tnlogo.jpg (3789 bytes) Books on Cognac Livres sur le cognac

Who, When and Where to buy and our rating

Auteurs, dates d'édition, où acheter et nos appréciations

Title Author Publisher Year

Titre Auteur Editeur Année

Availability

Acquisition

Our rating

Appréciation

l'Instant Armagnac                       Guide des Producteurs d'Armagnac (A Producers Guide to Armagnac)

Philippe Gélas

Bleu 17 Production, France

Philippe.Gelas@wanadoo.fr

Our reviewer in the Spring 2001 edition of Torula'zette wrote: "This little colorful gem of a guide is full of life, aromas and is very long on the mouth. Just like a good armagnac."

Classic Brandy

Nicholas Faith

Prion Books Limited, London, UK

home.gif (1890 bytes) Classic Brandy by Nicholas Faith, a well known and respected journalist, writer and taster is a well written, slim down version of his other bestsellers published under The Mitchell Beazley and Flammarion imprints. It covers some 40 Cognac producers, several brandies with lots of labels and bottles pictures. Classic Brandy is available in the UK, at £12.99.
buying guide to spirits

Beverage Tasting Institute

edited by Alan S. Dikty

Sterling Press Co., Inc., New York

home.gif (1890 bytes) Plenty of basic info, lots of ratings. Cognac will be hard to find by the public at large. Some strange ommisions for quality Cognacs available in the USA: Paul Giraud, J.Normandin-Mercier and Lèopold Gourmel, for example. Tastings tilted toward Gabriel&Andreu/Pierre Ferrand products. Not a word on Pineau des Charentes.
Eau-de vie, Le Guide

Martine Nouet

Hermé 1998

French booksotres ISBN 2 86665 260 5 In French, all about eau-de-vie, from Cognac, Armagnac to calvados, rum and vodka. Tasting results and more. A good read!
Cognac, Armagnac & Brandy

Urban Laurin

ICA Bokförlag, 721 85 Västerås, Sweden 1999

ICA Bokförlag Good, detailed book in Swedish with pictures and product tasting ratings, if somewhat out of date
Cognac, An Independent Guide to the people, the product and the region

Mac A Andrew

Lusina Publishing Company 1999

For availability in the Cognac region, France, USA, Norway and to buy on the Internet click here Christian Thomas of Château de Beaulon said: "... a Parker of Cognac...".
Armagnac, The Definitive Guide to France's Premier Brandy

Charles Neal

Flame Grape Press 1999.

The distributor is The Wine
Appreciation Guild. 
Not read

http://www.charlesnealselections.com

Un Cognac du XXIe Siècle

Francis Gay-Bellile

Impressions Jean-Michel Bordessoules 1998

en France seulement Provocative booklet on the surface! Much of the ideas are repeats of more government participation in the Cognac industry, switch to column distilling, anti-whisky etc. No word on marketing, branding etc.
La Cuisine au Cognac et au Pineau  

Francoise Barbin-Lecrevisse

DU LOSANGE 1998

Lots of good details about Cognac and Pineaux; harvest, distillation and aging; serve as an introduction to many recipes. Well laid out book which unfortunately describes only four big Cognac houses. And there are so many more!
Cognac

Axel & Bibiana Behrendt

Abbeville Press 1997

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Strange selections, limited content, sloppy! English, German and French editions.

Sélection inattendue, contenu limité, peu soigné! Editions anglaise, allemande et française.

The Cognac Companion

Conal R. Gregory

Apple Press 1997

home.gif (1890 bytes) Limited coverage but tasting notes make it the best of the recent crop of books!

Description limitée mais les notes de dégustation sont actuellement les meilleures.

High Spirits

H. Paul Jeffers

Lyons&Burford 1997

home.gif (1890 bytes) Text on Cognac below average, Cognac tastings and ratings appalling!
Kindred Spirits

F. Paul Pacault

Hyperion 1997

home.gif (1890 bytes) A good read. Best part re: Cognac is in the appendix A - tasting results of a rather limited and strange selection.
Le Monde du Cognac

Gilbert Delos

Hatier 1997

home.gif (1890 bytes)   Nice coverage, good coffee table book

De bonnes informations, bonne présentation.

La Boulite Vigne et Cognac en Pays Charentais

Geste Éditions 1995

en France seaulement Good historical book with many interesting details and anecdotes written by different writers. Several old pictures.   Only in French
d'Or et de Lumière

Le Pays du Cognac

EDI-Service 1995

BNIC, Cognac Text in English, French and German. Regional coverage. A good guide to Cognac producers.

Texte en Anglais, Allemand et Français. Bon guide pour les producteurs de cognac.

Le Cognac

Jean Vincent Coussié 1993

en France seulement In French only; distillation, ageing, markets and the history. Includes Pineau des Charentes.
Handbook of Fine Brandies

Gordon Brown

Garamond Publishers 1990

 

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Good primer on brandies but limited selection of Cognacs.

Bon livre de base sur les brandies, mais sélection limitée des cognacs.

Armagnac, The Spirit of Gascony

C.E. Page

Bloomsbury 1989

Scarce and out-of-print wine and spirits books Controversial, opinionated, passionate, large in scope, large in detail. A very good read! Page 99 on Armagnac and Cognac malapropism (comparison) is greatly amusing.
The Wine Lover's Guide to Bordeaux and Cognac

Michael Busselle 1989

hard to find

difficile à trouver

not read non lu
Cognac

Nicholas Faith

Flamarion / Hammish Hamilton

1987 / 1986

hard to find

difficile à trouver

In French and in English. Good technical coverage concentrating on big Cognac houses.

En Français et en Anglais. Bonne information technique sur les grandes maisons de cognac.

Cognac and other brandies

Nicholas Faith

Mitchell Beazley 1987

hard to find

difficile à trouver

A touch out of date but with an excellent introduction to the world of Cognacs and other brandies.

Good read!

Date un peu, mais excellente introduction au monde du Cognac et autres brandies.

Pocket Guide to Cognac and Other Brandies

Nicholas Faith

Simon and Schuster 1987

hard to find

difficile à trouver

A very good read with updates as of 1992
Cognac

Cyril Ray

Peter Davies 1973

 

hard to find, but can be bought at the Hennessy store in cognac

difficile à trouver

Literary, lively, if touch out of date. A solid read on Cognac!
Cognac

Gert v. Paczensky

Hädecke Verlag 1986

Original in German out of print. French language copy available from La Cognatheque, Cognac, France Complete but a little dated.

Complet, mais pas assez actualisé.

Cognac country

Herbert Spencer

Quiller Press 1983

home.gif (1890 bytes) Simple, informative with great photos.

Simple, informatif,  photos superbes.

Brandies & Liqueurs of the World

Hurst Hannum & Robert S. Blumberg

Doubleday & Company, Garden City, N.Y. 1976

Scarce and out-of-print wine and spirits books Big, ambitious book with many details where Cognac and Armagnac holds its first. We missed the passion and soul in this book. But with this quotation all is forgiven: "Cognac at its best is probably the finest brandy in the world." All in all a worthy addition to Cognac/armagnac book collection.
Cognac and other Brandies

T.A.Layton

Harper Trade Journals, London 1968

hard to find

difficile à trouver

not read

non lu

White wines and Cognac

H. Warner Allen

Constable And Company, London 1952

Scarce and out-of-print wine and spirits books Well written book about whites wines, champagne and, of course, about Cognac and Armagnac. Lots of details, anecdotes, personalities of which Walter Berry tops the list and our favorite quote: "The best Cognacs are distilled in the simplest old-fashioned manner..."
The Complete Year Book of French Quality Wines, Spirits & Liquers

W. Walter Crotch, Editor

Editions M. Ponsot, Paris

Scarce and out-of-print wine and spirits books Detailed reference work, well written, in many cases by the industry personalities of Armagnac, Cognac and Pineau des Charentes; Eric Gabrielesen, Firino-Martell, Gaston Briand, Georges Clement. Lots of maps, labels and pictures make this book a mandatory addition to a serious collector bookshelf.
Histoire du Cognac

R. Delamain

Stock 1935

out of print

épuisé

In French. A good story.

En Français. Une histoire intéressante.

Spirits and Wine books Scarce and out-of-print wine and spirits books An excellent reference site with option to buy
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Cognac Producers listed in selected books

Producteurs de Cognac référencés dans les livres sélectionnés

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25 May 2001 Copyright © 2001 Lusina ISG, Inc.