Pacifics. Kumamotos. Quilcines. Shigoku. Toten Bay Virginicas. This gorgeous cookbook conveys the natural history, cultivation story, commercial history, and culinary tales of Pacific Coast oysters such as these.

Visit the cold, quiet waters of Hama Hama, Willapa Bay, Penn Cove, and Denman Island where oystermen (and women) patiently raise the mollusks from seed, a wonderful local-farming success story. Included are shucking instructions and 30 recipes that range from a Northwest Hangtown Po-Boy to Ale-Battered Oysters and Chips.

The author, a trained chef and local food expert, comments on best beverage pairings to bring out the "oh!" in oysters. And since oysters are grown and harvested in some of the most beautiful places on earth, the book features lush scenic, as well as food, photography.