Becker Books

Featuring stunningly beautiful full-color photography, Wild Cats Past & Present is a nonfiction guide about the many fascinating and resourceful wild feline species found throughout the globe, from lions, tigers, jaguars and cheetahs to pumas, bobcats, and lynx, to diminutive wild species scarcely bigger than a domestic cat such as the black-footed cat, the fishing cat or Pallas' cat. A brief passage concerning domestic and feral cats is included, including the sadly devastating effect feral cats have had on the indigenous wildlife of some areas (notably Australia) and the positive influence of trap-neuter-release programs as a humane alternative to controlling feral cat numbers. Perhaps most valuable is the important lesson that wild cats are not pets; even a small ocelot is a wild beast first and foremost, and should not be owned by private citizens. Though intended for young adults, the lavishly photographed Wild Cats Past & Present is a treat for cat lovers of all ages. Highly recommended, especially for children's library collections.

This is a great book of short bios and examples of the artists' work in a pocket-sized companion. It would be a great item to tuck into a purse or backpack and read when you only have little snippets of time and want to enrich your life.

Great work by Laura Becker on this book. Took me back to a joyful time when my kids were small.A must-read for lovers of children's books.

This book is very instrumental in providing detailed information on implementing the supported employment model. The book is comprehensive and gives plenty of real life examples. A must read if you're in the employment developing field.

This is a poem that explains how parents view their children: babies take a place in your heart, and no matter their size or their age, that loving spot remains. This book exudes love, and can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. Although not billed as a book for adoptive families, it may assuage the 'fears' of adopted children. Our preschooler immediately wanted a second reading ... and then asked us to stop reading and started reciting the poem herself. It is a wonderful poem that will make young kids feel warm and also allow parents to remind pre-teens and teenagers why they remain so protective, but without being a nudge or going over the top (i.e, too sappy).This is a book that is shared with a hug. There is no story, per se, only the warmth of sharing your love with a child. For adoptive families, it helps affirm a child's place in your heart.

Do your teenager a great service by giving her this book. Pass it along to every woman in your life.

Gavin De Becker has written a seriously important book for all people, especially women, to read.

Although its content is that of a text book, which should be mandatory reading in all schools, it also written in an engaging style which makes it really easy to read. It's a page-turner.

Ultimately, its message is that people should listen to the inner voice they are born with when encountering all situations and people they encounter throughout their lives. De Becker goes a step further by giving advice as to how to deal with the intricacies of various life situations.

Our intuition has been honed through a million years of awareness - from mastodons to murderers. As `sophisticated human beings', we have almost been trained to ignore those signals about danger - the hairs on the back of our neck, the tingling in our fingers, that shortness of breath. This sense of fear is our first signal that all is not right with our world. But we need to acknowledge and pay attention to these physical indications and bring them into our conscious awareness. The author has significant experience in security work, particularly in predicting violent behavior. If we can recognize this `code of violence, then we might be able to prevent it from happening to us. The books is a great `How To" in a unique field of violence prediction and avoidance. deBecker's clients include federal agencies, judges, police and more. He believes that violence is as gradual as boiling water - you just have to know what to do to turn down the heat.

This book is a must have for your daughters, mothers, gf's, and anyone you want kept safe!

Every human being has the ability to sense fear exactly in the same way as the other animals. We have civilized ourselves to the point of negating that ability and it has cost many lives in the process. Gavin de Becker has provided us with an awareness of the necessity to re-awaken the "gift". This book should be THE "gift" of choice to all those we love and seek to protect. I should know because it happened to me. I did not know why I was afraid of a man who was coming up my walk and whom I could see through a window that ran alongside my front door. He was "ordinary" looking but I asked the friend, with whom I was having a telephone conversation at the time, to stay on the line while I went to the door. I was tense and apprehensive. The man was asking for directions and I answered through the closed door. Something in his manner and words was amiss. He became very insistent that I open the door but I would not give in. Finally he went away, visibly angry with me, and tried the same tactic at the home of a neighbour around the bend. She had a chain installed on her door and when she refused to open the door to him, he drew a knife and tried to break the chain. My neighbour managed to slam the door shut and called the police. I repeat, he look ordinary, was casually and appropriately dressed, was slight of stature, but sent out a message that my inner voice picked up and transmitted to me as saying, "something is not right about that guy". This did not happen in the inner city; it was in a quiet suburban neighbourhood, in broad daylight, and took place some years ago when this sort of incident was relatively rare. I listened; I was unharmed; and I'm here to tell you how important that awareness was and is.
The copy of this book was purchased and sent to my daughter and my granddaughter so that they would develop a heightened sensitivity and perception of fear when such a signal presents itself.
Lila Pascal
Montreal, QC Canada

Joy of Cooking is downright amazing. It's rare that I need a recipe that I can't find in here. And never has this book let me down.

I love cookbooks. I have the ones by famous chefs, I have the local collections put together by churches. I have the ones that are put out by magazines and the ones put together by websites. I've got some like this, densely packed with information but not a lot of pictures (aside from instructional ones) and I have some that seem like they exist only to show off pictures of the food. (And that's fine by me!)

But when I'm making something for the first time, I come to Joy. When I need to do a recipe and I don't have time to try a recipe that might turn out awful, I go to Joy. When I just want to eat really good food, Joy of Cooking is bound to be my first stop.

And why wouldn't it be? There are so many recipes in this book! For everything! See the number on the cover? 4,500? They're not kidding. There will be some of those recipes that you don't like. But that will probably come down to your own taste -- you couldn't get me to eat borscht in a million years -- and not a bad recipe.

A lot of people say that if they could only keep one of their cookbooks, this is the one they'd grab. I'm going to echo that sentiment. This is the only cookbook a lot of people will need. If you're a cookbook addict like me, you'll still buy more, but if you just need a comprehensive book to help you out in the kitchen, then look no further.

However, there are mistakes in this book! With any cookbook or craft book or anything that gives you instructions on doing something, you should always look for the errata. Joy of Cooking has a pdf file of their corrections on the website [.....]. There's a section right at the bottom of the front page talking about it. The recipes that will need corrections are:

Orange and Onion Salad (Sicilian Salad), Chicken Marengo, Chicken Paprika (Paprikas Csirke), White Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, Pancakes or Griddle Cakes, Pecan Lace, Caramel Buns (Schnecken), Crisp Chocolate Cookies, Beer Bread, Sponge Cake, Orange Curd, Filled Sweet Crepes, and Madeleines.

If you notice any others, please let them know so that we can all get them fixed!

There are two kinds of people looking for cookbooks that I would not suggest this book to. The first kind are people who don't really cook, and don't really care about the recipes. You know who you are! You like to look at the pictures of delicious looking food and maaaybe you think, "One day, I might make that." but you know you won't. I was like that once, and owned many many colourful cookbooks. Once I started cooking, I got this book. And there are very few pictures. The black and white drawings that do occasionally show up are, as far as I've seen, not of the finished product. You'd be better served with a different book.

The other type is the person who only wants a cookbook for one kind of food or one method of cooking. It's not that there aren't recipes from various regions and cultures, or that there aren't tons of things to bake, barbecue or deep fat fry. But if that's ALL you want, then there may not be enough, say, Greek recipes for you, or everything that doesn't involve grilling may get in your way.

But for everyone else in the cookbook market, I would say, if you don't have this book yet, you have to get it!

I haven't even mention the other things in the book. The Know Your Ingredients section could probably be a book in itself, and doesn't just cover background information on ingredients or help with how to use them, but in many cases, how to grow them, get them and prepare them. There are instructions for choosing a maple tree to get syrup from and how to tap it. Seriously!

Cooking Methods and Techniques covers kitchen equipment and cookware and of course, methods and techniques such as cooking in your fireplace, outdoor cooking, high altitude cooking, deglazing, skewer cooking, microwave cooking, and how to deal with burns and get out stains.

It's time to end my gushing now though. If I don't stop writing you'll never finish this review and then how will you get it?

When I'm looking for ideas, just want to browse some recipies, or have a food question, this is the book I turn to 90% of time. It covers a great deal of culinary territory and packs tons of information into every section. In short it gives you the basics and enough info to get cooking and creative. It's straight forward, well written, and in my case, as is the sign of any good cookbook, the most worn in my collection.
I have plenty of that other type of cookbook, you know, the food porn ones. They're filled with all sorts of beautiful, glossy, mouth watering pictures, and for the most part they sit nice and neatly on the shelf, barely ever getting touched.
If you're only going to buy one cookbook--this is it. If you've got a young cook in your life that could use a starting point--this is it. If you need to brush up on your basics or need a quick referance guide--this is it.
Sure no cookbook can do it all, but this one does far more,far better then most of the other ones out there.

If you want one cookbook to serve your every need in the kitchen, this is your book. A person who has never even boiled water can take this book and cook anything.
This edition has healthy substitutions, if that interests anyone. Nigella Lawson owns this book.

I like the Joy of Cooking well enough, but my go-to, all-purpose cookbook remains Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Maybe its the layout, the larger font, the thicker paper, the writing style or, most likely, the recipies, How to Cook Everything is just a better book. The recipes are easy to follow, give variations on a theme and tips for improvising, and consistently turn out great. If you just want one cookbook in the house, go for the more modern and easier to use How to Cook Everything.

The Joy of Cooking just never gets old! My husband and I love reading all about the foods we're using in the great recipes.

Fantastic book. A little hard to read at first, due to the nature of the subject, but stick with it and become a better parent.

This is an excellent eye-opening book that proves useful to parents of boys or girls in all ages groups.
Great to keep as a resource.

Piggybacking on the message of his earlier book, "The Gift of Fear," Gavin De Becker's "Protecting the Gift" is an informative look at how we can keep children and teenagers from becoming victims. The author draws on his extensive history as a child abuse victim himself, and his career as a security expert, to give practical advice to concerned parents.

As a concerned parent myself, this book was enlightening and reassuring. It stated the possible risks that might face children and adolescents, and provided some good strategies for dealing with these risks and, more importantly, teaching children to deal with these risks themselves. I felt like I could take much of the advice in this book and apply it directly to my own kids.

I didn't like the fact that so many of the anecdotes in this book were taken directly from "The Gift of Fear," which I read immediately before this book. It felt like the author had cheated, using recycled stories instead of digging up something new to illustrate his points.

In general, though, I found this book much more useful for my specific situation than his previous book.

I love Gavin de Becker's perspective on teaching safety to children. He has some ideas that buck what a lot of parents know to be the norm when teaching safety. For example - if a child is lost he likes to teach them, instead of finding a police officer, to find a mother... that a woman with children is less likely to be a predator, and more likely to stay with the child until their parent is found. Another example is his stand on the whole "never talk to strangers" philosophy. He instead advocates working with your child to learn to assess whether a "stranger" is ok to talk to. He gives great examples and tips

The middle to end of the book gets a little slow going but it is definitely the kind of book you can skip around and go back to at different times.

Keeping our children safe from physical and mental harm is every parents' priority...this book beautifully addresses specific things that every parent can do to safeguard kids. Another book high on my list to protect our children is Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying which is all about raising strong, resilient and empowered kids who will not become bullies or victims.

Before I started my Diabetes education classes I wanted to get some well researched information written by someone who went through it and not by just a Dr. only. This book is helpful and well written...an easy read. Titled clearly for easy to find topics.

This book was so helpful. I know I will learn more from it every day. If you are just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes it's a must have. I had no idea what I was doing. This book has gotten me through. I highly recommend it.

A good starter book that takes a lot of the guess work out of " What- do I- do-now " ?? Well researched and presented..

The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The) Useful, current information about "causes" and treatments of Type 2 Diabetes: Insulin Resistance; Blood Glucose measurement and management; Low-fat, Low-carb, Low-Glycemic Index, other Diets. Thoughtful, sensitive information about the frustrations faced by Type 2 diabetics: Family; Friends; Work; Travel. No-nonsense guide on how to take control and manage your Diabetes.

After reading this book, I bought additional copies to give to friends.

Excellent book; very informative and "user friendly." However, I wish I had been shipped the latest edition instead of being "jipped" by receiving the old edition.

This is a great book that should serve as a reference to other cook books. I often find a recipe in other, more specific books, and then cross reference the ingredients and procedures with "The Joy of Cooking".

i have also found the beverages section to serve as a very helpful guide to many "standard" mixed drink recipes.

The best thing about this book is Irma Rombauers crazy, boozy, snarky style. Imagine a bitter Julia Child after 3 bottles of wine. The older editions have lines that sneer at you for using tin foil and features off the cuff reminders of a lifestyle long since past such as "when our hungarian laundress was finished beribboning our pinafores, she would often make this" This loopy causticness was expunged from later printings and makes it far more dull. This older version turns cooking the many traditional recipes into an amusing time, as if your crazy aunt was there givign you advice.
It also contains more info that you may ever need. cooking possum? you're all set. making maple syrup? it tells you how. I like it's thoroughness, though I must admit, I mostly just use it for baked goods. The brownie recipes is a gold standard of ease and tastiness.

Because of research I did I bought the "before 1975 edition" of the greatest cookbook ever printed! I now have the ability to prepare any food....including porcupine....not that I ever would.

I've had this book for a number of years. I've found that I refer to it mostly to read on the hows and whys of food, cooking and preparation, rather than the recipes that are within. As another reviewer stated (however unkindly she did it) the recipes are very dated. I suppose newer editions of this book include more modern versions, but I have plenty other cookbooks and the net to satisfy that need.

This is the only cookbook I have ever bought for myself. I was just learning how to cook and heard about this book. We have been good friends for almost half my life now ...bought the 1982 printing ... in 1982 :). My friend is a bit stained and yellowed and the cover is starting to become unattached. I will more than likely buy a new copy of JOC.

I am accounted an amazing cook by all my friends and family. I swear it isn't me but my faithful friend Joy of Cooking who should be getting all the praise. I have learned so much from this book. The chapters that teach the why's and how to's of cooking have been instrumental in helping me achieve a deep knowledge of cooking. I think my favorite chapter is the one that discusses herbs and the flavor notes that they add to foods. That chapter also teaches when to add those herbs for the best flavor.

I won't be without Joy of Cooking it is the most exceptional cookbook I have. I have others ... their pages are pristine and white. They are completely unused and lonely.