The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate (aka The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Chocolate in the softcover edition) authored by Christine McFadden and Christine France is a unique hybrid of a book that combines information about the history of chocolate (not as detailed as the Coe’s book) along with some information about how chocolate gets made, plus an overview of chocolate with different countries with over 200 detailed recipes with gorgeous photos.

All of the recipes are for desserts, and most of them appear to be within the reach of a competent home baker. If you only have the budget for a single book about chocolate, this is a good one as it provides a basic grounding in history and technique, with a broad sampling of recipes to try your hand at.

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