To celebrate the 30th Anniversay of her best-selling SUMMER BOOK, Susan Branch has completely updated and revised her original book, with additional pages, lots of delicious NEW recipes, watercolored art, quotes, stories, ideas and all the little things that make Summer sweet. Handwritten as always, new additions include a new cover, lots about the joys of a kitchen garden, visiting local farmers' markets, making small-batch jam from fresh summer fruits, and celebrations of best old Summer pastimes that bring up childhood memories and inspire making more of them NOW.. There are summer decorating tips, tea-party recipes, picnic and camping stories, blissful breakfasts, and a summer reading list. Hand-written, watercolored, 144 pages, with a sewn-in ribbon bookmark. As always when I write a cookbook, I'm always thinking of my readers, or "the Girlfriends" as I have come to call you after all these years of our impossible-but-true personal connections due to a multitude of booksigning events; the comment section in my blog, conversations over social media, my "Twitter from the Twain" when I take you (virtually) on our cross-country train trips, and in-person picnics (even one in Beatrix Potter's Garden in the Lake District)  ~ and I'll never forget the time in 2022 when lots of us boarded the Queen Mary II and went to England together! It's been 40 years since my first book came out, the miracle that changed my life ~ and I just want to say, it's been FUN sharing the planet with YOU! Thank you! Hope you enjoy this revised edition of my Summer Book . . . Thirty years is a long time, lots of summers under my belt . . . I put it all in this expanded version, and as always, it comes with love from the Heart of the Home, and me, Susan Branch. I kept the first two paragraphs flap copy from my original Summer Book in the new book, it gives the truth of its origins, way back in 1995: "For two summers, with the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard for inspiration, I watercolored and hand-wrote The Summer Book in my studio with all the windows open, ocean breezes ruffling the curtains, and flower fragrances wafting from the garden. Long walks to the sea every day provided me with lots of day-dreaming opportunities. So, from the garden and farmers' markets, to the kitchen and grill, from the beach to the backyard, summer, in all it's golden glory comes to you through my favorite and delicious-but-easy summer recipes: Crab Cakes, Chilled Raspberry Soup with Ice Cream Croutons, Lemon Linguini, Baked Tomato Salad, Blueberry Bread Pudding, Lavender Cookies, Pineapple Salsa, Coconut Rice, and Orange French Toast. For inspiration, there are Picnics, Midnight Suppers, Decorating and Home Garden Tips, and Tea Parties. Go camping, learn to draw, gather wildflowers, celebrate your local library, practice the fine art of porch sitting, and sleep under the stars ~ all reminders for you to make lots of memories for this summer ~ it will never come again. To Henry James, "summer afternoon" were the two most beatiful words in the English language. I'm kind of partial to "summer evenings" myself. "Summer dreams" are nice too and I hope all of yours come true. With love from the Heart of the Home and me, Susan Branch The back cover has no words on it, just a photo of Susan Branch in 1995 (taken on Martha's Vineyard by Peter Simon), in her kitchen garden. Because how it WAS means as much to Susan as how it IS! SUSAN BRANCH, a New York Times bestselling author, says her real claim to fame is being the oldest of eight children. Gratefully equipped with the happy gene, Susan has hand-written and watercolored more than 20 books, most about cooking, decorating, home, family, and the little things that make life sweet.  Originally published by Little Brown and Company beginning with her first book, Heart of the Home, in 1986 ~ and then, as times changed, she and her husband, Joe Hall, started their own publishing company, Spring Street Publishing in 2015. As of 2024, after 35 years of joyful New England living in an old Captain's House on Martha's Vineyard, Susan and Joe have moved back to Susan's native California where the sun always shines on their small farm.