Their technical virtuosity aside, one of the most remarkable aspects of Modernist Cuisine and Modernist Cuisine at Home was the spectacular photography, which made use of innovative techniques and unusual equipment and expressed Nathan Myhrvold’s food-industry-outsider aesthetic ideals.

Myhrvold’s introduction here makes it clear that, as with the food in his earlier books, he was willing to challenge all assumptions. And in 300 very large format (13 ¼ by 17 ¾ inches) pages, the photographic results are gripping.

Nearly fifty pages are devoted to the discussion of the equipment and editing software used, providing examples of lighting setups, the ways in which the astonishing cutaway shots were obtained, and the strategies for composing multiple shots into a single startling final image.

This is fascinating and highly revealing. And—oh yes—beautiful.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.