Not really saying I have "read" this book cover to cover... It's a cook-book, not a novel. But it's lovely and I am an adoring fan of pizza, so it is quite inspirational.
This is not your usual pizza cookbook! The author offers much discussion on pizza - historically, culturally, traditionally, and beyond the year 2000! There are also 24 authentic pizza recipes, each with background discussion and wine and/or beer recommendations. The author provides notes on each pizza ingredient used and a table of each pizza recipe versus ingredient. Each recipe is specified according to A.P.E.S. (Associazione Pizzaioli Europei e Sostenitori), which was formed in 1981 to maintain the culinary and social characteristics of art of making pizza. Also included are details about how to construct a clay pizza oven and a chapter devoted to a discussion of what to drink with pizza. This book was first published in Italian as Pizza e Non Pizze: Una breve storia della pizza dal neolitico ai giorni nostri.