Distribution Books

Dave Abbott's CATCH THE IRISH LAUGHTER has even me -- a non Emerald Isle resident laughing. If as Norman Cousins said "Laughter is the best medicine" then this 122-page book is a medical recipe for any type of ailment.

Although Dave Abbott is known world-wide for his speaking humour his translation to the Gutenberg-format has caught this acoustical rhythm. From his Irish "Spy stories" to those about pilots will throughly exercise your laughing mechanisms.

Don't just stand there and listen to me: go buy the book.

Frank Ogden "Dr. Tomorrow"

A window into the Irish soul and psyche, Catch the Irish Laughter is a marvelous book filled with good Irish humour, history and, of course, a bit of blarney. Dave Abbott's reminiscences of his youth and the people he's known are an insight into the man and his heritage. Well worth the read.

Jim Reynolds Langley, B.C

What would an Hungarian/German immigrant know about Irish humour? After reading Dave Abbott's delightful book a lot more, and I enjoyed every delicious bit of Irish wit and wisdom included in this "must-have" book. Abbott is a great story teller, and a remarkably good writer: the two don't always come together in one person. There were dozens of jokes I of course had heard over the years, and having been briefly engaged to a "mad Irishman" I even knew a little about their origin. Abbott's work is refreshing and compelling, especially when he talks about the fascinating people has has known, such as Kathleen Behan. Moreover, the bit of Irish history he does include makes me want to read more about those "fightin' Irish." Just call me Monika O'Forberger!

Monika Forberger

Entertainment Vancouver

Vancouver, BC Canada

So glad i caught and am keeping Abbott's delightful new work. For it's a compendium of often hilarious and insightful gems whose narrative flows and sparkles like the Liffey herself. one happy customer, Nicholas

Dave Abbott's CATCH THE IRISH LAUGHTER has even me -- a non Emerald Isle resident laughing.

If as Norman Cousins said "Laughter is the best medicine" then this 122-page book is a medical recipe for any type of ailment.

Although Dave Abbott is known world-wide for his speaking humour his translation to the Gutenberg-format has caught this acoustical rhythm.

From his Irish "Spy stories" to those about pilots will throughly exercise your laughing mechanisms.

Don't just stand there and listen to me: go buy the book.

Frank Ogden "Dr. Tomorrow"

I'm currently half-way through Professor Tom Ferguson's course using this book (learning from the man himself!). We have so far covered the first 14 chapters/sections in 6 weeks. I have to compliment this book on its clarity and flow. The material itself is difficult, but the presentation of material in A Course in Large Sample Theory is as likely as good as it can get in book-form. Having the material presented by a professor is of course ideal but this book is certainly feasible for self-study yet rigorous enough for a first-year graduate course in statistics. There are plenty of (useful) examples in each chapter in addition to explanations. Further, the exercises in the book also have full solutions in the back -- pages 172-235 are the solutions (additional exercises on Professor Ferguson's website). If any book were to make this material feasible for self-study, it would be this one.

For those who want to take this material on for self-study: Pick this book but... this level of this book (ie, the material) is comparable to real analysis but with more direct applications. That is, an individual will succeed in using this book for self-study if (and perhaps only if) she has a good base in analysis and proofs and feels comfortable adapting that knowledge to statistics. An individual with little or no background in analysis proofs will have a very difficult time using this book for self-study. That said, if you want to learn the material, this book would be a prime starting location. If you don't have a good background in analysis, consider spending some time preparing by running over the theory of limits before engaging this book.

For those who are taking a course and are using this book, be happy your professor picked it -- it's clear and concise. This is a book worth buying. Due to the level of the material, rereading chapters is sometimes necessary but is easily manageable since chapters are concise and include examples.

Among the textbooks on the statistical large sample theory, it is perhaps one of the best. Very user friendly, logical from the beginning to the end, and full of intuition accompanied by rigorious mathematical developments. Only the book by van der Vaart can compete in terms of quality, although van der Vaart can be difficult for a student.

Ferguson has written an excellent book on asymptotic statistics. The theorems and their proofs are as clear as they can be. Measure theory and functional analysis are mostly avoided. Much like Rudin's books (though this one is easier to read), there is little fat and the results appear in a concise and easily remembered and referenced way. It is the most readable book on this topic that I found and is quite enjoyable to read.

Regarding its coverage, the book is more elementary than other books such as Asymptotic Statistics by Var der Vaart and is also slightly outdated. A consequence is that some important modern results are missing, for example asymptotics of M estimators, non-parametrics/semi-parametric, local normality. On the other hand, in order to cover these additional topics the book would have to be much longer and contain more advanced math.

If you are learning this topic for the first time, I can't think of a better book to read. If, on the other hand, you have already learned asymptotic statistics in some form and wish to learn more advanced and modern material you should probably use a different book.

Tom Ferguson's book is the standard at the UCLA Department of Statistics and for good reason. The book follows a logical format, essentially proving a different limit theorem/approximation in each chapter. The book is good for an advanced graduate 1 quarter/semester course in asymptotic theory, although some of the topics may have to be omitted. I wouldn't recommend reading this book by yourself since I find it to be very compact/concise. However, if you've taken a similar course already it makes an invaluable reference.

It is almost impossible not to recommend a book by Professor Ferguson, and this book is no exception. I will deviate slightly from typical book reviewers to mention a few noteworthy things common to Professor Ferguson's books. First of all, he writes mathematics clearly, concisely, logically, and in an organized manner. He is therefore an exception to the typical mathematics researcher whose writings look like running notes from a gauntlet runner or a gladiator running from a lion in an ancient Roman arena. I first learned graduate statistics from his 1966 book which I believe is titled Decision Theory or Statistical Decision Theory, and that book is as up to date in its information (aside from incorporating intervening studies) as though it were written today. Readers even outside mathematics should demand a reprint of that book if they want to learn real statistics. Professor Ferguson's character (I have met him) is as honest and open and logical as his books. His books do involve Lebesgue integration, as some other reviewers have mentioned, and I recommend that even non-statisticians hire a consultant or tutor to either teach them Lebesgue integration or to translate into approximate English or at least elementary mathematical language what Lebesgue integration does. I will try to discuss it myself either in a later addition to this book review or in another book review. My only criticism of Ferguson's books concerns the lack of representation of probabilistic alternatives to Bayesian methods (which I have been developing since 1980) in which, instead of dividing probabilities one substracts them and adds a constant. These have the advantage of being defined even when events have probability zero, unlike (Bayesian) conditional probability, and probability zero events are surprisingly common (e.g., lower dimensional events, extremely rare events assuming continuous random variables, etc.)unlike most people's impression - precisely because of arguments involving Lebesgue type integration. You can find abstracts of some of my papers on this at the Institute for Logic of the University of Vienna (on the internet).

This title is not up to the high standards set by McLachlan's other books. The text does not get into details which are thoroughly discussed
in McLachlan's excellent "The EM Algorithm and Extensions." Some important points are so condensed and in places so poorly presented that the the discussion is worthless. For example the important section 3.4 "Standard Errors", which underlies much of the discussion contains errors.
The book could be useful to a practioner who is only looking for guidance in fitting mixture models with available software. Unfortanately McLachlan's mixture software referred to in the Appendix, is not available. That's a pity because the advertised software features and design potentially rank it the top choice.
For a user who will use his own EM software to fit mixture models I would recommend highly the McLachlan's EM Algorithm book over the Mixture book.

"Finite Mixture Models" is an excellent reading for scientists and researchers working on or interested in finite mixture models. It provides a comprehensive introduction to finite mixture models as well as an extensive survey of the novel finite mixture models presented in the most recent literature on the field in conjunction with the prospective practical applications of them. In addition, the book is very well-written and it has the merit of the use of a consistent mathematical notation throughout the book.

McLachlan and Basford (1988) and Titterington, Smith and Makov (1985) were the first well written texts summarizing the diverse lterature and mathematical problems that can be treated through mixture models. Geoff McLachlan is the author of four statistics texts namely (1)McLachlan and Basford (1988) "Mixture Models:Inference and Applications to Clustering", Marcel Dekker, (2) McLachlan (1992) "Discriminant Analysis and Statistical Pattern Recognition", Wiley (3) McLachlan and Krishnan (1997) "The EM Algorithm and Extensions" Wiley and (4) McLachlan and Peel (2000) "Finite Mixture Models" Wiley. These four books are all related to the interesting problems in pattern recognition and clustering. Mixture models and the EM algorithm are tools used to solve problems in clustering and pattern recognition.

In each of his books McLachlan has shown an ability to be clear, authoritative, scholarly and thorough. He provides broad coverage of each topic with detailed references. This book is no exception. As he point out in the preface, the literature on mixture models has expanded tremendously since the appearance of his 1988 monograph with Kaye Basford making an updated text very appropriate.

Almost 40% of the 800 references in the text have appeared since 1995. The recent advances covered in the text include identifiability problems with mixture models, the analysis (fitting of mixture models) for real data sets using the EM algorithm and its extensions, properties of maximum likelihood estimators, applicability of asymptotic theory, use of bootstrap methods to assess accuracy of estimates, implimentation of Bayesian approaches through Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and the use of hierarchical mixtures-of-expert models for nonlinear regression as competitors to the MARS and CART algorithms.

This is a great book. Chapter 1 provides a nice overview of the subject with a thorough historical treatment, nicely presented in Section 1.18. In addition to the fact that it covers all the recent advances one can think of. The book also deals with fast implementations of the EM algorithm for data mining and other approaches to modifying the EM algorithm to handle large data sets. There is also a wealth of interesting real problems worked out in detail. These problems come from many disciplines, including interesting medical problems related to diabetes and hemophilia, nuclear test ban data analysis, image processing and competing risk survival analysis. It also covers some interesting aspects of multivariate normal mixture models and their applications.

McLachlan and Basford (1988) and Titterington, Smith and Makov (1985) were the first well written texts summarizing the diverse lterature and mathematical problems that can be treated through mixture models. Geoff McLachlan is the author of four statistics texts namely (1)McLachlan and Basford (1988) "Mixture Models:Inference and Applications to Clustering", Marcel Dekker, (2) McLachlan (1992) "Discriminant Analysis and Statistical Pattern Recognition", Wiley (3) McLachlan and Krishnan (1997) "The EM Algorithm and Extensions" Wiley and (4) McLachlan and Peel (2000) "Finite Mixture Models" Wiley. These four books are all related to the interesting problems in pattern recognition and clustering. Mixture models and the EM algorithm are tools used to solve problems in clustering and pattern recognition.

In each of his books McLachlan has shown an ability to be clear, authoritative, scholarly and thorough. He provides broad coverage of each topic with detailed references. This book is no exception. As he point out in the preface, the literature on mixture models has expanded tremendously since the appearance of his 1988 monograph with Kaye Basford making an updated text very appropriate.

Almost 40% of the 800 references in the text have appeared since 1995. The recent advances covered in the text include identifiability problems with mixture models, the analysis (fitting of mixture models) for real data sets using the EM algorithm and its extensions, properties of maximum likelihood estimators, applicability of asymptotic theory, use of bootstrap methods to assess accuracy of estimates, implimentation of Bayesian approaches through Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and the use of hierarchical mixtures-of-expert models for nonlinear regression as competitors to the MARS and CART algorithms.

This is a great book. Chapter 1 provides a nice overview of the subject with a thorough historical treatment, nicely presented in Section 1.18. In addition to the fact that it covers all the recent advances one can think of. The book also deals with fast implementations of the EM algorithm for data mining and other approaches to modifying the EM algorithm to handle large data sets. There is also a wealth of interesting real problems worked out in detail. These problems come from many disciplines, including interesting medical problems related to diabetes and hemophilia, nuclear test ban data analysis, image processing and competing risk survival analysis. It also covers some interesting aspects of multivariate normal mixture models and their applications.

A wonderful text that functions as well as a reference as it does as an introduction to mixture models. I was surprised by the depth and breadth of the book, which manages to describe almost every mixture model imaginable and then some more, including forms of the models themselves, parameter estimation and fit. Relationships between different models are made clear, lending the text a coherence that isn't undercut by vague generalities. The authors are particularly good at addressing issues of particular importance in mixture modeling, such as fit and model selection. Material is suprisingly recent as well. Overall, a great text that is probably destined to become the standard reference on mixture models.

This book is not quite the real French Country, but more of an adaptation. It is a good reference book, though, especially alongside New French Country, my personal french country bible.

I love this book. The information is great and presented well. Loved the pictures also.

See page 42, interior with painted leaves flowing from the ceiling where two walls meet.

This is one of the best books on French Country design that I own. It contains far more photos than most books and rather than showcase US mansions done in French style, it actually shows many French homes. The homes are also not just multi-million dollar mansions, so you can get an idea of how a treatment might look in a home like yours. The writing is excellent without the run-on sentences and self-aggrandizement of Betty Lou Phillips' books. Compare the number of pages and photos listed for this book, and couple that with the quality of the writing and information provided and you'll find this is a very good investment in your interior design library!

Unlike many French country books, this is a manageable book to read and the lovely photos are not so over-the-top that you can't apply the well-described concepts to more modest homes and spaces.

In this terrific little book, Alan Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute patiently destroys some of the cherished myths of the Left, such as (1) the middle class is "vanishing"; (2) income inequality is increasing; (3) wages have stagnated.

Reynolds convincingly unravels the statistical jujitsu employed by the likes Paul Krugman purporting to show that Americans are no better off than they were three decades ago. How anyone alive in the 1970s could find such an argument plausible to begin with is amazing itself, but that would be the subject of another book. Reynolds is an economist, not a psychoanalyst, so he confines himself to dissecting the economic data.

One of the shibboleths he convincingly lays to rest is that of the vanishing middle class, a line often repeated by Krugman and TV huckster Lou Dobbs. Indeed, there have been numerous reports showing a decline in the percentage of households earning between $30,000 and $50,000. However, as Reynolds observes, the decline was due to the fact that the percentage earning more than $50,000 had gone up! In other words, a rising percentage of households are joining the ranks of the rich and leaving the middle class, a fact that should be celebrated, not bemoaned.

I bought this book thinking it was a get rich quick book...boy was I disappointed! It suxs.

If you're interested in money, who has how much, and why, I recommended the book by Andrew Hacker, which is cheaper, entitled "Money: Who Has How Much and Why" (1997). Data therein can be multiplied by 1.3 to give current inflation adjusted figures.

OK, maybe the book is a bit advanced for high schoolers (thanks to the stranglehold that the teachers' unions have on the public school system). But the main point is this--Reynolds lays out his case in plain English, in a manner accessible to anyone with an open mind, that so much of the economic commentary emanating from the "minds" of pundits and politicians is just pure BUNK.

The main themes of the book, which recur throughout, are these:

1) Most published reports of income/wealth inequality are based, at best, on incomplete measures, failing to account for government transfers (from "rich" to "poor") and for the painfully obvious fact that two-earner households tend to have higher household incomes than one-earner or (especially) zero-earner households.

2) "Static" analyses of income/wealth inequality fail to account for the simple fact that people's income and wealth tend to increase over time as they develop ever greater skills and as their 401K plans grow over the years.

Reynolds also points out the only effective ways to achieve "true" income/wealth inequality. Either have widespread poverty, so that nobody has anything, or have exorbitant tax rates so that nobody can keep anything.

This should be a very important book as we all decide what sort of President to elect in 2008.

I consider myself a blue collar American now retired and with time to try to understand these economic conditions I find I have been living within. If you feel you are not understanding what you are reading or the media is telling you about as concerns inflation, unemployment, rich-poor income gaps, etc., then this is probably the book for you, too. I feel it is very clear and very complete, but I will have to read it again, mostly because it changed my mind on so many things, I want to be sure where I have been left in my opinions on these things. The price, which I consider high for a "blue collar" reader, may hold you back. It did me for a few weeks. But, I am glad I finally ordered it.

The Federal Reserve, US Department of Treasury, publishes every three years a Consumer Finance Survey
that details the distribution of Wealth in the USA. This is the authoratative source. According to this study
half of the population owns 2.5% of the wealth of the country. One percent owns 33% of the wealth. Readers of this book should go to the most credible source of information, and also be familiar with the works of Edward Wolff and other scholars.

The textbook "Logistic Regression" is an excellent textbook of this statistical method because it is complete and relatively easy. This method will never be really easy but the Authors present the logistic regression in an comprehensible way introducing progressively new terms. The provide many simple clinical examples.

Kleinbaum has done it again. His books are so informative and easy to understand. It is worth the money.

I'm a physician learning about clinical research/biostatistics etc. I found that this book was extremely helpful in guiding me through basic rules, steps and theories on how to build a logistic regression model. The examples where straight forward, even for a person without a strong math background. However, I can also see that this would not be enough for a person set out to be a biostatistician, as this book would seem rather elementary. If you are a person with a so-so background in math and statistics, and are interested in learning to adequately perform statistical analyses with logistic regression, this is the book for you.

This book has a specific goal. It's aim is to give a basic competence in the use of logistic regression, related techniques, and the software that deal with them. This, it does very well. By intent, it leaves many other needs unmet.

The format is 13 chapters, possibly representing the 13 or 14 weeks in a typical school term. Each chapter has a specific statement of teaching goals at the front, a summary outline of the course to date in the back, and a few pages of questions or exercises with answers. There appear to be sample data sets available, formatted for popular stats packages, but I did not figure out how they are made available. Within the main text of each chapter, every page reads like a blackboard lecture: equations on the left and narration on the right. The presentation uses a minimum of math, just a little algebra and exponentials in a few specific forms.

For the aspiring tool-user, this book may be worth a semester's tuition. I can fault it only for an annoying habit of writing out in words equations that appear on the same page ("e raised to the power of the sum of products ... ").

This book is NOT meant for people truly interested in the theory or practice of the exact computations. For example, its use of probability scarely mentions joint or conditional distributions. As a result, some of its formulas (e.g. p.48) come across as rote memorization, instead of natural expressions of the laws of probability. Lacking joint probability, the covariance matrix can not have meaning. It is just something produced, somehow, by an oracular computer program.

The repeated phrase, "according to statisticians ..." makes it very clear that statisticians are a breed distinct from intended audience. What they do is quite alien, but somehow, sometimes leaves the student with formulas to grind through.

Before you buy this book, be very clear about what you expect from it. Beginning students may get a lot from it. Readers already familiar with probability and some stats are likely to be disappointed.

Simply the best logistic regression book I've seen. Concepts clearly and succinctly explained and illustrated.
A must-have for all biostatisticians.

Ok, so for basically everybody this is not possible. The catchy title is of course used to draw you in, and get you to have a look at it.

In actuality, it is an analysis of the games where Fischer actually lost, and it attempts to instruct you in the game through the use of these particular examples.

Everyone wants 5 minutes of fame at least once in his/her life. To be able to beat the champion in any category is a dream come true. Until the time Fischer forfeited his chess title, he had been considered the most fearsome player since Tal. With win/draw ratio of 2/1, he is the most dangerous player (as Mednis mentioned in the book, the ratio 1/1 is already very awesome.) Mednis took the 61 Fischer's losses since Fischer becoming the U.S. champion at fourteen, and grouped into four significant periods during Fischer's career. Then he created 8 tables to show the statistics on:
1) How mush Fischer lost with White/Black pieces
2) Who had better records on Fischer
3) (Where) which countries had plus scores against Fischer
4) Why Fischer lost
5) What openings Fischer had problem with
And on the last table, Mednis listed the games in chronological order (when) Fischer lost them.
The stories begun of each part were insightful. The explanation begun and analysis during each game were good. The author now is a GM; he wrote the first edition (when he was an IM) after Fischer announced his retirement from chess (1974). Mednis is qualified to write the book and got fame when he beat Fischer one (1) game in 1962. This second edition from Dover, Mednis included an addition of the 1992 rematch between Fischer and Spassky. Fischer is still the better player, however comparing to the present tough competition Fischer would have to work really hard to maintain the expectation. Even so, he is still better than 95% of us (the chess mortals). (I guess, our chance to win is to wait until Fischer is 90 years old and he gives a 128 table simultaneous exhibition, and we remember to bring a portable Deep Jr. along.)

Sorry DanJJ, but you need to read your chess history before posting such a review. Fischer wasn't the defending champion, Spassky was. And Fischer won the title off Spassky.

Who is he?What's so special about him?Where is he from?These are all questions we ask when it comes to Bobby Fischer.He is a man!A very smart man,that has a massive memory,and for some reason lives in a chess world.Bobby Fischer was capable of seeing moves in the blink of an eye!He could see ahead 3 moves within 2 sec and up to 7 within 5 sec,he also knew what to do to break a defense.He had a mind of a genius ,the memory of a computer,and the eyes of an Hawk.Born in Chicago on Mar 9 1943,learning to play chess at age six,Fischer took 6 years to become a "master".At age 12 Fischer was played 12 members of his chess club and won all 12 games.

Not only did he have a sharp mind but he could replay games move by move that he had played years earlyer with his opponents.He also has what any one would think to be the highest IQ the world of chess as ever seen.

Bobby Fischer is probably the greatest and most influential chess player the world has ever seen. Being only 14 when he won his first US championship. My dad recalls when Fischer won the world title in 1972, when he returned to college from summer vacation everyone was playing chess. That showed Bobby's influence on the nation.

How to beat Bobby Fischer is a great collection of games in which fischer was simply outplayed. You would think there wouldn't be many but there are well over 50 games that are fully annotated with commentary.

Although this resourceful chess study tool contains many lectures on Fisher's weaknesses it contains a detail account of Bobby's childhood to when he completely disappeared from the chess world.

The greatest game Fischer ever played (and lost) was one against Boris Spassky in the world championship in Iceland. Fischer played Black as the defending champion. The game opened with a Nimzo Indian Defense (Pawn bishop and knight formation) , Spassky had an Eye on the Title. Although Fischer lost on a careless error it was a very suspenseful match. At around the 20th move Fischer stood up and ordered the spectators out of the auditorium. Bobby went on to lose the title in the match and thus disappeared from the chess world.

I received this as a gift from my dad when I first started to study chess and play competitively. The strange thing is that I never read it until recently. I feel that this book is a necessary addition to any chess library.

Not as good as the ball book of canning, but this is still a very good illustrated book on begining canning. I would recommend this for people learning how to can.

Exceptional step-by-step photographic instructions. 176pp
Quite the best series of instructional and informative cookery books I've yet come across. So far I've found Wine; Beverages; Preserving; Snacks & canap¨¦s; Cakes; Eggs & cheese; Grains, pasta & pulses; Beef & veal; Pork.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The art of fixing the seasons / picking a method for success /spices and how to use them / containers and covers for long-term storage
DEEP FREEZING
A modern convenience / the fundamentals of freezing procedure and storage life, item by item / preparing and packaging meat / convenient packages from poultry / treatments for fish and shellfish / how to blanch vegetables¨Dand why / ready-to-serve vegetable dishes / preparing uncooked fruit
BOTTLING
Capturing the summer¡¯s flavours / raw tomatoes held in a smooth sauce / packing fruit in sugar syrups / two-step cooking for a rich, thick condiment / a spicy mushroom ketchup / juices and syrups: the essence of fruit
SALTING, DRYING AND POTTING
A link with tradition / finger-length fish in their own brine / sauerkraut: cabbage transformed by fermentation / beef cured with salt & spices / the advantages of bringing / extracting the bitterness from green olives / air-drying flavourings / the age-old secrets of sausage-making / Rillettes: tender meat sealed with fat
SUGAR
A versatile ally / factors in setting: pectin, acid & sugar / how to make a simple plum jam / fully exploiting an orange / imaginative combinations of fruit & flavourings / fruit juices for clear jellies / a special method for strawberry jam / pur¨¦es: a choice of consistencies
VINEGAR AND ALCOHOL
Steeping foods in flavour / vegetables immersed in vinegar / combining vegetables with complimentary sauces / two methods for fruit relishes / a rich amalgam of fruit and meat / a spirited marriage with alcohol
ANTHOLOGY OF RECIPES
Vinegars, sauces and syrups / cured meat and fish / jams, jellies and sweet preserves / pickles and savoury preserves / standard preparations
RECIPE INDEX
GENERAL INDEX
GLOSSARY
176pp

Wonderful book--set up beautifully, easily read, pleasing to the eye, great recipes! Hopefully someone will publish it again!

Wonderful book--set up beautifully, easily read, pleasing to the eye, great recipes! Hopefully someone will publish it again!

Exceptional step-by-step photographic instructions. 176pp
Quite the best series of instructional and informative cookery books I've yet come across. So far I've found Wine; Beverages; Preserving; Snacks & canap¨¦s; Cakes; Eggs & cheese; Grains, pasta & pulses; Beef & veal; Pork.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The art of fixing the seasons / picking a method for success /spices and how to use them / containers and covers for long-term storage
DEEP FREEZING
A modern convenience / the fundamentals of freezing procedure and storage life, item by item / preparing and packaging meat / convenient packages from poultry / treatments for fish and shellfish / how to blanch vegetables¨Dand why / ready-to-serve vegetable dishes / preparing uncooked fruit
BOTTLING
Capturing the summer¡¯s flavours / raw tomatoes held in a smooth sauce / packing fruit in sugar syrups / two-step cooking for a rich, thick condiment / a spicy mushroom ketchup / juices and syrups: the essence of fruit
SALTING, DRYING AND POTTING
A link with tradition / finger-length fish in their own brine / sauerkraut: cabbage transformed by fermentation / beef cured with salt & spices / the advantages of bringing / extracting the bitterness from green olives / air-drying flavourings / the age-old secrets of sausage-making / Rillettes: tender meat sealed with fat
SUGAR
A versatile ally / factors in setting: pectin, acid & sugar / how to make a simple plum jam / fully exploiting an orange / imaginative combinations of fruit & flavourings / fruit juices for clear jellies / a special method for strawberry jam / pur¨¦es: a choice of consistencies
VINEGAR AND ALCOHOL
Steeping foods in flavour / vegetables immersed in vinegar / combining vegetables with complimentary sauces / two methods for fruit relishes / a rich amalgam of fruit and meat / a spirited marriage with alcohol
ANTHOLOGY OF RECIPES
Vinegars, sauces and syrups / cured meat and fish / jams, jellies and sweet preserves / pickles and savoury preserves / standard preparations
RECIPE INDEX
GENERAL INDEX
GLOSSARY
176pp

I recently read Charles Murray's "In Our Hands."
A reviewer of it suggested "The Stakeholder Society" as an
alternative drastic change. I recommend both books to anyone
that considers reading either.

At the risk of oversimplifying, here are the proposals.
"The Stakeholder Society" recommends a one time cash payment
of $80,000 as citizens turn 21, financed by a wealth tax.
"In Our Hands" recommends an annual cash payment to all adult
citizens financed by the elimination of all other transfer
payments.

Both books have lots of detail to explain how and why to
implement their proposal. Both admit that some details will
have to be worked out based on experience, and both identify
some potential weaknesses of their proposal.

The biggest problem with "The Stakeholder Society" is the
observation that leads to the proposal. Since there is an
unequal distribution of wealth, there must be an unequal
opportunity to accumulate wealth. If the stake increases
the disparity in wealth, the same arguments can be used to
increase the stake and the corresponding wealth tax. If the
stake decreases the disparity, but does not eliminate it,
the same arguments can be used to increase the stake and the
corresponding wealth tax.

Those that favor equal outcomes will favor "The Stakeholder
Society." Those that think there is a large degree of
opportunity for most will favor "In Our Hands." Both books
are worth considering carefully, but not worth worrying about.
The authors of both admit there is no chance of either scheme
being implemented any time soon.

Most ratings of books with political implications are based
on agreement or disagreement with the conclusion. This one
is based on the presentation of the arguments.

Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott have written a great book on how to realize the American Dream. "The Stakeholder Society" tells us how we can practically achieve true equality, so that America will have many that will have many more productive citizens, while ensuring that women have a true equal footing with men. It is a complex idea, but written simply enough so most of the Stakeholder plan could be understood by the average American. This book ought to be read by all politicans, and then maybe we'd have true economic prosperity.

It was winter; the ants' store of grain had gotten wet and they were laying it out to dry. A hungry cicada asked them for something to eat. "Why didn't you gather food in the summer, like us?" one of the worker ants asked. "I didn't have time," it replied; "I was busy making sweet music." The worker laughed at it. "Very well," it said; "since you sang in the summer, you must dance in the winter."

A few ants of the drone caste heard what the worker said and were morally outraged. They convinced their brother drones to force the colony to share its grain with the cicada and all its relatives. "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs," they said. For several years the drones ran the colony in the new, moral, way. The cicadas and the ants all nearly starved to death. Equally.

The drones of another colony, who agreed with the moral claim of the cicadas, pondered the sad fate of first colony. "The worker was right; the cicada made its own choices and had no moral claim on the ants' store of grain," they said. "But not everyone gets a fair start. To fix this, we will give everyone a share of the grain at the beginning of the summer, not at the end. Then at the end of the summer everyone will pay back the share he or she got at the beginning, plus interest. And those who do well and have extra grain will pay back extra to make up for those who don't have enough."

The cicadas thought this was a great idea. The workers weren't so sure. All that summer, the cicadas sang sweetly, the workers gathered grain (but not too much since they knew they'd have to give away any extra), and the drones watched. That winter they all nearly starved to death. Equally.

The idea at first sounds crazy, but trying to figure out why will force you to examine many of your own opinions--and perhaps ultimately to reach a different conclusion than your first.

In an outstanding new book called the Stake holder society, Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott propose having the government give every American $80,000 in their early twenties. This would be funded by a two percent tax on wealth above $80,000. They also suggest a privilege tax on those who have had financially privileged childhoods. These proposals are carefully thought out and well motivated by the idea of giving some substance to our common empty talk of "equality of opportunity."

Ackerman and Alstott dismiss a number of other approaches, such as funding education better or raising minimum wages as too small and/or actually harmful and/or politically difficult. Unhappily, I'm inclined to think that their proposals are just as politically difficult.

And I have a quibble with the digs scattered through this book against "utilitarians," who are never named. As in all American ethical arguments, the example used is that of Nazi Germany, where Jews were one percent of the population. "[I]s it so clear," the authors ask, "that the average Jew suffered NINETY-NINE times as much as the average Aryan gained from his feelings of racial superiority?"

One response to this is that feelings like those often involve hatred, which, being unpleasant, is not a gain at all. But, even accepting that there was a gain for many racists, the trade-off is not necessary. The racists could have felt superior without killing anyone, an action which, if completed, would have deprived them of the allegedly beneficial presence of people they perceived as inferiors.

More importantly, these numbers (one and ninety-nine units of pleasure or suffering) do not mean anything. We could give a vivid description of the concentration camps and then ask "Isn't it abundantly clear that the average Jew suffered at least ninety-nine times as much as the average Aryan gained from his feelings of racial superiority?" The case for this "calculation" is exactly as good as for its opposite.

The value of utilitarianism lies not in calculations (calculations which Ackerman and Alstott accept while trying to dismiss) but in placing the well-being of people above adherence to any rule. Utilitarianism ought to be an ally of anyone who recognizes the harm done by devotion to certain rights and freedoms, such as the freedom to engage in unfair and cruel labor practices, the "right to work", and the faith that people have what they "deserve."

And don't get me started on the way readers of Foucault tend to characterize Bentham...

I've encountered two arguments against the Stake holder society. The first, which is well addressed in the book, is that some people would waste their $80,000. I agree with the authors that relatively few would waste their money, and that many would be much better off than they are now. I find that people who make this criticism are not themselves suggesting an alternative remedy to the drastic disparity in wealth in America, and are not even aware of it. In many cases, they profess a belief that there is no hunger in this country, that people only suffer if they don't work, and that everyone has a chance to make it.

The second argument I've encountered is that charity must be done "privately," that is, without the government. In some cases, advocates of private charity support huge organizations known for as much corruption and inefficiency as any government, real or imagined. In other cases, they support only one-on-one charity without any intervening (or skilled, organized, or powerful) agency. Often in supporting these charities, government -haters make clear that they do know that hunger exists in America, if not that people working 60 hours a week can qualify for food stamps (temporarily, of course).

Sometimes supporters of private charity argue that the way to help is to teach entrepreneurism, apparently oblivious to the pertinent absence of capital. Other times they argue for simply giving fish instead of fishing skills. After all, this is good for the giver, and the poor will always be with us.

Why do private and public charity need to be in conflict? I give some tiny amounts to organizations and to people I meet on the street, and I simultaneously argue for living wage laws, campaign finance reform, an end to corporate welfare and waste on weapons, spies, highways, and subsidies for cutters of national forests. I will now argue for a Stake holder society without feeling any conflict with dropping some canned food in a basket or helping build Habitat for Humanity houses.

If private charity were doing the job, no one would propose government charity (and vice versa). And a lot of what is proposed amounts to government neutrality. Many of our taxes are regressive. Our services are unevenly distributed, notably in education. And we have the money. Just yesterday (May 6, 1999) we threw an extra $13 billion at the Pentagon. That kind of money could end many debates over education by providing better schools in poor counties and cities. Our cities routinely give huge tax-breaks to companies that move to certain areas promising jobs that no one ever bothers to make sure are actually provided. These funds could be better spent.

And isn't it important that the top one percent of wealthy people in the U.S. could end poverty and still live like emperors? Need I be selfish and hypocritical and out-of-line to mention this fact. I don't think so. I cannot myself reach into my pocket and end poverty. I would if I could. By all means, let's have lots of private charity and local assistance. But let's think bigger than that too.

We just returned from Musee D'Orsay. The book was very expensive at the museum and would have cost more to ship. The price was great. The book is new, large colorful pictures highlighting the best of one of my favorite museums in Paris!

as with most guides, the best give you an understanding of context as well as information on what you're seeing. after a recent visit to the museum, with my head full of memories of the arresting paintings i'd just seen, i picked up this book as a memento. while it doesn't fully take me back (after all, what guide can transport you to the roof, overlooking the seine river and the louvre?), it does help you recall the wonderful memories of days spent wandering the halls.

the book doesn't catalouge the entire museum and some of my favorites weren't in there, but it does have an incredible selection of art. additionally, the commentary is well written and accessable. most importantly, they've thoughtfully put in several sidebars that help you understand the art scene in paris at the time - making the paintings much more relevant.

definitely one of the better museum guides i've seen. reproduction quality is quite good as well. i've shared it with several friends who haven't been and now they're clamoring to go.

This book is ok if you want a collection of prints of about 240 art objects. It is useless otherwise, specially if you are a beginner, because there is no commentary with any of the prints.

Each section begins with a short commentary - and that's all. For example, one section for Manet, Degas, Whistler, Latour, Monet, Morisot, Pissaro, Renoir, Sisley, Cezanne, etc has just a single page of commentary for 43 paintings!!

This fantastic book is about the eminent museum in Paris that is situated on the left bank of the famous Seine. It holds mainly French art from 1848 to 1914. It has one of the leading collections of Impressionist art in the world. This book is to be read and savored by people who love France, awesome works of art, impressionism or who love the splendid D'Orsay museum. Everytime I read it, I have happy memories.

I had the most marvelous good fortune to spend a day at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris several months ago. It is such a magnificent place with wonderful sculptures and works of art. And naturally, me being me, I took hundreds of photos. And again, me being me, I needed to identify all the pictures when I got home which was difficult because, coupled with pictures from the Lourve and the British Museum, I had to identify well over 750 snapshots. That's when the Treasures of the Musee D'Orsay came in handy. Besides being a dandy coffee table book, it is chock full of photos from the museum's lovely pieces of art.

We learn that the ground floor corresponds to the Second Empire in France with sculptures ranging from 1848 to 1870's. We also learn about and can view the masterpieces of the 1870's...Manet, Degas, Renoir, Monet and Cezanne all have displays. The museum's other popular areas hold work by: Vincent van Gogh, Gaugin, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec. We also see Rodin, Munch, Mollard, and even "The Artist's Mother" (Arrangement in Grey and Black) by Whistler as shown in this book along with scores of other paintings. Now, if I will only take time to work on my slide show now that I have names to go with these works of art!

For many of us a trip to one of the greatest museums in the world, Musée D'Orsay in Paris, can prove to be mindboggling. We are not only overwhelmed with the magnificent art that is on display but we never seem to have enough time or energy to view a fraction of these great artistic contributions to mankind.

Treasures of the Musée D'Orsay, authored by former director of the Musée Françoise Cachin, is one solution to resolve our dilemma in planning a meaningful visit to this great institution.

The author in her introduction introduces us to the most important artworks of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras.
While we take this journey, we are also made aware of the fact that the museum was a train station and a hotel that were classified as historical monuments in Paris, and as a result were spared demolition.

The museum houses the works of artists born between 1820 and 1870, with some exceptions. It is also explained to us that the Musée d'Orsay, insofar as its paintings are concerned, is to be placed between the Louvre, which houses artworks before 1820, and the Beaubourg Museum, which prides itself with works, executed after 1870.

What is interesting about the book is that the author gives us a detailed tour of the museum and this is what will make an ultimate tour to this great institution invaluable.

Cachin leads us by the hand from one section of the museum to another where we discover realism on the first floor; the Ingrism and Romanticism as well as social scenes by Daumier and highlights of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Cezanne in the upper gallery; awesome statute surrounded by a steel architecture in the middle floor; and Winslow Homer and other foreign artists in the esplanade.

Another vital aspect about this beautiful book is that the co-author, Xavier Carrère, presents background information and concise essays pertaining to each and every one of the periods.

It is also breathtaking to view the many photographs of just about every aspect of the museum's collection-oil paintings; sculpture, decorative arts, pastels, drawings and watercolors, architecture and photography that are all well represented in the book.
What is also noteworthy is that the volume contains several works that may not even be on display when you personally visit the Musée as they are constantly being rotated in order to preserve them.

Francoise Cachin and Xavier Carrère have reached their goal of preserving vivid memoirs of the quality and variety of works seen at the Musee d'Orsay.
They have also provided the reader with an extensive index that will facilitate the viewing of a work of art within the book as well as in person at the Musée.
If you want to save steps and enjoy the Musée, read this book before visiting.

This review first appeared on reviewer's own site
www.bookpleasures.com