This lavishly illustrated book takes readers on a journey through the history and production of the world's most seductive confection: chocolate. Through the eyes of food critics, chefs, journalists, and historians, this book explores the rich history of chocolate, along with a modern-day investigation of its many flavors and forms. Learn how the cocoa bean, first enjoyed by the Aztecs, has traveled around the globe to produce innumerable variations of chocolate. In the sixteenth century, chocolate was consumed as a highly-spiced drink attributed with curative, even aphrodisiacal, powers. Entrepreneurs like the Cadbury brothers in Bournville, England, Dr. James Baker in Massachusetts, and Milton S. Hershey in Pennsylvania made it possible for modern chocoholics to indulge daily in this once unattainable luxury. This bestseller, first published in 1996, is brought up to date with a guide to the finest purveyors of chocolate worldwide. Illustrated with vintage advertising posters and chocolate packages, fine paintings, and lavish, specially-commissioned photographs, The Book of Chocolate is completed with ten sinfully good recipes.

Curl up with the perfect cosy, comforting Christmas romance.When Beth Brown loses her job and her boyfriend in the space of twenty-four hours, she thinks life can't get any worse. That's until she finds herself in the depths of the English countryside working for chef, Rocco di Castri. Not only does she have to deal with his legendary moods, but she's also expected to get his chaotic schedule and workload in check, all while she's nursing a broken heart. It's not long before Rocco's idyllic home starts to work its magic and soon she sees a softer side to her boss too. And as the festive season approaches, Beth dares to look forward to everything the perfect country Christmas has to offer - and perhaps some romance of her own. Until news of an unexpected proposal threatens to put pay to all Beth's plans. Will Beth get her happily-ever-after? Maybe, this Christmas... A festive gem from Jill Steeples, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain and Julie Houston. Please note this title was previously published as Christmas at Whitefriars. What readers say about Jill Steeples: 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the very first page to the very last. A really great winter read, warm and cosy throughout. A very easy to rate 5 stars.' 'A brilliant story with all the right ingredients. Love laughter tears and smiles.' 'A feel-good story full of laughs, romance and caring with a few surprises along the way. This book is just what you need when the sun is shining on a chilly spring day.' 'Jill Steeples writing has a nice fast pace and a great easy flow. I love the feelgood factor of her stories. They always manage to put a big smile on my face.'

Curl up with the perfect cosy, comforting Christmas romance.When Beth Brown loses her job and her boyfriend in the space of twenty-four hours, she thinks life can't get any worse. That's until she finds herself in the depths of the English countryside working for chef, Rocco di Castri. Not only does she have to deal with his legendary moods, but she's also expected to get his chaotic schedule and workload in check, all while she's nursing a broken heart. It's not long before Rocco's idyllic home starts to work its magic and soon she sees a softer side to her boss too. And as the festive season approaches, Beth dares to look forward to everything the perfect country Christmas has to offer - and perhaps some romance of her own. Until news of an unexpected proposal threatens to put pay to all Beth's plans. Will Beth get her happily-ever-after? Maybe, this Christmas... A festive gem from Jill Steeples, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain and Julie Houston. Please note this title was previously published as Christmas at Whitefriars. What readers say about Jill Steeples: 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the very first page to the very last. A really great winter read, warm and cosy throughout. A very easy to rate 5 stars.' 'A brilliant story with all the right ingredients. Love laughter tears and smiles.' 'A feel-good story full of laughs, romance and caring with a few surprises along the way. This book is just what you need when the sun is shining on a chilly spring day.' 'Jill Steeples writing has a nice fast pace and a great easy flow. I love the feelgood factor of her stories. They always manage to put a big smile on my face.'

Chocolate - 'the food of the Gods' - has had a long and eventful history. Its story is expertly told here by the doyen of Maya studies, Michael Coe, and his late wife, Sophie. The book begins 3,000 years ago in the Mexican jungles and goes on to draw on aspects of archaeology, botany and socio-economics. Used as currency and traded by the Aztecs, chocolate arrived in Europe via the conquistadors, and was soon a favourite drink with aristocrats. By the 19th century and industrialization, chocolate became a food for the masses - until its revival in our own time as a luxury item. The third edition of this classic book includes some tantalizing new data on the first cultivation of the cacao tree in the northwest Amazon, and the discovery of the chocolate process in southern Mesoamerica, long before the rise of the Olmecs. Chocolate has also been giving up some of its secrets to modern neuroscientists, who have been investigating how flavour perception is mediated by the human brain. And, finally, the book closes with two contemporary accounts of how chocolate manufacturers have (or have not) been dealing with the ethical side of the industry.