Williams Books

I bought this book and haven't even started to really dig INTO it, but i just wanted to say that upon first glance, this book seems as down to earth as jacque himself. i had the opportunity to meet him last week in New York, and he's just opened his second bakery, in downtown manhattan. i've watched his shows, but i can't believe how friendly of a person he is - he is the same offscreen as he is onscreen! i'm going to start going through these recipes, and i can't wait!

Torres is a force for pastry! His energy, creativity and enthusiasm for his passion is contagious!

Here his goal is to provide home cooks with American desserts that are manageable both from technique and ingredient view.

It begins with great basics section including terms, equipment, ingredients, and then basic building blocks e.g. pastry cream and apricot glaze.

Then on to recipe sections on such as Tarts, Cakes, Breads, Holiday extraveganzes, etc.

These are not too unusual of recipes, just good basics which most everyone can master given commitment to follow his well done instructions with many sketches and photos, and always a full-colored photo of the finished dish. There is even a whole section devoted to kids enjoying this type of baking, with recipes geared just for them to try with the folks help of course.

I especially enjoyed "Paul Bocuse Papillotte", "Lemon Upside Down Cake", "9C Muffins", and the "Caramel Walnut Souffle."

This is a good starting point for many into this arena of fun for one's own consumption and for giving.

Well, I must have said that I bought this book mainly because of Jacques Torres. However, after reading through the book as well as baking some of the desserts in the book. I must have said that this is one of the best dessert books that won't disappoint any reader. The dessert comes out and tastes as good as the look of it. The crust of my pie is flaky. The sauces taste great. Even though some of the reviewers said that it is too basic, I think that basic is all there is to a great dessert. Once you have learned the basic, you can adapt the recipe to make something spatacular.

Cooking and baking is one of my passions and so it goes that watching cooking shows on TV instead of movies is the norm in my TV room. Jacques became one of my favorite chefs the moment I began watching his show during FoodTV's Chocolate week in February. I found myself watching with child-like delight as I watched him pour chocolate on the counter and into molds, making chocolate making look like child's play so I knew I had to order his books.

Desert Circus at Home is my favorite baking book. The recipies are fun and easy, ranging from simple basics to fairly complex.
Buy this book and I'll bet you'll have all the pages covered with chocolate finger prints in no time at all because you will want to make all the recipies as soon as you open the pages. The recipies are foolproof if you have any experience in the kitchen at all.

Despite the proliferation of photos of a professionally coiffed jacques Torres, this is not another ego book by a professional chef. This book is filled with wonderful recipes specifically selected because they are well-suited to the home cook. They range from fairly complex but doable creations to simple tips on how to improve common desserts. The instructions are easy to follow, and Torres is an entertaining and helpful author. Many of the recipes are designed to appeal to children, a real plus for parents who cook.

Awesome book is a must read if more people in DC thought this way we would still be a republic instead of on our way of being a socialist government like the old USSR

This is a collection of Prof. Walter Williams's newspaper columns. It's in his usual plainspoken, tough minded style. A must for the Prof. Williams fan.

This book is a compilation of columns by America's strongest voice of liberty, Dr. Walter E. Williams. In this book Dr. Williams offers his common sense, freedom-loving take on the vital issues of the day. He fearlessly confronts the many liberal fallacies responsible for eroding our precious liberties. A must read for anyone wanting to expand their base of knowledge and unafraid to confront stark truths. A great antidote to the toxic political propaganda many of our universities dispense. And, a great book for Blacks brave enough to challenge the ethnic grievance industry (Jackson-Sharpton).

Everything Walter Williams writes is worth reading. His amazing capacity to convey economic truths combines with his wisdom, humor, eloquence, and keen powers of observation to make him one of America's top pundits. Williams is that rare bird: a truly courageous pundit who is also a genuine scholar.

Over the past 15 years I have read numerous works by many libertarian writers. Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Ayn Rand, Charles Murray, P.J. O'Rourke, Dave Barry, Henry Hazlitt, F.A. Hayek, Ludwig Von Mises, Milton Friedman, Murray Rothbard, Julian Simon, and many others. Walter Williams is my definite favorite libertarian writer. He tells the plain, simple truth in a way that is very easy to understand. He presents the facts in such a way that only a fool could read him and then walk away without becoming a libertarian. This book is pretty much on par with his others. Which is to say, it is excellent. Mr Williams is a true supporter of individual liberty, freedom, private property rights, and strict limits on the size of government. Good for him!

I have owned this cookbook for over 10 years and it is my favorite and most used. Well written and easy to follow, the Texas Border Cookbook demonstrates many of the classic Texas recipes including salsas, guacamole, chili (5 different variations), enchiladas and chicken fried steak. If you enjoy southwestern food this cookbook should be in your collection.

There are a lot of cookbooks out there purporting to be "Tex-Mex". Most of them are charlatans. This is the Real Deal. When I was a kid, my mom even made "Texas Trash" for when company was coming over. She would always tell me, "Just don't tell them what it's called". Of course, the company loved it, as did I. She also made just about everything else in this book. This is what I grew up on. About the only thing she wouldn't make were Tamales, they are a "PITA" to make without help, a point mentioned in this book, she would buy them pre-made. If you like or want to learn Tex-Mex, "This is the one !". Authentic Tex-Mex !

This is an outstanding cookbood and easy to use. Every recipe I've made has turned out great and wow's my family and friends. I put it in my top three most frequently used cookbooks.

This is a great cookbook that is more New Mexican/ Border in flavor than Tex-Mex. The red enchiladas are so good. I usually make them twice a month for my family. I have made almost every recipe in this book and every one has been a winner.

One of my most used cookbooks - since I am in "the land of bland" I have to rely on this more than ever. Of special note is the grits recipe - a real winner for any brunch.

The story of this book is just wonderful. I just remembered it at random, and knew I had to have a copy. I grew up with this book - it was my late mother's favorite. It's a well written fairy-tale with an Asian twist. The moral is that you can't judge a book by its cover.

The irony is that you CAN judge this book by its cover. The illustrations are not just good, not just beautiful, these illustrations are fine art! I want to get a good copy and maybe frame some of these beautiful pictures.

If you want a WONDERFUL gift for a child or adult, buy me a copy... oh, I mean buy this for your loved one!

"Give me something to eat and something to drink and speak to me politely," said the small, fat man with a bald head, "and I will save the city."

"Nonsense and piffle paffle," thought the rulers of the city. "Get out of the way!"

Well, the Wild Horsemen of the North were just outside the gates of the City of Wu ready to destroy it and all its inhabitants. And only the dragon god could save Wu from this terrible fate. But the dragon god wasn't sure he wanted to. For you see, this old man IS the dragon god. Or so he says. And this is no way to treat a dragon.

[Picture book traditional tale suitable for grades primary through intermediate.]

This story of a child's acceptance and trust in the midst of adult rejection and scoffs is a classic morality tale. Mercer Mayer's wonderful illustrations combine authentic Chinese painting styles with familiar "Little Monster" type characters. If Little Monster was human and Chinese, he'd look like this!

I had this book as a child, given to me by my late beloved grandmother and was thrown away by a wicked stepmother. Over the years, I remembered the book vividly having amazing pictures and missed it terribly. Of course 20+ years later, as well, it was hard to find and out of print. I searched all over the net to buy a copy for my own daughter. I found a wonderful bookseller here on Amazon who sold me my copy for $25 and what a bargain that was! I would have bought it for so much more just so my daughter could come to love this tale as I do. May it teach young ones that they should always be kind because they never know what good may come of it. Out of love for a great story, this is my review. dk~

Han, a poor orphan boy sweeps the gate of the city of Wu, which is sandwiched between China and the land of the Wild Horsemen. Threatened by the horsemen, the city leaders pray to the Great Cloud Dragon for help. One day an old, fat man comes to the city and announces that he is a dragon. Han takes him to the palace to meet with the city leaders. The old, fat man offers his assistance if the leaders will show him courtesy. The city leaders scoff at the old, fat man and send him away. Han gives up his own meager meal to the old, fat man who decides to save the city for his sake. Han tells the story to the people of the city and is called "The Honorable Defender of the City." Mercer Mayer's illustrations have the appearance of ancient engravings with expressive faces and intricate detail.

This story shows the folly of judging by appearance and the rewards of kindness. This lesson is reinforced when the city leaders - the Mandarin, the Captain of the Army, the Leader of the Merchants, the Chief of the Workmen, and the Wisest of Wise Men - explain that surely dragons must look like Mandarins, Army Captains, merchants, workers, or wise men. Unfortunately, the source of this tale is unclear. Is it a traditional folk tale or the author's invention?

Interesting and inspiring! I loved the stories of the quilters - real people who were extraordinary and humble.

The stories of the women of Gee's Bend, as told by themselves, touch ones heart and should remind us of a time when one used what you had and met the challenge of creating such things of beauty as their quilts. They definitely thought "outside the box" and broke all the rules of quilting to produce some splendid pieces of art. Primative? yes, but their artistic eye as shown in their work, places their work on a level with the great artists of the world. Great photos of the ladies and wonderful color pictures of the quilts. I would recommend the book for artists as well as quilters.

This book is great, and the pictures are wonderful. I'm studying for an upcoming exhibition and I am very satisfied.

If you liked the Gee's Bend Quilt exhibit, then you have to have this book as well as the one before it The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place and the one after it, Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond, which focuses upon the work of Mary Lee Bendolph, perhaps the greatest living Gee's Bend Quilter. There are others, too. These women are worth supporting in any way you can. They are truly great artists. Other gems to seek out are The Quilts Of Gee's Bend the video on them made by Vanessa Vadim and and Tim Arnett and the CD collection of Gee's Bend music made both in the 30s, when the FSA became aware of the artistry of Gee's Bend, and at the time of the recent exhibition of Gee's Bend's Quilts which is still touring the world.

I am really enjoying reading and looking at the pictures of the quilts in this book. I have met several of the ladies and decendants of the Gee' Bend Quilters and find their stories so interesting. The quilts definitely do define the quilters, their strengths and weaknesses, their ups and downs. I recomend this book to anyone who holds quilts near and dear to their hearts.

An excellect book for anyone. It was a great Christmas stocking stuffer and will make a great birthday gift when you want to give more than a card.

This is quintessential O. Henry. If you want a gift for a friend or a way to introduce someone to the joys of the short story, this is a great pick.

This book begins with the one of the lesser-known Christmas stories that illustrates how we should give to the utmost during this season of giving. O. Henry is able to use wit to show wisdom, and the ridiculous to show the sublime.

The poor married couple is forced to scrounge for Christmas. The husband hocks his watch to buy hair combs for his wife, and his wife sell her hair to a wig-maker to buy a fob-chain. Bit this story isn't about a couple's holiday folly, but the desire to love and serve other people to the utmost.

One of the classics is "The Last Leaf," about a boy who in inspired by a last leaf, which is really a painting. Another story is "The Cop And the Anthem," about the bum who tries to get arrested, then has a turn of heart second before he is booked for vagrancy. It also has the immortal "The Ransom Of Red Chief," the story about the kidnappers who get the redheaded brat, and try their darndest to get rid of the kid.

O. Henry has the a gift of the twist, like Rod Serling of "Twilight Zone" fame, or M. Night Shyamalan, the director of "The Sixth Sense," and "Signs." As you read, it keeps your eyes on their toes, since at any minute the whole story will twist upside-down. This roller-coaster writing is like a well-told joke.

When I was a teenager, I listened to the Gift of the Magi, the Last Leaf, After Twenty Years etc on public radio stations (Guess where?). I was so moved then. I think these among other great works had played a role in my decision to pursue an English Literature major.
Now life had challenged me into a somewhat different world where often times we forget about the literature, the philosophy and the simpliest pleasures of life.
I bought this book again so that I could read it to my children someday. My first born is only 3. But I think he is starting to show some appreciation.

"The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories" brings together 16 pieces by O. Henry. The stories in this collection are taken from 8 of O. Henry's books; the original volumes have publication dates ranging from 1906 to 1911. This book includes a short introductory note on the colorful life and career of the author, who lived from 1862 to 1910.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. O. Henry writes about criminals, dreamers, artists, lovers, and lost souls. Many of these stories have a New York City setting--he really captures the energy and color of the city. There are also a Western story ("The Pimienta Pancakes"), a Southern Gothic tale ("A Municipal Report"), a story set primarily in a small town in Arkansas ("A Retrieved Reformation"), and a story set in rural Alabama ("The Ransom of Red Chief").

If you like stories with "twist" endings, you will probably like this collection. The book as a whole is a lot of fun--full of life and charm. Some of the stories may strike contemporary readers as corny, but I found each tale to be an enjoyable gem of storytelling. The book is rich in irony, with some really funny scenes.

O. Henry tells stories of love, justice, deception, sacrifice, and heroism. He makes some intriguing creative choices; this is clearly the work of a master in total command of the short story genre. His prose style is very readable and engaging, with touches of baroque elegance.

A wonderful resource book with easy tab reference locations

I discovered The Gregg Reference Manual as a student in an Executive Secretarial curriculum at a local community college. It was a required textbook at that time. Not only did I come to depend on the book for everything, it has become a permanent fixture in my library of books, and I continue to use it daily. It truly sharpened my grammar and punctuation skills, and I now have excellent verbal and written skills as a result. It has been ten years since I purchased the book, and because the world has advanced in such a short period of time, I decided I needed a more recent edition. I began searching for the Gregg Reference Manual, but I had no success. I had just about given up when I discovered the Amazon.com website. I was really excited to find the book via website, so I quickly ordered it.

I used this book for years while working at a university bookstore. No matter what rule of punctuation or grammar I needed -- and no matter how unusual the application -- I could always find the answer in the Gregg Reference Manual. It's the most complete writing reference I've ever found.

This manual is really excellent: clear, succinct yet detailed, and very user-friendly. It is a much better guide for the everyday or business writer than the Chicago Manual of Style. In particular, its organization and layout make it easy to quickly find the answers you need. Definitely recommended by this average writer.

I'm buying my second copy of The Gregg Reference Manual today since my old one has apparently disappeared. I purchased my first copy of this book as a secretarial student in the early 1980's and have used it regularly for both professional and personal writing and editing ever since. I feel lost without my Gregg Reference Manual. My kids will get lots of use out of the new copy as they write reports and business letters in junior high and high school. I can't wait to receive my new book. It's too bad it won't come with the dog-eared pages I used to mark the most frequently used subjects in my old copy.

This is a wonderful buy for anyone who has dealt with a death or is counseling anyone going threw the grieving process.

I like the way the authors look at grief and don't try to pathologize it. The ideas here make more sense to me than the phases of grief that we typically hear about. This was a quick and easy book to read with a very common sense way of looking at grief, death and dying.

My mother passed away suddenly this past january. I was going through so many emotions I thought I was going crazy, so someone suggested I get grief counseling, but Im not the group counseling type. Then someone suggested I get a book and I came across this one and it helped me to understand that everything I was going through was normal. It is amazing how everything in that book pertained to me and exactly how I was feeling. I still have a ways to go but the craziness of it all has subsided and I can better deal with things.

I personally loved this text. It is clear, easy to read and gives you a wonderful plan of action for grief counseling.
Dr. Suzanne L. Lewis R.N., Ph.D., L.P.C.

This book addresses the professionals of psychology, especially the specialists in the therapy of loss and grief.

Absolutely beautiful cookbook with lots of photos and extra info on herbs and other ingredients. I have already made 2 recipes and they were both simple and delicious!

I hardly cook - the local takeout places know me all too well. But, occasionally, I'll bust something out for my book club or a potluck. I've been using the recipes in this book almost exclusively and they always turn out amazing, even the first time. They don't have a ton of ingredients and Jerry Traunfeld explains the steps remarkably well, so I'm not likely to get myself into a mess of trouble trying to cook. The Herbed Skillet Souffle was my first pass at folding egg whites and the results were delicious. I love the Cherry Tomato, Melon and Mint Salad - an unusual combination that makes me look like I know what I'm doing, but easy enough for a child to prepare. And, the Frothy Tarragon Sauce atop asparagus was incredible.

There is something about the way it's written, with careful descriptions of each dish and obvious love for food, that is truly inspiring.

My wife and I have been fortunate enough to eat at The Herb Garden (located in the Pacific NW), but for those who can't make it up here, or can't afford the rather expensive experience of it, here is the answer! Head Chef Jerry Traunfeld's recipes are surprisingly easy, and every single one we've tried (we're working our way through the book) has been a hit. Not just okay. AWESOME. So go to your local market, or out into your garden, get the freshest produce and herbs available, and hit the kitchen. You'll be glad you did!

This books has wonderful herb cultivation tips, as well as recipes using those freshly grown herbs! The photos are a bonus! The book, "Flavoring with Culinary Herbs: Tips, Recipes, and Cultivation" by Mary El-Baz would be a great companion to this book!

I've never seen anything like this. This book makes me smarter. The recipes are much simpler than some other books I own, but the food comes out tasting -- amazing. And the recipe I just cooked (cinnamon chicken) ended up *looking* like it did in the book's photograph. Think about that for a while.

That's another great thing about this book -- it has a lot of photographs, and that helps me (a novice cook) a lot.

I think Mr. Traunfeld understands food in a way that other people don't. In simple things, like how to brown chicken pieces in olive oil, he's just practical and -- more correct than other books I have. Put it skin-side down in the oil and *leave it alone* for at least six minutes, then flip it over for two, then take it out. Yikes. It looked great.

But in his use of herbs and spices, he's some kind of saint. I think the Japanese have a phrase for it: "Living National Treasure." Who else would ever tell you to cook what amounts to Chicken Cacciatore with cinnamon sticks and star anise?

It scared me, but I did it, and oh my. It was one of the best three meals I've cooked in my life. (And it Looked Like The Picture.)

How about mushroom and nutmeg bread pudding for Thanksgiving? He said something like "It's like stuffing from Heaven." So I tried it, and I guess I'll be making it forever now. My wife was hiding packages of it in the refrigerator so she could eat it later. I'm not making this up. That recipe was simple, too.

What if all the most miraculous things are simple, after someone shows them to you?

I decided that a guy like that deserves more than the buck or two he got paid because I bought his book. :-)

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Eight Months Later
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It's August, 2008 now, and I have just finished my first attempt at Basil Lime Fizz from this book. I decided I would write this before I finished my first glass of it.

This is crazy. I want to give this guy another star, even if it breaks the Amazon Ranking Algorithm.

Since I wrote the first review, above, I have made this drink (He has several recipes for drinks, ice cream, and appetizers.) as well as the appetizers called Saltimbocca. Everything I have made from this book has turned out perfectly! I am cook of average ability -- an occasionally enthusiastic amateur who only knows how to do one meal by heart. I have never had *every* recipe from a book work out well before.

Not only work out well, but these things have each become instant-classic, top-ten-favorite things in my modest repertoire. And I have never looked at one of Mr. Traunfeld's recipes and thought "what the heck does *this* mean?" I think his are the only books where that doesn't happen.

Here's another detail about how practical he is. In another recipe, he said to carmelize onions in a sauce pan rather than a frying pan, because that will keep the juices from evaporating longer and help the process -- and you can stir the onions quickly without having them fly out of the pan. He has details like that all through his books. These are pointers to becoming a good craftsman with food, even while he's showing you how to do genius-level things with herbs.

I feel like a baseball talent scout who just watched a new kid hit five consecutive pitches out of the park. We -- really -- need to hire this guy.

...


Now I will finish my fizz.

This reader blows away any of Kerouac's work, in my opinion. Huncke was the first to coin the phrase "beat," and also the first to turn on Burroughs to morphine. He's really where Beat started. The book is very interesting, especially in the fact that it is composed mostly of journal-type entries. He writes as he probably spoke: full of slang terms of the time that other authors leave out.

This is a wonderful glance into Huncke's world and the workings of his singular, unique mind.

Herbert Huncke was the true beat. As WS Burroughs wrote, in The Herbert Huncke Reader, "Huncke had adventures and misadventures that were not available to middle-class, comparatively wealthy college people like...me....Huncke had extraordinary experiences that were quite genuine." The sad true is that Huncke was the type that Burroughs wrote about, but didn't like much. He was real. Burroughs was living on trust-fund money for decades (remember that the $200 a month WSB received from family in the 1950s was equal to thousands of dollars a month now-not a bad way to live). Huncke lived the life that others wrote about, but never live. While Burroughs ate steak and drank fine booze, Huncke was still wandering around Times Square. Read the original beat. He makes the other `beat' writers seem like the middle-class dilatants that many of them were. Huncke never fought for the fame, the fortune, and the boys. He was just a "junkie on the prow." This book is truly hip.

Previously known for using the word "beat" to the fullest, thus inspiring Kerouac for an appropriation of a very hip literary movement, there was more to Huncke than just a "jive" talker. As we know, Huncke was a full time junky (what a rhyme!) who had more of an affect on Burroughs than any other beat writer. Likewise, Huncke spent most of his life helping out on the Burroughs' cannabis farm and taking care of Bill's wife Joan who harnessed a difficult benny habit. In Huncke's early years, growing up in Massachusetts and NYC, he used to entertain the boys at local cafeterias with his succinct yet street jargon-fulled stories; clearly he had a talent for story telling. This story-telling is pretty much what makes up the Herbert Huncke Reader. Starting with Huncke's journal, Herbert gets his feet wet with short-story writing, particularly focusing on introspective work-outs and clever anecdotes. Then the books moves to The Evening Sun Turned Crimson, another introspective composition altho mainly concentrating on structural pieces depicting street life, hanging with the beats, and drugs. Next to Reader introduces Guilty of Everything, a comprehensive series of interviews plus outtakes from other journals. Finally the book closes with Previously Uncollected Material, the chapter says it all. Sometimes moving other times raw and scatological, Huncke writes with a unique style that is easy to comprehend and is inspiring. Although not as transcendent as his contempoaries (Burroughs, Ginsberg, Corso), Huncke's writing should not overlooked as "writings of a drug addict," or "a subordinate Beatnik." Huncke did have talent (most notably with recitations) and has definitely worked to the fullest by publishing what he could, despite his painful heroin addiction and ostracization. In my opinion he's a second Neal Cassady (more of a inspiring icon) and definitely had a major affect on the foremost Beat's writings despite his own sparse collection; that's why I think this Reader is important.

There are few authors I feel everyone should read but no matter who you are Herbert Huncke should be read. He is one of the best storytellers/writers I have had the privilege of reading. His stories of sex, streets, drugs, life and friends bring a humanity to what may be considered by many obscure, degenerate, or just plain disgusting, but Huncke�s stories I believe are non of these. They are filled with love, beauty, pain and always truth. He takes the reader into a world they don�t always want to enter but when the story is finished we are glad we made the journey and had someone like Huncke by our side as a companion.