Kudos to Burt Wolf for creating an indispensable collection of kitchen cookware, gadget, tool, electrical appliance and everything but the kitchen sink reviews for both the new and experienced cook. There are tons of books dedicated to recipes and cooking, but this book gives you wonderful information on what cooking equipment to buy. I feel so much more informed and confident in my purchases since I've used this book. It has reviews and information on kitchen essentials all the way to esoteric gadgets you never knew existed. It's a great way to inventory and stock your kitchen. I also love the fact that it includes pictures and descriptions of currently available items with reviews written from an unbiased viewpoint. Also included are insights from many well known and talented chefs.

This should have been called, "The Kitchen Equipment Bible." It's that good! Highly recommended.

I still have my original Cook's Catalogue, bought when I was in college. I wasn't new to cooking then, but I sure hadn't seen devices like he showed in that book! I fell in love with it then, over the next 20+ years purchased some of the equipment in there, and wondered if there would ever be a followup.

Well, here it is, and it is as inclusive as the original! Unlike a prior reviewer, I enjoy reading about the arcane and unique pieces made for cooking. I don't want a book of this scope written like Consumer Reports. In the first place, even Consumer Reports' product evaluations are usually subjective. Plus, their prices aren't accurate. Yes, I rather wish Mr. Wolf had at least given some range of prices for items in the book. However, I don't consider it a real drawback, as prices do vary enormously even on the web.

I found the recipes and other inserts pleasing and practical. The color photos were also welcomed for this edition. There is literally no way to cover all kitchen products on today's market, but Mr. Wolf goes further than anyone else I've seen in trying.

I tend to be a kitchen gadget and utensil freak anyway so this book is right up my alley. Otherwise, and particularly for the novice in cooking, I have doubts about its utility.

This book was a great help in expanding some of our kitchen equipment. If you visit a bookstore or library, you may find thousands of books on cooking and not one on cooking equipment. This book fills that niche very nicely.

There were some items that we had acquired that we knew were really good -- the authors had done their research and it was encouraging that they found the same and for similar reasons. That gave me some reference as to their experience.

The book is up-to-date. They have equipment that is top-notch and widely available. The photos are excellent.

The book is also a great resource for items you may not have considered or known about. I know that we now have several more items on our list of equipment to buy. This makes it especially good as a gift to newlyweds or people starting out on their own and want to cook.

A friend gave me this book suggesting that I would enjoy it, and I dutifully read it. I wish I'd spent my time differently. There are some good jokes in it, but all in all, it's not very enlightening.

Important work addressing the bloodmysteries that continue to shroud all women. An extremely helpful text for understanding how the role of menstruation and repoductive capability effects social structures and political equality movements. I highly recommend this read.

I have been reading numerous books on menstruation and menarche lately and without a doubt this book is one of the BEST resources I've encountered. I am amazed at the scope of research these ladies were able to compile, and am impressed with the even-handed and objective analysis they've shared. This is not light reading, and yet it is engrossing and insightful. I am especially impressed with the amount of attention they have paid to menarche (a girl's first period.) Nowhere else (and I've read nearly everything I can find) have I found this much honest, unbiased and straightforward information. My copy came through inter-library loan, but this is definitely a book I will purchase for my own library. Excellent work! My admiration and thanks to these women authors!

The first 4 or 5 books in the Pollifax series are wonderful. This is the worst of those that follow. I think the problem that I am having is that Mrs. Pollifax no longer seems to be the author of her own success. Lucky chance may be the reason she wins through in the end, or some individual she meets up with does it all for her. And I don't care for these partnerships, especially with Farrell. The wonderful thing in the past was how Mrs. Pollifax would come to a case with lovely excitement and by being herself assemble a group of unusual people around her and inspire them to great things. The recent Pollifaxes have seem tired and dependent.

Mrs. Pollifax, intrepid Garden Club member and holder of a brown belt in karate, has gone on several assignments to exotic places for the CIA. In this book, she is called by old friend John Farrell to help him in his latest predicament. He is a former CIA agent who is now an art dealer and he has been asked to authenticate the signature of Julius Caesar on a document. In the process of doing so, he has been chased and shot at and he is currently in hiding. Mrs. Pollifax shows up with a young woman named Kate who has been assigned to help her. When they have trouble finding a safe haven, Kate takes them to her aunt's house. Mrs. Pollifax finds all sorts of interesting activities going on there and learns more about the people who are chasing Farrell. This story has the amusing complication of having Carstairs assign a person to follow and protect Mrs. Pollifax. She is not aware of this and she levels the poor man with a well-placed karate chop. Mrs. Pollifax fans will not be disappointed in this entry in the series.

Of course, I love all of Mrs. Pollifax's adventures! I want to be her when I grow up;) But this one had wonderful, colorful (to say the least) characters, plot twists, and bits of Sicilian culture that made for a overall very enjoyable read.

Bartlett's is, by far, the most well known of all quotations books. But it may or not be the best one for your needs. If you want a book which will help you find our who wrote quotations that you encounter, then it's an excellent choice. If you want a book that takes you on a stroll through the history of ideas, starting with the earliest quotations, and moving through to the most recent, then this is a good book for you, perhaps the best. This can be a great way to discover which authors' ideas you like, so you can identify whole books by those authors. It's a great way to introduce nuggets of brilliance to your kids too.

But if you are preparing a speech, writing a book or article which you want to find good quotes on specific subjects, this is not a good choice. There are some wonderfully better books than this one with more quotations and which are far better organized. They are all organized by subject category. It makes all the difference in the world, compared to going to the index in the back of the book, then searching for each quote referred to in the subject index, as Bartlett's forces you to do.

If you are, like me, a quotation book collector (I have over 400, dating back to 1590 and a computer database of over 50,000 quotatiosn) then you'll want an edition of Bartlett's (I have at least half a dozen different editions, and the contents do change from edition to edition.)

Other good subject categorized quotation books include . H.L. Mencken's A New Dictionary of Quotations Awesome collection Dictionary of Thoughts by Tryon Edwards, over 100 years since first published, but much friendlier Burton Stevenson's Home Book of quotations, with over 40,000 quotes also titled as MacMillan Dictionary of Quotations, Big, solidly done. Wolfgang Mieder's Encyclopedia of World Proverbs (not quotes, but a great collection by one of the world's experts) International Thesaurus of Quotations-- very comprehensive, large list,and, a new addition-- Quotationary. I've also put together an amazon list of quotation books.

I have to say though, that over the 10+ years I have been working on my own quotation book, with its 600+ subject categories, I have always used Bartletts as one of the measures of quality.

Have fun.

I'm a politician and frequently prepare speeches and articles that are meant to persuade or provide appropriate commentary. Bartlett's is indespensible if your style accomodates the quoting of others. For those moments when I must mark events (Memorial Day) or meet an expectation of seriousness I find Bartlett's to be an excellent source for just the right phrase.

This is a massive reference book, which is good in and of itself. Where Bartlett's really shines is in it's organization. Quotes in the body are arranged chronologically and by author. The index is superb, with quotes locatable by subject and author. For most topics, the writer will be confronted with multiple quotes from which to choose which best illustrates the heft and value of this tome.

My only criticism, which has been noted by other commentators, is that this latest edition does seem to be moderately invaded by political correctness. For example, the quotes selected to characterize Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher almost seem to be designed to belittle their historic contributions and commentary -- while much more historic and significant utterances are ignored (missing for example are "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," or any of Reagan's wonderful D-Day commemmoration speech). I personnally find this annoying because my need for quotes does run to the political. One also gets the sneaky suspicion that some of the newer entries were inserted for reasons other than the significance or value of the quote.

That said however, the book is an excellent resource. It is rich, covering almost any topic you may want to highlight and reaches back to beyond biblical times for quotable utterances. A must for any reference library.

Well over 100 years old, Bartlett's is the definitive Quotations reference. That said, don't expect to find everything there - it's just not possible to include everything. I have over 20 quotation books and still can't find some things.

An excellent reference book. Don't try to read it cover to cover unless you're an insane quotation freak (like myself).

A fascinating account of the life and times of a self-made legend, who lived life by her own rules and celebrated her sexuality on an astonishing level. The book provided mcuh insight to the times, as well as the motives and cunning of Mae West. However, I would have liked to read more about her later life, seeing as she lived another forty years after where the book drops off. All in all, a really meticulous and well done biography.

"Becoming Mae West" is simply the best book written about the star because it is focused and meticulously researched, employing primary sources when available. Ms Leider's book has the authority without sacrificing readability; the author writes well. The fascinating part of West's life is how she cobbled together an act and a personality that is an amalgam of Police Gazette melodrama, the comic camp of female impressionist Bert Savoy, and the daring sexual style and musical sense of the great African American blues women. Mae West's sense of possibilities allowed her to transform herself from a pudgy Jewish/Irish girl with more guts than talent into a blond sex symbol of amazonian proportions (okay, she used six inch platform shoes) who refined the rough soubrette type into a witty American icon. Emily Leider tells this story well. For those who wanted the dirt on West's declining decades, Ms. Leider sketches it in to complete the tale. But as Leider warns the reader, it was the act of Becoming Mae West that prompted her to write this book, not the effort of a woman entrapped by her creation to preserve it. Highly recommended.

Having read several books about Mae West already, I was caught a bit off guard by the content of Ms. Leider's fine biography. I went into the book expecting a straightforward tale of the escapades of Miss West's illustrious career, but was handed a different deck of cards all together. The atmoshere of early 20th Century New York is so wonderfully depicted, that I felt like I was off in another time and place while reading. Leider expertly weaves in and out of the tale of Miss West's life story and the culture of the time with such finesse, that I didn't realize I was getting a history lesson at the same time. There is so much more to this novel than the biographical nature of it. Everything from early Broadway to Hollywood and the changes in societal norms is handled superbly. Mae West was a fascinating person all on her own. This novel supports the legend while making its own mark as well. This novel is by far the most superior book on her that I have come across. I would venture to guess that even non-fans will find it extremely good reading.

Emily the Strange is a really awesome idea. Its not really a story as much as its a series of catch phrases and anecdotes, i.e "Emily doesnt break rules, she breaks hearts", (or something to that effect). One of the best parts of this book is the unique use of ink - figure/ground reversal...implied by the cover, much of the art is silouhette. Another wonderful feature is the printing...they really made use of veneer techniques, i.e. if you look at certain pages at the right angle in the right light, you can see phantasmagoric typography , "cat eyes", and other such hidden treasures.

If you are into great graphic design, book design, or even if you have no interrest in that and you just want a clever book....this is the book for you.

I really like books like this - books that are in a children's book style, yet appeal more to the older crowd yet retain an "all ages" feel. This book illustrates that perfectly.

one down point - in my opinion, the author is one of those people who's work proceeds them...the book is really great, but the author's obsession with cats is evident in the book...maybe i'm just fickle, but cat lovers just weird me out.

thanks for reading!

There is something strange about girls named Emily. Every Emily I've ever met has felt the same peculiar connection to her name that I have, as if it is more of an adjective than a noun. Literary characters named Emily span centuries and range from Chaucer's princesses to Faulkner's necrophiliac. In all cases, you just can't seem to put your finger on what it is about Emily, you just like her somehow.

And so it is with Emily Strange, a series of two phrase mini-stories about a weird, dark girl who runs with a pack of cats. This book, like the t-shirts, stickers, and other paraphanalia created by the San Francisco-based Cosmic Debris, is graphically interesting, and delightful in an Edward Gorey way.

Not all all little girls have to been sugar and spice. Some are vingegar and oil and everything strange.

And a message to parents: for those of you who buy any old cartoon-like book for your kids assuming it will have a pedagogical purpose or a heartwarming ending, READ THE BOOK FIRST. The comic genre has spread itself into every realm of literature, even pornography.

For all the blossoming Emily Strange fans, she has an excellent website.

I'm 15, ny name, ironically enough, is Emily. This book is hilarious, more so because I noticed several similarities between Emily and myself.

It's not for kids? That depends on your definition of "kids".
Many teens and pre-teens (myself included) feel kind of warm and fuzzy to realize that there is someone as strange as they are, strange enough to write a book about it even.

I would not say that this book is for "Goths", or at least not exclusively, it's just for people who are strange.

If you liked this book, try Emily's Book of the Strange, which is even better.

Most times, when I read a book that I don't really like, I will pretty much swear off the writer, but I won't do that with Emily Barton. The Testament of Yves Gudrun was ultimately a little too uneven for me and left me with too many unanswered questions; it just didn't make sense, when I think it was actually trying to. To her credit, Barton writes well, is imaginative, has a good ear for dialog, and has a certain uncanny knack for getting in these little zingers that make you think here and there in the narrative. The premise of the novel is pretty interesting. We read about a pre-industrial society that, we soon realize, exists in the current day. They are visited by Ruth Blum, a young anthropologist at the same time Yves invents a few technical improvements which begin to change their society. Barton also tells the story from an interesting point of view (instead of from Ruth's point of view, she tells it from that of Yves'.) But--there are also some problems with this novel. First of all, I just don't think the narrative hung together. It almost struck me as a first draft, one that needs a little work to become something wonderful, which was frustrating. Or perhaps it was a short story, that should have ended at page 30. Some things just made no sense, like why did Yves' wife sing the blues? Why did they focus on Ruth's love of toast? I also think this novel would have been improved with some research. It struck me that she just made things up about how a pre-industrial society would operate. The details just seemed a little too inauthentic. That being said, I think Ms. Barton is talented and will try her next effort.

I found this first novel by Emily Barton to be touching, exhilarating, dreamlike and edifying.

The medieval village of Mandragora hides, relatively untouched by the passage of time, within a ring of mountains on an island off the coast of Scotland.

The inhabitants of Mandragora struggle through their difficult lives with no knowledge or concept of the modern world outside until a young anthropologist, Ruth Blum, arrives to study this almost mythical place of her dreams. Ruth is aware that any hint or idea from outside can drastically change the culture that she has discovered, but it appears that change has already begun with the invention, by farmer and narrator Yves Gundron, of a harness for his horse. Before Yves embarked on his inventing, the carts of Mandragora had only one wheel, and horses were attached to them with a rope around their neck which inevitably led to death by strangulation.

Yves' family generously takes in Ruth, gives her a pallet on their floor, becomes central to the world shaking changes yet to occur.

This story is told in Yves' voice with occassional footnote explanations by Ruth. He speaks most poetically and reverently of the basic lives lived by the Mandragorans, of his relationship with God and with his many relatives past. He is so well painted, as are Ruth, his family members and the characters of the town and the nearby "city" of Nnms, that we convincingly share his world view and his fears and feelings.

Although yet another tale of the "fall from grace", I found this novel to be a touching, poetic and exhilarating read.

Very highly recommended!

Ms. Barton has written a thoroughly engaging and involving story. That it is her first novel makes it all the more remarkable! The narrative moves so seamlessly from one paradoxical episode to the next that I hardly noticed how my assumptions were being challenged. The testament is both innocent and wise, so the reader cannot help but share Yves' delight, sorrow, pride and wonder as he observes and records the marvelous events of his life. The other characters who inhabit the world of Mandragora are simultaneously bizarre and believable. Some very funny episodes balance the underlying seriousness of the novel's dilemma.

As the novel moved toward what I understood to be the inevitable outcome, I became more and more reluctant for it to end. Despite the difficult choices she poses for her characters (and her readers), Ms. Barton has written a story that is easy and satisfying to read. I look forward with pleasure to her next novel!

The premise of this book is troubling: the author takes her not-yet-five year old daughter to trace her Chinese roots. As a parent who has also adopted, I find the idea of taking a child on such a long "roots" journey to be questionable, considering the child's youth and the complexity of this particular journey (and, of course, it's expensive). What can such a young child understand and retain of this experience? And if this little girl is as confused and concerned about her roots as the mother says, doesn't such a trip prompt even more confusion? My sense is that Prager wanted to write another book and take a good trip and her daughter provided a lot of good material for one. The two really good things about the book - and that's why I give it two stars - is that 1) it's well written - Prager is good at that and 2) it lists some other good books for folks who have adopted or are thinking of adopting. But otherwise, this book gave me the creeps.

I loved this book not only because of the wonderful author, but also because LuLu is simply a delightful child. There were many passages in the book that touched me. I didn't read the book because I wanted facts. Instead, I wished to learn more about the interactions between a mother and a child who are not of the same race. I was far from disappointed.
This mother loved her child so much that she wanted to return to the country where LuLu was born so that LuLu could better understand her origins and why she doesn't look like her adoptive mother. Some readers were troubled that LuLu might have been too young, but they are underestimating a child's capacity and resilience. I find LuLu fascinating. I wish her mom (the author) would write more about her adopted daughter and their life together.

As a person who knows a little girl who was adopted recently from Anhui province, I found this book very moving. Not only was it very beautiful and emotional, it also was very interesting. After reading it, I grew to love the characters, especially LuLu, TohToh, and JingJing, and felt like I knew them. The author did a wonderful job of telling this story.

Do YOU LIKE to read about weak, unlikable characters? If so, you'll like "In the Drink". Part of what makes a book interesting to the reader is that the character is either someone you'd like to know or someone who fascinates you. Claudia is neither. There are a million and one Claudia and William's in this world. They just don't seem to have ANY redeeming qualities. I've known too many Claudia's in this world to get a kick out of reading about one. I also didn't find the book funny in the slightest. I loved "Welcome to my Planet where English is Sometimes Spoken" and books like "Making Minty Malone" but this one doesn't cut it. To the author's credit, the book is well written just not very interesting or appealing.

I may be of the minority here, but I really liked this book. Kate Christenson has written a real and gritty portrayal of a woman struggling to grow up. Life can't always be bowls of cherries, and while this may not be the happily-ever-after story or the laugh-out-loud British literature clone that readers desire, In the Drink is, by far, not a let down.

This is the story of Claudia Steiner. She has an unsatisfactory job as ghostwriter for an aging socialite, ever-growing debts with no shrinkage in sight, and a disappointing love life full of no-gooders and unavailables. Her only refuge, it seems, is found at the bottom of an expensive, yuppie bottle of Scotch. And while the reader hopes for a lesson to be learned somewhere, it seems Claudia is stuck in a continuous, desperate loop with no light at the end of the tunnel. And the author writes so hopelessly and in a cry-for-help sort of way, you almost feel sorry for Claudia. But you don't. I had no sympathy for the character, but her life style was hard to turn away from: sort of like a car wreck on the side of the highway -- you don't want to see or know, but something inside you makes you look. I know there are people like Claudia Steiner in this world -- this is their testimony.

To be fair, I can see how some people wouldn't like this novel because Claudia is not appealing. But she is a flawed human like the rest of us, and I heartily applaud Kate Christenson for tackling this difficult character with perseverance through the hailstorm that is Bridget Jones chic. The writing style is very aware and observant of human idiosyncrasies that normally go unnoticed. Definitely not a fairy-tale, to be sure, but In the Drink is chock-full of wry and witty humor with a refreshingly candid style that makes this novel extremely readable and in your face at all times.

There are many reasons I like In the Drink so much: 1) It is not a cute story. It is real. There are people whose lives are less than perfect and therefore find comfort in substance abuse such as drinking. 2) It is not Bridget Jones's Diary. It is more real, it has more soul. Don't get me wrong, I love BJD, but the redundant story of a 30-something heroine whining about being single at 30 it's too blah for me. Claudia whines, but for a good cause. 3) Its urban appeal. Love it, the writing has a poetic feel -- Christensen obviously loves poetry -- or is a poet, because the writing is beautiful. Claudia Steiner is the anti-heroine, she is not glamorous or even extremely witty, she is one of the most realistic characters I have read. And finally, I can relate to the story about her secret love to William, I too was secretly in love with my male best friend, although I am glad that he is not a pervert. Anyway, give this novel a chance, it is a great novel, one of the most unique and beautifully written ones from last year. I hope to read more novels from this author in the future.