This treasure trove of butter drenched, fried, preserved and heavily sweetened recipes is loaded with practical homemaking advice from the days when "fresh" was only seasonally available per market, and cholesterol was not a vocabulary word. It makes you think about how people "lived to eat" in the Northeastern US at the turn of the century before foreign travel, immigration, mass media, refrigeration, food processors, mixers, nutrition research, etc. made exotic cuisines and "fresh and light" everyday fare.

The recipes are classic, yet loaded with good and creative cooking ideas that might have been overlooked in the 20th century...nutmeg in poultry dressing, etc. They are invitations to create meals that make you think about how economic and scientific considerations influenced how people ate. For example, you'll find more varieties of angel cakes; when you consider that sugar was more expensive than butter and therefore more of a treat, it's not surprising. Canning and preserving, and making out of season foods taste good, were necessary skills of any good housekeeper. Physical labor was a daily necessity, meaning bigger, heartier meals.

This cookbook is as interesting to read as it is a source of good old fashioned American recipes. Adjust them to 1990's dietary considerations, and you've got an enduring classic you can use every day.

My original copy of Fanny Farmer's Cookbook has no cover, pages behave as falling leaves unless handled with care, but I would not give it up for a new one, never never. What would I do without my years of scribbled notes in the margins? The copies I am buying now are for two granddaughters who are college frosh this year. They will get Fanny, Miss Manners, New College dictionary, etc. to start their own home libraries. Every home need Fanny Farmer because it is basic, easy to read and understand and calls for ingredients readily available - if not on the home shelf then at any grocery. FYI, when the grandson goes off to college he will also get a copy of Fanny to take with him, along with his microwave and a covered frying pan.

This book was the first I ever had. My mother bought it for me when I got married. It was a mainstay in our kitchen at home. It teaches all aspects of basic sauces, breads, pastries, meats, poultry, vegetables and soups. It contains hints on substitutions, on how to diagnose a failed cake, on how to create a bouquet garni. It will never go out of date. Surely our eating habits have changed somewhat. We eat more veggies, less meat, but the dessert cart at the restaurant looks as luscious as ever, and we can find all of it or reasonable facsimile in this Classic.

I grew up peering over my mother's shoulder into Ms. Vanderbilt's amazingly comprehensive and complete guide to cooking. It takes you through the simple steps to create gorgeous home-cooked meals that can stand with the best of any restaurants. The greatest thing about the book is that many of the recipes are fairly basic and can be augmented by a more experienced cook to show off their own style. I was distressed when the binding finally fell off --- from so much use!

I first saw this book by my sister-in-law. She had served us perfect pancakes. When I asked if she used box-mixture, she showed me the book. So I decided to source one for myself. It's a bit difficult to find, as it is out of print. But the trouble to get is certainly worth it. This book is really a good purchase for anyone desiring to expand his or her recipe bank. Every recipe is easy to follow, and the results are just perfect! Now, I follow the recipes from the book whenever I have a special occasion. It's so good, I even bought one for my younger sister.

This is the most comprehensive cookbook I have ever found for the American kitchen. Where others specialize in a particular category (low-fat cookbooks, gourmet, ethnic, etc.), this book covers virtually EVERYTHING!!My copy is one of the first printings (from the 1950s), and has been used in my family for generations. This is simply the most useful cookbook you can have in your kitchen (I keep mine up in the cupboard for easy access). I refer to it as the cooking "encyclopedia." Need to know how to make the perfect scrambled eggs? How about every pie IMAGINABLE? The recipes are definitely traditional 1950s American cooking (nothing too low fat here), but you'll find the book invaluable when wanting to come up with a quick solution for your meals. If you want to add variety to your diet, there is also a suggested meal listing for an entire WEEK! The book even includes proper table settings, and cooking guidelines that have been passed on for generations. BUY THIS BOOK!!!

This book was a wonderful surprise: a well-crafted, amusing and gracefully written culinary mystery. Out of the many many culinary mysteries on the shelf these days, this stands out as the best I've read yet. The recipes and food descriptions are integral to the story, and are integrated well with the text--not stuck onto the back as a last second "gimmick". The mystery was interesting and engaging, and the characters sympathetic and amusing. Can't wait for the next in this series to come out!

I enjoyed every morsel of this charming, entertaining, and literate book -- from the colorful, and very French, chef protagonist to the dead-on local characters to the witty remarks sprinkled throughout.This writer has the knack; I can't wait for more from her.

In a mystery sub-genre almost overrun with titles, Lamalle's first entry in the culinary mystery category is a real standout at every level: characterization, plotting, language, humor and the author's pitch-perfect ear and feel for the denizens of her upstate New York, small-town locale. Something is rotten in Van Buren County and it begins to noticeably fester when the battered corpse of an unknown female turns up in the mushroom patch of Charles Poisson, owner and gourmet master of "La Fermette," the gustatory jewel of Klover, NY ("a mere thiry miles from Albany.") Poisson, whose personality and diction have a hint of the late Hercule Poirot, is an inspired creation, as are his regular dining patrons, most of whom become suspects in the primary murder as quickly as they are introduced. Lamalle manages to keep the suspense spinning for all of her almost 300 pages, while simultaneously charming the reader with characters who might well fit into a game of "Clue"--if "Clue" were played in the village of Peyton Place. An extra bonus in this sparkling entertainment is the collection of Charlie's mouth-watering recipes, sprinkled as a garnish through its suspensful, funny and murderous pages. A first-class, genre-transcending entertainment that should appeal to both mystery fans and anyone fond of an amusing, literate novel.

Of course one should expect that from the father of the third edition d20 system. The previous reviewer is accurate about the content. I personally didnt think it was quiet as good as some other products available but its a added bonus that the content requires no review if your players want to use it. Its that well balanced.

This is superb writing. Monte's answer to the Book of Vile Darkness is richly imaginative, balanced, and innovative in all aspects of game design. Check it out.

The Book of Hallowed Might is an excellent sourcebook for divine spellcasting characters. Highlights include cool prestige classes (such as the Knight of the Pale), interesting feats (which tie in concepts like oaths, religious conversion, etc) and a large number of great new divine spells. There's also an alternate ranger and a few variant paladin classes.

On par with much of Mr Cook's previous material, including the excellent Books of Eldritch Might, Requiem for a God, etc. Highly recommended.

The Odes to Common Things was written toward the end of Neruda's life, in a voice steeped in the wisdom of a life experienced in the greatest joys and horrors of the 20th century. When Neruda writes about a table, a chair, flowers, socks, or soap, these common things become more than everyday banal objects: they are transformed and elevated into metaphors, vehicles for the greater questions that haunt our lives, capturing the often overlooked beauty of everyday life, of the little things that we seem to remember only in our twilight.

Ken Krabbenhoft's translation is good, but often, as with other translations, it fails to capture the true spirit of the Spanish words (but not at his fault). It is for this reason I gave it four instead of five stars.

My personal favorites include: "Oda al Pan" (Ode to Bread); "Oda a la Cama" (Ode to the Bed); and, "Oda al Violin de California" (Ode to a Violin in California), perhaps because Neruda's inspiration may have come from walking the same shores that I too walk in barefoot pleasure.
--ross saciuk

Having only read one of the Odes...I was compelled to give my feedback. Poetry and Neruda's greatness aside, this book is beautiful. Beautifully bound and lovely illustrations. I'm thrilled I'm giving this as a gift!

Pablo Neruda--the last great poet. Every time I pick up one of his books I'm startled back in to coherence. "Odes to Common Things" is no exception. His elevation of what you and I take for granted to entities of self-completeness is nothing short of brilliance. When I see a chair all I see is a place to plant my weary body, but with Neruda the chair is transformed into something wildly exotic, transcendent and magical. "Ode to the dictionary" will make you regret not using yours more. A tell-tale sign of reading profound poetry is an encroaching sense of self-disgust. I rarely fail to acheive this feeling when reading Neruda. So if you're in the mood to be simutaneously elevated and degraded, read "Ode to Common Things", a book that is anything but common.

Planar travel without gates or portals, and a mystery to solve . . . Prepare your party for a lot of climbing as you journey through the Planes in search of adventures and answers. Author Cook has prepared an exotic layered quest for not only the Planescape campaign but also any other AD&D adventures.

Tales from the Infinite Staircase is an intricate set of eight interwoven adventures written around a central mystery, adventures that can be played alone or as the components of a single journey.

This volume introduces the concept of the Infinite Staircase throughout the Planes, linking it to the independent adventure For Duty & Deity (Forgotten Realms), which may be used along with Tales for Forgotten Realms and Planescape alike. Detailed notes are provided in each book for weaving the two together, or for playing any or all of the eight adventures in Tales in any Prime Material Plane campaign. The Tales themselves run a little toward the creepy, and vary from good places for getting lost and exploring to areas for finding necessary components in solving the book's central mystery. The variety here makes possible the extraction of any one tale for individual use, or for the party to visit, leave for a game year, and come back to re-enter the mystery if desired. Characters of good alignment are guaranteed to be badly stressed out by the beings they may need to ally with and the places they must go.

Presented as a stand-alone AD&D product for any campaign as well as for Planescape, this book contains the most basic information beyond the core AD&D rulebooks to run adventures out on some of the many Planes of existence. The imaginative non-Planescape dungeon master whose gaming group is not composed of book-bound rules lawyers will be perfectly able to manage here. However, many DMs new to the Planescape may end up wanting additional background on creatures, Planes, and the structure of the Planar universe, and the Planescape Monstrous Appendix I & II books will be of the greatest help here. Other helpful books and sets to beg, buy, or borrow for use with these adventures are the Planewalker's Handbook, A Guide to the Astral Plane, Planes of Law, and Planes of Chaos. The web of connections among these eight tales is quite complex and these volumes will cut down on the amount of notetaking, bookmarking, and sheer inventing that a dungeon master may require. The amount of Planescape slang (from the city of Sigil) in this book is fortunately kept to a minimum, easing beginner traumas.

Frankly, the statistics and information Cook gives for creatures and individuals could be much more conveniently arranged. Because monsters may pop up in many tales but are only fully described in one tale, the creature information should have either been all collected in one place, or, given the size of each section, more specific cross-references beyond "see Tale 8" ought to have been included.

This adventure is intended for a party of 3rd to 5th level Planescape characters, or for higher level characters from other campaigns. Possible adjustments for difficulty level are included in this book and the independent companion piece For Duty & Deity.

--Sharon Daugherty for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine

This book consists of 8 linked adventures which you can play separately or one after the other, in any order the players or DM choose(es). At the beginning of each adventure, DM notes tell you which modifications to make to that scenario depending on which adventures the characters already went through. The plot of the 8 adventures revolves around the same idea (defeating the iron shadow), with many subplots in the way, that can be further developed by the DM into short adventures. The only but is the effort/treasure ratio, in my opinion. Players with non-good alignment will need some extra motivation which, however, can be easily provided by the DM. Overall, a very nice work, most enjoyable for the DM and players alike.

Describes the creation known as the inifinate staircase, a planar secret not known by many. The adventures detailed are good as subplots interspersed into an ongoing main plot. Gives the party another possible option for use in traversing the planes but its not as simple as portals and the journey is sure to be an adveture in itself. Overall an interesting adventure

This is a landmark Wolfe mystery for the true fan, but new readers may find it dated, with a thin plot. It is Stout's first real shot at playing Wolfe for laughs, and also marks Archie's emergence as a mature and witty observer- unlike the more naive Goodwin of previous books (eg The Rubber Band, The Red Box) for whom the heroine is out-of-reach. The setting is farcical but still has a nice 30s period feel.

In Rex Stout's fifth book in the series, Wolfe engages in two activites he detests: leaving the confines of his home and travel by any type of machinery (a train in this case). Wolfe and Archie travel to Kanawha Spa, West Virginia, where Wolfe has been invited to speak before a group of master chefs. Wolfe encounters more than just gourmet food when one of the chefs is murdered.

Stout really has a lot of fun with the story and characters as Wolfe's confrontational manner begins to emerge in the series. The characters are always colorful, but the supporting cast of chefs, wives, servants, and others is also enjoyable. Some of the most interesting books in the series are those in which Wolfe leaves the brownstone and is absent from his comforts: the plant rooms, his cook Fritz, his beer, his office. Still, it becomes evident early on that Wolfe is in complete control. Or is he? Find out the lengths that Wolfe will go to in the attempt to obtain the recipe for saucisse minuit.

One of Stout's best and one of the most fun reads I have ever had. It is hilarious, full of interesting characterizations, and plotted well enough to carry it through. Great fun!

When William Irving "Wiz" Zumwalt, computer programmer extraordinaire, steps out his front door, and into an entirely different world, he realizes he's in trouble. In this other world, magic exists but computers don't. He feels useless here, but the great wizard who summoned him must have had a purpose for him, and, as he is an unknown factor, the evil Dark League are determined to capture him. It's a dangerous world for Wiz...But, when he discovers that working magic *can* be handled like writing a program, it becomes a dangerous world for the bad guys!

This is quite an exciting book. I must admit that when I first saw the book, I did not take it seriously. But, once I began reading, I was hooked. The author spins a fascinating story, people by interesting characters. Plus, I must admit that the author's unique take on magic was quite refreshing. If you like good, light-hearted swords-and-sorcery fantasy, then you will love this book!

i got this book based on a friends recommendation.
lots of computer (esp. unix) in jokes and a fun read.
the series got better and better.
it's an easy read (i read most on two flights from SFO to ATL) so do not expect to work hard at it.

I read this book under the title "Wiz Biz" and enjoyed it thoroughly. Treating magic as a science is not a new idea, but treating magic spells as if they were computer programs is a new twist to the idea. This book will appeal to the large number of computer geeks out there who also love fantasy roleplaying. I can't wait to read the other books in the series!

I got this book to not only help me, but to help my sons teachers understand some of the complexities of Aspergers. It is a great reference for teachers, professionals, and parents.

If you have a child with Asperger Syndrome and have found yourself explaining over and over again why s/he gets agitated over seemingly innocent smells and noises. If you get dirty looks from people who think your child is just naughty and out of control because they cover their ears, plug their noses and try to escape when they get sensory overload, then this is the book for you. Not only does it give you the words to explain what is happening to your child to others, it gives your child the words for how he is feeling himself. I have seriously considered making a card much like page ii in the introduction that is a picture of the boy with the various signs for his sensory problems. A big eared cartoon next to his ear that says, "Overly senstive to loud noises" ; a fuzzy bristled looking character representing the tactile sense that says "Has difficulty with hair washing and brushing." In one page it explains the entire problem with pictures. In addition the book gives really good ideas about what to do about the sensory issues. Very practical book. Definetely a must have in your Asperer library.

This book is packed with hundreds of ideas to help children with AS survive in a neurotypical world. It explains sensory issues in a user-friendly way and provides a blue print for helping individuals with AS!

In "Memories of My Life" Auguste Escoffier reveals essentially nothing memorable about his life other than his opinion that French ingredients are good and war with Germany is bad (who knew?). The book reads like a Reader's Digest condensation, reduced to little more than "I went here" and "I went there." Yet the book is an important read for culinarians if only because it comes from the Master's own hand. Reading between the lines, we get the impression that Escoffier had a way with people, a way with food, and an extraordinary ability to match one to the other. Hardly the rigid systemizer he is often portrayed, he emphasizes over and over the importance of adapting cuisine to the changing times and targeting the desires of the customer. On this latter point he may have been the unrivaled master. Menus inserted at various points in the narrative reveal that Escoffier was flamboyant in the description of his culinary creations, often shamelessly naming them after the prospective guest of honor. Reveared in his own time by patrons and colleagues, his single-minded dedication to both quality and service should be a lesson to restauranteurs today. As translated from French into English, the prose is at about Junior High level, but this is appropriate since Escoffier had only about an 8th grade education. The narrative is amplified considerably by margin notes that provide background and details probably unknown to the modern reader. Unfortunately, the Glossary is woefully inadequate to the task of translating the menus, which are probably the book's most important feature. In addition, two letters to Escoffier are included near the end of the book that have no obvious purpose, one of them going so far as to suggest that Escoffier's rosy description of the success of the New York Knickerbocker Hotel was not universally shared. Nonetheless, the book is an interesting read and serves as a light companion to Escoffier's more ponderous Le Guide Culinaire.

I know i haven't read his books but i have one called Larousse. He is my grandfather's great uncle so i feel fortunate to be related to such a fantanstic chef. I love his recipes. A lot of them are very easy to do and don't take that much time. So to all of you buy one of his books and try some of his recipes!

This is exceptional work. Shows the development, passion and humanity that this man possessed.

The added timelines show that his development of the gourmet art coincided with other major breakthroughs.

Great tidbits such as the development of the aprix fixe meal, the ala carte way of organizing the restaurant, the origination of Peaches Melba. His history is fascinating, with its interaction with prominent people and wartimes. What a great happening when German Emperor was told that the chef of your upcoming meal is none other than a former war prisoner from France who wants to poision you. When asked about this by one of Emperor's officers inspecting the kitchen, Escoffier replies" "You may dine in peace. If, one day, your country once again seeks war with France, and I am still able, I will do my duty. But for the time being, you may relax and not let anything trouble your digestion."

One is charmed to hear repeatedly of this man's concern for the less fortunate, the retired chefs with no pension, the senior citizens home he attended to, etc.

Great stuff, here. Nothing boring, but fascinating, e.g. note that Ho Chi Minh was working in Escoffier's kitchen preparing vegetables in 1914. Asked why French are such powerhouses in gourmet world, Escoffier said among the reasons was the the people in each area had their specialties which they kept going, and great food at gatherings is relished and past on from generation to generation.

This covers a most influential man in gourmet history, during crucial world/Eurpoean events as well.

Great read.