report

Between endless discussions on everything from soil types to barrel preferences, we are very good at making wine a complicated subject. M.F.K. Fisher didnt take an interest in those debates, and so she instead wrote about wineand other concoctionsin a way that intersected culture, history, and personal experiences. After reading this collection of essays curated by Anne Zimmerman, Im reminded that wine is, most of all, a beverage that marks a place in time.

Kate Leahy, author of A16 Food + Wine, shares her recipes
and insights on her blog Modernmealmaker.com

I can no more think

of my own life without

thinking of wine and wines

and where they grew for me

and why I drank them when

I did and why I picked the grapes

and where I opened the oldest

procurable bottles, and all that,

than I can remember living

before I breathed.

M.F.K. Fisher

White Wine Trips/ Last House/ The Journals of M.F.K. Fisher; Pantheon Books, New York, 1999: pp. 745748.

Long Ago in France/ Excerpt from Long Ago in France; A Touchstone BookPublished by Simon and Schuster, New York, 1991: pp. 2934.

The Standing and the Waiting The Art of Eating; The Art of Eating Published by Wiley, 1990: pp. 6474. First published in Serve it Forth.

I Was Really Very Hungry/ As They Were; Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York. 1983. pp. 3748. First published in The Atlantic Monthly, June 1937: pp. 73742.

How to Drink to the Wolf/ The Art of Eating; The Art of Eating Published by Wiley, 1990: pp. 329334. First published in How to Cook a Wolf.

My Country, Tis of Thee/ The Art of Eating; The Art of Eating Published by Wiley, 1990: pp. 178180. First published in Consider the Oyster.

Once a Tramp, Always / New Yorker. First published in The New Yorker, 7 September, 1968: pp. 90+. Also published in With Bold Knife and Fork.

Apritifs: The Civilizing Influence/ Harpers Baazar & A Stew and A Story. First published in Harpers Baazar, March, 1958: pp. 169+.

To the Gibson and Beyond/ The Atlantic Monthly. First published in the Atlantic Monthly, January 1949: pp. 9394.

MartiniZheen, Anyone?/ Gourmet. First published in Gourmet, January 1957: pp. 1415+.

Mothers Cocktail Hour Plot/ The Cooking of Provincial France. The Cooking of Provincial France. TimeLife Books, New York, 1968: pp. 5152.

To Pique His Jaded Appetite/ House Beautiful. First published in House Beautiful, August 1944: pp. 5859+.

Hearts and Flowers/ House Beautiful. First published in House Beautiful, February 1945: pp. 6465+.

All the Food and Wines Were There/ Holiday Magazine & A Stew and a Story. First published in Holiday Magazine. November, 1957: pp. 2733.

Introduction to The Story of Wine in California/ The Story of Wine in California. The Story of Wine in California, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1962: pp. 35.

The Terrine: Key to the Cuisine/ From The Cooking of Provincial France. The Cooking of Provincial France. Time-Life Books, New York, 1968: pp. 6263.

Provinces and Palates/ From The Cooking of Provincial France. The Cooking of Provincial France. Time-Life Books, New York, 1968: pp. 1730.

Pleasure on Tap/ Westways. First published in Westways Magazine, September 1978: pp. 5154.

Napa and Sonoma: The Best of Both Worlds/ Food and Wine Magazine &A Stew and a Story. First published in Food & Wine Magazine, August 1979: pp. 32+.

A Vintage Spat/ House & Garden. First published in House & GardenMagazine, December 1984: pp. 38+.

Vines and Men/ The Story of Wine in California. The Story of Wine inCalifornia, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1962: pp. 2144.

A Bunch of Wine Buffs Were Rapping it Up, When/ Golden Gate North Magazine & A Stew and a Story. First published in