Brimming with knowledge, enthusiasm, and decided opinions, Steven Jenkins's CHEESE PRIMER is everything you need to know to judge, savor, choose, store, and serve the terrific variety of cheeses now available. He presents a region-by-region guide through France, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as the British Isles, Spain, the U.S., and other cheese-producing countries. Here are all the well- and little-known cheese worth exploring-and some surprising heavyweights you may want to avoid ) imported Brie, for example.

A complete primer, its features include pairing wine with cheese, orchestrating a cheese course, and local gems to seek when traveling abroad.

Steven Jenkins is the first American to be awarded France's prestigious Chevalier du Taste-Fromage. He has created and/or revamped the cheese counters at Dean & Deluca, the Fairway Market, Balducci's, and other celebrated fine food shops in New York and across the country. "A Broadway impresario hos' hit is food" (New York Times), Mr. Jenkins lives with his family in New York City.