The Atkins Diet? Phooey! The South Beach Diet? Feh! What Americans really want to eat is something deep-fried and sugar-packed . . . hence our undying love affair with the beloved donut.

And if anybody knows donuts, it's Sally Levitt Steinberg, America's Donut Princess. As a member of America's royal donut dynasty (her grandfather, Adolph Levitt, invented the donut-making machine), she knows more about this sweet indulgence than anyone else. The Donut Book is the product of Sally's great personal charm and life-long, in-depth donut scholarship.

She covers high points in donut history: the arrival of the first donuts in America with the Dutch settlers in the 17th century, and the donut in World War I, when it became the favorite nosh of the boys in the trenches. She celebrates donut-loving celebrities, from Admiral Byrd to Bill Clinton, as well as some of the most gifted donut bakers on the planet. She visits the campus of Dunkin' Donuts University and reveals the secret that makes Krispy Kreme donuts irresistible. And she identifies the most popular donut in America (glazed) and the runner-up (chocolate).

Then there are the recipes: 29 mouth-watering, soul-satisfying ways to achieve the ultimate sugar rush, from New Orleans beignets to Portuguese malasadas, from Boston crèmes to Alain Ducasse's upscale Donut. And for donut lovers who are willing to hit the road to find their favorite confection, the book comes with an illustrated Donut Lover's Guide to bakeries that serve up the lightest, fluffiest, best dressed, and tastiest donuts.