Average customer rating:
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The history of a famous novel,
Fritz Erwin Loewenstein
Manufacturer: Priv. Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| Classics
| Contemporary
| General
| Historical
| Humor
| Letters & Correspondence
| Middle
| Old
| Poetry
| Renaissance
| Shakespeare
| Short Stories
ASIN: B0007JBPB2 |
Product Description
Houghton Mifflin Co.,Boston,Riverside Editions.
5x8,455 pages
Average customer rating:
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An Unsocial Socialist
George Bernard Shaw
Manufacturer: Brentano's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
ASIN: B000OBEIN0 |
Average customer rating:
- Put this one on top of your reading list
- An Unsocial Socialist
|
An Unsocial Socialist
George Bernard Shaw
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1406805335 |
Book Description
1913. Most of Shaw's early plays were either banned by the censor or refused production. He began the practice of writing the challenging, mocking, eloquent prefaces to his plays, which were sometimes longer than the play itself. In 1925 he won the Nobel prize. The Unsocial Socialist is one of Shaw's last satires and was the inspiration for the play, Smash. The book begins: In the dusk of an October evening, a sensible looking woman of forty came out through an oaken door to a broad landing on the first floor of an old English country-house. A braid of her hair had fallen forward as if she had been stooping over book or pen; and she stood for a moment to smooth it, and to gaze contemplatively-not in the least sentimentally-through the tall, narrow window. The sun was setting, but its glories were at the other side of the house; for this window looked eastward, where the landscape of sheepwalks and pasture land was sobering at the approach of darkness. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
Download Description
In the dusk of an October evening, a sensible looking woman of forty came out through an oaken door to a broad landing on the first floor of an old English country-house. A braid of her hair had fallen forward as if she had been stooping over book or pen; and she stood for a moment to smooth it, and to gaze contemplatively - not in the least sentimentally - through the tall, narrow window. The sun was setting, but its glories were at the other side of the house; for this window looked eastward, where the landscape of sheepwalks and pasture land was sobering at the approach of darkness. The lady, like one to whom silence and quiet were luxuries, lingered on the landing for some time. Then she turned towards another door, on which was inscribed, in white letters, Class Room No. 6. Arrested by a whispering above, she paused in the doorway, and looked up the stairs along a broad smooth handrail that swept round in an unbroken curve at each landing, forming an inclined plane from the top to the bottom of the house.
Customer Reviews:
Put this one on top of your reading list.......2005-05-01
As the previous reviewer has noted this book is hard to put down. I was most impressed with the author's ability to successfully create a colorful (as in inflection-filled) and thus dynamic commentary. As to the somewhat transparent but, as highlited in the title, central topic, socialism, I feel this book has equally shown the positive and the negative consequences of its application all the while keeping true to its satire.
An Unsocial Socialist.......2000-08-26
Shaw's last, and in my opinion, best satire, An Unsocial Socialist is a wonderful book that is sadly not well known. The plot is pulls you in and the book spawned an equally great play, "Smash". I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- Otherland....Greatest Sci-Fi Series of All Time!
- chizz
- An interesting continuation
- Way too long
|
Mountain of Black Glass (Otherland, Volume 3)
Tad Williams
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Series | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Williams, Tad | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Williams, Tad | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books | Weber, David | Weis, Margaret | Wells, H.G.
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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Otherland Vol. 4: Sea of Silver Light
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River of Blue Fire (Otherland, Volume 2)
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City of Golden Shadow (Otherland, Volume 1)
-
The Stone of Farewell (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn)
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To Green Angel Tower, Book Three: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn)
ASIN: 0886779065
Release Date: 2000-09-12 |
Amazon.com
Otherland, the quartet of which Mountain of Black Glass is the powerful third part, combines some terrifying speculation on the future of virtual reality with adventures no less terrifying because they are technologized dreaming. These are dreams the adventurers cannot awaken from and in which, if they die, they are really dead.
An epidemic of comatose children has led Renie and her San friend !Xabbu into the net and to a series of dream worlds created as palaces by the corrupt aspiring immortals, the Grail Brotherhood. Two of those children, Orlando and Fredericks, have become adventurers in their own right, while their parents' lawyer Ramsey follows real-world money and lesbian cop Calliope tracks a serial killer with serious ambitions to become an angry god. In this volume, adventures take place in a mythic ancient Egypt and a rambling Gormenghastlike house before all the virtual adventurers meet where they were always destined to, before the walls of Troy.
"All around, death. It was not a quiet presence during the long day--not a pale-faced maiden bringing surcease from pain, not a skillful reaper with a scalpel-sharp blade.... Death on the Trojan plain was a crazed beast that roared and clawed and smashed, which was everywhere at once, and which in its unending fury showed that even armored men were terribly frail things."
Tad Williams takes the gameworld and turns it on its head, passionately; how do we know that what bleeds does not feel pain? He writes a classic of cyberspace adventure that has a sorrowful heart. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Tad Williams presents...
The hardcover edition of Volume Three...
First time in print!
"A powerful, near-future cyberthriller."--Booklist
"Williams proves himself as adept at writing science fiction as he is writing fantasy....Fascinating." --Publishers Weekly
"An exciting addition to the growing virtual reality literature."--Library Journal
* A bestselling author--New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, London Times, Publishers Weekly
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Mythological allegories abound. The Grail Brotherhood, the immortality
seeking wealthy bunch of near-dead in the real word are set up as
Egyptian gods in one virtual realm, and squabble. The adventurers,
quite literally of the heroic fantasy warrior type, for a couple of
them, must survive this, and other weird worlds to get to a
confrontation in a virtual representation of ancient Troy.
Otherland....Greatest Sci-Fi Series of All Time!.......2005-09-13
I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading the Otherland series. In my opinion, it is the greatest epic novel ever written, even better than Lord of the Rings. I particularly liked that it was a book that was relevant to our times; I think a lot of what Tad Williams wrote may come true in the not to distant future. I simply could not put it down. Although some have complained here that he bounced around too much from story line to story line or that he could have wrapped it up in just one or two novels, I think those readers are just lazy or are part of the "I want it now" generation. I really could have cared less if he ever ended the series; I enjoyed it that much.
I have been a fan of Stephen King, Tolkien, and Asimov, and have read almost all the books they wrote. However, Tolkien and Asimov are dead and King seems to have got tired of writing the kinds of books we all loved. Anyway, I was looking for someone to fill the void and ran across the Otherland series. Thanks to Tad Williams for filling the void!
chizz.......2005-08-22
I actually liked this one better than the first two because of the increased rate of plot development. Everything start happening really fast toward the end and all the side plots are starting to come together. Some of the questions left by the first two books are finally answered in this one (although this one also presents some new puzzles). And of course Williams intorduces a couple of really intriguing new VR nodes (the endless house and the land of Troy).
There is a heavy sense of desperation for the characters in this third book that wasn't there in the first two. You can really see the increase in the action and a sense of urgency as each of the side plots are approaching their climaxes. The next book promises to be exciting and to be full of unanswered questions.
I highly reccommend this entire series.
An interesting continuation.......2004-10-11
The story continues with the heroes and heroines trapped in the otherland network and the Grail Brotherhood about to launch their long overdue masterpiece...Immortality. But the plot unfolds in a rather unexpected manner, which gives Tad Williams to go on tho a fourth book. Some may find the series too long, but the way Tad writes this story, it's better to have an ending piece after this one. Well sustained story. I would highly recommend this book.
Way too long.......2004-09-18
(this review encompasses all four books)
Otherland will have its fans. However, its mechanical endings, its ridiculous length, and similar themes having been better executed by superior authors will make its influence and popularity extremely short-lived. Yet a lot of people like Williams... it's because he's not a bad author and if you have the stamina to get through him you'll find bits and pieces worthwhile. But bits and pieces are not a genre-shaping event nor will they exert much influence on other authors.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS:
Williams writes convincingly and well; his works, while mechanical, do not lack a sort of charm. Fans of Williams' other works should indulge themselves in Otherland. They're prepared for the absurdly long. Similarly, those particularly impressed with cyberspace and its future applications will find large sections very appealing-but read Snow Crash first.
WHO SHOULD PASS:
Unless you are one of those die-hard Williams fans or a complete techno-geek, read something else. Life is too short to read such a long work that has such little reward. Our site is built so that you can avoid such wastes of your time when you get can equal or better satisfaction with other, shorter books.
READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- Hard wheter to select 3 or 4 stars. Great story...and annoying
- What an amazing series.
- long, bizarre, complicated, in other words, outstanding!
- utterly Bizzare
|
OTHERLAND: MOUNTAIN OF BLACK GLASS BK. 3
TAD WILLIAMS
Manufacturer: ORBIT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
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River of Blue Fire (Otherland, Volume 2)
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Otherland Vol. 4: Sea of Silver Light
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To Green Angel Tower, Book Three: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn)
ASIN: 185723748X |
Amazon.com
Best-selling fantasy author Tad Williams (Tailchaser's Song, the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series) begins a far-reaching cyberpunk saga with Renie Sulaweyo, a teacher in the South Africa of tomorrow, realizing something is wrong on the network. Some of the younger kids, including her brother Stephen, have logged into the net, but they can't get back out. The clues point to a mysterious golden city called Otherland, but everyone who tries to find out what's going on ends up dead. Settle in for a long, enjoyable ride, because this 770-page monster is just the first of four projected novels.
From the Publisher
ANYONE CAN GO THERE... COMING BACK IS ANOTHER STORY.
New York Times best-selling author Tad Williams has become a force to be reckoned with in the publishing world, as is evident from the enormous popularity and critical acclaim for his spectacular Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. Now, DAW Books is proud to present Tad Williams' groundbreaking new masterpiece, his most compelling work to date --
Otherland -- a bold new vision of an all-too possible tomorrow.
The first in a four-book series,
Otherland: City of Golden Shadow is a complex suspense novel of the near future, where virtual reality has expanded to encompass all aspects of society -- and national, physical, and mental boundaries are limited only by the virtue or darkness of the imagination, offering an entirely new level of freedom to people in all walks of life. But a blood-chilling conspiracy involving the world's most powerful individuals now threatens to shatter this world to its very core....
Otherland is Tad Williams' finest hour, an astonishing work of fiction that is truly destined to become a classic.
Otherland is thrilling and original fiction in the New York Times best-selling traditions of Stephen King, John Grisham, and William Gibson
DAW Books is backing
Otherland with a multimedia marketing campaign, the largest in its history!
DAW Books has three more novels in the series under contract
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Tad Williams decided to try something epic, yet again. Four volumes of
this time science fiction, but throwing in epic fantasy quest elements
by way of virtual reality environments to keep the rest of his fanbase
somewhat happy, at least.
A disparate group of people set out to find out why a whole lot of
children are getting sick and falling into comas. These people come
from all over the globe, an African student, a native bushman, a young
sick computer game geek, a French researcher, etc.
In the real world, the police also begin to suspect something after an odd series of murders.
Hard wheter to select 3 or 4 stars. Great story...and annoying.......2007-08-12
To begin, I will say that I've enjoyed, not thoroughly enjoyed, but enjoyed reading these novels. I've read the first three and will eventually go on to the last. I'd give this series a 4, but a low 4.
As it was frustrating to decide how many stars to give, this series is an equally frustrating read. If you're reading this, you're no doubt aware that the plot revolves around a completely virtual world, Otherland. In the interest of not giving any spoilers, I'll refrain from going to deeply into the plot.
The plot begins, as so many others do, with a tragedy. The brother of the stories lead protagonist, Renie Sulaweyo, lapses into a coma while involved in some virtual reality resembling the internet. Renie, a computer science instructor living in Africa, and her most prominent student, the native bushman and kind hearted !Xabbu, slowly (and I mean slowly) take to seeking the truth of this mysterious coma (it seems to be happening to numerous kids throughout the world). This search takes Renie and !Xabbu to many fascinating and dangerous places on the net, where they meet some very interesting characters.
On the other side of the universe, Paul Jonas seems to have problems of his own. He can't seem to figure out why he seems to be going from one odd world (a Beanstalk world to Wonderland and so on) to another. He flees, in each world, from a pair of what look to be dangerous characters and is assisted by yet again "some very interesting characters."
As the novel progresses, sometimes interestingly and sometimes trudgingly, we meet a young girl living on a military base with her parents. The young girl, Cristobel, has a close and secretive relationship with a very old man. Then we meet Felix Jongleur, who uses an Osiris Egyptian God persona while virtual, and is also the head of the Grail Brotherhood, an organization who has great dealings regarding this virtual reality. Then we meet Robert Wells, a rich old man like Jongleur, who likes to talk to a cigar smoking General Yacoubian, real secretive like. The we meet Thargor, the virtual persona of a very important character whose real name I can't remember, and his pen pal, Fredricks. Then we meet another man, Dread, who likes to stalk and kill people. He's close friends with Felix as well.
If you haven't scented my sarcasm by now, you will be surprised to find out that there is an entire planetary population of characters in these books that you must keep note of. Keep in mind, as the sequential books are opened, more characters emerge for your enjoyment.
Noting the monumental overabundance of characters and the inherent necessity of giving a lengthy history of most of them, this series is a feat of imagination and plot. Bad guys gather in a virtual Egyptian empire using God personas. The characterizations are realistic and, even though you are not forced to really care about them at all, they have somewhat compelling parts to play.
The settings, most of which are taken from works of other popular fiction, are professionally realized and described, but it seems that these settings, and there are many of them, were put there simply to feed into the fantastical view of the book and not add to the plot.
Considering the number of characters in the story, the books have nearly as many plot-lines. Some of these plot-lines are more or less useless and irritating to a eager reader waiting for more plot. I wish Williams would have completely omitted the plot about Renie's father, considering how he is a completely unmiraculous character.
With all of the negative out of the way, I can say that if you've ever wondered what a cyberpunk version of Indiana Jones would be like, go out and buy all four books right now.
Usually when I read cyberpunk, I read it to gain some perspective on how human consciousness reacts to such an environment and the consequences of putting the mind through such a juxtaposition. When concerning this, Otherland is simply an adventure story that asks very few, if any, questions about artificial intelligence and is not speculative at all.
Beyond that, the Otherland series is a great adventure story that I would recommend for people with better than average memories and attention spans, but it is definitely not one of those monumental sci-fi books that makes you think.
What an amazing series........2007-03-06
I bought this book a few months back just for something to read. The first few chapters were turning me off of it, but somehow I was compelled to read more. When I got to the end of this book, I wound up craving the rest of the series and bought the other three quickly.
I can't say this was the best out of the four in this series, but this is just an introduction into a vast and lovely world. The characters are actually real enough to care for, or hate.
All in all, the plot is confusing after the first few chapters, but it all comes together soon enough if you keep reading on. Definitely one of my favorite series, if not my most favorite.
long, bizarre, complicated, in other words, outstanding!.......2007-02-13
This book was recommended to me back in 2000 - I remember that I could not put it down and bought the following volumes as soon as they were available. The day that the fourth volume arrived in the mail put me out of contact with the world for a week. If you are interested in virtual reality, this is the book for you.
I have only recommended this book to a few specific friends, ones that I know are technophiles and that are sufficiently offbeat enough to possibly enjoy such a romp. It is definitely not for everyone.
I just hope that by the time I am 70 and retired, living in an old folks home, I can plug in and have such adventures......gives me something to look forwards to!
utterly Bizzare.......2007-01-06
I lik the science fiction genre bu this was bad, and i'm a tolerant reader. This book was recomended to me and i began it with gusto. I hated it after page 150. It was so bizzare i had to force myself to read it. Dont even pick it up.
Product Description
4 Book set
Product Description
Volumes 1 thru 4 in Tad William's Otherland series. City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, & Sea of Silver Light.
Average customer rating:
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Mountain of Black Glass
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417670029 |
Average customer rating:
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Otherland III: Mountain of Black Glass Pb (Otherland)
Tad Williams
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Authors, A-Z | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Fantasy | Gaming | Large Print | Media | Science Fiction | Writing
ASIN: 1857237471 |
Product Description
Advance Reader's Copy!
Average customer rating:
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A Sufi's Ruminations on One World under God
John Ishvaradas Abdallah
Manufacturer: Star Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1885498489 |
Book Description
Excerpt from this fictional dialogue by the sea between a John Satya Vidyarthi and a Sufi Ahimsa Guruji:
"So you are a Muslim?"
"Yes. And because I am a Muslim, I am a Zoroastrian, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Christian, a Taoist, a Jew, a Jain, a Sikh, and so forth."
"How is that possible?"
"It is. Let me explain ..."
As the Sufi explains and believes, is there a principle of life -- transcending all religions -- that will help us overcome the barriers of gender, race, nation, and language and enable us to love our neighbor in our global village?
Average customer rating:
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Mariage Freres: French Tea
Alain Stella
Manufacturer: Flammarion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Coffee & Tea
| Drinks & Beverages
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Gastronomy
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
French
| European
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea
ASIN: 2080111760
Release Date: 2003-12-19 |
Book Description
Mariage Frères, the premier tea importers of France since 1854, offer their definitive version of the "art of tea" for those who are unable resist the temptation of a fragrant cup of tea accompanied by flaky pastry. When Richard Bueno and Kitti Cha Sangmanee bought the well-respected Parisian firm in the early eighties, they expanded the business and give it a radically new dimension by inventing the French "art of tea". Mariage Frères sought out the best tea buds from all four corners of the globe: green teas from Japan, white teas from China, and First Flush Darjeelings. This book shares new ways of enjoying camellia sinensis and uncovers the secrets of the Mariage Frères tea ritual: mouth-watering recipes, tranquil settings, and beautiful accessories.
This refined book-packaged as exquisitely as the company's tea and tea-related products-is a chic and totally irresistible invitation to tea.
Customer Reviews:
Delights of French Tea.......2006-02-27
Only the French can take tea to an exaulted level. Revel in the details about the various types of teas, procedures on serving and the wildly delicious recipes.
The physical book in and of itself is elegant and well laid out. The writing is concise and full of little tea tidbits.
If you enjoy tea and want to add something refined and noble to your tea time.. this book is for you.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, published by Thomson Gale on May 20, 2006. The length of the article is 1141 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Mariage Freres: the concept store for French tea: over the years, Mariage Freres has managed to combine their traditional principle and history, with a sometime-mystifying setting of modernity. Although the transition was a gradual one, their approach could not have been more successful.(Company Profile)
Author: Barbara Dufrene
Publication:
Tea & Coffee Trade Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 20, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 178
Issue: 5
Page: 42(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Where are ALL the Christmas items???.......2003-11-02
I ordered the book and generally liked it, but was disappointed it does NOT include all the Christmas items HH made and that this is a small section of the book.. :0
wonderful reference.......2001-01-30
if you are looking for information on Holt Howard collectibles, this is the book for you. I has lots of color pictures and descriptions with specifics.
The Best Figural Kitchenware Book so far!!!!!!!.......2000-08-15
This is one of the best books on Figural Kitchenware of the 50's and 60's that I have seen so far. Not only great pictures, but the best information about Holt Howard Collectibles as well as nock offs. I have used my copy more than any other reference book I own on Kitchenware. Walter Dworkin can't put out another soon enough. Can't wait!
Price Guide To Holt Howard Collectibles.......2000-01-29
Highly recommend this book not only for the detailed description but also for the great color photos. Most price guides have alot of descriptions but not many photos, not this one! I enjoyed reading the description and seeing a photo. A must have for any collector
Customer Reviews:
A one-star edition of a five star book.......2007-05-25
The introduction to the original US edition by Karen Hess has been replaced by a puff-piece of foodie journalism and to add insult to injury the table of contents lists the original introduction. Get the original!
The History of English Bread.......2007-03-10
This book is what culinary writing should be: comprehensive, thoroughly researched, reliable, unimpeachable. My only complaint is the title: this book is about the history of English baking, not a cookbook of baking as it currently exists in England. If you have ever wondered what English bread used to be like, and are conversely appalled by what is sold by the English today as bread, this book is for you. The author has systematically studied entire libraries of cookbooks of centuries past, and culled and adapted recipes that are of current interest.
The author reveals the true travesty of modern English bread baking. Most such recipes use chemical leavening, e.g. baking soda and/or baking powder, which produces what we have come to know of as English bread, e.g. masonry material but not human food. Indeed, much flour sold in England today is `self rising' flour, which is the English equivalent of American pastry flour with a little baking powder mixed in. The author has revived the original bread and pastry and baking recipes of centuries past that use yeast as leavening; as such, they are airy, light, chewy, good baked goods. The author has devoted entire chapters to rolls, fruit breads, crumpets and English muffins, bread, and cakes, all of which use yeast and are closer to baked goods in modern day France and Italy rather than England.
The chapter on fruit cake (bread) is especially illuminating. Current incarnations of said recipe conjures images of inedible bricks. The recipes expounded by the author are authentic, historical ones thoroughly vetted, and resemble panettone, brioche, and stollen of modern baking, and not the travesties of American holiday sales.
The first half is an impressive reference of tools, ingredients, history, techniques, and stories about bread in Britain of centuries past. It is a valuable book for bread bakers to have on the shelf. Many bread baking book authors give large credit to this book.
One complaint about the format. The TOC lists only the chapter titles, and not the recipes contained therein; some chapters, like the bread chapter, have dozens of recipes. Like many current bread books, this one has disappointingly vague descriptions about how long to knead breads, properly proofed, and how to tell when it is properly baked. Judging by the recipes, the author tends to prefer softer, under developed breads.
Very Important book on Bread and its history. Buy It!.......2005-10-07
`English Bread and Yeast Cookery' by Elizabeth David hides, behind its very unassuming title, one of the very best books on bread baking I have seen and possibly Elizabeth David's very best work, in a body of work which includes some of the great classics in culinary writing from the last 60 years.
For starters, the book is much more than a collection of English bread baking recipes. In the 592 pages in this edition, bread recipes don't even start until page 255. The first half of the book deals with just about everything you ever wanted to know about how residents of the British Isles, beginning with the pre-Roman Celts ground wheat into flour, what kind of ovens they used to bake bread, and how all this evolved through the Roman occupation, the Saxons, the Normans, and the modern English, especially how things changed with the industrial revolution.
The first part, nearly half the book covers `History and Background' with chapters on:
Grains, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, and Pease
Milling
Flours and Meals
Yeast
Salt
Liquids and Fats
Eggs, Dried Fruit, Sugar, Spices and Flavorings
Malt Extracts
Bread Ovens
The Bread Factories
Shapes and Names of English Loaves
Moulds and Tins for Bread
Storage of Meal and Flour
Storage of Bread
Weights of Loaves and the Assize of Bread
Weights, Measures and Temperatures
Weighing and Measuring Equipment
The Cost of Baking Your Own Bread
It should be evident from this list of chapters that the material in this book goes far beyond bread baking on a largish island in the North Atlantic. The analysis in the last of these chapters alone may be worth the price of admission. What is doubly surprising is that these chapters include material which seems more at home in a book like Rachael Carson's `Silent Spring' than a book on bread recipes. This is a bit less surprising when we realize the book was written in the 1970s, not too far removed from food rationing left over from World War II and before the widespread popular concern in England with the nutritious value of food.
The second half of the book, the recipes, clearly also goes beyond what you would expect from the average English tea room. The chapters here are:
Bread
Baps and Rolls
Manchets and Mayn and Payndemayn
Crumpets and Muffins
Notes on French Bread
The Pizza and the Pissaladiere
Quiches with Yeast Dough
Sausage in Brioche Crust
Yeast Leavened Pancakes and Oatcakes
Dumplings and Doughnuts
Regional and Festival Cakes and Fruit Breads
Yeast Buns and Small Tea Cakes
French Yeast Cakes
Soda Breads
Bakestone Cakes or Breads
Toast
Since there is a chapter on Soda Breads, it is evident that the book covers more than just yeast breads. The yeasted pancakes also highlights the fact that our modern baking powder leavened hotcakes are a relatively new invention, as baking powder was not commercially available until the middle of the 19th century. Yeast, on the other hand, has been around and used in beer making since prehistoric times. And, with just a little technique, it was free for the asking from ambient spores in the air.
In case you are curious, a bap is the breakfast roll of Scotland and manchets and mayn and payndemayn are old English names (found in the `Canterbury Tales' and other old documents) for enriched white breads baked for and eaten by wealthier classes.
If you are a serious foodie, a serious amateur or professional bread baker, or simply seriously, or even frivolously interested in bread, you must get a copy of this book. Even if you don't read it from cover to cover, it's a great reference on the history, science and technique of breadbaking. It's only weakness may be that it is not as up to date on modern American bread ingredients as you may find in a King Arthur cookbook or `bible' from Rose Levy Beranbaum. But then, there are hundreds of pages of material you will find here and virtually nowhere else in an in print book.
Very highly recommended!!!
A medley of culinary delights:.......2000-12-09
The sensuous aroma of baking bread filled my mind as I read the exquisite prose of Elizabeth David. Perfect for those who have the original old English oven and owning your own flour mill will increase the enjoyment of making these rare breads. As I devoured my domestically produced delights, an almost orgasmic pleasure assaulted my sensory organs. There are no greater pleasures in the world than these.
Informative and engaging.......2000-06-28
Not just a cookbook, though there are plenty of recipes. Not merely a history, though abounding in historical sources and anecdotes. Not a textbook, but with enough theory for just about anyone. Not literature proper, but Ms. David's prose flows beautifully. The book is simultaneously informative, thoughtful, engaging, useful and most of all a pleasure to read. The book is equally at home in the kitchen as the living room. Simply a wonderful book.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the best book on Yeast cooking - Elizabeth David!.......2006-08-11
`In this universally acclaimed book Elizabeth David deals with all aspects of flour milling, yeast, bread ovens and the different types of bread and flour available. The recipes cover yeast cookery of all kinds, and the many lovely, old-fashioned spiced breads, buns, pancakes and muffins, among others, are all described with her typical elegance and unrivalled knowledge.'
`Here is a real book, written with authority and enthusiasm - a collection of history, investigation, comment, recipes - Jane Grigson in the Observer.'
Dedicated to `Jill Norman`, an accomplished cookery writer in her own right, this is an exceptionally good price for this ED tome of 592 pages, split over two parts:-
Part I - History & Background
Part II - Recipes
Written with the typical ED flair, which is so popular with her readers and full of meticulously researched information, interspersed with the charming black and white illustrations (Wendy Jones) that so underline Elizabeth David books.
Part I
Chapters:-
Milling, Bread Flours and Meals, Yeast, Salt, Liquid and Fats used in Bread-making, Eggs, Dried Fruit, Sugar, Spices and Flavourings used in Yeast Cakes and Breads, Malt Extracts, Bread Ovens, The Bread Factories, Shapes and Names of English Loaves, Moulds and Tins for bread and Yeast Cakes, Storage of Meal and Flour, Weights of Loaves and the Assize of Bread, Weights, Measures and Temperatures, Weighing and Measuring Equipment and The Cost of Baking Your Own Bread.
Part II - RECIPES
Chapters:-
Bread, Baps and Rolls, Manchets and Mayn and Payndemayn, Crumpets and Muffins, Notes on French Bread, The Pizza and the Pissaladiere, Quiches with Yeast Dough, Sausage in Brioche Crust, Yeast Leavened Pancakes and Oatcakes, Dumplings and Doughnuts, Regional and Festival Yeast Cakes and Fruit Breads, Yeast Buns and Small Tea Cakes, French Yeast Cakes, Soda Breads, Bakestone Cakes or Breads, Toast, Biblio and Concise Index.
Over 300 pages packed full or all sorts of recipes that really do question 'what on earth they do to the bread in the shops........'.
`A tall, earthenware pancheon, glazed only on the inside, like a bread crock was always considered the best shape for mixing and raising yeast dough. From the 18th century until the mid 20th Century, bread pancheons were traditional products of many Welsh and English potteries.'
Page 252 starts with a recipe for `A Basic Loaf`, for a large loaf weighing 28 to 30 oz, or 800 to 850g.
`Potato Bread, usually associated with times of grain shortage or with a need for strict economy in the kitchen, is advocated by some 19th Century writers as being the best bread for toast. This is because a proportion of potato mixed with ordinary white flour makes a loaf, which retains its moisture and is also very light...........'
`Rice Bread is excellent for keeping since the rice remains moist and the texture is beautifully light and honey-combed. It is also a loaf which is very easy to mix and to bake.'
Scots Baps:-
`.....the bap is the breakfast roll of Scotland. Properly made and properly handled, it can justly be called `noble`...........'
`Aberdeen Rowies - a recipe for flaky buns, not unlike croissants although much less rich and consequently a great deal simpler and quicker to make. They don't look as showy a croissants but for all their homely appearance, I prefer them in some ways because they are light and small and ......surprising.'
Our overall favourite recipe is the variation on the `SALLY LUNN BUN' (Soleilune Cake)-
`My recipe for a Sally Lunn is simple, not very rich and relatively quick'.
11/04/06
Customer Reviews:
Learning Rosemaling with Jocasta Innes.......2004-01-24
Simply Scandinavian is a 1991 workbook, with pull out and trace pattern sheets and blue chalked transfer paper for tracing the patterns onto furniture pieces. The blue may be washed off with water after painting is complete. Teaches beginners to paint in the Scandinavian tradition, suggesting types of paint, colors, tips for steadying the brush for large swirls, producing dry brush highlights, and personalizing your creation with initials and date. Jocasta Innes' simplified process of painting allows you to follow the steps of itinerant Scandiavian painters who were self taught and repeated the same simple designs in different combinations and colors to enliven winter interiors. Enjoy!
Average customer rating:
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Hogarth to Cruikshank: Social Change in Graphic Satire
M. Dorothy Dorothy George
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Cartooning
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
Satire, General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
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General
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
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General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0670821160 |
Book Description
269 copyright-free illustrations (8 in full-color) reproduced directly from original impressions of etchings, woodcuts now in private collection. Full scope of Cruikshank’s varied career—best retrospective of foremost illustrator. Introduction, notes.
Average customer rating:
- It told a lot of info on Alicia's movies
- FOR TEEN GIRLS
- Greatest Book on Alicia Silverstone
- It is a good book!
- Even die-hard Alicia fans will be dissapointed by this book.
|
As if!: The Not-so-Clueless Alicia Silverstone
Jason Rich
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Entertainers
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
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General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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Performing Arts
| Biographies
| People & Places
| Children's Books
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Biographies
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Actors & Actresses
| Directors
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
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General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
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General
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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ASIN: 1572972653 |
Customer Reviews:
It told a lot of info on Alicia's movies.......1999-10-27
I thought the book was really good. It listed Alicia's roles in movies and told about all the co-stars in the them,and other important info on her movies.I also thought the part about the make-up was interesting. I am a very big fan of Alicia and I have done a lot of research on her and I think this book tells a lot.
FOR TEEN GIRLS.......1999-02-24
This bokk is written for teenagers, girls specifically. Instead of informing the reader and the Alicia's fans about her life, career and curiosities, the book often escapes the subject and goes into long details about how to make-up, how to dress, even how to connect to the Internet. There are 16 pages of bad quality black & white photos. Though a pocket-book, it should have more quality. Better choose another biography of the actress.
Greatest Book on Alicia Silverstone.......1999-02-06
It was a very good book, full of everything about Alicia Silverstone. The web sites at the end were very neat too. Jason lists every movie that Alicia has done from the Domino's Pizza commercial to Excess Baggage. I'm a big Alicia fan, so this book is really cool. A must have.
It is a good book!.......1998-07-05
I have read this book cause I am a very big fan of Alicia and her work since I first saw her onscreen!It is a great book with a lot information but what I really disliked is that it is not an authorized bio and so I guess a lot of whats in the book can`t be 100% true!!!One other big mistake is that Alicia`s dog Samson was always pronounced wrong-Sampson! But in the whole it was a great book and I hope there will be more bios about her which are authorized!!!!!
Even die-hard Alicia fans will be dissapointed by this book........1998-07-03
Jason Rich offers nothing of any value in his book. The book simply tells us all the things that we already knew about Alicia, without getting into details, and without exploring contreversial issues such as her weight problem. Most of this book is filled with "filler" giving us career notes on her co-stars in various movies. AS IF we care! More information can be gathered in 1 hour on the internet, or by reading one article on Alicia. Mr. Rich also writes every sentence as if he is trying to please Alicia and her family. Mr. Rich, you wasted our time!
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