Eat the City

I can't stop recommending Robin Shulman's "Eat the City" to people. "Eat the City: A tale of the fishers, foragers, butchers, farmers, poultry minders, sugar refiners, cane cutters, beekeepers, winemakers and brewers who built New York" is just that: a beautifully told account of the history of food in NYC. But that doesn't mean the book doesn't hold it's weight in other cities. In fact, "Eat the City" inspired me to learn more about the food backbone of Chicago.

I had the opportunity to interview Robin about her new book and I can't wait to share our interview, but first I want to take a look at the design of "Eat the City".

Although I love being able to get advanced copies of books to review for To Be Shelved, I am always even more happy when I open a publisher's envelope to find a beautifully designed book. This was never more true than when I received "Eat the City".

Christopher Silas Neal did a wonderful job on both the jacket. I think it is a perfect fit for the book's content, and although it is illustrated, it is still very clean.

Neal also created a series of illustrations for each chapter, and a map at the beginning of the book.

If you're interested, he shares some of the cover designs that were tried before arriving at the final. I also encourage you to browse his portfolio to check out the rest of his illustrations. Really beautiful work.

Make sure to look for my interview with Robin, hopefully later this week. Now that I feel adjusted to my new job I plan to be posting regularly again.

Plus, more good food reads
& wonderful illustrators

(gif / illustrations / photos mine)