One of the joys of autumn is sampling the fresh crop of apples.

Whether eaten out of hand or baked in a crisp, the taste of a Honeycrisp, Gala or Granny Smith still excites my taste buds and stirs warm memories of the delicious cinnamon- and clove-scented apple pies that were a specialty of my late paternal grandmother.

Food writer and recipe developer Amy Traverso apparently shares the same passion. Her new book, “The Apple Lover’s Cookbook” (W.W. Norton), provides a guide, complete with photographs, to 59 popular apple varieties. It also includes some 100 easy-to-make recipes that show off the fruit’s versatility from sweet to savory, covering appetizers, salads, soups, entrees and desserts.