I bought America Cooks over 20 years ago through a book club.
I treasure it for the multitude of good recipes it contains. I am now on my second copy. The first has been "loved into tatters". In fact, it's held together with duct tape. Now I've retired that one for the new one. Fabulous Book.

I cook a lot. As a result, I use cookbooks as reference material: I like to find three or four different variations of a recipe and pick and choose among ingredients and techniques. America Cooks has at least one version of every basic (and sometimes not so basic) recipe, so I find myself pulling it down off the shelf as a reference book almost every time I want to cook or bake something. For instance, what's the proportion of ginger to cinnamon to cloves in a pumpkin pie or in gingerbread or hermits? This is one of those books that lets you looks up things like that as you decide what you'd like your pumpkin pie or gingerbread or hermits to taste like. In addition, each of the recipes is attributed to a particular woman and a hometown. You can find out a lot about regional cooking by reading the names and towns of the women who submitted the recipes. (If you're a working woman, you might also find yourself just a little envious of the time when 'Women's Clubs' were a major social activity). I found my hardbound copy at a used book store. It's in excellent condition: the paper is wonderful quality and it has cloth bookmarks sewn into the binding. It reminds me of a family bible, and I intend to pass mine down the same way. If you love to cook, get a copy of this book.

My daughter wants this cookbook but I'm not ready to let it go. I have over two hundred cookbooks but I usually refer to this wonderful book first. I've always been pleased with the results!

My main reason for picking this book up was not for personal inspiration, but rather for more practical reasons associated with my work at a college. I am often called on to develop teaching and learning guides, training materials and various project documents. Quotes are a great tool for drawing people in to a piece, enhancing learning of the content, and providing focal points for discussion. If they can inspire and motivate as well, all the better. For me, where The book of Positive Quotations really excels is in its excellent organization of the highly nuanced categories of quotes it includes, which extends to its very well conceived index. Instead of just a section on quotes related to "goals", for example, you have associated topics of "achievement," "determination", and "hard work." This allows the reader to easily evaluate just which nuance they are looking for. Though there are indeed many quotes which are inspirational, the book really reflects a very broad range of human experience. For this reason, its practical usefulness is similarly broad and would be a useful tool for anyone who writes a lot or makes presentations as part of their job. My only suggestion for improvement would be to include a cross-reference section which lists those quoted alphabetically and provides the occupation and time period of the quoter, and perhaps the context of the quote. All in all, however, this book provides the most substance of any quote book I have seen.

Not surprisingly, this book originated as "a selection of life-affirming quotations I compiled for my nephews and niece for Christmas 1989." That's exactly what this book would be great for - a present - to another or to yourself.

It proves a valuable resource for anyone who strives to gain knowledge, wisdom, and a positive direction in life. Organized by subjects ranging from peace of mind, preparing for success, & making dreams come true, The Book of Positive Quotations provides thousands of powerful and witty quotes from famous stalwarts such as Sophocles, Churchill, Shakespeare, FDR, Confucius, Benjamin Franklin, & Cher(don't ask why) just to name a few. Also provided is a helpful index of all authors of the quotes.

I draw from this book on a regular basis for both enjoyment and wisdom & willingly recommend it to anyone with a certain degree of intellect. My favorite quote:
"Faith in oneself...is the best and safest course." - Michelangelo

My friends would not know a book from a toaster so these types of books are especially helpful to me. I am the neighborhood pub philosopher thanks to memorizing a few quotes a week. This is a valuable resource in that, like any other book of quotations, one can parrot wisdom with out having to really take the time to understand the author.
So buy this book because the only thing you have to fear is fear itself.

A book on the cooking of Rome was long overdue. Hooray for David Downie and his meticulous research into the myriad secrets of Rome's great culinary traditions! I was enchanted to find a recipe for Vignarola, that incomparable Roman spring vegetable stew, and to discover delicious new pasta dishes such as a mouth-watering concoction of spaghetti with fresh favas, lettuce hearts and pancetta. Not to mention the sublime sweet peppers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies and the delectable fried artichokes - Roman-style. David Downie vividly brings alive the day-to-day, season-to-season, rich kaleidoscope of the eternal city's trattorias, open-air markets, butchers, bakers and grocers galore.This beautiful book is richly illustrated by Alison Harris's marvellous photographs which admirably capture the essence of Rome and the Romans. Bravo Downie and Harris for an indispensable addition to any food lover or serious cook's library. Cooking the Roman Way certainly tops my Christmas gift list!

The recipes are great. I especially loved the carbonara and the spicy Amatriciana tomato sauce. Finally I have a cookbook with my favorite recipes! I own many Italian cookbooks but I wasn't aware that some of the classics I love are from Rome. A friend gave this book to me as a gift. It's a beautiful book with lavish color photos. I like it so much I'm going to give it to everyone on my Christmas list.

A friend sent me a review of Cooking the Roman Way. The reviewer made it sound too good to be true, so I ordered a copy to find out. Even for a passionate but untrained foodie like me, I've got to say that this is a great piece of work -- it's funny and articulate -- a literate cookbook that reads like a cross between fine travel writing and memoir. I have also found a bunch of classic Roman recipes that anyone can do -- bruschetta, spaghetti with garlic and hot pepper, Carbonara, Amatriciana, crostini with anchovies (my girlfriend loved that one in particular). I have been to Rome a couple of times and everything in the book rang true -- the atmosphere, the cooking style, the sites, the sensuality. Now I'm recommending the book to everyone I know, both for their own use and as gifts. What a find. Kudos (or however you say it in Italian) to the the author and photographer!

Japan at War: An Oral History, is a unque look at the fifteen year conflict through the eyes of the Japanese themselves. I would have given it all five stars had it contained more interviews from people that weren't so apologetic and tried to stay away from the question of blame a bit more. Unfortunately, the book does as many texts and covers up the fact that many, if not the majority of Japanese favored the war and were not following like blind sheep. While the social conditions and ideology of wartime Japan are a difficult topic to incorporate into a work such as this, it would have given the Cooks' work the necessary depth to take the book to a higher level.

I came across this book by accident in a bookshop in Tokyo. It immediately seemed a good read, and better than all other books I'd read as it took in a broad range of people, not just concentrating on military men. While there is a little too much inclusion of people who were, or later became, prominent in some way, this book is an important addition to studies of the Second World War. It deserves to be placed alongside other works based on oral history, such as Angus Calder's The People's War, and Stud Terkel's The Good War. I found this book a valuable resource for part of my MA: indeed, the introduction to each chapter, and the broad range of experiences make it an excellent college level text, as well as a good read.

As an American Nisei (2nd generation) Japanese american, my parents experienced the terror of the civilian firebombing at the end of World War II. Since they, as many, are reluctant to talk about it, this book helped me to capture some of their experiences and come to a greater understanding of an extremely difficult time. The irrefutability of oral history as the direct retelling of recollection and experience creates a context for telling these heretofore untold stories. It provides a sense of the greater story in a way that documentary and narrative historiographic contexts told from the perspective of the "winner" are unable to capture.

The book was a gift to my father, years ago, who was a chef with some domestic and international training and experience. A fan of Escoffier, my father couldn't believe some of Herter's comments about the reknown French master of cuisine. This is a wonderful, mixed up collection of recipes, which seem to be second to a world history according to THE authority, George Leonard Herter. He claims authentic historical recipes, but the ingredients list begins with "Take a #2 can of whole corn..." I'm sure the early Native Americans had the electric can openers ready. In any event, a must-read, as I have devoured this book many times and keep howling with laughter. Oh, and yes, the recipes are quite good...and easy.

In addition to being a useful cookbook, this is a facinating history book. This is my favorite cookbook, and has taught me how to cook more than any other. It is also very entertaining, and funny to read. Some of the recipes that I've used which are excellent are Shoshone meat patties, saurbraten, Stonewall Jackson barbecue ribs, Seminole Corn Relish, sour dough pancakes La Salle, and beans escoffier. And if you've ever wondered how to make Worstecshire sauce, beer, or about 50 different kinds of wine after reading this book you will wonder no more.

This is simply the funniest, strangest cookbook I've ever owned. The story of St. Anthony's world famous sandwich put my boyfriend into such a state of hilarity that I thought he'd stopped breathing. Of course, it's just one among many bizzare blends of ancient history and rustic American home cookin'. Some recipes, ostensibly from original, ancient sources, use such things as ketchup and luncheon meat. I had no idea the book had been re-published in 1995, so I was shocked to find these reviews! My edition is 1969, Vol. I, gold hardcover, self-published by Herter's store. In back, it lists some other titles by the Herters, such as, "How to Live with a Bitch", "George the Housewife", and "How to Get Out of the Rat Race and Live on $10 a Month". If anybody finds these, I'd love to know how they compare to old "Bull Cook".

This is my all time favourite fantasy series, and this is on of the best in the series. Cook has a unique style of writing, and isn't afraid to break away from the normal c**p the genre tends to churn out.

He has some interesting (although not always original) ideas, and this book is one of the best examples of that.

By the way, Hugh Cook is a New Zealander, although many references state he is English.

The best fantasy epic I've ever read. I first read this book ten years ago and I still think it rocks. If you like fantasy and you die without reading this, you've lived in vain...

I have read this book over 50 times, and everytime I pick it up to read again, I find more to love about it. The characters are colourful, and full of life. Hugh Cook has outdone himself, and many other fantasy writers, with this novel.

I believe this is the greatest book ever writen.

To people about to start the series... I found it much more enjoyable to begin the saga from this book, then to read the rest in any order... it seems to work out better that way.

I love this book. The poems are great and I can find the poems that Anne says in the movie, "Anne of green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlee" I love the poems. I like These are the Times That try Mens Soals.

This was my Dad's poetry text at college in the thirties. Every Christmas during his life he would read the 'holiday' poems to our family. I have carried on the tradition for my children and grandchildren and each year they await the reading of 'Bairnies Coodle Doon' and 'Jes for Christmas', two wonderful stories that bring forward the lives of children of a hundred years ago. If tradition is important to you and if you want to introduce your family to poetry as America knew it for the first 200 years, this collection if highly recommended.

My father had an old copy of this book that he read as a child. He loved to read his favorites from this book, or simply recite them from memory. They are classic rhyming poems. Another favorite book of mine is "Poetry for a Lifetime", a beautiful volume which includes a number of these poems, including "Plant a Tree" and "Home". It has a much larger number of poems and is illustrated and has comments from the editor. I highly recommend both books.

I know of no other cookbook that goes through such rigorous experimentation in order to come up with the best possible recipes. The editors don't just cover ingredients, but they also cover tools and techniques in wonderful detail. For the really inquisitive, they also offer scientific explanations behind various cooking techniques like brining. The chapter on beef burgers alone is worth the price of the book, offering insightful hints on how to choose the meat, how to shape the patties, and how to cook them. Then, to ensure that no other book on grilling even comes close, they offer separate cooking instructions for charcoal vs. gas grills FOR EVERY RECIPE.

Truly amazing.

Several months ago my Dad passed on to me about 10 of his old Cooks Illustrated magazines to read. They didn't seem very impressive on the outside, no glossy photos or pictures to look at. But I leafed through the magazines and just loved the no nonsense feel of the magazine. So when we bought a grill and I saw that Cooks Illustrated did a Grilling Recipe book, I knew I would get it...and all the positive remarks the book had also encouraged me. It arrived, and gee, it still didn't have pretty color photos either, but I got over it quickly and reminded myself that I didn't need to see how a chicken leg looked for the 100th time anyway. There are plenty of illustrations though, which are helpful when they describe a technique for you to do, such as making hamburger patties so they don't turn into tennis balls on the grill. The book provides a separate recipe for each food, depending on whether you are using a charcoal or gas grill. How many times have you bought a cookbook and made a recipe and afterwards thought, "that really wasn't very good, why did they put that recipe in there, just for filler?"? Well, with Cooks Illustrated you can be confident the recipes were thoroughly tested and tasted, and if it didn't taste good, it wasn't included. To me, understanding why a recipe works (and this book explains why they do), makes it easier for me to cook, and it expands my knowledge of cooking, so I can use what I learned on other meal preparations. I had never heard of brining myself until this book, and I tried the brined pork chops on my grill...YUMMMY, nice and juicy and simple to do. I bought another grilling cookbook at the same time, How to BBQ by Raichlen, and I have compared the instructions/recipes for different foods and often they are similar but do have variations of methods. If I could only keep 1 of the 2 books, I would keep this one due to the information it gives. For example, one page has 4 paragraphs on salt. There is kosher, sea salt and regular table salt. If a recipe told me to use kosher salt in the past, I would just pick up my old salt shaker and use that instead. This book tells you what the difference is and so I finally bought some kosher salt for the spice rubs. It might not make a huge difference in the long run, but the kosher salt is inexpensive and I want to continue and try to improve taste. I'm not knocking the other book I bought, and I prefer to have options available to me, but to me this book provides you with a foundation on which to build on, so when other books tell you to do something a certain way, you can use what you learned from Cooks Illustrated to make somebody elses recipe a little better. Go for it, don't just follow a recipe, learn how and why it works the way it does!

Another great book from Cook's, covering all the basic aspects of grilling. The recipe for slow cooked ribs is excellent. The brining technique for grilling chicken is one of the most important discoveries I've ever made. I refuse to eat any chicken that hasn't been brined!! Recipes are very informative and easy to follow. Unfortunately this book comes with the old-style, AWFUL Cook's Illustrated index, which is impossible to use. I've addded my own annotations in order to make it useful. All in all, this is a great book!!

This is a great collection of recipes from Argentine's
various regions. I had tried to cook the milanesa,
one of my favorite dish when I resided in Buenos Aires
back in the early 80's. It turned out delicious. This
book reminds me of how great Argentine cuisine could be.

However, this book lacks colorful pictures. I think that
with some colorful examples, this book can attract more
attention in the bookstores.

I have collected many good cooking books by Stellino,
Pepin, etc. I am glad that I purchased this book.
I can't wait to see Ms. Brook's next cooking book. This book
is definitely worth the price.

What a surprise and a delight this book is! The recipes have so far proved fool-proof and have pleased even the most jaded and widely-traveled of our friends. Far more than a cookbook, Argentina Cooks is a nice piece of travel writing. Ms. Brooks brings this country, which gets little press in the US, alive. As a person with an academic background in geography, I truly valued and enjoyed her descriptions of Argentina's regions and the ways that geography and culture have influenced each region's cuisine. She adds just enough info. to enhance the choice of recipes. The black & white illustrations are delightful. Color photos would have been nice, but her writing is so vivid and detailed that their lack takes nothing away. An unusual, useful book on many levels.

Argentina Cooks! is a fabulous addition for the gourmet's bookshelf. The book is divided up into recipes from the varied regions of Argentina. The regions are described so evocatively and personally that this book provides tremendous enjoyment for the armchair traveler as well as the cook. The recipes have proven delicious, truly sensual. I have tried the lobster empanadas and swooned. The meat and seafood dishes are quite varied, new and delicious. Recipe instructions are precise and the processes made clear and simple. A culinary standout! Highly recommended.

My 1929 edition has always looked old, the pages were yellowing, and the oval portraits of the poets seemed outdated. I have had this old favorite on my bookshelf since childhood.

Over the last month I again read all 101 poems, rediscovering poets and poetry that I had nearly forgotten. Cook's compilation is a historical snapshot, one made before the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam, Civil Rights, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the US, as the only super power, faced with global terrorism.

America was still fairly youthful in 1929; the Civil War had ended only 64 years before. Possibly reflecting our confidence in our American spirit and our sense of manifest destiny, this anthology includes a remarkable number of American poets. Some are no longer familiar, but their poetry sheds light on an earlier America, one that inhabited a less complicated world.

One-third of the 'famous poems' belong to just twelve American poets - William Cullen Bryant -2 poems, Ralph Waldo Emerson -4, Eugene Field -3, Oliver Wendell Holmes -3, Vachel Lindsay -2, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -7, James Russell Lowell -2, Edwin Markham -2, Edgar Allan Poe -2, James Whitcomb Riley -2, Edward Sill -2, and John Greenleaf Whittier -3. I did not recall the names Field, Lindsay, Markham, or Sill. But I clearly remember as a young boy being fascinated by the paradox in Eugene Field's 'The Duel'.

Surprisingly, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman rated only one poem each. The then contemporary poets Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edgar Lee Masters, and Carl Sandburg each have one poem.

Another one-third comes from 15 noted English poets (9 with multiple selections) - Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Burns, Byron, Gray, George Elliott, Leigh Hunt, Keats, Kipling, Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tennyson, and Wordsworth.

The poets that created the final one-third 'famous poems' are fascinating in their anonymity. I simply did not recognize Lieut. Col. John McCrae, Henry Holcomb Bennett, Edmund Vance Cook, George Washington Doane, Sam Walter Foss, William Ernest Henley, Mary Howitt, Sergeant Joyce Kilmer, Winifred M. Letts, Clement Clarke Moore, Thomas Buchanan Read, and Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

Their poems, however, were not entirely strangers: But let me live by the side of the road and be a friend of man - We shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders Field - a poem as lovely as a tree - Laugh and the world laughs with you - I am the captain of my soul - Will you walk into my parlor?, said the spider to the fly - The Night before Christmas.

Many poems reflect the virtues of honor, commitment, respect of God, patriotism, honesty, perseverance, courage, respect for others, and loyalty. William Bennett would approve. Others are playful and simply fun to read. Lay this old, outdated collection next to your favorite chair. It's great reading. You won't be disappointed.

This is a wonderful book with poems from some of the greatest masters of all time! A++++++

I just bought this book, in search of some classic poetry, and haven't been able to put it down. My favorite is "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes, but there are certainly many more that I found moving and clever, such as "The Spider and the Fly", and "Home." This is a great first step into the world of poetry, and I can now honestly say that I am hooked!