Winner of the Garden Media Guild Awards Reference Book of the Year 2016 the Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the year 2016 & the BBC Food & Farming Awards 2016 for Outstanding Achievement Accompanied by a beautiful & comprehensive website of the same name this wonderfully unique book is an indispensable & one-of-a-kind guide It tells the story of the pear from its delightful taste & wonderful appearance to breeding & cultivation following the fruit's journey through history & around the world Beautifully illustrated with 40 botanical watercolour paintings by Elisabeth Dowle The Book of Pears is the most up-to-date & comprehensive guide to the pear Moving through continents & cultures Joan Morgan celebrates the pear's long history as both a fresh & cooking fruit Revealing the secrets of the pear as a status symbol some of the most celebrated fruit growers in history & how the pear came to be so important as an international commodity The pear directory which makes up the second half of the book covers the world's ancient & modern varieties each with full tasting notes & historical geographical & horticultural detail A fully illustrated version of this directory is shown on the author's website wwwthebookofpearsfruitforumnet