I live in San Francisco, an avid home baker, and Tartine and I go way back. When they first opened their shop on 18th and Guerrero, I lived a half-block away, and would sneak over for a croissant, morning bun, or some bread pudding early in the morning. Since those days, Tartine (along with the other shops on 18th St.) has become a big attraction for food tourists visiting the Mission, but continues to have a strong and devoted local following. These guys believe in what they are doing, and the quality of their breads and pastries far surpasses anyone in SF. You haven't really experienced bread until you've popped in at 5pm to grab a steaming country loaf and squatted on a stoop outside to tear into it. I can never get more than 10 yards away from the shop before pinching off a bit to taste. When my wife bought me a copy of this book, I was ecstatic. Here is a story of a man who is dedicated to bread, telling you how he arrived at his perfect loaf, and then how you might make your own perfect loaf. Rather than providing exhaustive formulas, you are required to smell, touch, look at your dough, and adjust for variations. Living in SF, where the weather will change in an instant, you have to be able to improvise as a baker, and this book shows you how to do that. If you don't have time in your life to become a devoted bread lover, cultivating a natural yeast culture, this book might not be for you, but maybe it would change your mind. The bread really is that good.