This book contains a complete history of apples and a detailed survey of over 2000 of the world's apple varieties. Moving between continents and cultures, the authors look at the apple's role as a dessert fruit and in cookery; in cider making and the ornamental garden; in myth, medicine and religion. They revisit the apple's Victorian heyday when fine varieties were considered seriously as wines, and bring the story up to date with the apple's transformation into an international commodity.