Europe Books

I just finished reading Bruno Lange's book, Born Into Turmoil.
The book is universally appealing in its portrayal of young boys in search of adventure in a world of chaos and/or peace.
Reading it reminded me of the many stunts pulled by Tom Sawyer as written by Mark Twain.
Bruno gives a refreshing, yet solemn biography of what it was like to grow up as an indoctrinated, Nazi youth. His father was drafted into the German Army as a medic in Poland while Bruno, himself, was drafted into the Hitler Youth movement. Hiding Jews and helping Poles were only a few examples in the book of the kindness of his parents.

Bruno gives examples from a Nazi propaganda book, The Poisoned Mushrooms, in which Jews are depicted as animals and thieves and slaughterers of innocent animals...not to be trusted. One can only imagine the effects it had on the minds of young German youth at the time.
Luckily, with the advance of the Allies into Germany, Bruno's family is captured and re-indoctrinated...able to let go of the hate that was sown into a country so full of beauty and promise.

As a German teacher, I will make it a must read for my students. I feel it is a story they would be able to relate to on a personal level.
Bruno tells of having lied about having appendicitis in order to skip school, and ends up with his appendics actually being removed! He finds a bazooka in the woods and fires it into a tree...knocking him and the tree to the ground and setting the surrounding grass on fire. He is starving for food and invents ingenious ways to feed his family, including making himself potato pancakes. Lacking lard or butter to fry them in, he resorts to using Singer sewing machine oil...only to discover that it turned out quite delicious.

From leaping onto a moving Allied train to steal coal to keep his family warm or bicycling with a buddy across Europe on $3.85, he keeps the reader intrigued and squealing in delightful laughter the whole way through. It took me six hours to read and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see war from the German side.
This is a MUST READ for those who would believe that HATE is the only way to resolve conflict.

Bruno Lange's story of a child caught up in the ravages of WWII and his struggle to survive the deadly bombings and the war's aftermath, will touch your heart and lift your spirits. The account of this young boy's wartime experiences will make you laugh, smile and cry, but is never boring. And like a bird fluttering against the wind, young Bruno's struggle moved him upward and onward. With the strong will and determination of a Rhinelander, Bruno emerges from his wartime experiences a whole person; a person who leaves the normal scares of hatred and resentment behind. Bruno Lange's book, "Born Into Turmoil" will inspire and strengthen all who read it.

I have always been fascinated by the events of WW II. No other incident in modern history has left us with such a dreadful, and far reaching legacy.
"Born into Turmoil" will offer the English speaking reader something different and fresh. Mr. Lange chronicles his experiences as a child growing up in Germany during the Second World War. Together with Mr. Lange you will experience the dreadful bombing raids, and the daily struggle to survive during an unbearable hardship. The theme which keeps surfacing throughout his book is his families love, and how this love managed to preserve the family through the war.
When the war ends we witness the resourcefulness of Mr. Lange and his family as they try to survive while being threatened with starvation, and roaming hoards of "liberated" criminals. As time progresses we are given an insight into what things were like in post war Germany through Lange's eyes.
No serious student of these times should be without their copy of "Born into Turmoil", It will give the reader a better understanding of the "other sides" story, and a more complete picture of a larger whole.

What a tremendous book this author has written,- one that takes you right to the heart of the German family before, during, and after the war. Amazingly,- all youngsters have their own ways of dealing with situations forced upon them. Bruno Lange dealt with his in wildly funny ways. The family love is such an inspiration to the reader. This book tells so much of what many have never learned in school,- a must for every library!

Bruno Lange's book 'Born Into Turmoil' gives us a growing German boy's account on how his family endured their hardships during WWII and in the Postwar years. How the family helped each other out during these unthinkably harsh years of the war. Bruno Lange has meticulously written this book to show both sides of the war. He introduces his story by showing us what led to Hitler's Germany and why so many Germans supported him. He pointed out the Treaty of Versailles and it's Points against Germany, which created a blue print for the coming of WWII. I enjoyed reading 'Born Into Turmoil' immensely and would like to see a sequel to it written. Bruno Lange is a well versed author with a sense of humour, who manages to write a story taken from hard times but yet the reader feels comfortable reading it. He adds his warmth and personal touch to many of the Chapters. His pointing out the morals of the time shows us how much change we have gone through in such a short span of time. I found this book to be written compassionately but yet factual and historically precise. Unlike many of Hollywood's movies, which are constantly being altered and made more Politically correct to appease the public and profit from it, Bruno has not altered any of the events that he wrote about in 'Born Into Turmoil' at all. He writes actual historical and documented facts as they occurred during those years. Bruno Lange's 'Born into Turmoil' gets a five star review from me and I hope that more books like it will be written by many more Germans that lived during those years and have kept silent until now. The new generation needs to know what really happened to so many innocent German civilians during WWII

310 Blesionwest 5-8 Ouhatachou Nishinomiyashi Hyougoken 662-0836

310 Blesionwest 5-8 Ouhatachou Nishinomiyashi Hyougoken 662-0836

310 Bulesionwest 5-8 Ouhatachou Nishinomiyashi Hyougoken 662-0836

310 Bulesionwest 5-8 Ouhatachou Nishinomiyashi Hyougoken 662-0836

310 Bulesionwest 5-8 Ouhatachou Nishinomiyashi Hyougoken 662-0836

This book is an excellent summary of English sea power. Great life stories of many of the key Naval Officers and Ship captains.

As usual David Howarth has served up a great smorgasbord of English Imperial history, warts and all, and answers the fundamental question on how and why Britain attained rule of the seas to a degree that for 200 yrs she was the unrivalled master of the waves.

Howarth has wonderful flashes of brilliance, and brings together themes that make one think in different terms about the rise of English seamanship.
1) the establishment of a key hierarchy of rules and eventually laws of the sea, leading to people with sea knowledge -- sailors and captains -- commanding at sea, not people of class or priveledge. Eventually all navies copied this, but some of them were relatively later in doing so.
2) the introduction of freedom of the high seas for England's selfish reasons mainly (but not exclusively: Britain put down the slave trade by force almost 60 yrs before the Americans and cleared the sea of pirates).
3) An intrepid spirit for adventure and mapping, unmatched by any other nation. Particularly the English interest in the Northwest and Northeast Passage.
4) A prediliction to be concerned with aggressive combat at sea, steady training and a tradition in line with Nelson to "engage the enemy more closely."
5) The predominance of British Nval and Maritime Power right into the 20th Cen. often with the wrong type of ships -- usually too large when smaller gunboats would have sufficed.
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One of the few areas that Howarth does not shine in his usual sense is his last chapter of the book dedicated solely to the British Navy in the 20th Cen. I was expecting more...but compared to the history of the rise of British sea power, there is only one chapter on the British Navy in the 20th Cen.

Wonderful, but not a classic...

Howarth has achieved the impossible: he has adequately - nay, magnificently - summarized the history of Britannia ruling the waves. Beginning with the Middle Ages, Howarth tracks British naval history through its most stirring days and shows it as it sails from strength to strength. Perhaps its best feature is the way Howarth is able to tell (or retell) the great stories of Britain at sea. For example, I had always known that Admiral George Anson had done something great, but I didn't know just how great his deeds were until Howarth told me of his incredible voyage around the world via Cape Horn - spending weeks in a frightful gale that dispersed his ships and set them hundreds of miles back on their course, and enduring with fortitude many other disasters and crises.

Indeed, Anson and his fellows in the constellation of brilliant British naval heroes did not merely endure but triumph with gallantry going beyond all praise. But Howarth goes a long way toward praising them adequately, pointing out errors, and generally informing while also delighting.

This book is an excellent springboard for future study -- one may simply choose an era, man, or event and delve into it. Howarth certainly inspires one to read more.

This book is an excellent primer on the history of ships and naval warfare from the point of view of the British. In addition to providing some useful technical information, it provides an absolutely engrossing account of the past millenium of exploration and war by the ships of the British Navy. Definitely an indispensable read for any history buff.

When I first scanned through this book I thought it seemed sort of scattered. I bought it anyhow. And I was wrong. It does go on little tangents sometimes but it doesn't detract from the book. It covers the major aspects of improvements and wars that attributed to the advancement of the british navy. I suppose going into too much detail would make the book over a 1000 pages long. At 450 pages the book gives a pretty good overall glimpse of the passing of time and the movements of the naval command. Great read.

As a relatively experienced traveler who had never been to Prague before, I wanted to make sure I covered all the bases and bought a series of travel guides: Rough Guide, Eyewitness, Let's Go, Fodor's, etc., and studied them all so that my brief (6 day) visit would be as broad and deep as possible. A friend lent me the first edition of the Cadogan Guide and I quickly ordered the 3rd edition. It arrived just before my departure. It is far and away the finest guide I have ever encountered. All of the other guides moved to the bottom of my suitcase back at the pension, and I conquered Prague, Cadogan in hand. Wry, insightful, fact-laden, and witty, I occasionally found myself laughing out loud in the street. The restaurant, bar, and store recommendations were spot on, and led laterally to other adventures. The walking tours were exceptionally well done. I am never travelling without a Cadogan guide again.

I read several other travel guides to Prague while planning my trip, but I used this one exclusively when wandering through the city because of its excellent and humorous commentary. Using this guide is like having a chatty, witty, and knowledgable guide who shows you the real Prague, not the tourist Prague. Not only does this guide contain pratical details such as using the transportation system, getting to the city from the airport, weather information, travel advice, places to find helpful info, etc., it contains an accessible and enjoyable overview of the history of Prague, excellent and well planned walks through the city (complete with detailed and witty commentary), restaurant and hotel recommendations, and a few necessary (and not so necessary) phrases in Czech. Also included is a chapter on moving to Prague as nearly everyone who goes there ends up wanting to live there. Unfortunately, due to new immigration laws the process of obtaining a residential visa is a long and exasperating process.

The walks (maps and directions included) themselves are wonderful as they lead you through different sections of the city at a pace that allows you to really enjoy and deeply experience many aspects of this complex city.

The only drawback to this otherwise excellent guide is that it sorely needs an update or a new edition. Many of the phone numbers are wrong as the phone system undergoes frequent changes. Several of the businesses have closed or moved elsewhere. Other then that, this city guide stands above those that are ladened with only facts and impersonal descriptions.

I also spent just 6 days visiting the city. I bought this guide after I arrived in Prague and it remains as one of my most cherished books. Incredibly witty, humorous, well-informed and useful. And so dead-on, it sometimes felt as if I was being teased (i.e. Mr Kadri describes a certain club as prone to "shoulder-brushing encounters"; I get there with my friends, go up to the bar to order and... someone's brushing his arm against mine! Seemed like a joke). Also, it made the most out of Prague's odd history and legends.

It's too bad it hasn't been updated, but even if you travel now to Prague, I'd still recommend it for the descriptions. You can get up-to-date phone numbers in other guides, but what Mr Kadri offers I've never seen.

By the way, who's this guy? I haven't seen any other guides by him.

This is one of the best city guide books I have ever used. Particularly good is the very detailed and enjoyable walks which bring the city alive, and the quirky history and cultural sections. Prague has such a strange and bohemian history it takes an unusual and observant writer to capture it in the written word. This book does it. Also worth noting is the Prague day trips. Visit all the towns the author mentions, they are fantastic.

This was my main guide book when I lived in Prague for several months. The hotel and restaurant reviews are good, but buy it for the commentary and walking tours. Some of the details, secrets, and tricks that he knows are nothing short of amazing. Particularly noteworthy are the tours of museums, which proved invaluable when attempting to make sense of the odd museums in Prague.

Great little book. Both the writing and illustrations work really well. Humerous and informative. My kids(10 and 8) really enjoyed this book. As did I. An intelligent way to make history fun for younger readers.

Blushing and turning in my toes (just like George, Himself), I, like millions of others stand corrected about that arch-villain of our history, George III! As it turns out, he's a real person, just like the rest of us.

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? brings his story to life for young readers. There's a lot for parents and teachers to enjoy here, too. Huzzah for Jean Fritz, who knows how to tell "his-story" with a great sense of humor making it as enjoyable as it should be.

This book is a pleasure to read.

I learned all kinds of things about King George, Queen Charlotte and others. It really helped me with my research on the Revolutionary war. In this book you get to learn the funny things about King George and things that happened during his time.

I bought this book to read with my children (ages 8 and 10). I found the book interesting, and learned a bit about King George's youth. My children thought it wasokay, even though their father was forcing it on them. I even caught my wife sneaking a read.

The writing style is nice and folksy, and the illustrations are charmingly naive. The personal spin it places on the American Revolution, coupled with the emphasis on the British perspective, is a refreshing contrast to some of the more serious books I've read on revolutionary history.

All in all, a nice read.

King George is considered to be one of the greatest opponents of the American Revolution. But does anyone ever really hear of his good traits until now. And in a childrens book! Well I know I didn't. And after reading this short story I found that ole George wasn't such a bad guy after all. All he wanted was for Brittain to become, well...richer. Couldn't those colonists help pay for some of his debts. Well maybe, if those colonists actually had any SAY in British matters then they should have to pay taxes. Well I still think he wasn't a BAD guy, he just tried to take the easiest way out.

Tomie DePaola and Jean Fritz-I think-make the perfect team. His comical illustrations with her undefinable text make this book a classic.

Fritz or Freedman '04. You decide.

It is irritating that critics still feel that anyone could think the reader in this day and age would not be able to feel the resonance of a character's voice just because it's realistically spoken in a period's language. Cockneyed accents, usage of Victorian terms and thoughts, combined with the despair of being alone in a large, uncaring, and unseeing city only enhances the beauty and strength of protagonist, Enola Holmes.

If thinking that students and middle aged students cannot follow Nancy Springer's new book because of the terminology and such, take heart. She explains in detail many times what things are even while making this odd quirkiness just another delightful part of Enola's 14-year-old, inquisitive voice. Believe her, she does not underestimate her readers and neither should you.

Enola spelled backwards forms the word, alone. And that is exactly how Enola feels. Having run away (which is why I call her a protagonist) from being sent to boarding school by her particularly emotionless older brother Mycroft Holmes (yes, that Mycroft Holmes), she now lives in London as a "person who finds lost things" during the day and "Sister of the Streets" by night. (Get your mind out of the gutter, this book is aimed at fifth graders.) "Sister of the Streets," a mute nun who feeds and offers comfort to the lowest of the dredges of the poor only reveals the heart-breaking seedy side of London. Springer's details to everything London could and was during this period never gets glossed over. London, harsh and devoid of warmth, but into it Enola ventures and manages with a perserverance felt anew each time she comes out of her adventures successfully.

In this installment, Enola becomes stronger, but lonelier. Learning that her other brother, Sherlock Holmes may have actually been affected by her disappearance, she finds herself faced not only with loneliness, but stabbing pains of guilt and remorse. In the midst of this emotional turmoil, she still searches for a Lady on streets where Jack the Ripper and other frightful characters roam. Each new day, she approaches life warily but determinedly and her sheer pluck at desiring to help the plight of others make her a true heroine worthy of admiration. The mystery surrounding her never seems contrived and the danger very real. Every new situation offers more mystery, more puzzles enticing the reader to be buffeted along in eager anticipation of what could possibly come next!

A long standing Sherlock Holmes fan, this book whets my appetite for more of his interaction with Enola. Each book, he corners Enola in ways of his making and sometimes not of his making. Yet like the last book, Enola must discard her old persona and create a brand new one to escape detection. A brilliant twist to an already enigmatic heroine. One day will she ever be able to live as she is surrounded again by those she loves and not disguised, uncertain and alone? Only Springer knows, but I for one am as anxious for her as her brother, Sherlock Holmes!

The year is 1889. Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes always thought very little of her mother, but once she disappeared - on her birthday, no less! - Enola realized just how very much she truly wanted her mother by her side, and felt as if she had been plucked into a lonely existence. That is, until her older brothers - Sherlock and Mycroft - came about, attempting to turn her into the proper young lady she has strived so hard not to be. Refusing to conform to the standards of society, Enola takes her life into her own hands, and escapes the clutches of her controlling siblings to embark on a high-risk life among the streets of Victorian London. Others of her young age may be frightened, but to Enola, frightened isn't even so much a part of her vocabulary.

Working as a perditorian, Enola is convinced that she will be able to kill a large part of her days, but business is slow. Luckily, she has her mother's ciphers to piece together, constructing secret messages to communicate with her lost parent. Using a handful of aliases, and disguises, Enola has managed to keep the coppers off her trail, but it may not stay that way for long. Sir Eustace Austair's teenage daughter, Lady Cecily, has recently disappeared from her privileged life. The only clue to her disappearance being a large ladder placed against her windowsill. Enola, being similar in age to Lady Eustace, is convinced that she has the ability to locate the girl and return her to her cushy lifestyle. But upon some investigation, Enola comes to realize that Lady Cecily may not want to be found. The girl is a magnificent artist who manages to capture the hopelessness and sadness of the London street folk, and seems bent on ranting on about the horrible times these individuals experience after being cast out from their homes. Enola wonders if the girl hasn't purposely runaway to live among these people. But with a few interviews, she comes to believe that something more sinister is at work here. Something involving magic and hypnosis. Maybe even kidnapping and threats. Enola knows that it's up to her to rescue Lady Cecily, but, if she's not careful, doing so may cost her, her very own life.

I fell in love with Enola Holmes when she debuted in THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS, and I have only grown to adore her more since completing THE CASE OF THE LEFT-HANDED LADY. Nancy Springer has done such a splendid job of bringing Enola, and the 1800's to life. Enola is such a spirited, hardheaded, brave, independent young woman, whose determination to prove her brothers wrong, and fulfill her mothers prophecy - that she will do quite well on her own - is thrilling. The maturity that she displays in each and every situation is both humorous and remarkable; while Enola's ability to fool just about anyone leaves the reader praising her for her handiwork. The backdrop of Victorian London makes the tale even more lovely, as you are treated to cobblestoned streets, unscrupulous individuals, and drizzly, windswept evenings; along with countless historical facts that leave you feeling as if you've just had a history lesson - albeit a fun one. Left or right, you won't be able to keep your hands off this book!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

While written for young adults, the Enola Holmes books have a lot to recommend them for readers of any age. This is the second book in the series; I strongly recommend that you read "The Case of the Missing Marquess" first. Nancy Springer has created a smart, brave leading character, while still being true to the spirit of the Conan Doyle stories. When I heard about these books, I rolled my eyes at the idea of Sherlock holmes' younger sister. But Springer does a fine job of making the characters and relationships plausible. I'm looking forward to Book Three!

I really like the first book in this series so naturally I bought the second. I liked the first one better but this book was still worth the read. Like a previous reader stated, Enola is an interesting character who's fun to spend a couple of hours with. Some of the content is a bit mature of younger readers, and I wouldn't recommend it for sensitive children under the age of 12, but otherwise it's a good read.

This is the second book in the series and I have enjoyed it even more than the first. It is an excellent picture of the Victorian era through the eyes of a 14 year old girl. Enola Holmes has already proven a match for her brilliant older brother Sherlock and certainly much more likable that Mycroft the eldest of the lot. It is hard to believe a girl this young could survive in London during this time, even with money left her by her mom. Nancy Springer brilliantly makes a good case for Enola's survival. It is a tale that even the most hardened Sherlockian would approve. Now to pass it on, like the first, to my 14 year old grand daughter.

Catalan cuisine is ancient. It earliest roots go all the way back to the Romans who occupied northeastern Spain.

It uses many of the same ingredients as other Mediterranean cuisines -- tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, beans, pasta and all kinds of meat -- but it combines them in unexpected ways.

Who would expect salt cod with honey, for example? Catalan cuisine has it, and Colman Andrews presents its recipe here. And who would expect a restaurant which specializes in salt cod? Andrews tells us that Barcelona has one.

He says that one very unusual -- indeed unique -- feature of Catalan cuisine is its habit of mixing olive oil and lard together, in the same dish, as a cooking oil. Catalans also use butter as a cooking fat, making for rich, nourishing, tasty dishes.

Catalonia has both mountains and seashore. So one may find spiny lobster stew (Civet de Llogosta) on the one hand and Andorran-style trout (Truita de Riu Andorrana) on the other.

`Catalan Cuisine, Vivid Flavors from Spain's Mediterranean Coast' by the very notable culinary journalist and editor, Colman Andrews, contributes to Spain's cuisine's being the third best documented European cuisine, after Italy and France. Andrews is an important figure in culinary reporting less from his books than from his position as editor of the excellent `Saveur' magazine which, with `Cooks Illustrated', should be one of the two magazines a foodie really should be reading.

`Catalan Cuisine' is as good or better than Andrews other ethno-culinary volume, `Flavors from the Riviera'. Like the earlier volume, its strengths lie primarily in history and a focus on ethnographic accuracy (without loosing too much in the way of practical cookery). For example, Andrews' recipe for the Catalan version of `tortilla espagnole' (potato frittata or omelet) is different from every other recipe I have seen from Spanish culinary experts such as Penelope Casas and Janet Mendel in that it contains no onion. This omission makes the dish a lot less interesting to me as food, but it reveals something which sets Catalan cooking apart from the rest of Spain.

In `Delicioso', Ms. Casas identifies Catalonia as the land of the casseroles. On first blush, there is little evidence of this attribution in Mr. Andrews' book. `Casserole' doesn't even appear in his index. But then, we recall a paragraph early in the book where Andrews identifies the most important cooking utensils in Catalonia. After the ubiquitous paella pan, there is the `cassola' (in Catalan, or `cazuela' in Castilian), an earthenware dish with deeper, straighter sides than a paella and an inside glaze. I really regret that Mr. Andrews didn't find his way clear to give us a picture of this dish, as I visualize it as a sort of `Tarte Tatin' dish a bit over 12 inches in diameter and about two inches deep.

One of the more interesting aspects of Andrews' books is that he always illuminates interesting historical and geographical aspects of his subject. On the Riviera, we learned that for a large part of its history, the French Riviera was politically a part of Italy. Here, we learn that the Catalan influenced region, `paisos catalans', extends into southwestern France, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, and even a corner of Italian Sardinia. The evidence of this influence is the range of the Catalan language (`Spanish' is actually Castilian, one of the four official languages of Spain, including Basque and Galician), which is not simply a Spanish dialect, but a language of its own, as similar to Italian and French as to Castilian. This is due to the fact that Catalonia was the center of Roman influence in their province, `Hispanolia', and Barcelona was the principle Roman seaport to this region, through which was introduced olive and grape cultivation techniques.

Andrews' primary premise in this book is that Catalan cuisine is at least as distinctive in European food as, for example the cuisine of Campagnia (Naples and Southern Italy). To this end, his organization is highly analytical rather than simply being a collection of representative recipes. The flagship of things distinct about Catalan cuisine may be the four classic sauces of the region, `allioli', `sofregit', `picada', and `samfaina'. While each has some similarities to sauces well known to French and Italian cuisines, the real importance lies in the differences. `Allioli' in Catalonia is made exclusively with garlic and olive oil plus salt (All Catalan food is heavily salted). Other minor ingredients such as vinegar and herbs are allowed (making it seem very much like vinaigrette). The similar Provencal sauce, `Aioli which includes eggs is dismissed as `fancy mayonnaise' which, by the way, Catalans claim was invented in Minorca and not the French city of Mayenne. `Sofregit' is similar to the Italian `soffritto' and the French `mirepoix'. `Picada' is very similar to the `pesto' of nearby Liguria in Italy. Samfaina is similar to ratatouille, cooked down to the consistency of a relish.

Next, practically a third of the book is taken up by `Part Three: The Raw Materials', in which Andrews discusses and presents recipes for the fifteen most important ingredients, which are eggplant, nuts, anchovies, rice, poultry, salt cod, mushrooms, wild game, snails, legumes, organ meats, olives and olive oil, eggs, seafood, and `the pig'. To the logical among us, this may seem a bit messy since one would think that anchovies and salt cod would fall under `seafood', and that organ meats would fall under `the pig', but it all works well enough, as the categories are a way of organizing recipes and not a guide to the Barcelona commodities market.

I really like the fact that aside from having an excellent bibliography, the book refers to several important books on related subject not only to support a point, but also to refer one to important recipes Andrews does not include himself in this book. His most important references are to Penelope Casas' `The Food and Wine of Spain' for recipes on sausage making. This is symptomatic, in that Parsons has no recipes for `basic' techniques such as pasta, pastry, bread, or charcuterie (sausages), in spite of the fact that both pasta and sausage and ham are important Catalan culinary products.

Andrews makes up for his unusual organization by providing an excellent Appendix of `Recipes according to Category' and other useful sources for Spanish tourism and shopping.

I think it's ironic that at the top of the cover is a blurb by the famous Barcelona chef, Ferran Adria praising the book, while there is not a single reference to Adria or El Bulli in this 1988 original book.

A superb culinary essay. Excellent for lovers of Spanish food and foodies in general.

This study of Catalan cuisine provides an in-depth and excellent approach to the foods and customs of the Spanish province. No color photos, but the book is packed with not only recipes, but observations of the culinary traditions which make Catalan cuisine unique. An outstanding reference.

In Catalan Cuisine, Colman Andrews draws upon the great cooking traditions of Spain's Catalonia region. This superb collection of regional dishes showcases the simple and vibrant flavors in hundreds of Catalonia's best and beloved recipes ranging from Valencian Paella with Shellfish; Eggplant Flan; and Sweet Red Peppers Stuffed with Duck, to Salt Cod with Garlic and Paprika; Pork-Stuffed Apples, and Cinnamon Ice Cream with Warm Strawberry Coulis. The recipes are "kitchen cook friendly" and will turn any family meal into a celebration of taste and delight.

I am a Catalan person living abroad, and sometimes it is difficult to explain friends that Catalan food is something different to what everybody knows as Mediterranean food, since being totally Mediterranean, it is not Italian nor French. This books discovers the authentic taste of Catalan food, that, as the author says, HAS TO BE DISCOVERED. Try it and enjoy your meals. I can say that CATALAN FOOD IS ONE MILLION BETTER THAN ITALIAN AND FRENCH. It keeps simple and accentuated flavors with simple raw materials, but obtaining an PERFECT COMBINATION.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE AUTHOR, and please continue plublishing thousands of more recipes of Catalan food.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RW03AHG99HWJE Food Critic Kim O'Neill Review of the book CHOCOLATE FRENCH

If you have friends who truly love chocolate...this book is perfect. We presented Chocolate French twice and it was will received on both occasions. Chocolate French is great if you are looking for that unique gift for the holidays.

This is truly a unique publication. Not only is it well laid out but also ties in multiple disciplines in a single book, including history, culture and cooking. The recipes are easy and don't require you to clutter you kitchen with ingredients. I would highly recommend this book. For you local San Franciscans I would combine another publication by Crump - The Cafes Of San Francisco with this one and it would make a great gift - the holidays are around the corner!!

MERCI BEAUCOUP to all the reviewers and to the two magazine reviews that highly recommended this wonderful book!! I have been so enchanted with everything about it, albeit that being a Francophile hasn't hurt. It had been one of the recommendations from Amazon, and after being intrigued by a little peek into its content, the reviewers made my decision easy. Voila......how much fun it is!

It's not a large book, almost pocket size in fact. And it's not a recipe-only book either, though it has enough recipes within to add to the already interesting musings of the relationship between the French and chocolate.

Photographs of French life, French patisseries and chocolatiers, along with the written musings (both in French with most given their English translation) of those who have gone before, or who are here now, dot the chapters of this incredible guide to all that is worthy of French chocolate. And lest you not be particularly proficient in French, there are various pages of assistance with understanding French accent marks, and, adverbs of quantity (though, is there such an error as wanting too much chocolate?). There is also a lovely section within the end of the book that gives you an English translation of the French vocabulary of ingredients, expressions, verbs, and general chocolate terms. Recipe contributors, recipe ingredient resources (from all over the world) help to round out your veritable tour of the chocolate delights of France.

As you begin your perusing of this guide, you are given hotels, bistros, and other assorted places that serve various chocolate delights. An interesting aspect of these mentions, is that they include places other than France, that pay homage to chocolate, such a Switzerland and the creations made there, or Chicago, and its shops and schools devoted to the art of being a chocolatier, as well as San Francisco, New Orleans, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Tokyo to name a few.

The sections of this book are divided into:

Recipe Index
Foreward
Introduction
History of France and Chocolate
Recipes
Vocabulary
Resources

The book also goes into how chocolate has tranferred itself into movies such as "Chocolate" starring Julia Ormand and Johnny Depp. Or how it has made its way into the fashion industry.........ever seen a chocolate dress?

A chocolate dress you say? Well, they may not give you the recipe for that, but they will give you the following jewels:

Chocolate Ganache
Pralines
Chocolate Sauce
Chocolate Tartlet with Coffee Cream
Warm Chocolate Puddings with Pistachio Cream and Pears
Chocolate Croissant Pudding w/ Toffee Sauce, Strawberries, and Pecans
Chocolate Fondant w/ Orange Confit and Raspberry Sauce
Marquise au Chocolate
Chocolate Mousse Charlotte
Chocolate Red Wine Soup with Strawberries
Buchon Chocolate Tart
Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla
Chocolate Bing Cherry Cake
Mexican Chocoalte Truffle Torte
Chocolate Macaroon a l'Ancienne
Dipped Camembert and Chocolate Sandwich
Grandmother's Chocolate Mousse
Chanel's Crepes
Chocolate and Vanilla Madeleines
Chocolate Chip Madeleines
Monique's Chocolate Brique
Red Fruit, Chocolate and Vanilla Clafoutis
Chocolate Sorbet
Lamb with Dark Chocolate Sauce
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Pave
Bittersweet Chocolate Decadence
Warm Chocolate Cake w/ Chantilly Creme and Raspberry Sauce
Phyllo Cups w/ Chocolate Mousse, Raspberries, and Poached Pears
Banana Pearl
Pink Poodle
Miss Celle's Bananas Foster avec Chocolat
Chocolate Espresso Souffle
Chocolate Pava
White Chocolate Bread Pudding w/ White Chocolate Kahlua Sauce
Chocolat Chaud w/ Creamy Melted Bars of Dark Chocolate
Chocolate French Toast
Pear and Chocolate Tart
Petits Pots au Chocolat
Creme Brulee au Chocolat
Pate a Choux
Profiteroles
Eclairs
Pate Brisee
Chocossisson-Chocolate Sausage
Piedmontese Truffles
Swiss Dreams
Couscous Sucre w/ Honey, Raisins, and Cacao
Creole Hot Chocolate
Banana and Chocolate Tart
Chocolate Quad

I would also like to mention The "L'alliance Francaise" which is given quite a good mention in the "Let Them Eat Chocolate" section of this book. L'alliance Francaise is a organization that Francophiles can join that celebrates the exquisite culture of France by giving French language classes, tours, festival, cooking classes, etc. with chapters located all over the United States as well as other places in our world. This particular section was written by one of the instructors at the Alliance in Connecticut. For me, this information alone was worth the price of the book.

OK then............see what everyone was talking about? Wonderful, isn't it? As I said previously, this is not a recipe book of sorts, but a multifaceted journey into all that weaves itself into the affair of France and sinful, decadent, addictive chocolate.

I received this book as a gift and was very pleasantly surprised with the book. I loved how the author weaved the culture and history of chocolate of the French with some amazing recipes from around the world. I also enjoyed the vocabulary, which has allowed me to impress my friends with my new knowledge of the nuances of chocolate. If you know someone who is a chocolate fan, this book is for him or her.

I found this book to be of great value especially to students of the Caucasus in the West, to whom the name Circassian has very little meaning. Jamoukha has done a worthwhile service in collating the information about the Circassians as a valuable and comprehensive reference work with an impressive biliographyMuridism: A Study of the Caucasian Wars 1819 - 1859. I recommend it highly to all those interested in North Caucasian culture and history.

The Circassians had constituted a well known culture until the end of the XIXth century, when they were scattered across the world and became one of many unfortunate diasporas. Had I been asked a couple of years ago about the Circassians, I would have said that this culture was becoming a subject for historians. With Amjad Jaimoukha's book, I am beginning to believe that this culture will survive, not only in history books, but within its members and by its members. "The Circassians : a Handbook" is a scientific review, free of hearsay and a-priori assumptions, in which the author was able to combine history, tradition and future prospects representing the different views of the many tribes that constituted the Circassian entity. The reader for whom the subject is familiar will still discover in this book details that are only known to 'insiders', whereas the novel discoverer will learn about the many aspects that characterised this culture. The bibliography at the end !of the book is a masterpiece of completeness, and has never been as thouroughly investigated and presented. The Circassian sayings will demonstrate, if need be, the universality of wisdom amongst different cultures. From a Circassian point of view, I am very proud to see one of us presenting our heritage as it was originally perceived by our fore-bearers : a culture and not a religion, a nation and not a race, a future and not only a past. I strongly recommend reading this book to gain a better understanding of the current events taking place in the Caucasus but also in the many areas in the world where emigrants have sought refuge.

The Circassians are one of the world's forgotten peoples. This volume provides in itself a most useful source for a wide variety of information about them and, thanks to the rich bibliography (see another on the author's website), gives readers the opportunity to find out even more from works of narrower but deeper focus.

The Circassians historically spread across the N. W. Caucasus, speaking a language that was closely related to, but mutually unintelligible with, Ubykh and Abkhaz(-Abaza). The Ubykhs lived compactly around today's Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, whilst to their south(-east) lay the ancestral homeland of the Abkhazians. Though contacts existed with the Graeco-Roman world and then with Genoese traders a millennium later, it was not really until an expansive Tsarist Russia started to vie with Turkey for control of the region from the late 18th century that Circassia again impinged on the European conscience. A number of moving accounts have been left by such British visitors as James Bell, John Longworth and Edmund Spencer, which contributed to heightened awareness of the noble Circassian-Ubykh-Abkhazian resistance to the Russian aggressor and sympathy for their cause amongst many in Britain and Europe during the 1830s -- just as the parallel battle for freedom led by Shamil in the N. E. Caucasus excited great admiration. But the inevitable happened in 1864 when the N. W. Caucasian alliance was finally defeated and Russia took control. Most of the surviving Circassians and Abkhazians together with ALL the Ubykhs chose to leave their territories and take refuge in Ottoman lands (mainly Turkey). Ubykh died out in 1992, and the future for Circassian and Abkhaz amongst the diaspora is bleak -- in many ways the future of these two languages even in the Caucasian homeland is far from secure.

Amjad Jaimoukha comes from a Kabardian (East Circassian) family in Jordan and has done his people great service in producing this volume. The main deficiency is the absence of any description of the Circassian language, which, to confess a long-held personal belief, I find to be the most beautiful sounding language I have ever heard, and whose loss would be a tragedy not only for the Circassians as an ethno-linguistic group but also for the world of language-study. One or two other points could be made, as indeed I have in a fuller review for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, but for the purposes of comment here I hope that the book is successful and enjoyed by all its readers.

Abkhazian, Circassian, now I am looking forward to have Ubykh one from same handbook series, I do want to thanks to Amjad Jaimoukha for his extraordinary work.

Excellent Source of information!

I have read all the books I could find about this subject,and
I think that this one is by far the most comprehensive. Clearly
the author has put an enormous amount of work and "IT SHOWS".

This is a fascinating study of German super heavy tank destroyers during World War II. Using a ton of primary sources, the author gives an account of the 653rd heavy tank battalion and its many actions. The most telling part of this history is that most of these monsters spent almost all of their time in some kind of maintenance. They were so heavy and unreliable that they broke down constantly. I thought that this was more of a maintenance history than a combat history. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the book is loaded with great black and white photos. It also has color plates in the back for those who are interested in camouflage and paint schemes.

Overall, this is an excellent book, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in WWII German tanks.

The great book on this unit, when you want to get know its history.
It's a pity, there is no table where you can easily find a particular vehicle's tactical number, its commander's name or the details on its end, especially when you look for any details on rearming this unit with Jadtigers.
The big disadvantage are the photos, not good quality in fact.

This book does give you an idea of what working with these very heavy tank destroyers was like. In practice that meant dealing with the frustrations of equipment which was frequently broken down, and you will see how critical the infrastructure which supported the actual AFV is. There is very little about actual combat, but some. You do get a good feeling for the tradeoff of extremely heavy unit weight and combat effectivness. If you know what you are buying this can show you a lot, but it is not a combat narrative.

When this book appeared, it collectively took the breath away from World War Two armor enthusiasts and historians alike. Karlheinz Munch has cleared away decades of half-truths and assumptions by going directly to the source. He has interviewed unit veterans and consulted original military documents and private diaries to produce the most complete history of the 653rd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, a unit that operated some of the most remarkable vehicles of the war, the Ferdinand, a self-propelled antitank gun built on the redundant chassis of the Porsche Tiger (and later renamed the Elefant), and the Jagdtiger, a self-propelled 128 mm antitank gun built on the chassis of the King Tiger. The other surprise was that the soldiers were avid shutterbugs, and the veterans and their familes have opened their private photo collections to the author. These are vehicles previously known through a mere handful of German propaganda photos and US Army Signal Corps pictures. Suddenly, we have not dozens but hundreds of fresh photos, showing details of operations, unit markings, and more. Rarities include a Porsche Tiger P prototype converted to a command tank, a recovery Panther with a Panzer IV turret bolted to the roof, a Russian T-34 converted to a German antiarcraft tank, and more.
What you will not find is breathless, blow by blow recreations of thrilling battle scenes (for that, read books by Franz Kurowsky). Munch offers straightforward reprints of unit after-action accounts augmented by some private materials provided by unit veterans. Publisher Stackpole books has taken the enormous hardcover edition originally published in Canada by J. J. Fedorowicz, and reissued it in a slightly edited softcover edition at 20% of the original price. A superb investment for the historian or model builder.

This book contains little combat information so it is not for the combat fan. However it does provide you with a written record of how this unit functioned, the trials and problems incountered with heavy tank killers.
The book is crammed with photographs, most of which I have never seen before. It is a wonderful source of information for the historian, heavy fan, or model nut. A must have for any reference library and the scale drawings and colour picture will please the model builder. An unbeatable value for the price!!