Singapore Books

This book is written in the form of a narrator talking directly to the main character, the little mouse. (Spoiler alert - there probably isn't really a bear.)

Very cute, very simple - each page has only one or two lines on it - and some clever illustrations (one one page, the mouse disguises his strawberry in a pair of fake glasses with a nose).

Only thing is that this book has been abridged slightly. The non-board book versions have a few illustrations that were left out of this version, and some of the two-page spreads in the other versions were cut down into one page in this version, making a few pages look a little choppy. Also, the last page of the book has become this book's back cover and blurb.

It doesn't ruin the book, or make it close to unreadable, but if I had to do it again I'd just buy the longer version to start with.

I'll admit I was hesitant to order this book--it didn't seem to be as "flashy" as some of the other children's books. But with such great reviews, I thought I'd try it out. After a few days this quickly become my 8 month old's favorite book. He loves hearing about the "big hungry bear" and I love the mouse's expressions on each page. Both the artwork & story are absolutely adorable. Highly recommended!

When my daughter was in Kindergarten, we purchased this book. We loved acting out the narrator's part and had so much fun! She loved this book so very much, she took it to share day. Her teacher adored the book, as did all of the children in her class. My daughter was a HUGE hit. When her teacher left to have a baby, we gifted her with her own copy of this book. She used it for years, we found out later at a chance meeting. My daughter is now 22. My niece is turning 3 and this book is going to be part of her birthday. I'm already planning out how to read it to her!

I grew up with this book. I would read it over and over to myself and my siblings. When my family moved though It was lost with a couple of other books too. I just recently found it and bought it. I now read it to my daughter and she gets so excited to turn the pages and read the next phrase and see the next picture. I am enjoying both our childhoods. :)

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1TTRY7U6R935X In this video I take you through this classic children's book by reading you this short story much the same way I did for my son. He loved this book so much that we bought two so we always had a backup. I read it so many times I knew it by heart. You can't read this book without expressing delight because the story is so charming and the illustrations so heart warming. This is an all time classic children's book.

I can't count how many times I have read this book. I have three versions and the e-book. I have one copy in the washroom I read a little of it everyday. A must have Epic.

I think that all Westerners should be exposed to this classic of the East. Without a doubt, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is one of the very best works of literary art that the human mind had ever produced.
A short synopsis is in order. The novel centers around a rather short, turbulent time in ancient China, following the collapse of the Han Dynasty and predating the rise of the Jin dynasty, the period known as the "Three Kingdoms". In order to rise up against the now-corrupt Han dynasty, the mystic Zhang Jiao began what is known as the "Yellow Turban rebellion". In response to this menace, heroes of China gathered in order to put down this threat. Among these heroes are the virtuous Liu Bei, the loyal and familial Sun Jian, and the cruel and wily (but talented) Cao Cao. After the Yellow Turban rebellion is put down, it is realized that the Han dynasty has grown horribly weak and corrupt, and the heroes leave for home with their own ambitions of ruling China. Liu Bei wishes for the old days (he is a distant relative of the Han line), Cao Cao wishes for personal glory and honor, and Sun Jian wishes to rule China in order to leave it to his sons. Many other players enter the drama (hundreds in fact!), but the story really revolves around these three and their spheres of influence.
The author, Luo Guan Zhong, wrote a book that is at once of strategy, history, psychology, warfare. Although battles are always present, even those readers not interested in warfare can find a great deal in this book. Inevitably, the reader will find himself siding with one of the great Kingdoms of Wei, Wu or Shu, and yet will still feel compelled to feel compassion, elation and sorrow for the others, as their fortunes rise and fall with the changing fates. Each time I read the book (six and counting!), I pull for Liu Bei, who brings himself from commoner status to the highest positions in the land despite his tragic flaw of being TOO virtuous! And yet, I cannot deny enjoying reading about Cao Cao, as he gains support and popularity until the battle of Chi Bi, at which point he falls and must rise again. Also, the ending is fabulous, and unexpected.
However, I must warn the first time reader of the complete deluge of names with which he will be accosted. To further complicate matters, different publishers of the book spell the names in different ways (e.g. Cao Cao=T'sao T'sao, Chuko Lee-ong=Zhuge Liang). I was aided in this struggle by the fact that I had played a game with these characters, so that I was familiar with some of them. The author revels in his knowledge of history, and expects the same of his readers, but the reader may feel completely overwhelmed. Just keep in mind the three main characters, and try to remember who follows whom, and you should do fine (however, it is frustrating when the character Xun Yu introduces the character Xun You, etc.).
"Empires wax and wane, states cleave asunder and coalesce". The first statement in the book is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. If you are a reader who prides himself on his knowledge of the classics, I can honestly say that your mental library is incomplete until you read this book. So, what are you waiting for?

humanity is everything in this book and only thing we have.

I can't finish all my compliment for this book in this short review. You are not gonna believe it is such a splendid book until you read it yourself. This book is a saga with so much wisdom and humanity. It is as good as ancient Greek epic (with all repect to Greek) if not better. The wisdom in it is uncommonly plentiful. Trojan horse looks children's game after you finished the book. Romance of three kingdoms is a part of Chinese lives and now becoming popular in the world. Many Japanese companies make this book as a must-read for management staff. Read this book and I garantee that your time will be delightfully spent.

Romance of Three Kingdoms is not just the novelized version of the history record "Three Kingdoms". It overtook the heart of both Chinese and Japanese. In Japan even younger generation who rarely read literature enjoy the story in the form of either comic books or in popular PC games. In China many of the Chinese Opera comes from the part of this story.

The story is based on the history of ancient China around late 2nd century to late 3rd century when the Chinese continent was divided by three strong kingdoms,Shu(Gui in Japanese),Wu(GO in Japanese) and Wei(SHOKU in Japanese).

I am familiar with the version of Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of Musashi, focusing more on the story of Liu Pei(Wei emperor),Kuan Yu, Chang Fei, and Chuko Kunming. Liu Pei, an heir of Han Dynasty ruling clan, is a humane leader supported by Kuan Yu, deft both in brain and might maybe eastern version of Knight, Chang Fei,short tempered but really strong warrior, and Chuko Kunming the master of strategy.

Rivaling Lie Pei is another giant Tsao Tsao outstanding ruler who nearly took hold of the whole Chinese continent but blocked by the allied forces of Wu and Wei in 208. Tsao Tsao is a bit demonized in this story but he is in fact one of the greatest rulers China ever had comparable to Napoleon. While Lie Pei who has little power gradually gains by charming a lot of talented people by his couteousness yet with propaganda tactics to demonize Tsao Tsao, Tsao Tsao took advantage of courting the Emperor and with the finest staff collected from the whole continent. Tsao Tsao's Shu finally unites the whole China after his death in 265, with the surrender of Wei but Lie Pei, Kuan Yu and Kunming are still loved and idealized by Chinese public. Wu survives by taking either rivaling sides and with excellent domestic and foreign affairs strategy.

On first reading you will be enjoying the way the characters outsmart the other camps. On second reading you will be struck by the humanity upon which the story is based. It is much more than a legend. It will surely get you closer to the mind of either Chinese and Japanese. But be careful. The way character name is pronounced differ between Chinese and Japanese. Such as Tsao Tsao is pronounced in Japanese as SOSO.

This is such an important novel. Everyone needs to read this book, especially as the issue of torture is finally center stage in American politics. The author's writing is beautiful, unusual, and distinctive. She is clearly someone whose career readers should follow. I recommend this book whole-heartedly. I could not put it down.

A brilliantly-written, moving book about the takeover of British-occupied Singapore by the Japanese in WWII.
This story is ingeniously told through masterful writing which is at times poetic, at times cryptic and always beautifully descriptive.
The superbly-drawn characters are utterly human, believable and many-layered. No cliches or stereotypes here.
This novel is political, historical, psychological, and deeply emotional. It seems to transcend time and place.

In the middle of "Breaking the Tongue", Vyvyane Loh repeats Somerset Maugham's warning that:

"'A work of fiction ... is an arrangement which the author makes of his experience with the idiosyncrancies of his own personality.' In other words, if someone messed with him, he'd write him into a story."

It seems that most of the ethnic groups in Singapore must have "messed" with this Malaysian author and she's written them into a mean-spirited parody of life in the island state during the 1940's.

At the center of the action are the Lim's. Father Lim is a sadistic snob, who evicts a homeless family from their temporary shelter in his drainage ditch. Mother Lim is a mentally unstable self-mutilator with the morals and varnished claws of a cat. Junior is a whiny adolescent. Little Sister doesn't have a speaking part, but her Confucian saint of a grandmother makes up for it by reciting large tracts of Sun Tzu at the drop of a hat. The various members of the family detest each other and that is the only part of the book that truly makes sense.

Alert readers will have noticed by now that "Breaking the Tongue" is a farce, not a literal history of Singapore. It didn't take any `courage' to write, just a lot of spleen.

An American reader confronted with a passage of Chinese characters might think: "Well, this is Chinese text so if it were read aloud it would come out as Chinese." This however is completely false. The tens of thousands of incredibly complex Chinese characters are ideograms, they represent not sounds but meanings such as man, flower or war. As a matter of fact, there are many Chinese languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese or Hokkien. All of these spoken languages sound entirely different but they are all written in the same set of Chinese characters. A long time ago the Japanese also adopted Chinese characters to write their language which is of course completely different from Chinese. The practical Japanese use an alphabetic script as well, so in practice a passage of Japanese writng might consist of a mixture of Chinese ideograms and alphabetic symbols. It is clear therefore that if you were erudite enough you could write any language including English in Chinese characters. Conversely, if you were to read aloud a passage of Chinese text you could do so in any language including English. Chinese text in other words is sound-independent, language-independent or as we might say tongue-independent.

In this book, near the end, the English text is occasionally replaced by passages of Chinese characters which are of course incomprehensible to the average American reader. This does not mean that the author has switched from English to Chinese but only that she has abandoned (or broken) the tongue. This is one meaning of the book's title, but only the metaphorical meaning.

There is a literal meaning as well. At the end of the book, the main character Claude Lim cuts out (or breaks) his own tongue. This operation is described in very clinical detail reminding us of the fact that the somewhat intimidatingly brilliant author is in fact a practicing physician who writes Nobel Prize quality novels in her spare time. The reason Claude cuts out his tongue is that he is an "English educated" Singaporean Chinese which meant in the colonial pre-war period that he was taught only English and could not speak a word of Chinese. After the Japanese conquest in 1942 and related personal events, Claude rejected his English education and wished to revert to his Chinese heritage. Since he could speak only English he accomplished this by cutting out his tongue ao that he could no longer speak any language but make only grunting sounds.

The reader may be pleased to hear that in modern independent Singapore Claude Lim's linguistic dilemma can no longer occur. English is now the primary language of education for all Singaporeans but each ethnic group is also taught their "mother tongue" whether it be Malay, Tamil (a southern Indian language) or (Mandarin) Chinese. So there are four official languages in Singapore and every Singaporean of normal intelligence is at least bilingual.

Well, it has taken me the space of a longish Amazon review and I have managed to explain only the title. To explain the body of the book as well is obviously beyond the scope here. But perhaps you can see what I mean when I describe this book as of Nobel Prize quality. I do not mean that Vyvyane Loh will receive the Prize in the near future since the Swedish Academy will not award it for a first novel. What I mean is that there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that she will receive the Nobel eventually. This book has the literary quality and the depth that would be expected. It is also has the exotic setting that is evidently much liked in Stockholm. So congratulations Vyvyane, a great literary future for you is assured.

In BREAKING THE TONGUE Vyvyane Loh successfully brings to life the myriad of cultures and languages resulting in a rich tapestry of colors and flavors of Singapore, situated at the tip of the Malay Peninsula. The days of the British Empire are numbered as the Japanese threaten to invade Singapore in the days leading up to Second World War. Within the unstable economic and political landscape is Claude Lim, a young Chinese boy who was raised to only speak the language and admire the mannerisms of England. His parents taught him that the Chinese along with other non-whites are barbarians; the British are much more civilized and cultured. There is little uncertainty that the British will succeed in protecting Singapore from the Japanese menace.

Despite their initial beliefs the Japanese experience minimal difficulties advancing south through Malaysia towards Singapore. After his family flees to the relative safety of the countryside Claude is left behind to resume his studies. However, shortly after their departure the routines of everyday life are interrupted when the bombings begin and war becomes more apparent. Claude along with Brit Jack and Chinese Ling-li who strive to survive day by day while running a defunct medical clinic. They dodge bombs and the chaos of the streets to buy food and run the injured to the hospital without knowing when or if any type of normalcy will return to Singapore.

One of this novel's strengths is the manner in which Loh highlights and exposes the issues of cultural identity and belonging. There is Claude who is a devout Anglophile and who has essentially turned his back on his cultural identity, Jack who is British but is interested in the peoples of Singapore, and Ling-li who is strong pro-China. These three divergent individuals bunker down and explore their own cultural identity. Throughout the course of this book Claude slowly realizes that all his father taught him is not necessarily true. He begins to regret not knowing the various Chinese dialects and opens his eyes to the futility of his parent's choices.

BREAKING THE TONGUE is a book that is well worth seeking out and reading. It is filled with mystery, intrigue, and action and there's much to enjoy.

... then you'll love this one. For the sketches of the Parisian scenes are wonderfully well-drawn. Sometimes you'll be amazed to find out the "spots" that you didn't pay much attention on while you were there. Also, It captured all different moods..... and you feel like you are visiting Paris AGAIN!

A grand book for travelers to Paris or those already in love with the "City of Lights"!

A "Paris Sketchbook," captures Paris superbly. Walk again down the streets of Paris, sit in a cafe, or in a paris garden, or wonder at the Paris buildings and architecture. It is all there and captured beautifully by Mary Kelly's precise and spiritual prose, with Graham's Byfield's water colors of Paris. The pictures and prose combine to be more like a musical piece, one reads then "hums" like a tune from time to time. If one is looking for that special gift or souvenir of Paris, this is it. Enjoy Paris again and again, or tanalize the traveler who is planning a Paris visit.

A "Paris Sketchbook," captures Paris superbly. Walk again down the streets of Paris, sit in a cafe, or in a paris garden, or wonder again at Paris buildings and architecture. It is all there and captured beautifully my Mary Kelly's precise and spiritual prose, with Fabrice Moireau's water colors of Paris. The pictures and prose combine to be more like a musical piece, one reads and then "hums" like a tune from time to time. If one is looking for that special gift or souvenir of Paris, this is it. Enjoy Paris again and again, or tanalize those who plan a visit to Paris.

Fabrice Moireau's watercolors and sketches bring the City of Light to life, and vividly captures the atmospheric city with its teeming cafe life, historic buildings, and new constructions. The book is divided into several segments covering the historic center, Northern Paris, Eastern Paris, Southern Paris, Western Paris, and the Gazetteer provides additional information of some of the prominent buildings featured. Moireau's paintings and sketches are accompanied by Mary Kelly's impressions of Paris, and both perspectives provide a wonderfully warm portrait of the City of Light.

This book was given to me as a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. I absolutely love this book. There are many beautiful photos. There are places and subjects that I never knew had so much beauty. Because I am already a huge fan of art and architecture, it was fun to learn about the many influences to Filipino style. I liked it so much that I had to buy a copy for my father (Born in Las Pinas - Metro Manila, Philippines)

This book is a great book for young Filipino Americans who need some inspiration. As a Filipino American growing up in USA, I never really felt any connection with the Philippines. I was brought up by knowing only the stereotypes that sometimes make a Filipino American want to shy with embarrassment. Stereotypes are everywhere within any culture. By reading this book and flipping through the pages, I saw that Philippines is a beautiful place. Everyone needs take a look at this book. It's a great eye opener for Filipino Americans who have problems accepting their own skin.

I'm an Architectural Designer that lives/works in Jamaica and Bermuda and I'm also a fan of modern/contemporary architecture. I own a number of books on the subject, but few tend to address basic climatic issues that we in the Tropics face (and rightly so, since they are about projects north of the tropics). I've just received the book from my freight forwarder and had a chance to browse thru it. It really looks interesting and certainly provides inspiration for projects that can be successfully executed in our hot, humid climate.
The inclusion of architectural drawings (Plans, Sections, Elevations) is also welcome - too many books on Architecture neglect this very important point. I think this may be the telling factor for deciding whether this is to be another one of my coffee-table books, or a serious informative reference for ideas and inspiration. For now, I'm leaning to the latter.

I bought this book for myself. It's a true treasure trove of visual treats. Have you wanted to know how the homes of the rich and/or famous in the Philippines look? The variety of materials available for buidling and furnishing homes in the Philippines is astounding--rich woods, a wide spectrum of fabric, ethnic carvings and woven work. Linger over the detailed photographs in this book! Now I know what to get for my sisters and in-laws for Christmas!

Finally, a book on Traditional and Contemporary Philippine Interior Design by a reputable author/photographer. It will give the reader a good sense of Native Interiors to Traditional influences of Spanish-Colonial Interior Design and Architecture. Very superb photographs. Beautiful renderrings in the Furniture Dictionary.

I love the format of this book. Lots of pictures and maps. Flipping through the book you see things that look beautiful, fun, exciting, interesting and tasty. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this short, compact book packs a lot of information. Text is only used to explain concepts and history, while pictures are used to show places to visit, things to do, things to eat, with lines back to their source on an easy to read map. It really is an excellent way to convey this type of information.

I will be making the trip to singapore later this year, and this book will be right there with me.

In my opinion, the "Eyewitness Guides" are a must reading whenever my wife and I travel to a location we've never been before.
In addition to the usual tourist information they present great background on the history and culture of the area. This particular guide was no exception.
Well worth the money by adding immeasurably to the trip.

I needed a travel guide to help me with my first trip to Singapore. The Eyewitness guides have consistently been the best for me. They contain a good mix of historical information and practical guidance, and the graphics are excellent (I keep my Eyewitness travel guides as souveniers so I can remember all the things I did on my trips and their pictures are usually better than mine). The writing is interesting and informative - not too technical and not too "touristy". For the Singapore edition, the mapping, directions and information were particularly helpful and accurate. Singapore is not a large place but it has a mountain of things to do and see, so it is important to have an accurate guide that breaks things down into specific geographic sections as well as into subject matter. This book does just that. I highly recommend this guide to any traveller heading to Singapore.

Seduced as I am by the highly glossy, supremely compact and wonderfuly illustrated DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, I suppose I am somewhat biased as a reviewer. The combination of succinct text, numerous useful details, spectacular photographs, eyecatching 3-D graphical images, and user-friendly maps make the Eyewitness Travel Guides uniquely useful, distinctive and even collectable. The new Singapore book is no exception to these considerations, so much so, I wish I had it my disposal when I visited there last year, if only for the invaluable details it provides. Now shortly before leaving for Singapore once again, I have recently acquired this book, and it has whetted my appetite, by reminding me of the places, the colors, the smells, the greenery, the heat, and the vibrancy I had already experienced. It has also made it quite clear, exactly how much I missed last time, particularly in terms of wildlife reserves, museums, and galleries. The book contains a brief, but informative overview of the history and multi-cultural nature of this exciting island country. As with other titles in the series, the guide enables the user-traveler to gain maximum benefit from his or her visit, by highlighting THE places to visit, and what to expect from these experiences. If I have any criticisms of this, and indeed with many other Eyewitness Travel Guides, it is a shade small, with tiny text font, and it is a tad too short for my liking. But I guess they have to fit comfortably into your pocket, and, in any case, you cannot have too much of a good thing, otherwise you may just stay at home and gloat over the marvellous pictures.

If you ever go to Singapore, don't forget to bring this book. Even if you have been there many times (I have), you will always find new and interesting sights to visit and new information you didn't know about. What I like most is the detailed map section that covers most of the central city, that is the part you would want to visit as a tourist anyway. The street-by-street pictorial maps are excellent, but not always true to detail. The general index (for looking up things) is very good. However, on the downside, I would have liked to see more budget options in the "where to stay"-chapter. Nevertheless, probably the best guidebook to buy.

Having lived in Venice for five months, each scene in this book is the actualization of my own memories. I bought one book about Venice and gave it as a gift to my parents who were not there to see the city firsthand, and this book was it.

While not a travel guide or an in depth history book, this book does better than many others at capturing the light and true essence of Venice, the Serene Republic.

Whether you have traveled to Venice and are already under its magnetic, elusive spell or whether you plan to visit...or even if your fantasy world includes bits of Serenissima, VENICE SKETCHBOOK is bound to please.

Artist Fabrice Moireau travels Europe with his sketchpad, rendering quick sketches in watercolor that capture the light and moment as reflected by the architecture of the place. This book is his prolonged visit to Venice and he has visited every island, canal, bridge, and hidden place that make this wonderfully decaying old Queen of the Adriatic a romantic paradise. His sketches are beautifully executed, not always with scholarly perspective, but capturing the Venetian light, an amalgamation of sun, water, fog, and mist, like few others have in this medium. Sensitive hand written notes on each page by the important 'models' make the sketches come even more alive.

The book is graced by a fine Introduction by Deborah Howard who teaches architectural history at Cambridge and has written extensively about the architecture of Venice, Veneto, and the Italian Renaissance. In her elegant writing she sets the mood for viewing the sketches with an abundant but concise discussion of the history of Venice.

The book is divided into sections of the city and writer Tudy Sammartini, who lives and works in Venice, opens each sector with fascinating comments about the history of the buildings, the churches, the monuments, and all the sights that sector holds. Her background in the history of her beloved Venice enhances the value of this book beyond the simple coffee table picture book. Her writing is warmly readable and very informed.

Marry the contributions of these three talented people and the result is a book that is not only visually attractive and lovingly published on 'watercolor paper', but is also an informative and meditative volume of praise for the city known as Serenissima. Grady Harp, January 2005

I bought this book before I visited Venice last year and it proved to be a very effective way - together with my Dorling Kindersley Guide book (also recommended) - of creating a short-list of places to draw. Saved me hours of slogging round trying to find "that view"!

The drawings and watercolour sketches are extremely competent (if somewhat stylized) and give lots of inspiration for those working in watercolour of some the ways in which Venice can be portrayed.

A wonderful book for lovers of Venice and for those who would like to look at some of the incredible treasures of this magical, romantic city!

This book was a gift from a close friend who knows I am planning my first trip to Venice this spring. I have been immersing myself in guides to Venice, and this book, with its charming and skillful watercolors and expert commentary, seems the perfect introduction to this fascinating city.
It is not a guidebook per se, more of an artistic appreciation. Many of the comments are in cursive writing, so it seems you are looking at a personal sketchbook with running comments. The watercolors convey the interplay of light and color better than any photographs I've seen.
This book is clearly a labor of love.

I read this book. I could not put it down even for a minute.
This book is a must-read for everyone and college students, who will learn what the real world of intrigue and situations where people have the control and those who don't, but find ways of "thinking out of the box".
Read this book, because one learn so much from it.

I wish a Movie can be made out of it. It breaks away from the type-casting of all people.

"And this story, of the underside of paradise, has stories within stories as a woman manages to break free from a web of wealth and power in the dictatorship of Singapore and escape to America where the word 'freedom' takes on special meaning...She comes up against the Singapore legal system -- which may be legal, but its has a lot of hidden agendas...Americans have a saying: luck is a lady. And this lady and her subsequent husband have written a somber, very human tale of a woman's remarkable journey"

Strangely, I understand why there aren't many reviews posted here, especially by Singaporeans. For fear of being on the wrong side with the government I presume.

A most daring truthful book that confirms long held suspicion. Most facts can be independently verified. In fact I chanced upon this book while researching about the Singapore legal system and how our chief justice is appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister. Charming.

I love this book, completed it in a day!

It's a well written book. When I start reading it, I couldn't put the book down.
May Chu, who lives in Singapore shares her personal life, and speaks about her experience with the legal system in Singapore. John, her now husband helped her through all this ordeal. If this review doesn't help. Check their website out ... I highly recommend it to everyone. Especially to woman who's interested to learn more about woman rights.

This book is incredible. First, the photography is excellent, beautifully portraying most of the recipes. The book begins with a complete listing of all of the ingredients used. It is about 6 pages of pertinent information, including pictures for some of the most obscure ingredients. The recipes cover a thorough range of the basic recipes that you may be looking for. I am Indian and am thrilled with the list. Just about every recipe is critical, they appear back-to-back and have several pictures. I will probably cook every recipe in the Indian section. That section alone makes it worth the purchase. However, it covers seven other asian cuisines in a very similar manner. It also offers enticing "melting pot" menus, mixing the cuisines. You will get the recipes you want, that you can make, with a little commentary and exquisite pictures. This is one of the best cook books I have ever seen.

All recipes are well described and illustrated. Everything is clear and easy to understand.

It is soo good !! I tried the eggs curry from Indonesia it is so yummy !! Also the have menu suggestions so that was real helpfull since I do a lot of parties !!!

Picture of Singapore's famous food example spicy satay,laksa,chicken rice...

We love London, and this sketchbook reminds us of our past trips. The text by Marcus Binney also supports the sketches. Although they are only considered sketches, I love the artwork. I am now getting other sketchbooks by Graham Byfield, and by the publisher, St. Martins Press.

Graham Byfield's watercolor impressions of the city of London beautifully captures the spirit of the city, be it Central London, the East End, West London, North London, or South of the River. The watercolors are sumptuous to look at [the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St James' Palace, Berkeley Square] - each is a work of beauty and paints a vivid picture in one's mind. The notes accompanying the watercolors provide us with more information on the buildings and make for interesting reading. All in all, a wonderful collection of watercolors about London, and a must-have for collectors.

the quality of the book is one of the best features to me. It is a very heavy paper stock and really helps carry the sketchbook feel, along with the little hand written notes on the sides. overall a great book for anyone who loves london.

This is a beautiful work of art for anyone who loves to look outside the well known sites of London, although that is there as well. I thorougly enjoy picking it up and having a read about the various sections and looking at the illustrations that will remind you of your time there or desire to go. The layout and illustrations brings to mind what a Grand Tour participant would have created upon visiting a new city.

Wonderful, just wonderful.