Les:
<Snip>
It's very nice.  My "first impression" was a little disappointment, as =
it is
smaller than the two "coffee table" coffee books I already had, and not
"hardcover" (although the cover material is stiffer than most softcover
books, and folded double for extra strength).  It has sewn signatures =
which
are then perfect bound. 
But the content is excellent, and more than made up for the initial =
doubts.
It is very focused and "in the present".  Although it has the obligatory
"history of coffee" chapter and an excellent "botany" chapter (not as
technical as the one in the new Illy book, but better in other ways,
particularly the copious illustrations, which the Illy book lacks) it is
really about where, how and by whom coffee is produced today.  There's
nothing about roasting or brewing . . . just coffee as agricultural =
product,
from seedling (or cutting) to sack of greens.  The pictures and text
compliment each other in ways that make the whole thing far more than =
the
"sum of the parts".  I certainly do see why Tom was so taken by it.
Highly recommended . . . and a perfect companion for the more technical =
(and
half about roasting/grinding/percolating) Illy "Espresso Coffee" book.
Deward