Apples : The Story of the Fruit of Temptation

Frank Browning leads us on a beguiling journey through the primal myths of the world's most popular fruit and then explains that the first apples really appeared in Kazakhstan on the slopes of the Heavenly Mountains. He visits the apple germplasm repository in Geneva, New York, and describes the powerful effects of genetic engineering on the apples of the future. In Wenatchee, Washington, the capital of apple growing, he meets Mr. Granny Smith and learns about the apple's niche in the global marketplace, before setting off to sample Calvados from the pot stills of Normandy and cider from Somerset. Frank Browning, whose previous books include The Culture of Desire and A Queer Geography, grows apples and ferments cider in Wallingford, Kentucky. He also reports for National Public Radio from New York City.