Larousse Gastronomique

Some books hang around long enough to become part of the language, and then they're considered classics, but the real classic earns its status with overwhelming merit; such is the case with the Larousse Gastronomique. It's been around since 1938, with 8,500 recipes, over a thousand pages of encyclopedic knowledge from A (Abaisse--a pastry making term) to Z (Zwieback--a kind of biscuit), and the final word in matters culinary. Handy for cooking terms, kitchen queries, and "hey, did you know ..." Sunday afternoons, the Gastronomique deserves respect and a big place on your cookbook shelf.