Peter Mayle Books In Order

Sam Levitt Books In Publication Order

  1. The Vintage Caper (2009)
  2. The Marseille Caper (2012)
  3. The Corsican Caper / Murder in the Med (2014)
  4. The Diamond Caper (2015)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. Hotel Pastis (1993)
  2. Anything Considered (1996)
  3. Chasing Cezanne (1997)
  4. A Good Year (2004)

Provence Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. A Year in Provence (1989)
  2. Toujours Provence (1991)
  3. Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France (1999)
  4. My Twenty-Five Years in Provence (2018)

Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. ‘What’s Happening to Me?’: A Guide to Puberty (1975)
  2. ‘Will I Go To Heaven?’ (1976)
  3. ‘Where Did I Come From?’ (1977)
  4. ‘Will I Like It?’ (1977)
  5. How To Be a Pregnant Father (1978)
  6. Baby Taming (1979)
  7. Divorce Can Happen to Nice People (1980)
  8. Great Moments in Baby History (1980)
  9. We’re Not Pregnant (1981)
  10. Congratulations, You’re Not Pregnant (1981)
  11. Grown-Ups and Other Problems: Help for Small People in a Big World (1982)
  12. Thirsty Work (1983)
  13. From Here to Maternity (1983)
  14. The Honeymoon Book (1984)
  15. Anything But Rover (1986)
  16. Sweet Dreams and Monsters (1986)
  17. Why Are We Getting a Divorce? (1988)
  18. Scruffs The Alternative Dog Show (1989)
  19. Dangerous Candy (1990)
  20. Acquired Tastes (1991)
  21. Expensive Habits (1991)
  22. Provence A-Z (1993)
  23. Provence (1993)
  24. Provence from the Air (1994)
  25. A Dog’s Life (1995)
  26. French Lessons / Bon Appetit (2001)
  27. Confessions of a French Baker (2005)
  28. Up the Agency (2009)
  29. Provence in Ten Easy Lessons (2014)

Wicked Willie Books In Publication Order

  1. Man’s Best Friend (1984)
  2. Twinkle Winkle: Man’s Best Friend and Your Star Signs (1985)
  3. Wicked Willie’s Guide to Women: A Worm’s Eye View of the Fair Sex (1986)
  4. Wicked Willie’s Low-Down on Men (1987)
  5. The World According to Wicked Willie (1988)
  6. Willie’s Away! (1988)
  7. Dear Willie (1989)
  8. Wicked Willie Stand Up Comic (1990)
  9. Willie’s Leg-Over Handbook (1991)

Picture Books In Publication Order

  1. The Amazing Adventures of Chilly Billy (1980)
  2. As Dead as a Dodo (1981)
  3. Footprints in the Butter (1988)

Sam Levitt Book Covers

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Provence Non-Fiction Book Covers

Non-Fiction Book Covers

Wicked Willie Book Covers

Picture Book Covers

Peter Mayle Books Overview

The Vintage Caper

Set in Hollywood, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille, Peter Mayle’s newest and most delightful novel is filled with culinary delights, sumptuous wines, and colorful characters. It s also a lot of fun.

The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the Los Angeles Times to write an extensive profile extolling the liquid treasures of his collection, Roth finds himself the victim of a world class wine heist.

Enter Sam Levitt, former corporate lawyer, cultivated crime expert, and wine connoisseur. Called in by Roth s insurance company, which is now saddled with a multimillion dollar claim, Sam follows his leads to Bordeaux and its magnificent vineyards, and to Provence to meet an eccentric billionaire collector who might possibly have an interest in the stolen wines. Along the way, bien s r, he is joined by a beautiful and erudite French colleague, and together they navigate many a ch teau, pausing frequently to enjoy the countryside s abundant pleasures.

The unraveling of the ingenious crime is threaded through with Mayle s seductive rendering of France s sensory delights from a fine Lynch Bages and L oville Barton to the bouillabaisse of Marseille and the young lamb of Bordeaux. Even the most sophisticated of oenophiles will learn a thing or two from this vintage work by a beloved author.

From the Hardcover edition.

Hotel Pastis

Having delighted millions of Americans with A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence, Peter Mayle treats us to a wonderfully entertaining novel of escape, romance and adventure. played in the landscape he has made so irresistible. Simon Shaw, a forty two year old advertising tycoon, worn down by insatiable clients and a rapacious ex wife, wants to get away from it all. On impulse he drives to the south of France. When an accident leaves him stranded in a small village in the Luberon, an enchanting Frenchwoman, who is between husbands, comes to his rescue and soon lures him into buying the local gendarmerie. Together they transform it into a little jewel of a hotel. And life seems idyllic. But at the same time, a crook, recently released from the Marseilles prison, is plotting to rob the bank in the nearby town. Paths cross. schemes go awry and through it all Peter Mayle delights us with the intrigues of the haut monde that descends on the Hotel Pastis and the machinations of the bad guys, as everything conspires to threaten the heaven on earth that Simon Shaw has envisioned.

Anything Considered

Bennett is an English expatriate living in France with champagne taste and a beer bankroll. Happy go lucky, a bit roguish, and almost out of cash, he places an ad in the International Herald Tribune volunteering his services: Anything Considered except marriage. He pursues a response from the very, very wealthy Julian Poe, who has developed a simple but slightly illegal scheme to help keep the French tax man away from his door. He has also although Bennett doesn’t know it yet developed a means of producing truffles, and intends to corner the immensely lucrative truffle market. Bennett signs on to help Poe with his taxes and soon finds himself in Monaco, living in a style to which he has always wished to become accustomed. But his bubble soon bursts under the weight of Poe’s nefarious truffles, and Bennett finds himself involved with Sicilian and Corsican Mafiosi, crooked gendarmes, an order of monks dedicated to the god Bacchus and the beautiful, sexy Anna Hersh, who’s supposed to help Bennett, but who has her own agenda for this affaire that may be hazardous to the health of both of them.

Chasing Cezanne

Read Chasing Cezanne in Large Print!Hanky panky on the international art scene is the source of the hilarity and fizz in Peter Mayle’s new novel. He flies us back to the south of France a region some readers of his irresistible best sellers believe him to have invented, on a wild chase through galleries, homes of prominent collectors, and wickedly delectable restaurants. There are stopovers in the Bahamas and England, and in New York, where that glossiest of magazines, Decorating Quarterly, reflects the cutting edge trendiness of its editor, Camilla Jameson Porter. Camilla has recently broken new ground in the world of power lunches by booking two tables on the same day, and shuttling between them, at the city’s trendiest restaurant. It is Camilla who has sent our hero, Andre Kelly, to Cap Ferrat to take glamorous photo graphs of the houses and treasures of the rich, famous, and fatuous. He happens to have his camera at the ready when he spots a C zanne being loaded onto a plumber’s truck near the home of an absent collector. Odd, thinks Andre. And in no time he’s on the trail of a state of the art art scam, chasing C zanne. It’s a joy to follow him and the crowds intent on speeding or foiling his quest including a beautiful agent; a super savvy art dealer attracted to the finer things in life, especially if they promise the payoff of a lifetime; an awesome Dutch forger; some outstandingly greedy New York sophisticates; and, invisible in the background, the parade of remarkable chefs whose mouthwatering culinary masterpieces periodically soothe the hero and tantalize the reader of Chasing C zanne. From the Trade Paperback edition.

A Good Year

From Peter Mayle, a wonderful new novel steeped in wine-and the business of wine?and set in, bien sur, Provence.

Max Skinner is not exactly setting the London financial world on fire?and when his supervisor steals his biggest client, it’s definitely time to inspect the vineyard in Provence that his recently departed uncle left him. Heartily and happily distracted upon his arrival by the landscape, the weather, and the food?not to mention the gorgeous notaire handling the estate and the stunning owner of the local bistro?Max almost forgets about his inherited property.

Which might have been a good idea, because the wine produced there is swill. But then why, Max has to wonder, is his caretaker so anxious to acquire the land? When a beautiful young woman from California arrives with what might be a legitimate claim on the estate, and knowledge of vineyards that far outstrips Max’s own, the plot begins its twists and turns into and out of truly wonderful complications and resolutions.

This is luscious reading?soothing us with the sensual wonders of Provence while it tells a fascinating tale of the hugely lucrative and competitive boutique-wine trade. It is Peter Mayle’s most satisfying, most delectable novel yet.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Year in Provence

They had been there often as tourists. They had cherished the dream of someday living all year under the Provencal sun. And suddenly it happened. Here is the month by month account of the charms and frustrations that Peter Mayle and his wife and their two large dogs experience their first year in the remote country of the Luberon restoring a two centuries old stone farmhouse that they bought on sight. From coping in January with the first mistral, which comes howling down from the Rhone Valley and wreaks havoc with the pipes, to dealing as the months go by with the disarming promises and procrastination of the local masons and plumbers, Peter Mayle delights us with his strategies for survival. He relishes the growing camaraderie with his country neighbors despite the rich, soupy, often impenetrable patois that threatens to separate them. He makes friends with boar hunters and truffle hunters, a man who eats foxes, and another who bites dentists; he discovers the secrets of handicapping racing goats and of disarming vipers. And he comes to dread the onslaught of tourists who disrupt his tranquillity. In this often hilarious, seductive book Peter Mayle manages to transport us info all the earthy pleasures of Provencal life and lets us live vicariously in a tempo governed by seasons, not by days. George Lang, who was smitten, suggests: ‘Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence.’

Toujours Provence

With Toujours Provence, Peter Mayle continues where his enormously successful A Year in Provence left off. In this funny, savory, irresistible program, Mayle delights us with tales of life in Provence, including finding gold at the bottom of his garden and attending a Pavarotti concert under the stars. He also explores the joys and sometime hazards of wining and dining in France, and introduces us to some truly unique characters – including a wary truffle hunter, a gourmet in a tracksuit, and the wise and crafty Massot, the man from whom Provence holds no secrets.
The life that Peter Mayle portrays is a far cry from the quiet, uneventful existence suggested by picturesque postcards of the southern coast of France. And in his portrayal he proves the adage that, while you may not be able to escape from it all – you sure can have fun trying.

Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France

After trying what folly! to live in other places, Peter Mayle is back in his beloved Provence. He celebrates his homecoming by sharing with us a whole new feast of adventures, discoveries, hilarities, and culinary treats, liberally seasoned with a joyous mix of Gallic characters. The pauses for refreshment include an unforgettable meal in a converted gas station, a rendezvous with the very best bouillabaisse, and visits to eventful weekly markets. But there is life after lunch, and we also discover a school for noses in Haute Provence, a gardener who grows black tomatoes, the secret of the oversexed butcher, a celebration of Alowine Halloween Provence style, and the genetic effects of two thousand years of fois gras. There is a memorable tour of Marseille, a comprehensive lesson on olive oil, a search for the perfect cork screw, and invaluable recommendations for splendid local cheeses, wines, honey, bread, country restaurants, and off the beaten track places to stay. Never has Peter Mayle written with more unabashed pleasure about his heaven on earth.

‘What’s Happening to Me?’: A Guide to Puberty

Discusses the mental and physical changes that take place during puberty.

‘Where Did I Come From?’

Covers the basic facts from love making, org*asm, conception and growth inside the womb, through to the actual birth day. This book names all the names and shows all the important parts of the body.

How To Be a Pregnant Father

Includes advice on the best way to start pregnancy, with tactics for the bathroom and the breakfast table, solutions to morning sickness, coping with cravings and sex during pregnancy. A hospital survival kit is included. Peter Mayle is the author of ‘A Year in Provence’ and ‘Baby Taming’.

Acquired Tastes

The author of A Year in Provence takes readers on an around the world journey, showing them where to find the best of everything, including caviar, custom made shoes, and more. K. NYT. PW.

Provence A-Z

The ultimate dictionary for lovers of Provence: Peter Mayle’s personal selection of the foods, customs and words he finds most fascinating, curious, delicious, or just plain fun. Though organized from A to Z, this is hardly a conventional work of reference. In more than 170 entries, Peter Mayle bestselling author of A Year in Provence writes about subjects as wide ranging as architecture and zingue zingue zoun in the local patois, a word meant to describe the sound of a violin. And, of course, he writes about food and drink: vin ros , truffles, olives, melons, bouillabaisse, the cheese that killed a Roman emperor, even a cure for indigestion. Provence A Z is a delight for Peter Mayle’s ever growing audience and the perfect complement to any guidebook on Provence, or, for that matter, France.

Provence

Peter Mayle, bestselling author of A YEAR IN Provence and TOUJOURS Provence, joins aerial photographer Jason Hawkes to capture the exquisite beauty of Southern France.

A Dog’s Life

The bestsellling author of A Year in Provence and Hotel Pastis now surveys his territory from a differnt vantage point: the all fours perspective of his dog, Boy ‘a dog whose personality is made up of equal parts Boswell and Dr. Johnson, Mencken and A. A. Milne’ Chicago Sun Times. Enhanced by 59 splendidly whimsical drawings by Edward Koren. From the Trade Paperback edition.

French Lessons / Bon Appetit

Peter Mayle, francophile phenomenon and author of A Year in Provence, brings another delightful and delicious account of the good life, this time exploring the gustatory pleasures to be found throughout France. The French celebrate food and drink more than any other people, and Mayle shows us just how contagious their enthusiasm can be. We visit the Foire aux Escargots. We attend a truly French marathon, where the beverage of choice is Chteau Lafite Rothschild rather than Gatorade. We search out the most pungent cheese in France, and eavesdrop on a heated debate on the perfect way to prepare an omelet. We even attend a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches, a sacred event at which thanks are given for the aromatic, mysterious, and breathtakingly expensive black truffle. With Mayle as our inimitably charming guide, we come away with a satisfied smile if a little hungry and the compelling desire to book a flight to France at once.

Confessions of a French Baker

Attention bread lovers!In the first of his famous books about Provence, Peter Mayle shared with us news of a bakery in the town of Cavaillon where the baking and appreciation of breads had been elevated to the status of a minor religion. Its name: Chez Auzet. Now, several hundred visits later, Mayle has joined forces with Gerard Auzet, the proprietor of this most glorious of Proven al bakeries, to tell us about breadmaking at its finest. Mayle takes us into the baking room to witness the birth of a loaf. We see the master at work slapping, rolling, squeezing, folding, and twisting dough as he sculpts it into fougas*ses, b tards, and boules. Auzet then gives us precise, beautifully illustrated instructions for making sixteen kinds of bread, from the classic baguette to loaves made with such ingredients as bacon, apricots, hazelnuts, garlic, and green and black olives. There are tips galore, the tricks of the trade are revealed, and along the way Mayle relates the delightful history of four generations of Auzet bakers. One of Provence’s oldest and most delicious pleasures is now available at a kitchen near you, thanks to this charming guide. Read, bake, and enjoy.

Up the Agency

Before his glorious retreat to Provence, delightfully chronicled in his best sellers A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence, Peter Mayle made his career in advertising, beginning as a copywriter and finishing thirteen years later as a creative director ‘I think I was also a vice president, ‘ he writes ‘but I never had the cards printed’. Up the Agency is his caustic valentine to the culture of Madison Avenue, where the tribal customs and rituals are as wondrous to behold as the sights on any anthropological expedition. Treading fearlessly and wittily where no one without a customized BMW and matching Armani suit has gone before, Mayle dissects this odd and endlessly fascinating industry where the speed of a new talent’s ascent can be matched only by his shocking fall months later. Whether describing the perfect ad man, the frenzy and desperation of putting together a new campaign, or the treachery of the fickle product buying public, Mayle brings his insightful eye to bear on this very funny business, which brings both pleasure and pain to millions and millions to a few.

As Dead as a Dodo

Describes sixteen extinct animals and explores the reasons for their extinction. Also discusses presently endangered species in the context of the indifferent attitude people often have toward their environment.

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