Seeking to penetrate the mysteries of two great wine regions—"two opposite civilizations, two distinct ways of feeling"—Jean-Robert Pitte embarks upon an evocative and fascinating exploration of the land, people, and wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His account is a rich tapestry of terroir, history, culture, and economics from Roman to modern times. The unique qualities of the wines of each region, Pitte believes, cannot be entirely explained by the differences in their physical environmen...

This we can be sure of: when a restaurant in the western world is famous for its cooking, it is the tricolor flag that hangs above the stove, opined one French magazine, and this is by no means an isolated example of such crowing. Indeed, both linguistically and conceptually, the restaurant itself is a French creation. Why are the French recognized by themselves and others the world over as the most enlightened of eaters, as the great gourmets? Why did the passion for food—gastronomy—origi...

Le vin est au cœur de la culture française. C’est même une passion française ! Cet atlas historique propose un voyage inédit dans le vignoble français. • Venues d’Orient dans l’Antiquité, les vignes s’installent et se diffusent en Gaule • Le vin s’enracine en France au Moyen Âge : il est alors de toutes les tables • À l’époque moderne, c’est l’excellence qui prime avec la naissance des grands terroirs viticoles • Puis, plus récemment, les vins français ont assis leur réputation tant en Fra...

Spies have always lived in the shadows, slipping between worlds, crafting false identities, and risking their lives in ways most of us can barely imagine. The thrill of espionage isn't just found in fiction—history itself is full of men and women who led double lives, navigating political upheaval, war, and deception to shape the course of events. Their stories captivate us because they reveal the hidden forces behind history, proving that the greatest battles are often fought in secret. W...