If you want to learn how to cook the most Italian of all American Italian food -- New York style Italian -- buy this book. The conversational style was so enjoyable, I hated the book to end. Not your average cookbook experience.

The way The Wiseguy Cookbook is set up: there are lots of bold insets to give you tips on improving the dish or sometimes more importantly what NOT to do. Between recipes, Henry gives an account of his considerable kitchen experience, beginning in his childhood. This gives a story-telling feel to the book which is quite entertaining.

I learned lots of helpful advice in this book and my Italian food, which was already good, has finally earned an A rating from my husband. If you're reading this, thanks Henry!

Yeah, I know. No one's holding a gun to my head. But Henry's book is a classic.

I'm a longtime crook, er, cook, and I found that the thoroughness and thought behind these recipes elevated it into the small realms of "best cookbooks I've ever read."

Yeah, I know. From some "rat fork" like Henry. But it's good, really, really good.

He goes through a money-laundry list of typical Bronx-Italian recipes--all the standards, like Sunday Gravy, ziti, pizza, even the infamous scungilli--each one embellished with some anecdote of his life on the run. From supreme wealth and access to the finest authentic ingredients on his home criminal turf to the handful of homogenized American choices from Middle America while penniless on the run. And they're all forkin' good!

Christ, his handlers even get addicted to Henry's cooking, and I can see why: every recipe I made with this book--and I've been around the world a few times--was a hit.

Nothing criminal about that.

Joe Dogs, watch your back.

Don't dis the Sopranos book -- just don't say it's the same thing as this. The Sopranos Family Cookbook is marketing with good recipes, whereas Henry Hill's masterpiece here is as much a retelling of his biography as it is an excellent Sicilian-American cookbook with a heavy emphasis on making do when you can't get what you need.

I think the recipe that sums this book up best is the Oven Penitentiary Sauce, a concoction that Henry and his prison buddies cooked up for those days when the guards have taken all your pots and pans away and all you've got is the steam table pans and the prison bakery. The whole book is like that -- real food, salvaged when something goes wrong. Lots of Italian, but a few surprises from other parts of the country (particularly the South), reflecting Henry's travels in Witness Protection. Substitutions are a big deal too -- from the pork-for-veal scam Hill learned as a kid working in a pizzeria all the way up. Hill's message to cooks: you can always find a way to make it work.

At my bookstore we sold a couple of hundred copies of the Sopranos book over the Holidays, and that was pretty cool. But I had two standard recommendations to go along with that -- Italian Classics from Cooks Illustrated and this one. Of all three (and I say buy them all), fuhgeddaboutit, this is the best -- it's very autobiographical, and will leave you very, very hungry at the end.

It's difficult to write about this book without quoting the previous reviewers (whose comments I really enjoyed reading), because our individual discoveries of and reactions to "Star Man's Son" have been so similar. Like most of them, I first read this book years ago when I was a junior-high student, and it has stayed with me like no other science-fiction story before or since. My sons are adults now, but as teenagers they also read the book (on their mom's recommendation) and had the same reaction to it. (I might add that I re-read it at that time, and the story and the writing had lost none of its "magic" for me.) My own copy has long since disappeared....probably loaned to someone who forgot to return it, but I would love to find a copy and read it again. I read a lot, and my reading tastes are quite eclectic, but I do love a good science fiction story. It just seems they are getting harder and harder to find... the so-called "fantasy" type having taken over the genre in such a big way. I've often wondered why some enterprising movie-maker hasn't picked up on "Star Man's Son." It has all the ingredients for a great sci-fi film if whoever wrote the screenplay would stay true to Norton's story.

Wow, so many read this story so long ago and loved it, too. I'm 42 and read this book when I was a 7th grader. I still have my original copy! I've read it perhaps eight or nine times since then, although it became more and more dated and the pages more and more brittle with each read. Regardless, Ms. Norton brilliantly captured Fors' quest and his sense of alienation. It was the sheer adventure and the characterization that's most important in this story, not the socio-political backdrop that somewhat shadows the storyline.

When I found out that Andre Norton was female (when I was a teen) I was amazed that she was able to get inside of Fors' head (who's male) so well. The mark of writing genius, if you ask me.

This book is truly is one of the classics of all of S/F. And this is the story that totally hooked me in the genre.

Son of a gun, I just happened to think of this book one day and typed it in just for fun - and there are other reviews - and the reviews are good! I read a chapter from this many many years ago a middle school English class (required reading) and thought this story rocks! A story of after the apocalypse , primitive tribe living around Noo York City! This was a super book, I wish they would reprint it, it would make a good "Twilight Zone" or "Star Trek" type TV movie. I never did read the whold book, though, don't know how it ends - on an uplifting and hopeful note, I'm sure!

The Boy Under The Bed is a charming story. My Four year old loves baby monster Giles. He especially loves the illustrations of the great tree house in the sky where all the boys live.

I like the way the story teaches children to conquer their fears. The Boy Under The Bed is imaginative and fun. A great bed time story.

"The Boy Under the Bed," is about a little monster who insistently tells his parents there is a boy under his bed. His Father Tells him "There are no such things as boys!" The book then goes on a journey through one little monster's imagination and lots of boys! The story is a complete delight! The book is Fifty pages with around 25 beautifully hand painted illustrations!

Children live in a world of magic in which what they can imagine becomes real. As a result, most children are afraid of imaginary monsters in their rooms as some point. This story builds on that point to help children seen that this view may be a little foolish.

Instead of a child being afraid of monsters, this is a book about a little monster named Giles who's afraid of boys! And he has good reason to be . . . because when the clock strikes ten a boy dressed as in Native American headdress appears under the bed and dances all about. The monster parents are called, and provide the customary parental advice, "Boys don't exist today." The hijinks continue every night until dawn, when the boy disappears under the bed again. When Giles sings a song of prayer one night, the boy talks to him. Threatened with more prayers, the boy admits he needs help. "I've lost my way. Won't you please let me stay?" Giles learns that the boy is afraid of monsters, too! Giles helps the boy find his way home again and enjoys playing with the boy and his friends. Now, nights are a pleasure for both! So when a monster comes out from under the boy's bed, it's because they want to be together.

As interesting as the story is, the illustrations are the strongest part of this book. The colors are bright and the details are a little rough like a child might put into her or his drawings and watercolors. There are little surprises that provide delight. For example, Giles looks just like a little boy sleeping in his room on page two. Then you get a different feeling when he turns around on page 4. His "monster" exterior is softened by having him wear glasses! The action sequences by the boy reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are. In addition, there are subtle alterations in the same scene from illustration to illustration. Children can seek the changes . . . a childhood favorite in our household.

Alas, I don't have any young children to read this book to. I hope you do!

If more people, from vets to cat owners, would know and apply the principles outlined in this book, thousands of "problem" cats would be saved from shelters or euthanasia. Using a host of fascinating anecdotes, Dr. Dodman explains the psychology of troubled cats. The book is easy-to-read, yet contains a depth of information on a range of feline behavioral disorders, from inappropriate elimination to aggression. Symptoms and treatments are clearly outlined using stories so amusing or interesting that the book is a one-day read. All cat owners should study this star of a book to gain insight into the mind of their cats.

Having five cats in my home, I found this book truly informative. I often find that vets, hoewever professional, are limited in their knowledge of my cats behavior "problems", or what I perceive as a problem. Dr. Dodmans book made me believe for the first time that someone really knew what was going on in those precious little minds. I have two "sprayers" in my home, until this book, all I could get from the vets was, you have too many, get rid of some. Not as easy as all that for me, I love these cats. Dr Dodmans book gave me hope. I searched until I found a DVM that was willing to work with me in trying to help my cats get along with one another and hopefully curb their need to reestablish territorial boundries a dozen times a day. Thank you Dr.Dodman.

I frantically read numerous cat behavior books desparately looking for a solution to a problem between my two cats before I finally came across Dr. Dodman's book. It is lightyears better than all others, no wonder since Dr. Dodman, who I subsequently contacted to work with me, has achieved a well-deserved reputation for being lightyears beyond any one else in his understanding of cat behavior. His work is inspired by a lifelong mission to solve cat behavior problems that result in the destruction of literally thousands of cats each year, and this book I'm sure has saved many a cat to date. A wide range of problems are discussed in wonderfully written case studies from Dr. Dodman's practice, including inter-cat aggression, the problem that led me to read the book. What shines through every story is that no behavior problem is impossible to resolve, if not one way, than another. This gave me the faith to continue working on my cats' problem long after other vets had said to give it up & give one cat away (something I could never face). I'm happy to report that thanks to this book, I now have two happily co-existing cats. It never would have happened without this book, and without Dr. Dodman--he is truly a lifesaver! Thanks again, Dr. D!

I am a senior in college and I've just finished the graduate school application process. Although I have been exposed to graduate school life at my university, I just bought this book to get a complete review of the whole process. I think this book does a great job explaining every step from chosing a school to writing a dissertation. It was nice to read this book before I go to graduate school because now I know exactly what to expect.
The quotes from students are very helpful and you get an honest opinion of what students are thinking about graduate school. It might have been nice to have a longer chapter about the application process itself, how the schools notify you if you'ce been accpeted, how long you should wait before you can assume you didn't get in etc. All in all though, this is a very informative book. Although I haven't actually started graduate school yet, I would reccomend this book to anyone considering applying.

Science is synonymous with learning and knowledge. 'The PHD Process - A Students Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences' by Dale F. Bloom and two co-authors has just been published by the Oxford University Press, New York. Dr Bloom performed her doctoral studies at UCLA in the Behavioural Neuroscience division of the Department of Psychology and the Brain Research Institute, and is a full-time author. Her accumulated experiences has led to reliable conclusions instead of unverified conjectures. Every phenomena to gain a PHD is extensively investigated and explains clearly and intelligibly the preoccupation required for growth and development from the seed to the embryo.

The 'PHD Process' is a treasure of undisputed supremecy. Numerous scientists and graduate students have been interviewed and responded to questionaires. This entailed years of research and analysis formulating a profoundly interesting encyclopedia for science students. Dr Bloom emphasises, "This book is for the graduate students of the future, from the graduate students of the past." She describes compellingly the fears, courage and convictions which ultimately brings the student and PHD closer together. Every chapter has its salient points offering practical advice, exhaustively exploited and logically explained. It unites, inspires and passionately advocates its subject.

'The PHD Process' gives real meaning with lasting effect. It is a masterly, well ordered treatise, a science student's Bible. The Index and References ensure that the book is easy to navigate.

There is no better guide. If there is a more important item by item book for graduate students of science, it has yet to be written.

The PhD process is a great overview of graduate school in the sciences. It covers most basic topics such as choosing a type of school, applying, preliminary exams, comps, thesis work, etc. Of course each school does these things slightly differently, but the main points are there and the authors do a good job of pointing out where differences between programs are likely to turn up. This book also explains things that graduate programs aren't likely to advertise such as using students as 'cheap labor' and what things to look for in an advisor other than interesting research. This is a fun to read honest book, and the anecdotes from current and past graduate students are the best part. I enjoyed reading them because so many of the same things have happened to me, and it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

I wouldn't say that I received any great insights from the book because I had some experience with academic labs before I applied to graduate school and had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into. I found it a little calming to read about others' experiences as I was waiting to get started. I think most students who apply to graduate school have already spent much time in labs with current graduate students so this might not be that useful to them as practical advise; however, I found this book to be an excellent resource for my parents. My parents had no idea what graduate school is like, and the fact that I'm at school all day and only go to class for an hour baffles them to no end. Reading this book helped them to understand the structure and goals of graduate school. Though I still don't think they understand journal club. (Why would anyone join that club? It doesn't sound like very much fun.)

I recommend this book to grad students for their parents or to undergraduates who aren't sure if graduate school is the right path for them. This book gives great insight into what graduate school is really like.

Even if you know the historical facts behind the story, you may be on the edge of your seat. With great detail to the action, Prata brings the Knights of Malta to life once again.
It is perhaps ironic that it does give some insight into the mind of Islam, given current world events. If you, like me, find tales of heroism in the face of unimaginable odds to be irresistable, this book fits the bill.
One thing I would have liked to have seen was more background on the knights and their motivations. (Read it and you will see what I mean!) Very good historical fiction, nonetheless.

This is a fantastic read! I loved every minute of it. I am astonished it's not a movie yet.

This book has a ton of great information and is an awesome adventure! Read it, you won't be sorry!

If you want a multitude of pictures and a fair discussion of the tomb's discovery and the objects found in it, then this is an excellent book. We used this in a grad/undergrad level seminar I took back at Columbia University because it is so detailed on the tomb and its discovery. However, when it comes to information about Tutankhanum himself there are only 20 pages that look at his life and the historical context of his life, most of that is spent on his family and the dynasty he is part of. 20 pages out of 200+?! This is why I'm giving this book only 4 stars -- the cover and the summary offered by the book itself suggests the book has three parts and this first one is barely there.

I had been interested for year in the tomb of Tutankamun, and sad at the lack of information on the tomb. In this book, there is both a general introduction to both who the king was, when he reigned, and what he probably did during his reign. This is the followed up with an introdction to the the discovery of the tome, the problems that Carter hads at the time, and then the cleaning of the tomb. The majority of the rest of the book is about the tomb contents itself, with many modern photo`s of the treasures. As Carter never got around to publishing the details of the dig, this is the closest thing to what he might have achieved. Highly recommended, well worth the price.

Ever since King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, the legacy of the boy-king has fascinated the world. This fascinating book provides much information about this boy, who reigned over Egypt for a short period of time. The author describes the search and the discovery of the tomb, the archaeology of the tomb and the treasures it contained. The book includes extracts from Carter's notes and diaries, as well as first-time publication of his drawings and reconstructions. Offering both color and black-and-white illustrations, this is a most excellent useful reference for everyone.

The reason I put four stars is because it was sad. Whenever I think of the Boy in the Alamo, I think of my grandfather. My grandfather died in World War 1, so I never met him. Boy in the Alamo was good, my favorite part is when Billy said he'd look for Lupe his whole life.

My 4th grade son and I loved this book! It's a great read with lots of excitement and emotion. My son read it first and loved it so much I decided I wanted to read it. I had trouble putting it down. It's an absolute must for kids and adults.

Loved it! It could not get any better!! I liked Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie and Santa Anna! It shows and tells you everything just like the Alamo. Even though it was just told through the mind of a 12 year old boy, it was still the best book. The story really shows what the Alamo was like. It was blazingly awesome with fantasy and real scenes. The pictures were great! I would give this book six stars, if I could. I couldn't resist to say no to this book!

Every time there is a horrific story in the news about a mother murdering her children, the classic tragedy "Medea" by Euripides is mentioned. However, a close reading of the actual play shows that the point Euripides is trying to make in this drama is not about infanticide, but rather about the way "foreigners" are treated in Greece (this is best seen in the odes of the Chorus of Corinthian Women). The other key component of the play is the psychology of Medea and the way in which she constructs events to help convince herself to do the unspeakable deed and kill the two sons she has borne Jason. There is a very real sense in which Jason is the true villain of the piece and I do not think there is a comparable example in the extant Greek tragedies remain wherein a major mythological hero is made to look as bad as Euripides does in this play.

Another important thing to remember in reading "Medea" is that the basic elements of the story were already known to the Athenian audience that would be watching the play. Consequently, when the fact that Medea is going to kill her children is not a surprise what becomes important are the motivations the playwright presents in telling this version of the story. The audience remembers the story of the Quest for the Golden Fleece and how Medea betrayed her family and her native land to help Jason. In some versions of the story Medea goes so far as to kill her brother, chop up his body, and throw it into the sea so their father, the King of Colchis, must stop his pursuit of the Argo to retrieve the body of his son. However, as a foreigner Medea is not allowed to a true wife to Jason, and when he has the opportunity to improve his fortune by marrying the princess of Corinth, Medea and everything she had done for him are quickly forgotten.

To add insult to injury, Jason assures Medea that his sons will be well treated at the court while the King of Corinth, worried that the sorceress will seek vengeance, banishes her from the land. After securing sanctuary in Athens (certainly an ironic choice given this is where the play is being performed), Medea constructs a rather complex plan. Having coated a cloak with poison, she has her children deliver it to the princess; not only will the princess die when she puts on the cloak (and her father along with her), the complicity of the children in the crime will give her an excuse to justify killing in order to literally save them from the wrath of the Corinthians.

This raises an interest questions: Could Medea have taken the children with her to her exile in Athens? On the one hand I want to answer that obviously, yes, she can; there is certainly room in her dragon-drawn chariot. But given her status as a foreigner, if Jason goes to Athens and demands the return of his children, would he not then have a claim that Medea could not contest? More importantly, is not Medea's ultimate vengeance on Jason that she will hurt him by taking away everything he holds dear, namely his children and his princess bride?

In the final line of the play the Chorus laments: "Many things beyond expectation do the gods fulfill. That which was expected has not been accomplished; for that which was unexpected has god found the way. Such was the end of this story." This last line has also found its way into the conclusion of other dramas by Euripides ("Alcestis," "Bacchae" and "Andromache"), but I have always found it to fit the ending of "Medea" best, so I suspect that is where it originally came from and ended up being appended to those other plays sometime during the last several thousand years. However, the statement is rather disingenuous because one of the rather standard approaches in a play by Euripides is that his characters often deserve their fate. In a very real sense, Euripides provides justification for Medea's monstrous crime and his implicit argument to the Athenian audience is that the punishment fits the crime. However, Athenians would never give up their air of superiority; at least not until foreigners such as the Macedonians and the Romans conquered the self-professed cradle of democracy.

Medea, as our heroine, is the true definition of a woman scorned. Not only does Medea leave her homeland to follow her one and only love, but she sacrifices her whole life to him. What happens in the book when she finds out Jason wants to take on another wife after Medea has scrificed everything for him...? Well, I'll leave that to you to find out. I'll simply say that Medea is, suprisingly, very imaginiative - at the time of it's writing, it broke all the barriers that surrounded around Greek tradedies. I must also say that Medea is in somewhat of the same arena as "The Odyssey" - it's incredibly descriptive, even with the language used that is so different from our own, Euripides genuinely "takes the reader there." All in all, a wonderful, very readable play. And remember, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! A great commentary, if a little extreme, but still wonderful, enchanting - you WILL be pulled into the action! 5 stars!

This play is regarded by many as Euripedes' masterpiece and should be required reading of all educated people. It retells the tragic story of Medea, who had helped Jason in his quest, became his wife, gave him two sons, and feels betrayed since he is marrying the daughter of the ruler of Corinth (Jason has come to the conclusion that this is necessary to protect Medea and his sons since she is a barbarian). With horrible vengence, she kills the bride and the king and then kills her two sons. Euripedes depicts how much passion and vengence can overcome not only individuals, but those who strive to be rational. Men (and governments) can't ignore the influence of emotion, and even irrationality, on their decisions and actions, even when those actions may seem rational and just. Man has to remain flexible. The play also shows how emotions, anger, and unbridled fury can cause a person to do stupid and irrational acts. Euripedes is undoubtedly warning Athens with respect to the war that is going on with Sparta.