The Amphora Project

Book Description

Deep in the bowels of Junk Moon, the finest scientists of Planet Immortal are nearing completion of Project Amphora, which aims to unlock the secret of immortality. The Project is run by the Consortium, twelve of the planet's most influential movers and shakers, but they aren't the only ones after immortality. Commander Jockey Oldcastle, a wise-cracking space pirate, has heard about the Amphora Project from a banished scientist who is convinced it will lead to the end of the world. Oldcastle sets off to find the project with Adrian Link, a timid botanist who wants only to tend to his plants on the Agricultural Plain, yet Oldcastle finds himself trying to unravel a strange mystery: It seems the Amphora Project is turning the citizens of Planet Immortal into crystal. As time runs out, it is up to Oldcastle and Link— and Link's exotic, unlikely love interest —to stop their mysterious extradimensional enemy before their world is lost forever.

Hilarious, wildly inventive, and featuring a fantastical cast of mutants, quasihuman robots, intergalactic mercenaries, and two-thousand-year-old immortals, The Amphora Project is a novel that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy and transcends the boundaries of both.

Average customer rating:

Very uneven quality
I am off to read more of this guy's work he rocks!
Not Kotzwinkle's Best
Space-Opera attempt doesn't quite work

The Amphora Project
William Kotzwinkle
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0802118038

Book Description

Deep in the bowels of Junk Moon, the finest scientists of Planet Immortal are nearing completion of a project that will unlock the secret of immortality. Project Amphora is run by the Consortium, twelve of the planet's most influential movers and shakers. They aren't the only ones after immortality: Commander Jockey Oldcastle, a wise-cracking space pirate, has heard about the Amphora Project from a banished scientist who is convinced it will lead to the end of the world. Oldcastle sets off to find the project with Adrian Link, a timid botanist who wants only to tend to his plants on the Agricultural Plain, yet Oldcastle finds himself trying to unravel a strange mystery: It seems the Amphora Project is turning the citizens of Planet Immortal into crystal. As time runs out, it is up to Oldcastle and Link -- and Link's exotic, unlikely love interest -- to stop their mysterious extradimensional enemy before their world is lost forever. Hilarious, wildly inventive, and featuring a fantastical cast of mutants, quasihuman robots, intergalactic mercenaries, and two-thousand-year-old immortals, The Amphora Project is a novel that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy and transcends the boundaries of both.

Customer Reviews:

Very uneven quality.......2006-07-31

This was my first Kotzwinkle book.

Despite the three stars I give this book, I give Kotzwinkle's imagination and originality a 5. The strength of his little periphery ideas were intriguing enough to keep me going through the end.
The previous posters are correct. The actual "hero" of the story, Link, was extremely flat compared to other characters like Oldcastle and Upquark. In addition to this, his personality (what little we can glean from the book) seems to change without explanation as he assumes the role of hero toward the end.
The twist in the book was interesting, but it seems to be carried out rather roughly. There is little background or foreshadowing. The storyline just abruptly changes lanes.
In addition to this, there seems to be leftover pieces of incomplete or changed subplots.
Was it a rushed deadline?
The ideas were fantastic, and this could have been a 5-star book with more development.

I am off to read more of this guy's work he rocks!.......2006-01-16

Oh gosh I LIKED this book.. and I was going to write a review without reading the others but sneaked a peek anyway.. so now for SURE I am gonna' write this review!

First, I haven't read any other Kotzwinkle (that sounded.. strange.. but YOU know what I mean), but after THIS book I AM because I liked this book!

I agree that there are COOL characters in this book including the Observer: a cool objective analytical even ruthless strong female lead who sneaks up on you in the book. Her Mysterious Origin adds to her allure!

But the OTHer characters are cool too, especially Lizardo and Oldcastle.. hm.. this will either put you off or intrigue you more.. but those two remind me of an intelligent "A Team" set in a future earth galaxy empire combat instead of a wwII african desert combat.. but the same "competent though irreverent" feel is there.

ANYway the backround about ancient aliens and their immortality scam was just that to me.. a fun backdrop for the main and secondary characters to play against.. especially cool to me were the individual motivations of The Combine who invested in the Amphora (Immortality) Project totally taken in by the scam but unable to see it because of their hopes and fears.. ow! that hit close to home to me (wince) but felt all too authentic!

But Hey the story ends happily, humanity remains saved and SOME of the characters hook up and learn lessons, and OTHers don't (of course!) and I am off to read more of this guy's work, he rocks!

Not Kotzwinkle's Best.......2006-01-11

I was excited about picking up a new book from the author who wrote great books like The Fan Man, The Exile, Dr. Rat, etc. but---

This one had promise for a while but then gets muddled in the middle and didn't really keep me interested. Characters like Oldcastle and Lizardo seem to be the heroes, but they take a backseat to others like The Observer, who, I think is the only interesting character in the story. There are others who are introduced, like Man O' War, but their impact on the story is unclear.
There's some interesting robotic encounters and other-worldly concepts that keep the reader involved, but, overall, the story is pretty anti-climatic. The theme of humans (or aliens) playing with mortality works well, but the story becomes made-for-tv and fizzles.
If you're looking for good Kotzwinkle, I'd recommend the books mentioned above as well as some earlier titles like The Midnight Examiner and The Bear Went Over The Mountain.

Space-Opera attempt doesn't quite work.......2005-11-20

It was the culmination of countless dreams. The Amphora Project promised to bring immortality to humans, allow them to reclaim any physical moment for their bodies, continue on as long as the stars shined. Achieving success with the project, bringing immortality has become an obsession to the planet's leaders--and nothing would be allowed to stand in its way. Even when it became obvious that something was horribly wrong--even as people began transforming into crystal rocks--the project had to be continued. And when a few people rebelled, tried to stop the project before it stopped everything, it was too late.

Aliens from another dimension threaten humanity, and all life in our own universe. Against them, the military is completely helpless, and the government isn't even interested in fighting. Instead, a motley crew of old pirates, bug-scientists, robots, and Lizardo, the navigator, offer humanity's only hope.

Author William Kotzwinkle reaches into Science Fiction's tradition of space opera to deliver a battle against energy-sucking extra-dimensional aliens, romantic robots, and has-been pirates upon whom the fate of the universe rests. It's a good effort, but Kotzwinkle doesn't quite pull it off. For me, at least, the characters never quite came to life, their romances didn't seem integral to the individuals, and it was hard to get excited about whether any of them managed to stay alive or joined the mob being transformed to crystal.

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The Amphora Project
William Kotzwinkle
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LHDGMG

El Proyecto Anfora/the Amphora Project (Runas)

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El Proyecto Anfora/the Amphora Project (Runas)
William Kotzwinkle
Manufacturer: Alianza Editorial Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Wow!!.......2002-04-01

This book was great! I really liked Evaine,and Gamaliel.Buy this one,borrow it,READ IT!!James Ward is one of the best authors.Maybe Mr.Ward could write a series about Miltiades(hint,hint!).Really enjoyable!!!!

Another great book by Ward.......2002-03-22

I gotta say,James Ward rocks! I really,REALLY loved this book.Gamaliel is my new favorite charactor.Miltiades is great too.I've read alot of Forgotten Realms books,This is one of the best.I just wish Ward would continue this series,or maybe write a Gamaliel series(hint,hint).Thanks Mr.Ward,this book made me smile!!

Highly enjoyable.......2001-02-10

This was one of my earliest fantasy reads and I got through it faster than I had ever read a book! The first chapter is one of my favourite opening chapters of all time. Although I have'nt read the first book I found the characters in this one very likeable. Pools of darkness I think is a classic example of good traditional high fantasy. Read it if you have too much spare time.

I think it's a pretty good book!.......2000-03-17

This was the first 'FR' book I read and I thought it was pretty good over all. It has a good cast of charactors and they are easy to like. If you are like me and did not read 'Pool of Radiance' first, then you still will be able to very easily follow this book when you read it. This book goes at a good pace. The fights are OK, I like how the characters are not always put in a fight were it's always a hundred to one and they still some how amazingly come out on top with little more then a small bump on there heads. If you are new to fantasy or are an old pro and don't need to worry about every last detail of a book to enjoy it then I would say that this is a good book to read.

Ummm...NO!.......1999-08-30

Pool of Radiance was entertaining even though it was simple; Pools of Darkness is just plain dumb. Maybe Jane Cooper Hong should've helped on this one too. The idea of a Red Mage powerful enough to transport an entire city to an underground cavern is hard to believe. However, if your imagination and faith in magic's power let you get over that, then you have to believe that he is too weak to conquer it himself and needs to rely on armies of humanoid thugs to do it for him. Obviously, Phlan's Captain of the Guard has read the player's handbook and DMG rulebooks from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Read the book and you will know what I mean.

I'm getting sick reviewing this book so I will quit.

Basically, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS ONE!

Average customer rating:
Pools of Darkness Instruction Manual and Adventurer's Journal
n/a
Manufacturer: Strategic Simulations
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet
ASIN: B000LPPTNW

Average customer rating:
Forgotten Realms: Pool of Radiance + Pools of Darkness + Pool of Twilight
James Ward
Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TCU99Q

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Pools of Darkness
James M.; Brown, Anne B. Ward
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HDMR88

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UNDER THE MOONS OF MARS: Darkness and Dawn; Polaris of the Snows; Palos of the Dog Star Pack; Friend Island; The Moon Pool; The Girl in the Golden Atom; The Mad Planet; The Blind Spot; A History of the Scientific Romance in the Munsey Magazines
Sam (editor) (Edgar Rice Burroughs; George Allan England; Charles B. Stilson; J. J. Giesy; Francis Stevens; A. Merritt; Ray Cummings; Murray Leinster; Austin Hall; Homer Eon Flint) Moskowitz
Manufacturer: Holt Rinehart and Winston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mars | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000GKBLX4

Average customer rating:

Awesome Sci-Fi writing that will entertain you well.

Fantastic! Five Stars all the way!

A State of Mind as Much as a Series of Events

Awesome, action-packed Space Opera!! Highly recommended!

Couldn't put it down!

Entering Tenebrea (Tenebrea Trilogy)
Roxann Dawson , and Daniel Graham
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Tenebrea's Hope (Tenebrea Trilogy)

Tenebrea Rising

ASIN: 0671036076
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Book Description

One piercing energy beam is enough to shatter the calm of a seaport on a sunny day. Just one shot turns an idle dreamer into a hardened avenger. Enraged by the brutal terrorist attack that kills her entire family, Andrea Flores leaves behind a world she loves. Abandoning Earth forever to even the score, Andrea finds herself an outcast on the harsh planet Jod, where she fights to join an elite unit, the powerful and mysterious Tenebrea. With the universe on the brink of destruction, Andrea must survive against all odds until the day she can face her family's killers and taste the revenge for which she lives.

Download Description

Dawson, who plays B'Elanna Torres on "Star Trek: Voyager", and author Graham join forces on this story about the only survivor of a brutal alien massacre. Andrea Flores is transformed into an avenger, and is offered a place in the cadre of warriors, the Tenebrea, of an alien dignitary who shares the same hatred for the aliens that murdered Andrea's family.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Sci-Fi writing that will entertain you well........2006-08-14

It was a very curious novel. It actually surprised me along the way. It looks like an innocent bystander becomes the center of a war that no one dared to start. As the clones get the necessary stimulus from Andrea, all hell breaks loose. This book will leave wishing you bought the whole trilogy at once.

Fantastic! Five Stars all the way!.......2003-07-12

This book was a fantastic read! It had a terrific plot, great characters, and many thrilling moments!
When I first heard of the book, I wasn't very interested(I'm not a big Sci-fi fan). But it got great reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I'm so happy that I did! This book wasn't like any other book I had ever read. It was better! It had something for everyone: action, suspense, romance, adventure, and mystery.

This is hands down one of greatest, if not THE greatest, books I've ever read or ever hope to read!

A State of Mind as Much as a Series of Events.......2003-01-01

The first book of a projected trilogy, Entering Tenebrea is not a truly great read, but it shows increasing promise as the story unfolds, especially for readers willing to cut a pair of relative rookies some slack.

Earth belongs to the Alliance, a largely alien planetary union now debating membership for the Ordinate, a human civilization found on the planet Cor some years ago. Little is known about the secretive Ordinate, except that it arose from an ancient alien experiment to study the impact of advanced Alliance technology on humans, and it now relies extensively on cloned slave labor-illegal in the Alliance. Alliance governments see cloning as the only issue. To a few scattered individuals, however, the Ordinate poses a deeper threat.

For Terran Andrea Flores, a perfect life is derailed when her husband and daughter die in a terrorist attack. Witness to the attack is Jod Admiral Hal K'Rin, on the outs with his planetary Council for continuing his father's anti-Ordinate crusade. K'Rin takes Andrea under his wing, eventually offering her a chance to join his Tenebrea. The Tenebrea have long been Clan Rin's household guard, but also serve as an elite special force for the regular Jod militia. One Tenebrea function is riding herd on Ordinate agents among the Alliance worlds. K'Rin knows, and Andrea learns, that the alleged terrorist attack was really an Ordinate operation. K'Rin also heard recently that Cor is developing a new order of highly dangerous clones. His source is clone escapee Eric, who's seeking aid for his fellow old-order clones, now being phased out. Can K'Rin trust such a source?

The Roman Catholic "Tenebrae" (misspelled by the authors) is a rite of mourning and darkness, commemorating Christ's crucifixion. Why an alien military group is named after an old Latin word is never explained, but for Andrea Flores "entering Tenebrea" describes a state of mind as much as a series of events. Considering herself as dead as her family, she wants only to kill as many of the killers as she can, commemorating her own loss. She must earn her commission, though; after rigorous training, only the best candidates become Tenebrea, with a commitment that's absolute and life-long. Her first mission is to infiltrate Cor, join the renegade clone underground, confirm Eric's claims, and escape with proof in hand.

Much of the early set-up to Entering Tenebrea is too contrived to ring true, grating against the willing suspension of disbelief that makes for a successful novel. Once past the troublesome set-up chapters, however, the characters, social systems, and situations are absorbing enough to help the reader focus on action, not analysis. Some later plot elements still don't pass close scrutiny, and there are occasional chronology and continuity errors, but it becomes easier to ignore them. The writing style is serviceable if uninspired, with only the average assortment of basic writing errors. By story's end, the patient reader will almost certainly want to see how the remaining two installments of the trilogy shape up.

Awesome, action-packed Space Opera!! Highly recommended!.......2002-12-03

When Andrea Flores's husband and daughter are killed in a terrorist attack, she is taken aboard the Jod starship Tyker to heal and recuperate. The Tyker's captain, K'Rin, who witnessed the aftermath of her family's murder, gives her the opportunity to join his elite and mysterious house guard, the Tenebrea. Trained as an assassin, Andrea finds herself on a special mission to the planet Cor, where she must gather information about a rumor of NewGen clones that are supposedly being grown for war. What Andrea seeks is vengeance, but her plan is slightly sidetracked in a new search for answers, and what she ends up getting involved in is something neither she, not the Jod, could have imagined.

This book was fabulous! I really didn't know what to expect, since the back cover is kind of vague, but what a wonderful surprise it was to find myself immersed in a truly gripping story of heartbreak, betrayal, acceptance, friendship, love, vengeance, secrets, lies, and loyalty. There are also some key points of humor, and plenty of tense and exciting action. Andrea's story is not as cut and dry as you might imagine in the beginning, and the plot twists and secrets that are revealed along the way make for a wonderful page-turner that teases the mind and leaves you begging for more.

Couldn't put it down!.......2002-11-08

The world building was wonderful, and the characters were rich and multidimensional. There were times when I really wondered, who were the good guys and who were the bad guys? ... and I'm still wondering about some of them, even at the end of the second book (Tenebrea's Hope), which was just as amazing as the first. The plot is woven together with such expertise that I was doomed to read the entire book in one sitting, never once having to skim over a dull spot ... and that is very rare indeed. I highly, highly recommend this book!

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Entering Tenebrea - First book in the Tenebrea Trilogy
Dawson Roxann & Daniel Graham
Manufacturer: Preview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0964449544

Average customer rating:
ENTERING TENEBREA (TENEBREA, NO 1) -- BARGAIN BOOK
ROXANN DAWSON
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K2LYTO

Average customer rating:

satire and sarcasm

Not that funny

Faith & Politics

Great Book

Thought provoking and very, very funny!

Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church: Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar
Becky Garrison
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Church History | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church

ASIN: 0787983136

Book Description

A master of satire with a theological black belt, Becky Garrison shines a bright light on hypocrisy from both sides of the political spectrum, exposing how both red and blue Christians hold hostage the teachings of Jesus in service to their own partisan gain. What’s lacking is a true understanding of Christ’s mandate to love all of humanity—including our enemies—which, if honored, would open the door to honest dialogue and understanding that transcends political labels.

Customer Reviews:

satire and sarcasm.......2007-01-18

When I was in seminary twenty-five years ago we would hoot and holler over the biting satire of The Wittenburg Door magazine. I still remember a piece on "Dogs Who Love the Lord." Becky Garrison is a senior contributing editor for the Door and self-described "non-partisan religious satirist," and in this book she collects some of her material to parody the pious. She reports on her coverage of the Republican National Convention, reflects on the environment, does a drive-by shooting on the gay issue in a way-too-short chapter (three pages), wonders about pro-Israeli ideology and anti-Semitism, touches on volatile issues roiling our public schools, grapples with abortion, and decries our worship of mammon.

Satire carries inherent risk factors. Skewering everyone equally can be hard. Garrison lambasts the left and its "mainline insipid drivel," but most of the fuel for her fire comes from the right. You read more about Robertson, Falwell and LaHaye than you do about Spong or the Jesus Seminar. Sanctimony and sarcasm are close cousins of satire; it is hard not to sound unctuous. At times she lapses into ad hominem swipes that add little to her humor. Do we really need to hear about the bad behavior of Bush's twin girls? Not every reader will warm to her smart-alecky style. Like most satire, you will need to consult other resources for the heavy lifting on the issues that she raises. Finally, satire has its limits in that it is always easier to criticize what you are against than to explain what you are for, to tear down rather than to build up, to generalize and exaggerate rather than to work through the complex details of difficult issues.

These are minor quibbles, though, given the underlying message that Garrison conveys. First, as she notes in her preface, her mission as a Christian satirist is to "mock idolatry." Given the seductive power of the many idols that tempt us, we should not shoot the messenger, however risky her task. Second, I am always challenged by warnings about the cultural captivity of the church. However much believers might disagree about social, political, economic and global issues, surely we should be able to agree that whatever a "Christian" point of view looks like, it ought to look and sound very different than the cant and cliches from either the left or the right. Finally, Garrison sounds a clear note about the command to love those with whom we disagree. She echoes the wisdom of the German Pastor Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984), who protested Hitler's anti-semite measures in person to the fuehrer, and who was eventually arrested, then imprisoned at Sachsenhausen and Dachau (1937-1945). He once admitted, "It took me a long time to learn that God is not the enemy of my enemies. He is not even the enemy of His enemies.

Not that funny.......2006-08-17

I'm sorry but I've read books a lot funnier (Christian Culture Survival Guide) and a lot more intelligent (God's Politics) then this one. I was hoping for some edgy satirical writing that The Door is known for. The author seemed to have chickened out on Chapter 6 (Too Queer for Words) as the entire chapter was 4 pages long and made little sense.

If you want to check it out sit down with a cup of coffee at a bookstore and browse it for about 10 minutes and you'll know what I mean.

Faith & Politics.......2006-07-29

Fun and enlightening, this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in the cross-section of faith and politics.

Great Book.......2006-06-22

I enjoyed this book immensely, and I'll not rehash what other Amazon reviewers have said about this book. I would just like to add that most pages throughout the book have separate areas where she puts pertinent and thought-provoking quotes from the very profound (Dalai Lama) to the absurd (Ann Coulter). This adds to the reading in a way that I thought was very clever.

My only gripe is that it took me about 3 1/2 hours to read the book, yet it cost me $23.00 + tax at the book store - a bit of a hefty price if you ask me.

Thought provoking and very, very funny!.......2006-06-14

Like all memorable satire, Ms. Garrison's book has something to offend everyone and something to make us all take another look at what we thought we believed. In a series of essays that invoke the spirit of Monty Python and George Carlin, she tackles those two subjects your mother told you not to bring up at dinner parties--religion and politics--with fearlessness, insight and, above all, great love and good humor. The fact that this book has stirred up such controversy shows that she has hit more than one nerve in doing so. But those nerves needed to be hit!

Read this book. Laugh at it, argue with it, call your friends to debate it. One thing I can promise you, though: you won't be bored by it!

Average customer rating:

Good Recipes from a French Home. Mostly Simple

Guy Savoy: Simple French Recipes for the Home Cook
Guy Savoy
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
French | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1584793627

Book Description

Guy Savoy, master of haute cuisine and recipient of three Michelin stars, has never forgotten his culinary roots in the Dauphiné region of France, where, as a child, he learned to appreciate the pure flavors of local produce. Today, at his eponymous restaurant in the heart of Paris, he matches the most luxurious with the most simple ingredients to create dishes that are inventive, but still informed by the techniques of classic French cuisine. And when he cooks at home for family and friends, he favors savory seasonal basics.

In this, his first cookbook to be published in the United States, Savoy shares his personal repertoire of recipes. These are the simple, tasty dishes the top chef cooks at home. Green Bean Salad with Crème Fraîche, Mediterranean Quiche, Strawberry Clafoutis: As the names suggest, many derive their intense flavor from a single ingredient enhanced by Savoy's expertly selected seasonings. The eighty recipes use seasonal fruits and vegetables, and most are easy to prepare. A handful of special-occasion recipes, like Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables, and Cheese Soufflé, require a little more effort, but the rewards are worth it.

Customer Reviews:

Good Recipes from a French Home. Mostly Simple.......2004-06-18

I always try to evaluate cookbooks with special attention to the audience to which the book is written. I will not think well of a book which claims to present methods for easy cooking or entertaining if the recipe methods are long or the recipes have a high or expensive ingredient count. I also tend to devalue books that mislead the reader's expectations about the subject or emphasis of the book. On the other hand, I raise the number of stars for any book, regardless of audience, which advances my understanding of cooking. I will also raise my evaluation if the book is entertaining. This book sits on the cusp of these two conflicting influences on my rating.

Backed by the star powered Foreword by Patricia Wells, Guy Savoy's title states clearly that the recipes are both simple and designed for the home cook. I suggest that many of the recipes are not very simple and the author's paradigm of the home cook seems to be someone with several hours a day to spend on cooking and shepherding preparations which extend over two or more days. I also get a strong feeling from the ambiance and food styling in the photographs that the `home' environment they picture looks a whole lot like the inside of a professional kitchen. But, there are some redeeming qualities. Let's look at the recipes by chapter.

Even in the opening chapter, `Appetizers', the author gives the game away by giving excellent estimates for prep and cooking time. The chapter starts out on the right foot with the first six (6) recipes giving simple vegetable dishes and salads, but things get darker when we hit recipes such as `Sausage en Brioche' and `Pot-au-Feu Salad' where preparation spans two days, with one or more hour of preparation on each day. These two recipes are not isolated examples, although they are at the upper extreme. Over half the recipes have a combined prep and cook time of 90 minutes or more and about a quarter of the recipes need two days. And, like the `Sausage en Brioche', many of these recipes are things like terrines and mousses I would not dream of cooking at home. They remind me of the characterization of French cooking as being designed for people with bad teeth. The appetizer recipes also tend to use ingredients that may not be easy to acquire, even at an American megamart, for a Wednesday evening dinner. Its needing celeriac, crème fraiche, smoked duck magret, and mimolette cheese devalues an otherwise delightful recipe. I know my local Wegmans will have the first three, but I am really not sure of the last. I have a strong feeling that the home cook to which Chef Savoy is writing lives in Paris, although I give the author (or his translator) high marks for Americanizing the measurements. I also found cases where the photographs and the methods clearly disagree. This is very annoying in any book, but doubly so when the photographs should assist in understanding the methods.

The chapter `Gratins' goes a long way to winning back my opinion of the book. Unlike appetizers, I have no problem seeing long cooking times for gratins. And, I am especially fond of them for packing an enormous amount of taste and nutritional diversity in a relatively easy package. The author racks up major points by giving an insight into making Mac and Cheese (a simple gratin) by `marinading' cooked pasta in sauce for 24 hours to soak up the sauce. Not really in the same class as a Kraft microwave dish, but well worth a try for some wow effect on Saturday night with dinner guests. There are at least two gratin recipes in this chapter that are alone worth the price of the book (at a reasonable discount).

The chapter `Fish' has many good recipes and fish cooking is always pretty fast; however, the choice of fish species, with few recommendations on substitutions tends to spoil the anticipation. The recipes include things like skate, porgy, turbot, and brill, plus trout so fresh that it is impractical to make the dish more than a few yards from a Catskills trout stream.

The chapter `Meat' combines recipes for red meat, game, and fowl. Many of the recipes are variations on fairly standard models such as steak tartare, beef stew with carrots, roasted chicken, rabbit stew, chicken shepherd's pie, veal stew, lamb stew, braised veal rump, and braised pork with chestnuts. Like gratins, I am very fond of braising, although I have all the time I need to do the prep and baby-sit dishes in the oven for hours. Most Americans who cook for families do not have this time. They would be better served by a good book on slow cooker recipes.

The chapter `Cheese' is short, with some standards and some good ideas spoiled by calling for some unusual cheeses.

The chapter `Desserts' is relatively long for the size of a book by a savory chef. If you have no books on desserts, pastries, or baking, this section is an important addition to the value of the book, as it includes both very simple recipes like raspberry clafoutis, poached pears, and rice pudding; some high impact dishes such as crepes with citrus fruit and champagne granite; and some simple classics such as sugar cookies and Madeleines.

All recipes are very well written. There are many uncommon recipes and most versions of old standards have an interesting twist. If you have no French cookbooks, you could do worse than this volume. You will not find the kind of cooking insights you will get from Julia Child or Richard Olney or Patricia Wells' book with Joel Robuchon, but you will find good recipes.

Recommended for those with the time, especially if you like braises, gratins, and simple desserts.

Book Description

This is the first comprehensive history of one of the largest farm tractor manufacturers of all time: Massey-Harris-Ferguson. The merged company remains one of the world's largest farm-equipment manufacturers, with tractors sold around the globe. Besides covering the machines themselves, "The Big Book of Massey Tractors" also details the history of Canadian agriculture. Collectibles, sales memorabilia, ads from old farm magazines, and historic black-and-white photos complete this look at this famous manufacturer.

Book Description

“Each color chart is accompanied by clear instructions for unique finishing ideas such as a French coffee-press cozy and curtain tiebacks that feature designs adapted from Wedgewood and Spode china patterns....Photographs clearly show stitchers how to display clever renditions of the famous Willow pattern, Delftware, and Toiles de Jouy.”—Just Cross Stitch.

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Toiles de Jouy
Judith Straeten
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 158685156X

Book Description

For lovers of French decorating, this book reproduces some of the earliest toile designs from 18th-century France. Delicate flower prints, fun animal motifs, rich historic scenes, and complex architectural patterns are just some of the subjects reproduced here in rich color. The patterns in Toiles de Jouy are reproduced from an antiquarian book containing 50 plates of French toile fabric and wallpaper patterns. The range of colors is astounding and illustrates that toiles aren't always simply one color on a neutral ground. Some of the most fascinating were designed originally in multiple colors. A new introduction and stories about the toile patterns give decorators, home designers and Francophiles information about toiles that they've never seen before.

Average customer rating:

Good enough for Marie Antoinette, it is good enough for me!

Toile de Jouy
Melanie Riffel , Sophie Rouart , and Sophie Rouard
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0500511497

Book Description

In the seventeenth century, printed and painted cottons from India first appeared in France. In reaction to the enormous commercial success of these bright Indian cottons, a French embargo was placed on the importation of foreign textiles. In 1759 this ban was finally lifted, and in 1760 the Manufacture Royale de Jouy was founded in Jouy-en-Josas, near Paris, to produce printed cotton fabrics on French soil that could compete with the popular imported ones.

At first the factory produced polychrome cottons with floral or plant motifs that were intended for clothing. Subsequently, the "monochromes" appeared; adorned with rural, historical, mythological, narrative, and oriental themes, they were used mainly for home furnishings. Within a few years, the factory was the biggest of its kind in Europe, and its printed textiles had become widely used in France and abroad. In all, some 30,000 designs were created at Jouy-en-Josas through the years, many of them the work of renowned eighteenth-century artists such as Fragonard and Boucher.

The authors, both curators at the Musée de la Toile de Jouy, have drawn upon the museum's rich collections to produce the first-ever complete history of these textiles. The illustrations include original designs that are conserved in the museum, exceptional historical examples of toile de Jouy clothing and furniture, documents relating to manufacture and to the founding of the company, and examples of contemporary uses of the textiles.

Toile de Jouy has become increasingly popular among designers and decorators, who incorporate its classic patterns in upholstery, wallpaper, bed linens, tablecloths, napkins, and stationery. For anyone interested in the history of textiles and design, or looking for fresh ideas for interior decor, this book will be an essential reference. 180 illustrations, 160 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Good enough for Marie Antoinette, it is good enough for me!.......2004-04-05

Recently there has been an explosion in the popular applications of toile de Jouy's monochromatic patterns. You can buy anything from a dog bed to a light switch cover embellished with this venerable fabric. Although it may seem faddish, toile de Jouy has been a classic decorating choice for almost 250 years never falling out of favor.

A recently published book, Toile de Jouy: Printed Textiles in the Classical French Style brings focuses on the interesting history of this enduring fabric decorating staple. Toile de Jouy includes hundreds of vibrant color photographs gathering together antique fabrics, pattern sketchbooks, block prints, period clothing, and period soft furnishings. The photographs capture the amazing monochromatic fabric designs that we are familiar with, historical tributes, literary themes, everyday scenes, and bucolic country life. There are also fabrics that we are not likely to associate with toile de Jouy; blazing or muted multicolored florals and geometrics. Toile de Jouy also educates the reader about historical textile production, design, and the history of France during difficult political times.

The Manufacture Royale de Jouy, which produced these fine fabrics, opened for business in 1760 with just three employees. During it's 83 years in business The Manufacture Royale de Jouy accomplished the Herculean task of creating and printing 30,000 patterns. Famous artists of the day were courted to produce patterns and they accepted because the work had high visibility and was well paid. So popular were the fabrics that the annual receipts made it the second largest factory in France.

Always a fine and expensive product, toile was personally selected by Marie Antoinette and Napoleon for interior decoration in their palaces and stately homes. To attest to the brilliance and timeless character of the original designs many are still available from contemporary suppliers such as Pierre Frey, Brunschweig and Fils, Maison Georges Le Manach, Casal-Amelie Prevot, Braquenie, and other manufacturers.

Average customer rating:
Histoire de la Manufacture de Jouy et de La Toile Imprimee en France
Henri CLOUZOT
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RJHZSO

Average customer rating:
La Manufacture De Jouy et la Toile Imprimee Au XVIII Siecle. (Architecture Et Arts Decoratifs
Henri Clouzot
Manufacturer: G. Vanoest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IU0HLE

Average customer rating:

Perfect Gifts for Friends who Love to Write

Toiles de Jouy Notecards
Inhouse
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Misc. Supplies

General | Note Cards | Accessories | Formats | Books
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ASIN: 1586851608

Customer Reviews:

Perfect Gifts for Friends who Love to Write.......2004-07-18

Painted cottons were developed in India in the fourteenth century. When printed and painted beautiful cottons appeared from India in the seventeenth century, a French embargo was placed on the import, manufacture, and sale of foreign fabrics.

Jouy is an area of France that is very famous for making Toile fabrics. Jouy-en-Josas is a little town near Versailles, southwest of Paris. The Manufacture Royale de Jouy was founded in Joy-en-Josas along the Bièvre river. This factory once employed 1,300 workers who printed miles of fabric. The fabric was printed using copper sheets, which allow precise drawings that are much more detailed than those carved on wood.

Jean-Baptiste Huet (1745-1811) was the artist who's drawings for the copper sheets were later called toiles de Jouy (Jouy fabrics). Soon, a carved copper roll printed 5,000 meters of fabric in one day. Hippolyte le Bas, Jean-Louis Demarne, Horace Vernet were some of the famous painters who loved designing for those interested in Egypt and mythology. While the factory closed, some new prints are still made by using old drawings from the Textile Museum in Mulhouse.

I've recently given away some of these beautiful Gibbs Smith cards to friends who love to write, but this is a box I'm keeping. These "Toiles De Jouy" cards are beautiful and are printed with reproductions of 18th-century French fabric and wallpaper designs. The box itself is very collectable and I'm thinking of filling it with letters from a friend.

The box has a hinged lid and contains 20 note cards and 20 envelopes. There are four designs and five cards printed with each design.

The first card is bursting with pink flowers, tiny scenes from far-away lands and an elephant, bird and interesting deer creature. Each picture is framed in a pink circle and the flowers meander around the frames.

The second card is highly decorative and you can see the fabric texture and delicate, almost antique quality of the monochromatic slate blue designs set against the vanilla fabric.

My favorite and third card in this collection is a scene of flowers and leaves with animal heads. It is like the flowers and leaves have their own personalities or animals are being born from mysterious and unnamed species of plants. A green and pink flower burst with stars while mythical beast hides behind a sharply edged leaf. I especially noticed the seven-pointed star flowers and the intricate and imaginative flower designs in purple, fuschia and dark green.

The last card has pastoral scenes and contains pictures of angels, roosters, children dancing in circles to music and outdoor retreats all in a gray print.

You may also enjoy: Toiles de Jouy by Betty Lou Phillips or look for the complete history of these textiles in Toile de Joy by Melanie Riffel.

If you love these cards, you can also still purchase fabrics online and some of the "ancient" prints are stunningly beautiful.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Average customer rating:
Toiles De Jouy: Classic Printed Textiles from France 1760-1843
Josette Bredif , and Natalie Rothstein
Manufacturer: Thames and Hudson Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0500235635

Average customer rating:
12 toiles de Jouy: Drawings (Artext cards)
J. B Huet
Manufacturer: C. Huard?
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00086E1L0

Average customer rating:
Classic printed textiles from France, 1760-1843: Toiles de Jouy
Josette BreÌdif
Manufacturer: Thames and Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007BQFRO

Average customer rating:
Histoire de la manufacture de Jouy et de la toile imprimee en France
Henri Clouzot
Manufacturer: G. Van Oest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B000111PW0

Book Description

A photo-filled style guide offers ideas for imaginative themes for every stage of childhood. Practical instructions cover basic techniques for changing floors, walls, windows, lighting, and storage. Comes with tips on how to alter its look to express whichever approach —rustic, sporty, wild, or playful—you and the kids choose.

Customer Reviews:

Not so great kid's rooms.......2005-12-30

Some of the rooms in this book are just plain yucky. There are some okay ideas for projects, but many of them are not ones I would use in a child's room. If you are looking for practical ideas on getting started, choosing a color scheme or theme, tying the room together, etc. this book isn't very helpful. You can draw from the rooms pictured, but many of them are not attractive at all. There were a couple of rooms I did really like, but no helpful information about how the look was achieved. I would not recommend this book at all only because there are so many that are fifty times better out there!

Designs dreams are made of........2004-11-23

We found out she was creative and clever from her first couple books, but this one puts her in a whole new league. Scheffler is becoming the Renoir of crafts and home design: eye catching ideas that lift the spirit and bring out the kid at heart (even for us who aren't kids anymore). I'm all thumbs, but I want to grab my paints and craft supplies and get cracking. Better yet, will you come and decorate my apartment, Carol?? Please!

I want to be a kid again!.......2002-11-08

I can't believe how beautiful the rooms are in this book. And there are so many useful ideas. Although I wouldn't consider myself exactly talented when it comes to crafts, there are actually projects in this book that I can handle and many more that I could easily hire someone to recreate for me. The room themes in the book are varied and fresh and not just for kid's rooms. In fact, there are ideas I am going to use in my bedroom and in other rooms in my home. Buy this book even if only to look at the pictures. You'll start there and be so overwhemed by how beautiful or creative something is that the next thing you know you'll be redecorating!

Book Description

Reincarnation researcher Allen Eastman has written the most compelling account of past lives you will ever read! He recounts five of them in vivid detail:

1. As an American Indian shaman whose spirit guide helps her survive the largest Pacific Northwest mega-earthquake and tsunami in 500 years;

2. As a Confederate officer in the last desperate battle at Appomattox;

3. As a Lakota warrior fighting Custer face-to-face at the Little Bighorn;

4. As a young colleague of Vincent van Gogh in Bohemian Paris;

5. And lastly, as a Norman soldier in England with William the Conqueror.

In addition, he uncovers some surprising secrets about a number of famous celebrities. Past life details are revealed for Jackie Kennedy, JFK, RFK, Lincoln, Lyndon Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, John Wilkes Booth, Martin Luther King, Lee Harvey Oswald, Robert E. Lee, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and others.

This astonishing work includes more than 250 photos, as well as artwork by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, and Manet. Meticulously researched, these stories reveal secrets from the past that describe what it was really like at these critical moments in history. You get the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of each player in a gripping style, as well as the inside track on what really happened at some of these famous encounters. The truth is indeed far more compelling than fiction!

Customer Reviews:

"When you're dead, you're NOT really dead!".......2003-10-14

KENNY KINGSTON, the "CELEBRITY PSYCHIC" writes: Reincarnation is a subject as highly debated as what political party one belongs to or which religion is better. Some people say, "When you're dead you're dead." Others, myself included, say that passing away is only the beginning and that we spend time on the other side recuperating from, and reevaluating, the life we just lived, before moving on and reincarnating into another life that will teach us new lessons. Each life enhances us in intelligence and spirituality.

My congratulations to Allen Eastman for having brought to the public important elements regarding this (to some) controversial topic, through his book Alive 5 Times.

Allen, Sweet Spirit, while living your previous lives, I believe you indirectly began writing this book. And now, in this lifetime, you are finalizing the project with the book's release.

A Great and Joyous Gift!.......2003-10-14

LAUREN ZIMMERMAN writes: Your book fell open to the photo of Chief Iron Tail. I can't describe my reaction to what I saw! You see, in 1974, I had a life-after-death experience where a man appeared to me and told me his name was Chief Iron Tail. To see his picture, as he has been appearing to me for so many years, was one of the most astounding validations I have ever had! Thank you for your contribution to my life. You gave me a great and joyous gift through your book.

A GREAT READ!.......2003-10-14

TONY STUBBS writes: The blend of Allen's historically verifiable experiences and his contemporary insights makes the subject of reincarnation come alive; this has resulted in far more refreshing and readable coverage than other nonfiction accounts I have read.

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