Here's a book for the summer season: " 'wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal — and a meal into a sandwich" by Tom Colicchio (Clarkson Potter, $27.50).

Colicchio — that bullet-head judge from "Top Chef," keeper of the Craft empire, proselytizer for clever yet unpretentious meals — offers a handsome consideration of creative sandwiches. Most of the recipes come from Colicchio's New York-based 'wichcraft restaurants, but despite the pedigree, the book is a breeze, thanks to Colicchio's ground-up philosophy. There is a common-sense chat about "architecture" and a cool appendix of pantry recipes (raisin-pine nut relish, parsley vinaigrette), but the core of the book is scores of yummy-sounding sandwiches you hadn't considered: roasted pumpkin with mozzarella, lobster with sweet potato-fennel slaw.

Having smartly recognized that a sandwich cookbook sounds like a waste of money, Colicchio more than legitimizes the notion with simple inventiveness. The book is broken into warm, cold and dessert sandwiches, and, enticed by the photos, we didn't know where to begin. That said, the book is so approachable you might forget Colicchio's underlying point: These are not cheap dishes, and to do them right, you need high-quality ingredients.

It's one of the best cookbooks we've come across this year, and one of the reasons is how unexpectedly charming it is. Recipes are streamlined and unfussy, with an easygoing explanation of techniques. And did we mention the illustrated table of contents? It's a simple, obvious idea (a thumbnail picture of each dish) that makes planning your lunch a quick comparison shop. When you find yourself absent-mindedly running your hands over pictures of dishes, that's a fun cookbook.