Apples [Hardcover]

Roger Yepsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1994

In this small and elegant book, artist/writer Roger Yepsen presents fascinating facts about more than 200 varieties of apples growing in the United States.

With beautiful and distinctive watercolors, he makes identification a snap. He also reveals how each variety tastes and which varieties are best for eating and cooking.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Picture-perfect apples with lackluster flavor dominate the American and European markets because they have the longest shelf life and broadest appeal. At the same time, there is a renaissance of interest in preserving precious, personality-packed heirloom apples. To lure people into joining this small but growing movement, Roger Yepsin has created this visually enchanting book devoted to the infinitely varied apple. In it, he talks about how apples are grown, stored, and used to make cider and harder alcoholic beverages, as well as for cooking and eating.

You can virtually taste the complex flavors of over 80 kinds of apples, thanks to Yepsin's exquisite prose and the vividly detailed watercolors he painted for Apples. Looking through the section describing each apple variety takes you on an international journey. You will meet the Japanese-bred Akane, introduced in 1970, the golden, russet-skinned Zabergau Reinette that came from Germany in the 1880s, and the French Calville Blanc which has been cultivated since the 1500s and which Thomas Jefferson grew. This informative romancing of the apple may draw you to a local farm stand, or inspire you to contact one of the mail order sources Yepsin provides for buying apples, actual trees, cider presses, and winemaking supplies. At the very least, you will want to experience for yourself apples beyond the usual tart Green Granny Smith and reliably dull Red Delicious. --Dana Jacobi

Review

An elegant and compact new book. . . . Each [variety] is artfully illustrated and lovingly described, leaving the reader yearning for so much more than the common supermarket varieties. . . . [A] delightful book. (Chicago Tribune )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (September 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393036901
• ISBN-13: 978-0393036909
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I work as a freelancer writer, editor, and illustrator out of an old stone farmhouse in Berks County, Pennsylvania. I love to write, like very much to edit, and have a difficult relationship with watercolor. For a look at my projects, please check out www.rogeryepsen.com, from which autographed copies are available.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable, informative & fascinating, August 31, 1999

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Apples (Hardcover)

This is an adorable, informative & fascinating book all about apples. The author does a great job of explaining how apple species have diminished, how retailers offer old and waxed apples and how to buy good apples

The best apple varieties for drying, sauce, pie, and cider are listed and the processes of making ciders, applejack & apple brandy are explained. There are even recipes for making apple leathers & apple butter.

A detailed description is included for over 90 varieties of apples. Information includes the apple's origin, flavor, uses, harvesting time, & how well it stores. An elegant watercolor painting is included alongside each description.

A small dictionary & sources for mail order tress are also included. This book makes a nice housewarming or wedding gift. It is a must for any cook serious about apples.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Red delicious book: looks great tastes bland, April 3, 2002

By 

Scott Smith (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apples (Paperback)

This book is a nice resource for antique apple descriptions, but it doesn't describe particularly many varieties, and the author's lack of expertise in the area shows.

The author is an artist and writer. I have a few other apple-related books I have been reading that were written by professional apple people, and this book is a red delicious compared to the complex, nuanced information found in the other books. The particular thing I find bothersome is the lack of depth of the flavor descriptions. The author is not an expert in apple tasting and its shows. Another way it shows is the varieties selected: too many of them are mcintosh/golden-red-delicious/jonathan hybrids. Also given the huge history behind apples, how can one write a book called "Apples" with no history in it?

The book itself is unusually beautiful and the authors' pictures of the apples are also quite beautiful. So it would be a wonderful light little gift book.

If you want a "real" apple book get "The Book of Apples" by Morgan and Richards, which has a huge amount of history and thousands of variety descriptions.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have book for the apple lover, May 20, 2000

By 

Elizabeth A. Keep (Ellsworth, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apples (Hardcover)

This little jewel of a book is the best reference to the unusual "antique" apple varieties that are enjoying a new popularity. Stunning watercolors, history of varieties, and useful descriptions fill the book. Before we buy a tree, we consult "the book" to learn more about each cultivar.

We wish that the author would do an Apples 2 - The Missed Varieties book!