Switzerland Books

I was so pleased to purchase three copies of my well-used cookbook, containing many family favorites, for my daughters! Since I believed my (signed) hardback copy was no longer available after so long, finding the softcover version online was a delight.

I really enjoyed this cookbook because it features a lot of authentic Swiss food. I worked in the area when I was in college and this book contains recipes for many of the dishes I enjoyed. This cookbook was originally published about 30 years ago, so some of the preparation styles are a bit dated. The food is delicious, but the fat content can be high.

For anyone who loves Switzerland, this is not only a cookbook but a beautifully written tribute to that lovely country. Although it was published in 1967, most of the almost lyrical observations are still valid because the Swiss hold to their traditions steadfastly. It is an authentic description of the countryside, the Swiss and the cooking of that most charming place.

I would like to say that I remember this book from 30 years ago, when I lost track of my copy, and have been trying to track one down ever since (with temporary success -- now I'm finally buying a copy again, thank goodness it is STILL IN PRINT - can you believe it-haven't been so luck on other titles). So, I would like to re-writ my review AFTER I have read it again. Having said this, I will say this about the book. It had a wonderful description of the Tobler Chocolate factory and what I learned about chocolate, I think about every time I enjoy really GOOD choclate (in fact, that's how I know it's really good -- it's in the "conching." This book introduced me to Raclette, which I enjoyed immensely and often during the several months I lived in Switzerland a few years later. There is a memorable Neufchatel Wine Tart. The book was a great "read," as I recall; I just loved it.

This book is indeed a godsend for parents. Although it's geared to Western Europe, over half the book focuses on universal tips that would also be helpful in Turkey or Transylvania, such as how to get kids to try different foods or appreciate museums. I loved this book, and found the author's advice invaluable when I took my two daughters to Europe.

We live in London, and travel every chance we have. This book provides great ideas for structuring trips and helping children enjoy the sights and experiences. It's a good companion for families planning European vacations. I am very glad to have this information and always review it before we travel.

The payoff for reading Cynthia Harriman's "Take Your Kids to Europe" carefully is tremendous. We have a five-week trip to Europe coming up and our copy if already getting dog-eared from overreading. This guidebook is different and better. Most "what to do with the kids overseas" books are filled with things you already instinctively knew - i.e. your kid will like Legoland and here is how to get there and the hours it's open. Harriman's guide acknowledges there is more to a successful family trip than just picking the right things to see, and she uses the reactions of her own actual kids to back up her suggestions. For example, she is a master of managing family dynamics on a trip. Here are a few of her suggestions:

1) Everybody wants to do something different, and nobody likes to compromise. It's just about impossible to agree, so Harriman suggests a "leader of the day" system - each member of the family gets a day or part of a day to pick what the "team" will do, where it will eat. Everybody gets to do some of their favorites eventually. This takes some self-discipline on the part of the parents - if the kids want to spend the morning by the pool, you'll have to agree - but you'll get to see that church you want to see in the afternoon.

2) You are looking for family togetherness but in fact that much togetherness can be stressful. For example, your teenager is all about independence. Go ahead and let said teenager hang out alone in the hotel room for an afternoon if that's what she needs. You and your spouse will argue about giving directions; Harriman encourages you to loosen up and learn about each other.

3) Harriman has a lot of good suggestions about how to make a lengthy trip affordable, and gives good suggestions for budgeting in advance.

In additional to general advice, Harriman shows excellent good sense in sections on what attractions to see - she's frank about things the kids were underwhelmed by (most chateaus just aren't as interesting as you'd think to a 9-year-old), and points out things that are actually more fun than they would sound on paper. So rather than 50 kid-oriented attractions in a country (like other books), all presented with equal breathless interest, she might have 20 - 15 her kids really liked (and why), and 5 they didn't like.

Harriman does not recommend many specific hotels and restaurants (there are other sources for those), so you may find you supplement this book with others. But you can't do without this one - I really love it.

This book has great ideas on dealing with budgets, luggage, etc. I especially like that they were keen on the idea of an 'extended' stay in Europe e.g., several weeks, and provided some sound examples of how it really doesn't cost much more to do that if you're willing to be flexible with accomodations & meals.

I lived in Europe for several pre-teen and teenage years, and we travelled widely. At the time I was always amazed at the number of people who take these "8 countries in 2 weeks" style tour packages -- the pace is so hectic there's no time to enjoy or experience the places, and they are wholly unsuitable for children.

The book is also good at pointing out attractions that would appeal to kids, which is helpful since most guidebooks focus on the 'serious' sites that kids would find less appealing.

Even if you had no prior curiousity about Switzerland, this book would pique your interest. The author's stated aim is to create a multidisciplinary narrative, in the tradition of the Enlightenment (Johnson, Gibbon), explaining...well..."Why Switzerland?" - i.e. how did Switzerland arise, persist, and come to be so aggressively ecclectic?

And the author has some work to do. Not unlike the 'bacterial flagellum,' Switzerland's spectacularly improbable emergence from the fabric of history could be invoked by creationists to support a 'design inference.' It is, to paraphrase Michael Behe, as though a 747 spontaneously assembled itself and took flight.

Of course, Steinberg's answer to "Why Switzerland?" is much more interesting than "God did it." It cannot be summarized, but involves grain prices, the halberd, high-altitude athletic training, cottage industry, credit and interest and William Tell. At the very least, it has something to teach us about federalism, decentralization, peaceful coexistence and martial virtue.

For me the most fascinating part of this was to see how resistance to the Hapsburgs and then Napolean created a culture of decentralized disorganization - the opposite of Absolutist/Enlightenment France. The Swiss come across like the Duke Boys of central Europe ("Someday the mountain might get'em but the law never will..."). But this culture of rebellion also stands in contrast to Germany's stark tradition of blood and soil reactionism. Napolean's influence on Germany sowed the seeds of the World Wars. In Switzerland it acted as a sort of positive selection pressure, perturbing Alpine society and provoking its organization into Alpine civilization.

This is a very dense book, with more obscure names and places than a Russian novel. Some independent reference material (i.e. map, Wikipedia) is useful to figure out just which Johann is which, and to distiguish the various mountain passes from one and other (passes being the primary geographical feature and navigational reference point for most of the nation's history). But a reader's close attention to this book will be very well repaid.

This work, first published more than a quarter-century ago and twice revised, most recently in 1996, succeeds because the national Swiss characteristics which it explores are essentially timeless and unchanging. While tracing the begrudging and belated enfranchisement of women and the gradual integration of Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities who once were isolated, the author conveys the underlying tensions beneath a remarkably successful experiment in coexistence. As one who lived and worked in Switzerland for more than eight years, and whose own memoir, Living Among The Swiss, was published in January 1999, I can attest that Mr. Steinberg's generalizations ring true to my own experience and observations, and that they are supported by a myriad of political and sociological details that one would normally expect to learn only from a highly educated native. The prose, though scholarly, is highly readable, and evidences deep thought and mature reflection.

I work in the US for a Swiss company. Switzerland is unique in Europe and it's hard to figure out why. This book does a very good job of explaining the origins and dynamics of modern Switzerland. I should add that this is not a travel book, rather an examination of Swiss politics, history and culture. For a another, more irreverent, condensed but also insightful book on the Swiss, read the "The Xenophobe's Guide to Switzerland"

This turned out to be an utterly fascinating book, and it explained quite a bit about Swiss behavior and culture. While I of course can't vouch for everything in the book, I've tested a lot of it by observation and questioning the natives, and it seems consistent with reality.

Switzerland turns out to have a number of unique characteristics that aren't obvious to the outsider. For example, the government consists of an extraordinarily complex nested set of committees with a rotating presidency. The author makes the case that virtually all Swiss institutions, including government at all levels, the church and major corporations, are strongly influenced by an 800-year tradition of committee organization. In spite of having the most stable government in Europe (which my Swiss co-workers do not dispute), Switzerland has one of the most malleable constitutions in the world (which my co-workers do dispute).

I'm personally fascinated by language issues, so I read ahead to that chapter before finishing the lengthy chapter on politics. Again, Switzerland is unique in its treatment of dialects, which have very different social implications and practices in the French, German, Italian, and Romansh areas. According to the author, the urban Swiss Germans gave serious consideration to aligning themselves with 'greater Germany' in the 19th century. This obviously did not take place, and one of the unique results is that the local versions of Schwyzer Tüütsch (choose your spelling depending upon the valley you're in) are universally spoken without significant class variations. In other words, this chapter explains why the Italian Swiss are more likely to be comfortable in standard Italian, and the French Swiss are more comfortable in standard French, than the Swiss Germans are speaking standard German. As any outsider who speaks German is painfully aware, the Swiss Germans read and write standard German (Hochdeutsch), but generally prefer not to speak it.

Swiss seem more willing to discuss politics than religion, but the chapter on religion was enlightening. After all, Switzerland was at the heart of the reformation, with Zwingli in Züri and Calvin in Geneva. Again, the Swiss are unique among European countries in their treatment of religion and the extraordinary compromises they have made to allow the peaceful co-existence of roman catholicism and protestantism.

The Swiss military is, unsurprisingly at this point, another unique institution. Virtually the entire male population is expected to belong to the reserves for most of their working years, and they keep their weapons and ammunition in their homes. It was only recently that 52 year olds were no longer required to serve a short annual duty. I've found that the military intrudes regularly when you are working with the Swiss, so besides being interesting, the chapter on the Army is helpful in becoming more aware of some of the workplace dynamics.

How can a country with 4 different official languages have and maintain a common culture? What do the different regions have in common? Quite a bit, actually. Anyone who deals with the Swiss on a regular basis or spends over a week here would find this book a helpful start on building an understanding of Swiss institutions and culture. This would also be an excellent book for students doing cultural area studies of Europe or Switzerland. It is a good read, and anyone interested in contemporary Europe would enjoy it and find it educational.

This is an exquisite book. Such cosiness and wonderful living spaces, truly exhilirating. I don't have much time to write this review but I read through the book this Saturday morning and it's impact is priceless - I briefly and partially read person's view from Canada below and they say it perfectly.

This book takes you inside some of the most interesting and memorable homes in the Alpine region. Fully trilingual - everything in the book is presented in German and French, along with English - this book also has stunning color and black and white photographs on almost every page. Makes an excellent coffee table book. If you love interior design, and are curious about the Alpine way of living, this book is for you. What a shame that it is currently out of print.

As well as ALL the other books from TASCHEN's "Interiors" series, this book is simply magical. It offers a great trip in the Alpes and simply gives you the opportunity to visit the most beautiful houses -- from simple chalets to deluxe houses -- of the mountains. The printing is fabulous and the pictures are of pure quality. Beautiful!

We used this book to successfully plan our walk across Switzerland in 2005. The information and maps were very accurate, and it should get any long distance trekkers excited to try this challenging yet easily doable route.

I hiked the Alpine Pass Route (APR) in August/September 2004. I relied on the first edition of this book for the hike, but I own this second edition as well, so I can vouch for it. If you are planning to walk the APR, you should definitely buy this. The APR is covered in Lonely Planet's "Walking in Switzerland" as well, but Kev's book does a better job of giving you a feel for how the route meshes together as a whole. That said, the Lonely Planet book is worth a look, but consider borrowing it from your library and writing down the most useful bits in your travel notebook. You DO carry a travel notebook, right?

Kev describes the route in its entirety, and in splendid detail. By necessity, he cannot document every little twist, turn, and rise of the path, but you really wouldn't want him to spoil all the fun. His sidebar anecdotes (which I assume he must have extracted from HIS travel notebook) add a good dose of humor and personality to the material.

One thing I absolutely love about this author is his ability to put an optimistic, positive spin on every aspect of the walk. If you choose to hike the APR, the Hohtürli is probably the most physically demanding section, and Kev tempers it by reminding you that with every step, you are gaining valuable elevation. Such is the character of this book.

So, should you decide the APR is for you, buy this book well in advance, read it cover to cover at least twice, and carry it with you on the walk. You'll have a great time. Not many people get to see Switzerland this way, and for those who enjoy the mountains, this hike really cannot be beat.

While I haven't actually done the Alpine Pass Route yet, this book has met my expectations formed by Kev's similar Cicerone Guide, Chamonix-Zermatt, The Walker's Haute Route. That trek I did do, and even before doing it, my research on the subject consistently pointed to Kev as THE information source on the subject. I'd have to say he delivered the goods on that one, and here the style and format is the same, although some of the graphics are cleaned up a little here. Obviously one can't do it with just the book, as the excellent Swiss maps are required as well, but he does a great job of referring to map details in his unfolding instructional route narrative, so you can almost always tell where you are. I haven't found a better source, but then again, I've never felt the need to look any further. Compact format, great contact information, good route variations, local color and history, and none of the machismo swagger I've seen in other guidebooks. He makes me jealous that he has done so much hiking/trekking, and grateful that he cares enough to help others do the same.

This is a fact --All American Internees held in Russia are recipients of the POW medal (the law passed in 1992) The American internees of Wauwilermoos Prison in Switzerland deserve the POW medal. They suffered the same harsh conditions as in any German POW camp. Please take the time to contact your Representatives in Congress.

Dan Culler headed off to war, the son of Quakers, because he felt it was his duty to his country. He put love of country and the ideals of democracy and freedom above his own faith, and in so doing, ended up in a situation where he was abandoned by the nation he loved, and left to die in a hell-hole of a Swiss prison, Wauwilermoos. This is Dan Culler's story. No one who reads this will come away from the experience unchanged. No one will ever read about Wauwilermoos or the miscarriages of justice Culler was forced to endure in a typical history book. The story should make the United States and Swiss hang their heads in shame. The truth about some of the hardships endured by American airmen interned in Switzerland during World War II has been supressed by publishers and editors for years. Dan Culler's book does a lot to shatter some of this official silence. The first part of this well-written, sensitive book describes Culler's training as a B-24 flight engineer. It follows Culler and his crew from the States over to England, where they almost immediately fall afoul of the operations officer, who tries to appropriate their sleeping bags. Failing this, the man makes sure that Culler's crew flies the oldest, most decrepit B-24's in the squadron, and in the worst position in the formation. This is Culler's first intimation that things are not as they seem Stateside. Their lives hang on the whims of higher-ups. Culler's plane, crippled by flak, limps into neutral Switzerland. Life as an internee is not terribly harsh, but Culler takes the command of his superiors seriously--it is an airman's responsibility to escape and return to his unit to fight another day. So he escapes. He is caught. And for his trouble, he is sent to a Swiss federal prison, Wauwilermoos. Wauwilermoos is a maximum security prison meant for the worst criminals in Europe, both Swiss and those who have escaped to Switzerland. Culler's crime-trying to escape and return to his unit. He is thrown into a barracks which approaches Dante's Hell, where he is tortured by his fellow inmates day after day. When he goes to the commandant for help, he finds his own government has abandoned him. The U.S. military attache', Gen. Legge, has sent out a message commanding US troops not to escape, and furthermore, has decreed that any who try will be sent to Wauwilermoos, where the Swiss can deal with them as they see fit. In addition, according to the U.S. government, officially there is no such place as Wauwilermoos, and there are no Americans held there. If not for a kind British sergeant who comes to check on his own nation's troops imprisoned in the camp, Culler would never have emerged alive. As it is, the story of his incarceration and escape is every bit as intense and thrilling as anything Hollywood could concoct. The reader is kept frantically turning the pages, empathizing with Culler and rooting for his success. Once Culler makes it back to England, he finds he has been abandoned again. There is no such place as Wauwilermoos. He has never been there, so he has never been a POW. Therefore, he doesn't qualify for any POW benefits or medical or mental treatment for his many physical and emotional wounds. He tries to continue in the military, first as a highly-qualified techinican and then as a pilot cadet, but all his attempts are foiled by the military and he is discharged. It is my hope that the reader's interest is aroused by this review, short as it is. You will come away from this book feeling Culler's sense of hopelessness and betrayal at the hands of the US and Swiss governments. You will be angry to learn the fates of the US military attache, Gen. Legge, who countermanded official military policy, and of the Swiss commandant of Wauwilermoos. And you will be angry along with Culler as he attempts to get recognition and medical treatment for the hell he has endured in the service of his country--a country that, sad to say, let him down when he needed it. This is a powerful book, carefully and sensitively written. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in the air war, in POWs and their fates, or in the strength of the human spirit. I recommend it very highly.

Dan Culler is a Great American Hero. He is incredibly brave, having gone against his own religious convictions to fight for America, the country he loves, in World War II, at the ripe young age of 17 - too young at the time but he got his mother to sign the papers because he wanted to serve his country.

Dan risked his life as flight engineer/top-turret gunner on B-24s in WWII. After enduring many of the most harrowing and horrific missions imaginable (I mean, pause for a moment and try to imagine doing battle at 26,000 feet against enemy aircraft and ground-to-air anti-aircraft fire or "flak" exploding all around you in a largely experimental aircraft), Dan's B-24 "Hell's Kitten" was shot down and forced to land in Switzerland, where he and his crew were interned.

As a prisoner of war in a supposedly "neutral" country, it was Dan's duty to try and escape and that he did. He was only doing what his country told him to do. For that, he suffered unimaginable torture.

Dan Culler is a great man not only because he is brave, but because he is a loving man and he overcomes. To this day, Dan continues to fight for what he believes in through his writing, inventing and flying his American/POW flags proudly in his front yard.

This book should and will make you cry. It will scare you, but it will also make you laugh at times as Dan manages to keep a sense of humor despite the difficulties he experienced. Most importantly, this book will educate you, teaching you about the 'reality' of war and even how a country that you love and believe in can let you down.

This is one of the most important books I have ever read. Aside from the fact that it is important from a historical perspective, it reads like a great novel.

Highly recommended!

Wow! This was a wonderful book. It's one of the best books I've read in a while. Wersba's imagination and creativity has hooked me again. The book was realistic and really made me think. Through rough times and fun times you had to read on. The book is about a young boy who's life is turned upside down when he gets on a plane Zurich, Switzerland. The characters are realistic and easy to relate to. The description is fantastic. The story holds an important moral, a moral which I had never thought about before. If you are realistic fiction crazy or if your not, this is a good book. Read this book and you'll be in for an adventure.

This book was absolutely breath taking. The story begins in Queens NY with a poor teen age boy who can't make one thing go right for him. Through diary entries to his psychiatrist he tells of his journey to Zurich, what happens there and what changes inside of him.

I am now 25, but I consider this book to still be one of my absolute favorites. I laughed at Harvey's quips and little-old-man maturity, and cried at his would-be love affair. The writing is flawless, the decriptions of NYC neighborhoods, Harvey's school life, and warped dog-loving mother were all amazing. A true find!

"To God confide thy cares,
On Him thy burden cast,
He heareth all thy prayers
And sends relief at last.

His never-failing love,
His wisdom sure and true,
Bring comfort from above
And all thy hopes renew."

This poem is from the book Heidi. This book has wonder and I love books that have wonder in them. The theme of this book is friendship, a real home, and making discoveries as you grow up. There is also (near the ending) a little theme of God. Heidi finds out God's love for all of us and she tries to love him back.
Heidi, an orphan, is left to a servant of a wealthy family, Deiti. Deiti returns Heidi to her grandfather, Uncle Alp. Uncle Alp lives on a mountain isolating himself from the townspeople in Dorfli, but he takes great joy in taking care of Heidi. Grandfather takes care of Heidi for about two to three years. Deiti takes Heidi back to Frankfurt and Heidi stays there for two years. There, Heidi meets Clara. Clara is a nice twelve year old girl, but she's in a wheelchair and she needs a playmate which Heidi becomes. Heidi experiences some adventures in Frankfurt and goes back home to the mountains again with her grandfather after Heidi wasn't feeling well. Clara, the doctor (who took care of Clara and Heidi), Mr. Sessamen (the kind father of Clara), and Mrs. Sessamen (the grandmother of Clara who teaches Heidi about God) come to visit Heidi. On the mountains a miracle happens and it surprises everyone. Uncle Alp is well known in the town of Dorfli. A lot of people say he's a bad man for not going to church with them or living up on the mountain, but Heidi needs to go to school in the winter. Will Uncle Alp make the sacrifice and move into town for Heidi to get into school?
I love this book because it is so charming and a lot of unexpected things happen to Heidi (especially in Frankfurt!) This is a funny and fantastic story to read. As an adult or teen this book explains some facts about God that us adults/teens might have never known or imagined. "I'll always say my prayers after this, as Grandmamma told me to, and if God doesn't answer them at once I shall know it's because He's planning something better for me, just like He did in Frankfurt," says Heidi at one point in the book. As I was reading the book it made me think of my life and how I put God into my life in my actions and in my words. This story is a wonder and I highly recommend it to anybody.

Another outstanding piece of classic
children's literature, belongs on the
same shelf an any North American or
Western Civilization child's library.
In same vain of classics as Anne of
Green Gables or Anne of Avonlea realm!

I agree, this book deserves many, many stars. I read it aloud to my seventh-graders. The old-fashioned language was sometimes a bit difficult for them, but they really enjoyed the story and its theme of learning to trust in God. Heidi's sweet loving nature is like a breath of fresh mountain air, and her innocent scrapes, longing for her loved ones, and enthusiasm for life make this an all-time favorite book, one I could read every year.
NOTE-- the author review should be written about Johanna Spyri, not Beverly Cleary.

This is the catalogue for an exhibition that was held at the Hayward Gallery in London a couple of years ago. It benefits from the exceptional contribution of British artist Bridget Riley, one of this rare brand of artists who do not keep their thoughts on other artists to themselves. Seldom can you get an inside view of a painter's work through another painter's eyes.
The exhibition itself was small, but with some of the best examples of Klee' paintings, coming from all over the world. The illustrations are lavish, colors are well rendered; on the whole, one of the best publications on Klee in English.

This is an efficient and careful monograph that succeeds on many levels. Grohmann was Klee's biographer and longtime friend. He is respectful without being sycophantic, and thorough but never plodding. He uses a variety of source materials, including Klee's own writings (diaries and letters). Grohmann establishes Klee's lasting importance to art and to painting by asserting, "It is as though he were still among us, to be consulted on every problem of life and art." Grohmann's generous(40 pages, 58 illustrations) and lively essay on Klee is also charming and personal. It combines biography, criticism, a wealth of references, and thought-provoking appreciation. It's generously illustrated with photographs of Klee and his studio, plus ink, tusche, chalk, and pencil drawings, collage, watercolor, tempera, and oil paintings, a woodcut study, and etchings.

The text that accompanies the following forty color plates (a selection of paintings) is the calm, clear art criticism that Grohmann is so good at. The plates' reproduced colors are good but not great. What's best is that Grohmann is such an able teacher. He describes each painting straightforwardly, and then asks intelligent questions, suggests answers that seem well-thought-out, and inspires one to further thought and research. His friendship with Klee gave him some additional understanding of his friend's work and lifelong passions and motives.

A very worthwhile book on a great artist.

This hardback was issued by the museum when the Klee show toured the USA. It was a spectacular show that captured the essence of this 20th century artistic genius and I was fortunate enough to see the show and buy the book. Paul Klee explored just about every art style there was in his quest to develop modern art and his seemingly simplest paintings were usually his best. Klee lived an often traumatic life as well and when you are exposed to all of his works, you can easily see that quality in his paintings. I found the most eloquent ones were the ones he did as he approached his own painful death. The book does a tour de force job of covering the paintings which were in the show, which is the way the show now lives on.