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Since its 1991 publication, Viana La Place's Verdura has become a classic. And with good reason: Its 300 accessible recipes represent the best of the Italian approach to vegetable preparation, an earthy yet spirited technique that celebrates fresh ingredients simply treated. Many readers have made the book their vegetable cooking bible; those who have not yet added it to their kitchen libraries will want to do so. Contending that eating well-prepared vegetables helps us to appreciate life's natural cycles, La Place presents recipes for antipastos, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, risottos, pizzas, and more. The vegetables she explores run the gamut from the familiar--artichokes, eggplant, radicchio--to the more exotic, such as chayote, cardoons, and brocciflower. (La Place sautés this cauliflower-broccoli hybrid in garlic and oil, then strews it with pungent provolone.) Other recipes, such as Soup of Dried Fava Beans with Fresh Fennel, Fettucine with Peas, Green Onions, and Mint, Grilled Bread with Mushrooms and Herbs, and Baked Red Pepper Fritatta, give further evidence of La Place's original yet thoughtful way with the earth's bounty. Desserts are also included, among them Watermelon with Bittersweet Chocolate Shavings, Grilled Figs with Honey and Walnuts, and Lemon Granita and Brioche. With a vegetable and herb guide and an ingredient glossary, Verdura provides comprehensive information while exciting the mind's palate. --Arthur Boehm

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Linda McCartney, wife of Beatle Paul McCartney, was a passionate vegetarian. Shortly before she died, she left a legacy with this beautiful book of 200 meat-free recipes from all over the world. Linda McCartney on Tour is illustrated with stunning photographs guaranteed to start you salivating--the tastes, colors, and textures leap off the page. You can almost taste the Crispy Vegetable Wontons (China), Asparagus Crepes (France), Minted Pea and Spinach Soup (U.K.), Vegetable Kichdi (India), Warm Chocolate Souffle with Bittersweet Sauce (France), and Fragrant Coconut Rice (Thailand). If you like pizza, choose from recipes of the U.K., U.S., Thailand, or Greece, or invent your own pizza with a page of creative topping selections. Although many of the dishes sound esoteric, the ingredients won't send you searching in ethnic stores--you can find most in your supermarket, though you will need to frequent a natural-foods market for a few, such as organic eggs and vegetarian sausages. The recipes have no nutritional information, unfortunately--you know you're getting plenty of vitamins and fiber, but you don't know fat content. Whether you're a confirmed vegetarian looking for new recipes or you just want to improve your health by eating meat-free a few times a week, this book will entice you. --Joan Price

While you're at it, listen to a few Beatles tunes.

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Vegetarianism is not merely a healthier, more eco-friendly, more humane way to live. According to Victor Parachin, it's a guaranteed conversation starter (reason #11); it makes it easier to control weight (#31); it teaches you to identify adzuki, fava, mung, and numerous other types of beans (#56); it prevents constipation (#171); and it can save you thousands of dollars a year in food costs (#346). Peppered throughout are quotes from vegetarians ranging from Paul McCartney ("Eating bits of [animals] makes no sense") to Immanuel Kant ("We can judge the heart of man by his treatment of animals"), along with Albert Einstein, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Plutarch, and Albert Schweitzer. 365 Good Reasons to Be a Vegetarian is fun to read, even for nonvegetarians, and sure to be inspirational for those who've chosen the meatless path through life.

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This book is a wonderful source of information for the beginning or intermediate vegetarian.  It has specific sections on vegetarian diets for pregnant women, children, teens, athletes, and older people. As well as helpful info on easing the transition to a vegetarian diet.

I would also recommend this book for non-vegetarians who have friends or family members who folllow a vegetarian diet. It explains in easy-to-understand detail the different kinds of vegetarian diets, and things to keep in mind when one or more of your dinner guests are (or will be) vegetarian