The Joy of Oysters is a one-stop shop of everything related to oysters, past and present. This beautifully chaotic, non-narrative book presents a wide assortment of information in its 200 pages with easy-to-digest timelines, how-tos, sidebars, pop-up tips, photos, and illustrations. In addition, there are 50 home-cook-friendly recipes to show that there's more to do with an oyster than shuck it and eat it on the half shell. Food and wine expert Nils Bernstein shares recipes for Deviled Oysters, Oysters Casino, Korean Oyster Fritters, and Oyster Gumbo, plus know-how for enjoying fresh oysters, including the many ways to shuck, seven key sauces, and twenty other ways to top a raw oyster that go beyond lemon juice and Tabasco. Along the way, readers will learn about the life cycle of an oyster, how and where to buy them, and why only eating oysters in the months that end with the letter "R? is a myth.