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. . . will forever change the way you view tomatoes. In Italy we'll learn the secrets and myths of the fabled San Marzano tomato, find out if Queen Marguerita actually ate a Margherita pizza, and try to solve the puzzle of why tomatoes were not eaten in Italy for 300 years.

From Florida tomato farms that more resemble white-sand beaches than fields; to Northern greenhouses the size of New England villages that are redefining the very nature of farming, Ten Tomatoes follows the world's most popular vegetable from Aztecs to ketchup.

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What's New

Read my opinion essay in the New York Times about how the greenhouse tomato may be changing the world.


The Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World have launched! In a starred review, BookPage writes, "his playful sense of humor makes his book endlessly surprising," Kirkus Reviews calls it "eccentric, informative, and thoroughly enjoyable," and Booklist promises "culinary history buffs will revel in the myriad anecdotes Alexander unearths here." Get your copy here!


I don't know how a tomato snuck into London's famous Chelsea Flower Show, but Burpee's exhibit, based on Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World, took Gold from the Royal Horticultural Society. Congrats to Burpee and Pennard for staging a great exhibit!


Flirting with French makes the NY Times Bestseller list and goes into its 3rd printing


The New York Times Book Review praises Flirting with French


The Wall Street Journal has published a rave review of Flirting with French, calling it "highly readable" and comparing me to both(!) Walter Mitty and George Plimpton. Merci bien!


CounterPunch calls me "one of America's funniest writers"

 

What the critics say about William Alexander...

His writing is engaging, well paced and informative — The New York Times Book Review
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One of America's funniest writers —CounterPunch
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The world would be a less interesting place without the William Alexanders who walk among us -- the people who pursue all sorts of Holy Grails and latch like ticks onto particular passions, yet who have the good grace to tell us all about their exploits with humor, rather than with pomposity — Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Engaging, funny, and down-to-earth — Entertainment Weekly
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His timing and his delivery are flawless — The New York Times Magazine
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Consistently funny — The Washington Post