Average customer rating:
- Kick in the pants
- A must read
- Springtime For Jagger!
- Extremely Imaginative
- A half-amusing and totally repulsive satire
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Iron Dream,the
Norman Spinrad
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Road
ASIN: 0553252895
Release Date: 1986-05-01 |
Customer Reviews:
Kick in the pants.......2005-09-24
This book should remain in print and it's sad it hasn't. Simply, it helps point out how so much of our culture--like the whole Lord of the Rings schtick--is easily transmuted into Nazi ideology. This was a brave and brilliant book.
I'm sorry one reviewer was annoyed by the wooden writing. It is meant to be a parody of that kind of stuff, and the kind of mentality that goes behind it. Far too much older science fiction reads like this.
A must read.......2005-09-06
Holding a spot in science fiction/fantasy legend as 'the book that was meant to be bad', Norman Spinrad's "The Iron Dream" is a thought provoking look humanity's violent impulses and the dark side of bad pulp writing. The concept is simple enough: Adolf Hitler, dismissing the nascent Nazi Party as a bunch of beer hall debaters, leaves Munich for The United States in 1919. He scrapes by as an illustrator and fanzine editor for several years before switching to science fiction novels. "The Iron Dream" purports to be his last work, dashed off in a mere six weeks before he died in 1953.
As an exercise in tedious, repetitive action and sledgehammer philosophy, "The Iron Dream" makes its point in bold strokes. We follow protagonist Feric Jagger as he travels to his homeland of Heldon, the only genetically untainted homeland in a world otherwise overrun with foul mutants. Musing on the importance of genetic purity in almost every paragraph, Feric forms a motorcycle gang into 'the Knights of the Swastika' and marches off to dominate first Heldon, then the world. The second half of the book unfolds as an orgy of violence, as Feric's forces slash, smash, and blast their way through massive armies of mutants under the sway of the mind-controlling Dominators of Zind.
Through this exaggerated take on pulp SF, Spinrad makes us look the aspects of our genre that many may wish to deny. For sure, a lot of crap science fiction and fantasy has featured unbridled bloodlust and unsublte promotion of a philosophy not far from fascism. For all that, though, one might be tempted to say that Spinrad went too far, and that surely not even the dumbest fan would be tricked by something so absurd. This would be wrong. Not only did much pulp nonsense from the 50's and 60's actually reflect such idealogy, but so does some stuff getting published today. Anyone who's had the misfortune to come across books by Terry Goodkind or Robert Newcomb, for instance, knows how those authors hew uncomfortably close to the faux Hitler's celebration of fascism, genocide, and ultraviolent misogyny. (Interestingly Goodkind and Newcomb also duplicate the lesser details of "The Iron Dream", such as the hilarious abuse of phallic symbols and the creepy obsession with boots and skin-tight black leather for both genders. Perhaps Spinrad should consider a plagarism lawsuit.)
The book's crown jewel is an afterword by a stuffy academic. Homer Whipple of New York University offers biographical details (Hitler suffered from syhpilis late in life), saucy gossip (he was known as something of a Don Juan at science fiction conventions), fan reactions (the fanciful costumes he described in the book are now favorites at costume parties), historical background (the fall of Germany to the communists in 1939 remained a sore point throughout Hitler's life), and much more. Having decided to write the book, Spinrad milked the concept for everything it was worth. For instance, the inside cover urges us to enjoy another list of fine SF classics by Adolf Hitler. It starts with inoccuous titles like "Emperor of the Asteroids", but then moves to more sinister titles such as "The Master Race" and "The Thousand Year Rule". How many SF authors have begun their careers with harmless pulp adventure, but swamped their later works with barrels of dsitrubing personal philosophy?
"The Iron Dream" is not perfect. As Ursula K. Leguin remarked in a review, it could have been quite a bit shorter. But though not a great novel, it is an important novel. Regrettably it is out of print now, but if you spot a copy floaitng around in your local used book store or at a garage sale, snap it up.
Springtime For Jagger!.......2004-03-21
Fascinating and hilarious alternative-universe what-if about Hitler. Spinrad takes Hitler's way of writing and turns it into a wild and blood-soaked tale that is just a notch more sadistic and weirdly romantic than most such post-apocalyptic SF tales.
The battle scenes are expressive of an artistic imagination that can't imagine anything more noble than the utter annihilation of one's racial enemies. Some reviewers find that to be boring--I don't! It's intriguing in a sociopathic way, extremely vivid, and just what Hitler might have written. Nice to see that Spinrad has really been studying Mein Kampf!
My only criticism is the homoerotic flavor that pervades the story. I have yet to see any convincing evidence that Hitler was gay, and I think it is simply unnecessary to add it here.
The best part was the Afterword by "Homer Whipple," who points out that the Soviet Union murdered millions of Jews, and now the Unites States and the Empire of Japan is surrounded by the Soviets, leading one to wonder if that alternative universe is any better off than ours. Is this a certain Nazi sympathy on Spinrad's part? Read his intro to "Hitler Victorious" and decide for yourself.
Extremely Imaginative.......2001-07-21
What would have happened if Hitler left Germany, came to the states, and wrote sci fi? The question will sound absurd, but only until you read this novel. Many people describe Iron Dream as satire, but I think it is far deeper for such a term. Rather, Spinrad forces the reader to imagine the world in the way Hitler saw it and then makes you hope his side wins (in this book they are the good guys). As an intellectual exercise, reading this novel is both exciting and perverse but well worth the read.
A half-amusing and totally repulsive satire.......2001-02-22
Which I think is exactly what Spinrad intended. If I remember correctly, this novel was for many years banned in Germany, and for all I know, still may be. Set in an alternate universe, in which Hitler emigrated to the U.S. and became a horribly bad hack science-fiction writer, this novel is truly strange. It's satirical and amusing, yet it's also repulsive, with the weird, oozy phallic imagery, the gleeful genocide, and its purposely banal style. Beyond all that, Spinrad is saying something very important: have a charismatic leader tell people they're gods, dress it up in a lot of Dionysian pomp-and-circumstance, convince them their problems are caused by a bunch of subhuman insane monsters who are out to destroy them, and you've got a war! That's not only what happened with the Nazis; it pretty much works that way in all cultures. In some ways this novel is a cautionary tale jammed right up the reader's nose. I've read this book twice, and I don't think I can read it again; the slaughter always caused by the creepy "Man is God" theme is just too disturbing.
Book Description
The Atlantic & Great Western Railroad was one of the earliest and largest east-west railroad projects in the United States. It was the dream of American builders William Reynolds of Pennsylvania and Marvin Kent of Ohio. By using the non-standard six-foot gauge, these men helped construct a trunk line connecting the Atlantic tidewater with the Mississippi River "without break of gauge."
Money for the construction came principally from European investors, like Don Jose de Salamanca of Spain, while Great Britain furnished the iron. A strong English support group included James McHenry, Sir Samuel Morton Peto, and the brilliant engineer, Thomas Kennard. This American-European enterprise represented an unique example of intercontinental cooperation in railroad history.
Reynolds was the first president of the Pennsylvania and New York divisions of the A&GW. This published history is the first published source on this important railroad.
With a memorable talent for detail and authority, Reynolds demonstrates how difficult it was to build a railroad against a backdrop of the Civil War. The lack of capital and resources, the scarcity of labor, the control of the oil market, and the endless struggle against hostile public opinion and fierce competitors like the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central posed challenges that were not easly overcome. Yet, as Reynolds states, "in the face of all these formidable obstacles, the enterprise was crowned with success."
Product Description
History: Fiction or Science? is the most explosive tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by solid scientific data. The book is well-illustrated, contains over 446 graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays, which never cease to amaze the reader. Eminent mathematician proves that: Jesus Christ was born in 1153 and crucified in 1186 The Old Testament refers to mediaeval events. Apocalypse was written after 1486. Does this sound uncanny? This version of events is substantiated by hard facts and logic - validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources - to a greater extent than everything you may have read and heard about history before. The dominating historical discourse in its current state was essentially crafted in the XVI century from a rather contradictory jumble of sources such as innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts whose originals had vanished in the Dark Ages and the allegedly irrefutable proof offered by late mediaeval astronomers, resting upon the power of ecclesial authorities. Nearly all of its components are blatantly untrue! For some of us, it shall possibly be quite disturbing to see the magnificent edifice of classical history to turn into an ominous simulacrum brooding over the snake pit of mediaeval politics. Twice so, in fact: the first seeing the legendary millenarian dust on the ancient marble turn into a mere layer of dirt - one that meticulous unprejudiced research can eventually remove. The second, and greater, attack of unease comes with the awareness of just how many areas of human knowledge still trust the three elephants of the consensual chronology to support them. Nothing can remedy that except for an individual chronological revolution happening in the minds of a large enough number of people.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Average customer rating:
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COTTON, FIRE AND DREAMS
Robert L. Davis
Manufacturer: Mercer University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0865545987 |
Book Description
A world that had changed little from the Middle Ages was altered beyond recognition by the pioneering genius of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In
Dreams of Iron and Steel, acclaimed historian Deborah Cadbury tells the heroic tale of the visionaries and ordinary workers who brought to life seven great wonders of the world that still have the power to awe and inspire us today. Fueled by Deborah Cadbury's characteristic scholarship and insight, this extraordinary chronicle re-creates the human odyssey of how our modern world was forged not only with rivets, grease, and steam but also with blood, sweat, and extreme imagination.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Informative yet Captivating.......2007-07-20
Deborah Cadbury's Dreams of Iron and Steel is exceptionally well written, even for those with only a casual interest in its theme. I too picked up this book on a whim and was quite delighted with it. Each of the seven `modern wonders' is well researched and focuses on the colossal engineering and social challenge behind their creation along with a clear focus on the personality of their creators. Personally, I found the book to be both informative in its detail and inspirational in its character.
I would include this book with other well-written works of similar themes, such as Bill Bryson's `A Short History of Nearly Everything'. This book is a must-read for all who care to know where our global society came from.
A delightful read that reminds us that history is about people, not machines.......2007-05-15
I picked this book up on a whim, but I'm glad I did. The 'history' is presented in a light and easy-to-read way that makes this book fun. The stories of the individual "wonders" are presented as stand-alone chapters, so you can start with whichever one suits your fancy.
The book reminds us that history is really about people, not machines or structures. But the people who created those machines and structures tend to be fascinating. The ones detailed in this book were (almost without exception) highly-driven, obsessively focused individuals with lofty dreams they would nearly die to achieve.... and in some cases more-or-less did go that far.
If there's a downside to this book it's that the chronology of some of the events is occasionally hard to follow. The author seems to jump ahead to near the end of a project, then back the beginning. This isn't a deal breaker and once you get a handle on her style it's really not something that takes away from the fabulous (and true!) tales she tells.
On the 'worth noting' front is an extensive bibliography and a really interesting section called "P.S. Insights, Interviews and More..." You get a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the author and a bit of what went into the creation of the book. I would love to see more books include sections like this.
All-in-all a great read and highly recommended.
Good Story Telling.......2006-02-14
I bought this book because I thought the format and subject nature were most suitable for a long plane ride back to Japan: Seven Chapters on the engineering marvels of the modern world. Each different with its own challenges and particular history. The changing subject nature would keep me interested during the flight -- I was not dissapointed.
The storytelling here is first rate with a good introduction to the historical challenges and necessity of each project -- setting the story in its place as it were. Cadbury then spins anecdotes choosing what she wants and no doubt leaving out a lot of interesting and germane stuff... but it doesn't matter... the purpose of the book is to outline these great projects and, if one wants to, point one in the direction for more material related to such things as Brunel's "Great Eastern" or the Brooklyn Bridge, Hoover Dam or the Panama Canal.
The book has no pretensions to be a serious exposition of any of the projects. It is a good historical tale of each one of them with enough drama and description of the engineering difficulties and personalities to keep one's interest.
Serious Engineers may be expecting more... if so, you will need to look elsewhere. There are no sheer force equations, analysis of holding strength or geographic analysis of strata. But if there were I probably would not have bought this book.
It also fills a vital role in filling in some of our knowledge in these little known challenges that shaped our world so much... I hope I make as wise a choice of books for the next flight.
Exceptional story telling of 7 great wonders by one of the best historians around.......2005-09-28
If you haven't discovered Deborah Cadbury yet then she is one of the best and sharpest writers around. Her text is spare, her research impeccable, and her ability to draw out threads without resorting to tabloid sensationalism makes for satisfying reading. In this, her third book, Cadbury covers the seven wonders of the industrial world, putting the feats, their makers, and the events into context of the time and what they have meant in history.
This is the GREAT industrial revolution. The 7 wonders are The Great Eastern (the largest boat of its time a double hulled steel boat by Brunel), The Bell Rock Lighthouse, the Brooklyn Bridge, The London Sewers, The Transcontinental Railroad, The Panama Canal and the Hoover Dam.
What I love about Cadbury is that she has not only picked 7 extremely diverse items, (dams, lighthouses, sewers, railroads, bridges, canals, and boats) but she manages to put them into the context of the history of that particular engineering feat, but also in context to the events of their own time.
Her research takes her right into the buidling as well - for instance with the building of the Great Eastern she talks about the need for large numbers of young boys who were employed inside the boat, working in appalling hot and cramped conditions and juggling white hot rivets. There were dreadful accidents but a steady supply of labour meant that new workers were never a problem. The sheer volume of workers however never even made it into the day book though, they were never considered important enough.
She relates this sheer volume of workers back to all these structures. They were all built through the enormous supply of labour available.
This does not denigrate the sheer feats of engineering which these men needed to create these structures. No one thought the Great Eastern would be able to sail. The London Sewers were built in competition with the Underground in London, The Transcontinental Railroad needed to have all the items shipped around by sea via the Cape to get to the WEstern Side of America. As an aside I would really recommend reading Laura INgalls Wilder's book on the Banks of Silver Lake, if you are interested in the Transcontinental as Wilder's father worked for a time on the Railroad and she describes the working day in excellent detail including how they 'flattened' out the prairies by hand.
I cannot emphasise enough how great the detail is in the book - for instance, the work on the Brooklyn Bridge laying the foundations lays bare the horrendous circumstances in which men worked, in 80 degree heat at the bottom of the river. Explosions at the edge of the caissons often resulted in blow outs of compressed air which would send a 'fury of debris and water" in a column as much as 500 feet in the air.
I saw the television series on this book but was very disappointed. It was reenactments and it just didn't bring the depth of detail which is in this book.
This is one of the best reads this year. I would strongly recommend it to anyone. Deborah Cadbury's books are excellent and she is on my must buy list.
Average customer rating:
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Iron Dream
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0515047414 |
Product Description
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Futuristic, Space Opera
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful help for the not so amateur cook
- Holy Grail of French Cooking
- impress your guests
- Excellent CookBook
- Outstanding & inspiring -- my favorite French cookbook!
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Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cook: Home Collection
France) Cordon Bleu (School : Paris , and
Editors of Thunder Bay Press
Manufacturer: Thunder Bay Press (CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques: the indispensable reference demonstrates over 700 illustrated techniques with 2,000 photos and 200 recipes
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Le Cordon Bleu at Home
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Kitchen Essentials: The Complete Illustrated Reference to the Ingredients, Equipment, Terms, and Techniques used by Le Cordon Bleu
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Le Cordon Bleu: Quick And Easy
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Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques: More Than 1,000 Photographs Illustrating 300 Preparation And Cooking Techniques For Making Tarts, Pi
ASIN: 1571457151 |
Book Description
From the worlds most famous cooking school comes a comprehensive collection of fresh, modern recipes for any occasion. From simple dishes for home cooking to impressive dinner party fare, Le Cordon Bleu shares the secrets of their famous kitchens with an invaluable collection of recipes, all beautifully photographed, and offers inspiration for the successful home chef.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful help for the not so amateur cook.......2007-03-12
I'm a self taught professional cook who always looks for new creative ways to prepare meals. This book is full of traditional methods to broaden anyone's knowledge base. The full color pictures were wonderful and I don't buy a cookbook that doesn't have them. My book arrived earlier than was posted and it was a good shopping experience
Holy Grail of French Cooking.......2005-09-26
Awesome Cookbook!!!! This should be in every serious cook's collection. Directions are easy to follow and there are pictures for every recipe. Bon Appetite !!
impress your guests.......2005-08-03
How many cookbooks do you have on your shelves where you might cook just one or two recipes from the book, and the rest don't appeal? I am fussy about buying cookbooks since there are so many "free" recipes available through friends, magazines, newspapers and the Internet. But I have not regretted buying this one and I also bought a copy for my son, a francophile.
The roast quails with rice stuffing (page 215) initially looked daunting but the glossary gives step-by-step instructions on how to bone out a quail. Amazingly, it worked and I presented this dish recently to a dinner party of eight. I doubt I have ever served a more impressive looking course or one that tasted so superb. The sauce was to die for.
The poussin recipe in herb butter was also wonderful (my son served it to us one night and then I served it to guests, knowing in advance it would be great), as was the chicken en croute. So far I have not been disappointed with anything I've tried.
Excellent CookBook.......2004-09-13
A classic must have!
All classic recipes that will impress your guests and yourself.
Very accureate and foolproof instruction, never failed with this book.
Outstanding & inspiring -- my favorite French cookbook!.......2003-12-30
...Top reasons why I turn to this cookbook more than any other:
* The recipes WORK! And they are GREAT! Some recipes I've tried: Shrimp Bisque (amazingly, in comparison to a recipe I tried from Cook's Illustrated, the one here is a bit simpler AND tasted better!), Apple and Parsnip Soup (great Thanksgiving soup!), Duck Salad with Plum Dressing (if cooking this for appetizer, I would use a lot less duck breast than asked for in this recipe--7 oz per person is too much), Duck a l'orange (awesome! My guests loved it!), Cider Apple Chicken with Mushroom Sauce (delicious--I substituted regular brandy for Calvados, a French apple brandy which I couldn't find), Roast Pork with Prunes and Armagnac (truly a hit when I cooked it as the entree for Christmas), Pears Poached in Red Wine (better than a recipe I got from a class).
* Each and every recipe is beautifully illustrated with a picture of the dish. For me, the "occasional but serious home chef", the pictures inspire me and quickly give me an idea of what to create for the finished product. None of the other books have such beautiful pictures for every recipe.
* Each recipe comes with an estimate of Preparation Time and Total Cooking Time. This gives me a quick idea of how complicated the dish is gonna be. A word of caution though: the given times are for pros! When I first started cooking French, I found that I had to DOUBLE the times given in this book; now I add an extra 50%! However, on a relative scale, this feature is still helpful.
* It's mostly adjusted for ingredients available in USA (at least in Northern California) and terminology is mostly American.
Like Lindaýs review below, I think Adrianaýs review below is unfair--the book does state that it is a collection of Le Cordon Bleuýs best recipesý-thatýs one of the reasons I wanted it and do not have an issue with it being a ýcopycatý. Ultimately, I am grateful for this book because it has helped me create many successful menus and dinner parties. So much so that it compelled me to write my first review on Amazon.com! Bon Appetit!
Books:
- It's Only Temporary
- Japan Sinks: A Novel
- Kull: Exile of Atlantis
- Legacy/Silent Abduction/Blizzard/Tears of the Sun (Journeys of the Stranger 1-4)
- Letters to a Young Artist
- Libby, Montana: Asbestos and the Deadly Silence of an American Corporation
- Lick the Sugar Habit
- Living Jewels: The Natural Design of Beetles (Minis)
- Lo Que Sabe La Gente Feliz / What Happy People Know: Tomar Las Riendas Del Propio Destino Y Vivir Una Plena Y Satisfactoria
- Lost in the Mirror, 2nd Edition: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder
Books Index
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