The Anthony Bourdain Reader

'This compilation shows he was so much more than the sum of his television work' Spectator

The definitive, career-spanning collection of writing from Anthony Bourdain, including unpublished and never-before-seen material, with an Introduction by Patrick Radden Keefe.

Anthony Bourdain represented many things to many people – and he had many sides. But no part of his identity was more important to him than that of a writer; it was one of the central ways he saw himself. Revealing Anthony Bourdain's observant, curious and hungry mind, The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a collection of Bourdain's best writing and touches on his many pursuits and passions, from restaurant life to family life to the 'low life', from TV to travel through places like Vietnam, Buenos Aires, Paris and Shanghai.

With pointed opinions on the specific use of brioche buns, the devastation of Western foreign policy and the pain and pleasure of hot pot, this new collection encapsulates the unique brilliance of a once-in-a-generation mind and one of our most distinctive writers. After Bourdain's years of travelling the globe in search of the very best of cuisine and culture, The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a testament to the enduring and singular voice he crafted, with eclectic and curated chapters, including visceral graphic novel excerpts, some of his most well-loved recipes and never-before-published pieces.

Edited by Bourdain's long-time agent and friend Kimberly Witherspoon, and with a new Foreword by Patrick Radden Keefe, this is an essential reader for any Bourdain fan as well as a vivid and moving recollection of his life and legacy.

About the Author

Anthony Bourdain was the New York Times-bestselling author of Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, A Cook’s Tour, Typhoid Mary and The Nasty Bits, the cookbooks Appetites and Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, and the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo. He also co-authored the graphic novel Get Jiro! with Joel Rose.

His writing appeared in the New York Times and New Yorker. He was the host of the popular television shows No Reservations, Parts Unknown, A Cook's Tour and The Layover. Bourdain died in June 2018.