Anthony Bourdain

Author, Celebrity, Chef, Producer, Writer

Anthony Bourdain was a chef, author and television host whose 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential made him famous. He hosted the travel shows A Cook's Tour, No Reservations and Parts Unknown before his death in 2018.

Anthony Bourdain's 104 Book Recommendations

How to Live: “Sarah Bakewell’s “How to Live,” on the life and work of Montaigne, is a book I love. I stole a tattoo design from it.”
The Wind In The Willows: ““The Wind in the Willows,” a classic I loved as a child.”
The Man who Lost the War: “Spy novel authors and titles I particularly like include W. T. Tyler’s “The Man Who Lost The War” and “Rogue’s March.””
Ways of Escape: “Graham Greene’s memoir, “Ways of Escape,” is a book I’ve read many times but keep coming back to.”
The Devil All the Time: “Donald Ray Pollock was a revelation when I first read “The Devil All the Time.””
Agents of Innocence: A Novel: “David Ignatius’s “Agents of Innocence” is very, very good.”
The Friends of Eddie Coyle: “The best, most realistic crime novel ever. Best dialogue in a crime novel ever.”
Ripley's Game: “Elegant, deliciously immoral entry in series of sociopath as hero. Basis for the Wim Wenders film, the American Friend.”
Prune: “To reiterate : Gabrielle Hamilton's PRUNE is indeed, a fucking masterpiece:”
The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967: “His letters are available I think the book's called The Proud Highway and his correspondence with the people is really hilarious”
Heart of Darkness: “I want to do the whole Joseph Conrad you know Heart of Darkness thing I'm obsessed with going up the Congo River”
Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom: “I'm currently reading Thomas Ricks's "Churchill and Orwell."”
Ashenden: Or the British Agent: “I loved the stories in "Ashenden: Or the British Agent"”
Dancing Bear: “What's another great crime novel? ... Dancing Bear : James crumley”
On Boxing: “Reading (again) her terrific "On Boxing".”
Smiley's People: “You can hardly do better than Karla from le Carré's "Smiley's People."”
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: “Poe loomed large — particularly "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket."”
Treasure Island: “I also loved "Treasure Island"”
Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris: “'Food writing' at its very, very best. Never surpassed. What all writing about eating should be”
Crash: “Violent. Twisted. Hilarious and beautiful”
A Collection Of Essays: “The font of all wisdom. Orwell is right about nearly everything”
The Dog of the South: “His book, 'Dog Of The South,' is also brilliant”
Under the Volcano: “Re-reading the magnificent Under The Volcano before going to Cuernavaca. One of the truly great books.”
I Hear She's a Real Bitch: “And just in case you need reminding, your book is great”
Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story: “based on David Maraniss excellent book : ONCE IN A GREAT CITY”
Thrown: “THROWN is an absolutely wonderful exploration of the poorly understood sport of #MMA”
Pain Don't Hurt: Fighting Inside and Outside the Ring: “Terrific article on a great guy @fightshark_com and a great book”
Travels with My Aunt: “just read it in Paraguay. Great!”
The Hundred-Foot Journey: “loved it. Blurbed it.”
S.: “crazy, brilliant book/object of desire: "S" . Amazing.”
L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food: “A great book, great food and two great charities. #LASon”
The Shanghai Factor: “a glorious spy novel. Witty, knowing. Delicious.”
American Dream Machine: “Up all night reading Matthew Spektor's "American Dream Machine" . Superb! Best West Coast/Hollywood novel in years.”
The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue: “Grab @BBQsnob's amazing book, Prophets of Smoked Meat”
I Am the Wolf: Lyrics and Writings: “Just read an advance copy of @marklanegan collected lyrics… So, so fucking good.”
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: “just read it. Great.”
Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: “You. Must. Own. This.”
Restaurant Man: “Book "Restaurant Man" by @Jbastianich a terrific trench level primer on the biz. He knows where all the bodies are buried!”
A Girl and Her Pig: “April Bloomfield's awesome A GIRL AND HER PIG is out today! Great book from a great chef! Must buy!”
Blood, Bones & Butter: “Gabrielle Hamilton's "Blood Bones and Butter" MUCH better than any of my books. Must Read!”
The Comedians: “The Comedians is a great book btw”
The Splendor of Portugal: “With the great, great author Antonio Lobo Antunes. His "Splendor of Portugal" is a Monster of a book!”
The Belly of Paris: ““@DwightGarner: What's the best novel ever written about food? Easy: Zola's "The Belly of Paris"” Yes!”
Smokestack Lightning: “Get Lolis Elie's book on BBQ history, Smokestack Lightning”
Fresh Off the Boat: “Congratulations @MrEddieHuang! Great book.”
Charcuterie: “the Polcyn/Ruhlman book is probably the best there is.”
Grand Forks: “currently editing the Hagerty book. It is, whatever you may suppose, an extraordinary and beautiful thing.”
Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
wd~50: The Cookbook: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
A Brief History of Seven Killings: “Marlon James’s “A Brief History of Seven Killings” was incredible.”
The Rogue's March: “Spy novel authors and titles I particularly like include W. T. Tyler’s “The Man Who Lost The War” and “Rogue’s March.””
True Grit: “Charles Portis’s “True Grit” is a masterpiece. Don’t settle for seeing the film versions. One of the great heroines of all time and a magnificent book filled with great dialogue.”
Adios, Motherfucker: “What’s the last book that made you laugh? I published it, on my Ecco imprint, Anthony Bourdain Books: Michael Ruffino’s “Adios, ________.””
The Quiet American: “Drama, romance, tragic history in SE Asia? I'm there! I re-read it frequently. Particularly when visiting Vietnam.”
Naked Lunch: “Filthy, dangerous, depraved, groundbreaking. And funny as Hell. Not an ideal role model, I grant you. But a writer I very much looked up to and wanted, for better or worse, to emulate.”
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: “If there were influences, writing influences who really turned on the light for me... certainly you can hear Hunter Thompson in my writing. When I was I think 12 years old I opened Rolling Stone magazine and they were serializing what then became Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and that clicked for me.”
The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
So Real It Hurts: “So Real It Hurts is the perfect title for this collection. It's a mission statement. A few bleeding slices straight from the butcher shop. (From his introduction to the book.)”
Hawker Fare: Stories & Recipes from a Refugee Chef's Isan Thai & Lao Roots: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
You're Better Than Me: A Memoir: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
Eating Korea: Reports on a Culinary Renaissance: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
Eating Viet Nam: Dispatches from a Blue Plastic Table: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated; he wrote the foreword.)”
Stealing Green Mangoes: Two Brothers, Two Fates, One Indian Childhood: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
They Call Me Supermensch: A Backstage Pass to the Amazing Worlds of Film, Food, and Rock'n'Roll: “(Own imprint: published by the Ecco line he curated.)”
Libra: “I think the book that got it close got it most right was a work of fiction, Libra by Don DeLillo, where it really gets inside Oswald's head.”
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72: “very very very important books to me as a young man, as a tween, as a teenager was Hunter Thompson, so Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and On the Campaign Trail in particular”
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen: “It's extraordinary book. I urge you when you get it along with La Technique”
La Technique: “La Technique, of course... few books are always and forever argument enders, meaning if you're arguing with someone how to make an omelet, you could pretty much settle the matter by opening up La Technique, case closed”
Speed Tribes: Days and Nights with Japan's Next Generation: “he did speed tribes yep which is fantastic book actually when I read this story I went back and basically reread all of anything he ever wrote”
Boss of Bosses: The Fall of the Godfather — The FBI and Paul Castellano: “years later when I read a Paul Castellano biography called Boss of Bosses and recognized the name of the meat company as a business operated by another family”
Start the Fire: How I Began a Food Revolution in America: “But it was his book, "California Dish," his memoir, that left me angry. You know, in the book, there's a clear case made to his clear importance for what we call the American food revolution. And the fact that he appeared to have been wittingly written out of history made me press my justice button, made me angry, and really was the impetus for this film.”
Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture: “The world needs Roads & Kingdoms. It needs this book. (Own imprint: published as one of his own-imprint books; his blurb on the publisher page.)”
Down and Out in Paris and London: “I was a fan of George Orwell's "Down And Out In Paris And London" and that account of another dishwasher's life had thrilled me. And I kind of wanted to evoke that response in a few other cooks.”
Total Chaos: The Story of the Stooges / As Told by Iggy Pop: “This book from @thirdmanrecords is everything. Definitive @Iggy_Stooges”
somethingtofoodabout: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs: “Food tells a story. Usually a very personal one. Questlove gets to the heart of the matter. And so, here he is, getting to it. (From his foreword to the book.)”
The Kitchen Book & The Cook Book: “Another seminal work on the business, from the point of view of the professional.”
La Cuisine du Marché: “The Big Daddy of Nouvelle Cuisine's widely imitated cookbook. Still useful, decades later.”
The Epicurean: “The turn-of-the-century Delmonico's chef spills everything he knows about cooking. ... A fascinating and imposing tome and an important piece of culinary history.”
The Ivy: The Restaurant and Its Recipes: “As fascinating for its account of a day in the life of a swanky restaurant as for its recipes.”
Le Bernardin Cookbook: “Modern, clean, impeccable and austere recipes from New York's brilliant seafood Dauphin.”
Nose to Tail Eating: “Absolutely uncompromising ode to British cooking by the awesome chef of St John's. ... Who says British cooking isn't great? This book ROCKS!”
The French Laundry Cookbook: “Thomas Keller's The French Laundry Cookbook, the most beautiful ever — it's a must-have, even if you never cook from it.”
The Pat Hobby Stories: “Five books that mean a lot to me: ... "The Pat Hobby Stories," F. Scott Fitzgerald”
The Darling: “Book I'm reading: "The Darling," Russell Banks”
White Heat 25: “A chef who looks like a chef! A revelation to professional culinarians when it came out. Great food, recognisable worldview of the culinary perfectionist”
Mastering the Art of French Cooking: “And probably Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's fundamental.”
Call Me Burroughs: A Life: “Excellent, “Call Me Burroughs” easily the best bio of WSB. Great detail, atmospherics. Unsparing of beats’ moochery and narcissism .”
Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse: “The first Joe Beef cookbook changed forever what a cookbook could be. Anything that came after had to take it into account. Now, with this latest and even more magnificent beast, the rogue princes of Canadian cuisine and hospitality show us the way out of the numbing, post-apocalyptic restaurant Hell of pretentiousness and mediocrity that threatens to engulf us all. It makes us believe that the future is shiny, bright, beautiful, delicious—and probably Québécois. This book will change your life.”
Momofuku: “The breathless hype is true. His food is as good and as exciting as everyone says it is. David Chang has opened up a new direction in dining and cooking. With his troika of Momofukus, he changed the whole game. Scary-smart, funny, and ambitious, the wildly creative Chang is the guy all chefs have got to measure themselves by these days.”
32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line: “An evil genie in my brain appeared, inspired by a late-night read of my friend's excellent memoir, 32 Yolks. The book chronicles young Eric's rise through the celebrated kitchens of France...”
The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts: “The first Joe Beef cookbook changed forever what a cookbook could be. Anything that came after had to take it into account.”
A Gambler's Anatomy: “my pick for Book of the Month Club: A Gambler's Anatomy by Jonathan Lethem”
Politics and the English Language: “It is well past time to read this. Or read again:”
Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir: “Searching Padma Lakshmi's most excellent memoir #LoveLossAndWhatWeAte for mentions. Nada. Otherwise enjoying!”
Get Shorty: “But when I find myself in a hole writing? I always go back to Elmore Leonard, he was a professional.”
Out of Sight: “But when I find myself in a hole writing? I always go back to Elmore Leonard, he was a professional.”
Rum Punch: “But when I find myself in a hole writing? I always go back to Elmore Leonard, he was a professional.”
Legends of the Fall: “the principal reason I've always come to Montana, is Jim Harrison—poet, author and great American and a hero of mine and millions of others around the world.”
Dalva: “the principal reason I've always come to Montana, is Jim Harrison—poet, author and great American and a hero of mine and millions of others around the world.”
The Road Home: “the principal reason I've always come to Montana, is Jim Harrison—poet, author and great American and a hero of mine and millions of others around the world.”
True North: “the principal reason I've always come to Montana, is Jim Harrison—poet, author and great American and a hero of mine and millions of others around the world.”
The Raw and the Cooked: Adventures of a Roving Gourmand: “the principal reason I've always come to Montana, is Jim Harrison—poet, author and great American and a hero of mine and millions of others around the world.”

Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain's 104 Book Recommendations

Books written by Anthony Bourdain