Non-League Books

The Moosepath league series are fast becoming my favorite books after a lifetime of avid reading. The characters are joyfully delightful and woven into a yarn that is amusing, enchanting and at times magical. Take Charles Dickens Pickwickians, add some "Three Men in a Boat" charm, a liberal sprinkling of P.G. Wodehouse's comic situations, a little Jane Austen romance, a dash of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"'s magic; mix well and spread over a 19th century Maine landscape and you'll end up with this wonderful book. You must read it - however many stars I had to give, I'd give them all.

This book is sheer fun. I discovered it in a used book store and am buying the rest of the trilogy immediately. Before I was through with the book, I was looking into a vacation in Maine. Excellent.

Van Reid is an amazing story teller. There are many great stories within the larger story. This book was great, albeit a little slow in places. If you liked it at all, you should continue on to the other two books in the triology which just keep getting better.

Van Reid has a magic way with words. In "Cordelia Underwood" he has created each character (and there are many of them)with wit and insight. His characters understand the importance of kindness and respect. They are also, with a couple necessary exceptions, game for adventure, especially when that concerns helping a friend or rescuing a "damsel in distress" (who turns out pretty good at helping herself). There are stories within stories and intersecting adventures, and I found each a delight. They all fit together into as pleasurable a novel as I have ever read. You won't regret reading this.

Van Reid has crafted a delightfully charming work. CORDELIA UNDERWOOD actually made me, a deep-fried Southern Belle, dream of adventuring in the very New England setting inhabited by the members of the MOOSEPATH LEAGUE. I look forward with great anticipation to reading all the books in the series and sincerely hope that there will be many more escapades to read about in years to come. If you are a fan of Miss Read's English villages, Jan Karon's Mitford, and L.M. Montgomery's ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, then Van Reid's Maine missives are for you!

I've been coaching Little League for five years now, and loved reading this account of Little League from about 20 years ago. The stereotypical depictions of coaches that Geist uses are still dead-on accurate, as are his descriptions of how bad the catching equipment is, and how to hide a bad ballplayer that you have to play in the infield. This is a priceless look at Little League ball that anyone who has ever coached should enjoy.

There are lots of laughs to be had, and you'll find yourself sharing parts with other coaches you know.

I am sure the book is great-the book was purchased for a gift.

The humorist columnist Bill Geist had many years of experience coaching his son's little league baseball and kids basketball and his daughter's softball team. He relates his experiences with his usual wit, sarcasm and humor. The book focuses on a particular season of little league baseball where he was able to work with his son Willie's team and actually win the league championship by upsetting Knavery's team in the final game of the season. The tale tells how he bends the rules (though not as much as some other) in a way that still allows the weak players to have fun and yet stay competitive. There is a large degree of truth to the various caricatures of players, coaches and parents that he presents in this tale. But some of the stories are so incredible and it seems like fiction is mixed with reality but clearly it is based on real experience. I relate to many of the issues he brings out. ...
In the epologue Geist confesses that he want his son Willie to be a star player but was satisfied that he made the high school varisty teams. In the end no matter how good or bad they are in little league they all eventually stop playing to do other things that interest them more or they find to have more success and rewards.

To illustrate the humor in the final game losing 12-4 Geist gives the kids sugar treats to pick up their energy. A rally starts but thinking ahead with the worst hitter Monique likely to come up with two outs, Geist gets a 40 ounce drink and gets her to leave on a bathroom break. ... This book has short easy to read chapters and integrates Geist's softball and basketball experiences in the theme of the little league season whereas Dunow had long chapters going back and forth from little league with his son to his childhood experiences with his father. Both books are good in their own way. But this one is much easier to read and more light hearted.

I do a ton of reading and just went back and re-read this book. This is probably my favorite all-time book. This book has to be the funniest one I've ever read. Geist is not only a gifted writer, he tweaks all the right people and no irony goes unnoticed.

At least, I'm half of Mean Gene Huffman. Gene Ret and I were conglomerated into one large, gawky intimidating Little Leaguer. Who was the more large, gawky, and intimidating is one of the great debates of our time.

Great story. I never knew my drunken high school antics were witnessed by Bill Geist until I got to the end of the book. Geist saw me crash through his bushes and play some sloppy basketball with his son and friends for a few minutes while reminiscing about the old Little League days. And, he parlayed my mishap into a convenient parable on lost youth to wrap up his story.

Well, he's just lucky they were playing basketball that night and I wasn't trying to unload my ferocious fastball or swing a bat. Stay young, eat flax, and long live the glory days of Little League.

This is the third in the Moosepath series of books by Van Reid and it maintains his exemplary standard of good writing and is a delight. The story makes a great winter read as it uses all the atmosphere of the season - winter snowstorms, crackling log fires, spooky deserted houses. It follows on from the previous novel Mollie Peer although this story is complete and can stand on its own; but if I you intend to read Mollie Peer (and I recommend it most hightly) it would be best to read this novel after Mollie Peer or you will know what happens in Mollie Peer. This really is good wholesome storytelling at its best - not a watered-down-to-not-offend wholesomeness; but a rich, life-affirming novel of loveable characters in a rollicking laughter-filled old-fashioned tale that will bring tears of joy and sadness. READ THESE BOOKS!

if, like me, you're a bit plugged up from reading irvine welsh, noam chomsky, dave eggers, etc. van reid's "daniel plainway" might just do the trick.

i picked this up on a whim and afterward was scared i had gotten myself into something that was going to be a bit "precious and old-people-y", though i held on to a glimmer of hope due to the fact that "the onion" had read and liked the book.

in the end i couldn't put the thing down -- partly due to the author's way of jumping from storyline to storyline on a chapter by chapter basis, but mainly due to the fact that it was a delightful read. it reminded me more than a little bit of a rural american sherlock holmes adventure (the story is set in 1890s maine), but with tongue planted firmly in cheek (never irritatingly so though).

i won't divulge any details of the storyline, but i will say that i thought the book peaked about 2/3 in (when all the various threads finally came together) and after that it slowed down a bit. not bad, but perhaps mildly disappointing after such a fantastic build-up. one other point of note: if like me, you find yourself wanting to read the first two books in the series after finishing this one, you'll realise you've been given too many spoilers about book 2. will this affect your enjoyment of book 2? dunno. i haven't started that one yet... but i know how it ends.

i don't think you can go wrong with this one. regardless of your age or interests, a bit of good clean old-time book reading fun is coming your way.

Van Reid is just a great story teller. This is the best (so far) in his Moosepath trilogy.

Hurray for the Moosepath League!! Maine novelist Van Reid now has published a series of his comic, sweet novels, each more pleasurable than the last, featuring Tobias Walton and his companions Ephram, Eagleton and Thump. His most recent offering, Daniel Plainway: Or the Holiday Haunting of the Moosepath League, is the perfect Christmastime or winter fireside book. Woven with so many pleasurable amiable asides and subplots, the main story about a kidnaped boy and ancient Norse writings seems almost an afterthought. To take one example, Walton, whom Reid describes as "himself a pearl, and good things did seem to surround him", starts the novel losing his hat in a sudden wind; the peregrinations of that topper itself, and the goodwill it seems to bear from its owner, flow delightfully through the story. In another delightful scene, Reid waxes rhapsodically on the perfect qualities of snow for snowballs, leading to a delightful snowfall fight involving the novel's heros, villains, and local youngsters. A particularly pleasurable turn for me, a former classicist, is that the interpretation of the writings depends on hearing the Greek spoken in a seemingly nonsensical English phrase, "she'll bust her feeding." Although always lighthearted, Reid's novel is not without serious purpose, as expressed in the dialogue as to whether "there are so many people in the world willing to drive tragedy" or whether "there are as many, more, really, who are willing to put things right." In Reid's world, those who good-heartedly "put things right" - most especially the comical Moosepath League - predominate. I finished his book with a fair certainty that the same prevailed in my own place and time.

'Daniel Plainway' is the third foray into the adventures of The Moosepath League for Van Reid, following 'Cordelia Underwood' and 'Mollie Peer'. If you have not read those volumes, do so now.

In this episode, the charter members of The Mossepath League encounter their alter egos in the form of the Dash-it-All Boys, while the other members of the league match themselves against a secret society, obsessed with discovering lost Viking riches, known as the Broumnage Club.

These adventures, however, are once again woven into the fabric of the continuing story of Bird, a small boy whose story has been heretofore a mystery, in great Van Reid style. That is to say brilliantly. Reid's talent for intertwining story threads is unmatched by any author in my eclectic library, and it is a singular pleasure to find recurring, peripheral characters scattered about the pages of 'Daniel Plainway', as well as 'Mollie Peer'. When these characters appear, it is sometimes to deliver a funny anecdote or story, or to be merely a small participant in an ongoing conversation; and whether identified by name, or left for me to surmise their identity myself, I always feel like a participant in an inside joke.

I would love to apprise you as to the identity of Daniel Plainway, or hint at how he is connected to young Bird, but I feel I would be diminishing your reading pleasure, not enhancing it. The best turn I could do for you, in regards to this review, is stress upon you the joy you will have in reading Van Reid's chronicles of The Moosepath League, starting with 'Cordelia Underwood', then 'Mollie Peer' and ending with 'Daniel Plainway'.

I feel confident when you are finished with this trio, you will be anticipating the fourth installment in this saga as eagerly as I am.

This is a book you must read. I gave the previous outing of the Moospath league "Cordelia Underwood" a deserved 5 stars but this book is even better. The storyline has more dramatic tension (If Cordelia Underwood had a nod to "The Pickwick Papers" then "Molly Peer" has a sideways glance at "Oliver Twist") but the characters are as delightful and the laughs come just as readily. I was reading it in bed and tried to read the episode with the Blue Hubbard Squash out loud to my wife but was reduced to side-splitting laughter with tears rolling down my cheeks. A great read for anyone who likes good words, good people, and a good laugh.

I sincerely hope Mr. Reid keeps writing more adventures of the Moosepath League. This second novel has a more serious tone than the first, but the same detail of characters and plot, as well as the same likable characters who triumph in the end - which is exactly what we want! A real refreshing change, in this day of skimpy plots and shallow characters, with text filled up by expletitives. Thank you so much Mr. Reid!

As with his first book introducing the Moosepath League, I couldn't put this one down. It is fun and quirky and totally amusing how the Moosepath League can always find trouble but never really seem to grasp the depth of danger they are in. Van Reid has created a wonderful series that is fun to read. I can't wait until he publishes another.

'Mollie Peer' is the second installment in the adventures of the Moosepath League. If you have not read the first installment, 'Cordelia Underwood', you should do so now.

Once again, Van Reid gives us a charming, funny and altogether delightful romp through historic Maine. This time around the story is a little more tense and fast-paced, but Reid still manages to infuse enough humor and romance to keep the reading light and breezy. Reid also includes a great piece of New England folklore when he recounts the Riddle of the Needle, Rock, and Mirror. This anecdote alone is almost enough to justify reading this book.

The members of the Moosepath League are some of the most enjoyable characters I have ever come across in my reading, and I have complete confidence that you will feel the same.

Another great book by Van Reid. Mollie Pier was even better than Cordelia Underwood, though perhaps not quite as good as the Daniel Plainway book. Let's hope Van Reid continues with more Moosepath books. These novels are absolutely terrific!

This is a highly amusing book by one of baseball's most colorful officials. Ron Luciano (1937-1995) made his mark as an American League umpire from 1968-1980 with his highly colorful style. Luciano was known for exaggerated gestures, for "shooting" runners out at first base, and for his spirited arguments with managers like Earl Weaver. Luciano and co-author David Fisher write with a mix of humor, hilarity, and seriousness. Readers enjoy many laughs while learning much about officiating and baseball in general. Perhaps Luciano developed his sense of humor during his long apprenticeship in the minor leagues, where years of low wages, months away from home, and high divorce rates are a way of life for umpires (and many players). Luciano left baseball in 1980, and he apparently committed suicide in 1995. Still, this is a very funny and informative book.

I'm a person who really just got into baseball so Luciano's way of telling his great experiences really pulled me in. His stories are very funny and informative on the true ways of the game.

I'm too young to remember Ron's umping days; so naturally I was skeptical that a book by an umpire would be that funny. But, believe me, folks, this is one of the funniest books you will ever read. His story about how he got Harmen Kilibrew picked off second made me laugh so hard I almost choked. Not only was he a funny person, but he was also a great writer and had a very clever style.

This is a great book about umpiring. A lot of it is irreverent, but that is Luciano -- respectful, but humorous. The book is easy to read and broken into sections that make for easy reading a couple pages at a time (ahem, for reading in the family "library"). There is a lot more here than just umpiring. You get the inside scoop on players, managers and some owners. Interesting reading that is a little off the beaten path.

THIS IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST BOOKS I HAVE READ. MR. LUCIANO IS HILARIOUS IN HIS RETELLING OF MANY ENCOUNTERS WITH EARL WEAVER, BILLY MARTIN, AND MANY OTHERS. JUST READ THIS BOOK AND IT WILL HELP BREIGHTEN UP YOUR DAY WITH HIS WIT AND HUMOR. VERY VERY RECOMMENDED.

Thank you so much for the cookbook. I received it in a timely manner and it was in perfect condition. What a wonderful way to receive a book that was impossible to find before.

I received this cookbook in the hardback edition from a friend back in 1980. I have used and used it over and over again. There are many favorites that I have used again and again; the Tahoe Brunch and Lasagne, to name only two. Buy it an see for yourself!!

I RECEIVED THE CALIFORNIA HERITAGE COOK BOOK AS A SHOWER GIFT IN 1974. I HAVE USED IT CONSISTANTLY FOR OVER 25 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER FOUND A BAD RECIPE. MY DAUGHTER IS LIVING IN AN APARTMENT WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE AND ASKED IF SHE COULD HAVE HER FAVORITE COOKBOOK TO TAKE TO SCHOOL ... CALIFORNIA HERITAGE! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COOKBOOK TO ABSOLUTELY ANYONE WHO ENJOYS EATING OR COOKING. I AM NOW SEARCHING FOR TWO ADDITIONAL COPIES.

I received the California Heritage cookbook in 1979 as a wedding gift. Inside the book was the following note from our freinds "if it is true the way to a man's heart is through his stomach then this cookbook will assure a lasting marriage." My husband and I have been married for 21 years and our still very happy. The recipes in this cookbook are relatively easy to make, but give the appearance that hours were spent making the meal. Everyone who has ever experienced a meal I've made from this cookbook always ask for the recipes. Over the years I have given this cookbook as a wedding gift also.

The copy of the book I purchased was a present for one of my children. I have used the California Heritage Cookbook for 20 years. Every recipe I have made was good--to the extent that I do not hesitate to serve what appears to be a truly strange combination of ingredients to company. My favorite cookbook (and I collect cookbooks).

Dick Dobbins does the job right in "The Grand Minor League", a retrospective of the old Pacific Coast League (PCL).

The PCL still exists today as a AAA league - one step below the majors - but it is purely an adjunct minor league system to the two major leagues.

However, this book is about the PCL's glory days, largely originating during the Depression and spanning the second world war and the first twelve years of the post-war era until the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to the West Coast.

The PCL financed operations by charging admission for its own games and by selling contracts of its more promising stars to the established major league teams. But some visionaries had dreams of attaining major league status for the PCL, and it could have happened. A disproportionate amount of major-league level talent could be found on the West Coast, and PCL scouts were busy signing it up.

While one PCL owner was dryly reputed to have the reputation of throwing dollars around as though they were manhole covers, the pay could be more generous (the players whose contracts were sold to the majors even received a percentage of the sales price) and the opportunities for stardom could be GREATER than that which was available in the majors; moreover, the Pacific Coast was "home" to many of its players. Hence, some major leaguers sought to return there.

And when the majors reluctantly granted the PCL "open classification" status, players drafted by the majors were accorded the option of waiving the draft and remaining with their respective PCL teams and were often rewarded with bonuses for doing so. The PCL could have evolved into a third major league, but the opposition from the established major league owners, who saw the potential for expansion or relocation to the West Coast long before moving the Giants and Dodgers there, was too great to overcome. The moves themselves sounded the death knell for the traditional conception of the league.

Its legacy includes the players who became stars or near-stars in the big leagues, such as Lefty O'Doul, Dolph Camilli, Maury Wills (amazingly enough, he was only an adequate shortstop and a sometime base-stealer during his PCL days, who didn`t reach stardom until he went to the Dodgers), and of course, Joe DiMaggio.

Startlingly, Dobbins fails to remind his readers that years before he electrified the country with his 56-game hitting streak, DiMaggio was thrilling West Coast fans with a 61 game hitting streak in the PCL. Both records are among the few that have withstood the test of time.

One can observe other ironies. Long before Tommy Lasorda and Sparky Anderson did battle, in their respective roles as managers of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine", for Western Division supremacy during the 1970's, they were teammates on the Los Angeles Angels, working together to establish geographical supremacy against the arch-rival Hollywood Stars.

And speaking of managers, debate rages among baseball historians about Casey Stengel's managerial acumen. Was he an adept, if incomprehensible, managerial genius or a bum who failed miserably in Boston and who only attained success by piggy-backing on the vast talent of some super Yankee teams? The story of Stengel's stewardship of the 1948 PCL Champion Oakland Oaks is a huge point in his favor.

Dobbins draws some of his history from the records but most of it from the recollections of the old-time players who consented to be interviewed. My only real criticism is that it took someone too long to undertake this project. The passage of time limits the sources from which Dobbins could draw.

And how trustworthy is human memory? There is a reference in one of the narratives supplied to Dobbins about a player named Johnny Lindell who alternated between pitcher and outfielder and who "would have been in the big leagues" if he could have only hit more consistently.

Who would dare observe, in response, that the record book shows that during the 1940's, an outfielder-pitcher named Johnny Lindell played in the majors, chiefly for the Yankees (this included several World Series appearances), on a part-time basis for 12 years and that he retired in 1954 with a respectable lifetime batting average of .273, having twice led the league in triples?

He couldn't hit well enough for the major leagues. Or could he? Were there two Johnny Lindells answering to the same description?

My favorite chapter was about the old ballparks. If you are a displaced and discouraged Giant fan who lives in the Los Angeles area, you can carry the book and its pictures of the ballparks to the corners of Beverly, Fairfax and Genessee and try to envision the Hollywood Stars' Gilmore Field having once stood there. The intersections now are home to a little company known as CBS - Television City, and there isn't even a marker anywhere to show that Gilmore Field ever existed.

And you can drive to 42nd and Avalon and marvel at the human and urban sprawl that has overtaken the area. Wrigley Field, home to the ORIGINAL Los Angeles Angels and named and constructed after its more famous Chicago namesake, has been torn down, and a community center named after a politician has been erected in its place. Again, no marker commemorates Wrigley Field. Soccer, not baseball, is the recreation of choice for the locals, and the excited cries of the players and spectators are not being delivered in English.

Is there any marker on the corner of 16th and Bryant in San Francisco to memorialize Seals Stadium?

"The Grand Minor League" is a fitting tribute to the REAL baseball giants of the West Coast and to a time when baseball was a "melting pot" language, when the game was played, not by overpaid egotistical prima donnas, but by men with working-class ethics, and when teams were managed by men and not "Dustys". Where have you gone, Rugger Ardizoia?

Dick Dobbins again captures the essence of the old Pacific Coast League. By using an "oral history" format, he is able to capture the true nature of this "major" minor league. The best section in the book consist of short interviews with former players and managers regarding some of the great and notorious players in the league. The same is also done for the managers, stadiums and teams. My favorite aspect of the book is the numerous historical photographs from Mr. Dobbins collection. This book is a must buy for baseball fans!

If you are a fan of the old Pacific Coast League, this book is a must. Great photos, interesting interviews with former players. If you own Nuggets on the Diamond also by Dick Dobbins, this is a great companion piece. Just to see pictures of the old coast league ball parks is worth the price of admission.

This ia an absolute must for anyone who enjoyed the old PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE.The photographs of the old P.C.L.ballparks are worth the price of admission.This is an excellent companion piece to Dobbins other book on the P.C.L. Nuggets on the Diamond.

In this book, Dick Dobbins took a cue from the book, "The Glory of Their Times," interviewing numerous ex-PCL players and umpires about the league. This oral history of the league is an excellent look back. Reading this book takes you back to a different era of baseball and shows why the PCL deserved to be called the "Grand Minor League."

The book has chapters on the league's various ballparks over the years, the league's great teams and rivalries. There are numerous pictures of various players, managers, umpires and team owners throughout the book. There are also pictures of various teams' uniforms, hats and other assorted memorabilia.

Dick Dobbins put a lot of hard work and dedication into this book and it shows. Any baseball history fan will love this book.

I had lunch with Van Reid in August of 2001. He was as fun to talk to as his books are to read! I love the humor, the insight, the intrigue and the adventures of the Moosepath League! I agree that this installment is not as "heavy" as Daniel Plainway (at least to all but Ephram, Eagleton,and Thump!) but all the other elements are present. I laughed out loud several times while flying, which caused my fellow passengers to wonder about me, I am sure. Moxie!

How could I have missed this series? I enjoy stories set in this period because my own father was born in 1890; in Kentucky. He was a small-town boy, following the work to Ohio where he and several of his brothers settled.

I can picture him being a member of such a club as the Moosepath League and having small adventures such as author Reid depicts in this series of books. My father was not bumbling like most of these characters, but he was witty and funny and would no doubt have led them on even more exciting adventures.

Reid paints a vivid picture of a small town of the late 80s ... filled with characters who would make entertaining neighbors. They'd certainly liven up any neighborhood with their quaint, old-fashioned, yet quirky fun.

It's obvious this is a satire, and I love satire myself. (I discovered these books because on Amazon.com they were placed beside one of the books I wrote: THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY. While the TOONIES does not disparage our lovely Valley in anyway, I certainly delighted in poking a bit of fun at our techie culture ... tongue-in-cheek humor, of course ... as Mr. Reid does in these books.)

Fun reads! Enjoy all four.

For excellent quality, humor, detailed plots, and kind, likeable characters, you can't beat Van Reid's "Moosepath League" novels. The latest, "Mrs. Roberto", seems to me to be a little lighter in tone than "Molly Peer" or "Daniel Plainway", but is still immensely involving and entertaining. This kind of writing just cannot be found anywhere else today. If you are fond of the classics or nineteenth century American literature, you will love Van Reid.

The willing adventurers of the Moosepath League of Victorian Portland, Maine, have lost none of their good-natured innocence in this fourth adventure, despite entanglements with tavern keepers, loose women, pickpockets, hoboes and worse. Indeed, Van Reid's droll storytelling depends upon it.

Misdirection and misunderstanding form the strong foundation of the meandering and digressive missions of the League's six members, who gather at the Shipswood Restaurant in the spring of 1897 for one of their regular dinners. They raise their water glasses (prohibition has been in effect in Maine for 46 years) to their only female member, Miss Phileda McCannon, who's making a journey to settle her deceased aunt's affairs. Mr. Tobias Walton, their chairman and the oldest at 48, is a bit subdued on this occasion as Phileda has not given an answer to his proposal of marriage.

Joseph Thump, Christopher Eagleton and Matthew Ephram are still in a small state of excitement after nearly running down a tavern keeper named Sparks who could have been Thump's double, but for his workingman's clothing and his high-pitched voice. The youngest member, Walton's faithful assistant Sundry Moss, 23, is the only one who dares to hazard that the crowd of ruffians backing away from the near-accident were pursuing Sparks rather than attempting his rescue.

The trio of Thump, Eagleton and Ephram have not seen the last of Sparks. Walking home through an unfamiliar and doubtful part of town, Thump happens to save a policeman from certain death-by-falling-piano, thereby incurring Mrs. Sparks' heartfelt gratitude for preserving her cousin, the perpetrator, from a murder charge.

This might again have been the end of it, but the trio, inspired by an incident in a play, determine that the lovely balloon ascensionist, Mrs. Roberto, must be in need of rescuing. Their mission leads them to a house of ill-repute (not that they ever realize where they are) and a run-in with the gang that's after Sparks, from which they escape thanks to Sparks' youngest son and his urchin friend who lead them over Portland's slippery rooftops. Sparks' network of less-than-respectable relatives continues to aid the trio as they seek Mrs. Roberto from Bangor to Dresden Mills, taking up with a large party of hoboes along the way.

Meanwhile, Moss, attempting to distract his employer, has taken Walton to visit his uncle in Norridgewock, though they never make it quite that far. The train is delayed in Bowdoinham where Walton is pressed to come to the aid of a glum prize pig. Perplexed by the locals' assumption of his expertise in porcine matters (the reader has been let-in on the misunderstanding), but as willing and easy-going as ever, Walton embarks on a visit to the Ferns, unhappy owners of the depressed pig, where Moss, a farmer's son and a bit more worldly than his fellow Moosepathians, soon susses the problem.

With digressions for the furtherance of romance and good acquaintance, Reid piles misunderstandings upon misunderstandings, constructing a hilarious journey through the towns and by-ways of Maine and the social strata of its best inhabitants. It all culminates in a spectacular and chaotic natural disaster, reuniting the League and necessitating numerous rescues and confusion and some wonderfully vivid writing.

Lots of local color and history round out the adventure. Reid's prose is playful, witty and dry, as well as eloquent and visual. The contrast between the transparent innocence of the steadfastly clueless trio and the sharp wits of Sundry Moss (think young George Burns and Gracie Allen) is a pleasure, further enhanced by the ready-for-anything calm of Toby Walton. Reid (whose Maine roots go back more than two centuries) leaves us with a tantalizing hint of the next to come in the League's adventures. These books are for anyone who enjoys wit and good-natured storytelling in the Dickensian tradition.

This also is "my Bible". I have used this cookbook for for over 20 years,and I hope to use it for another 20.

This is a terrific source for really good Southern recipes. Surprisingly it is also features a fantastic collection of Game recipes, several of which I have had great luck with.
There are five recipes for barbecue sauce, all very good. The angel buiscuts are delicious. Shrimp Creole, Fried Chicken with cream gravy, Red Beans and Rice and spicy seafood gumbo are all excellent recipes. For desert you can't beat Mama's pralines or the pecan torte. And, don't forget to try the Mint Juleps.

I refer to this cookbook as my "bible".
I have found that 99% of the material in this wonderful group of southern receipes are absolutely delicious. Worth the slight effort, over and over again.

This is a favorite for really great recipes time and time again. There are three other books in this set (Midwest, Western and Eastern) and each one is a treasure.

This is my favorite and most cherished cookbook even though I am a Virginian and this is a decidedly Californian cookbook. I picked up by chance in a used bookstore and began making recipes from it and was soon quite impressed. After 5 years, I have yet to find a bad recipe in the book. Furthermore, the recipes are elegant and somewhat fancy while not being too out of the mainstream or too exotic -- or too difficult for that matter. Interestingly, many of the recipes in here have become "standards" (Khalhua pie, baked brie, Indonesian rice salad) with variations on them popping up in other cookbooks and on the web. These are the original, simple versions that first began to define California cooking. You'll enjoy this.

This is a standout among communtity/fundraiser cookbooks. The format is clean and easy to follow. Ingredients are in bold type and consistant throughout. Instructions are clearly written, steps are not omited and they are not too wordy. Each section is clearly named with the "cute" name saved for the second page of the section (ie: SOUP chapter is also named Mendocino) and includes a written description of the region and it's food history.

Some of our favorite recipes are from this book. The "Mustard Chicken in Phyllo" is an easy to make ahead dinner party favorite. The soups are amazing. The "Red Pepper Soup" is easy to make and delicious as is the "Black Bean Soup con Salsa". The "Soupe de Poisson" is more complicated to make but well worth the effort; with a salad and bread it is the perfect summer dinner to delight your friends. The "Kaluha Cinnamon Raisin Rolls" are one of my brunch staples.

This makes the perfect shower gift along with The Silver Palate Cookbook and The Frog Commissary Cookbook.

I have always looked for recipes that are fairly easy but that produce delicious results. This cookbook meets my criteria! Every recipe I have tried has been a success.