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``Onward and upward with onions'' could be the rallying cry of the Griffiths (The Best of the Midwest), whose two previous cookbooks celebrated foods from the farmlands of the U.S. Thanks in part to a near-obsessive recounting of anecdotes, the authors bring a world of onions to the reader. Fortunately, only one dessert is listed among the more than 210 recipes that make up the enormous work: an award-winning chocolate coconut pecan surprise cake baked with super-sweet Walla Walla onions. A many-layered history of onions is enlivened by the advice of popular professional chefs on how to avoid tears when cutting ``smokers''-those searingly hot onions whose juices sting the eyes (use a very sharp knife, or wear scuba goggles). A crew of celebrity chefs contributed recipes. The text is presented with much good humor (``never have so many tears been shed over a project that was this much fun''), though the jocularity can sometimes make a reader wince (under the ``Onion Power'' heading: ``Impotent? Try red pepper, beer, onions and whiskey. Enough of the whiskey and you won't care''). (Oct.)