Ask Evan: What are the best books about pie?

Every Tuesday I answer a question from a Good Food listener. You can email me a question, leave one on Facebook or add one in the comments section here. This week’s question comes from Jane:

I promise to become a monthly member of KCRW if you tell me which are the very best 2-3 pie cookbooks, books about pie history, etc. I want to embark on a year of pie exploration (with a goal of entering the 2012 pie contest) and need some books to get me going. I just finished Tartine’s Bread, so I’m not a baking novice, but I have limited pie experience.

There are a lot of pie books out there and I have most of them. Just like eating pie, one man’s favorite pie cookbook will be another girl’s not-so-great. But here is a list of engaging, interesting books to start.

For history it’s Pie, A Global History by Janet Clarkson

For information overload and extremely accurate measurements it’s The Pie and Pastry Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum

For a ton of recipes (300) and inspiration it’s Pie by Ken Haedrich

For more history and a primer on savory pie making it’s Pie by Angela Boggiano

For something small, manageable and instructive it’s James McNair’s Pie Cookbook