Acquired Tastes

In Acquired Tastes, Peter Mayle, the erudite sojourner and New York Times bestselling author of A Year in Provence, sets off once more, traveling the world in search of the very best life has to offer. Whether telling us where to buy the world’s best caviar or how to order a pair of thirteen-hundred-dollar custom-made shoes, advising us on the high cost of keeping a mistress in style or the pros and cons of households servants, he covers everything the well-heeled—and those vicariously so inclined—need to know to enjoy the good life.

From gastronomy to matrimony, from the sartorial to the baronial, Acquired Tastes is Peter Mayle’s most delicious book yet—an irreverently spiced smorgasbord of rich dishes you’re sure to enjoy.

Praise for Acquired Tastes

“Mr. Mayle is a writer who never fails to entertain. If he were told to go forth and write about doorknobs, he would return with a witty, perceptive essay.”—The New York Times Book Review

“One of the finest modern writers on matters that deal with taste.”—Craig Claiborne

“Much, much fun—and best read with a magnum of Dom Pérignon and a four-pound tin of Beluga caviar.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Witty and stylish . . . These hilarious essays are vintage Mayle.”—James Villas, author of The French Country Kitchen
“This delightful celebration of the little (and not-so-little) extravagances that make life worth living scintillates with wit, brio and trenchant observations”—Publishers Weekly

“Intriguing.”—Chicago Sun-Times