Book Description
More fun than the episode of I Love Lucy set on the candy line and with stories richer than a Dark Chocolate Truffle, See's Famous Old Time Candies is a golden ticket to the candy factory (and, yes, See's did inspire that Lucy episode). Author Margaret Moos Pick chronicles See's history, from its humble beginning in Mary See's kitchen back in the 1890s to its place of reverence in the hearts of the sweet-toothed everywhere. Learn how See's candy experts hold chocolate tastings, treating batches like fine wines, to choose the very best; how bonbons are still meticulously hand-dipped to perfection; and how those at See's simmered, stirred, cooked, and tasted 250 recipes all to create the perfect truffle. For See's fans and proud candy lovers, here's a story with a very sweet center.
Customer Reviews:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.......2006-09-07
Roald Dahl called his famous story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after having encountered the legend of of Charles A. See, and now veteran penswoman Margaret Moos Pick tells the whole incredible story from a woman's point of view, in a book lavishly illustrated with sepia (and cocoa) colored photographs from the company archives. No Oompa Loompas here, but you will find many unusual tidbits that will amuse you and titillate your senses.
Let Moos Pick take you into the secret factory itself, into the so-called "enrobing room" and right through the brain tank where Sees officials and chefs determine what the next flavor of candy shall be.
We've seen it all in WILLY WONKA, and to a lesser degree, remember when Dick Van Dyke drove up to the Scrumptious Candy Factory in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG? Well, finally the inside guide to how you make candy and how you sell it, from a one room roadside stand in a lousy, Depression California, to a revolution in fine chocolate, offering everything from marzipan, mocha milk, creme de coconut, and champagne infusions that would have been illegal under Prohibition. Lucy and Ethel worked the assembly line in a Sees store, in one of the famous I LOVE LUCY episodes, find out more about it here.
Remember, reading uses up calories! But don't spoil your weight loss program by absently stuffing handfuls of Sees candy into your mouth as you flip the pages of this diverting little truffle of a story. Add a star if you're into candy or California labor history.
Cute book, but no recipes!.......2006-01-13
This is a charming little tome for those who know, love, and consume See's Candy. Growing up in 50s L.A., this book brings back many memories.
Alas, I was hoping for recipes,too! For those, do a Google. I found their fudge (basis for those famous Easter Eggs, I'm thinking) and lollipops, so far.
Book Description
Remember stopping by the five-and-dime on your way home from school to get a handful of your favorite sweet treat? CANDY: THE SWEET HISTORY covers the goodies of yesteryear: Pay Day, Candy necklaces, Lemonheads, Necco Wafers, Chic-O-Sticks, Abba-Zaba, and many more selected for their nostalgic packaging, yummy tastes, and wonderful stories. Inside this tasty tome are more than 85 sensational candies, including those hard-to-find local favorites made by small, family-owned factories relying on handed-down recipes and old-fashioned techniques. Colorful and tempting photos show standout nostalgic candies- some in production for more than 100 years- and the text describes the fascinating stories behind key candy makers and pays homage to our favorites that are no longer available.
Customer Reviews:
How did she get such a job?.......2005-03-11
I saw Beth Kimmerle on a Food TV special about candy and thought she had an amazing job. A candy expert? How did she get such a job? Is there an opening for me? I bought her book and found it fascinating. She covers all the old school favs from Wacky wafers and Lick M Aid. The pictures are great. If you dig candy like me and wish you had her job, you'll love this book.
Great gift for the holidays!.......2003-12-09
This book was listed by John Mariani as one of the BEST FOOD and DRINK books of 2003 and his words inspired me to buy several. What a treat it really is!
I have never seen another book about the history of American candy, and here, with "enormous affection and dogged scholarship", Beth Kimmerle provides an informative and graphically rich nostalgic food book.
The pictures are great--a real trip down memory lane. The book, along with a few handmade treats from the recipe section, will make a wonderful and unique holiday gift.
Candy:The Sweet History.......2003-12-07
This book has a great cover and wonderful pictures but it seems to have missed both the editor and proofreader. The writing is also mediocre. It's nice to look at but very hard to read especially when one is attempting to make corrections during the reading process.
Sweet and Sour.......2003-11-27
The Sweet:
The book is obviously well-researched, and the author's enthusiasm for the topic shines through. Each page is nicely designed and chock-full of colorful photos of vintage packages and ads. It's fun to flip through.
The Sour:
The amateurish writing style, poor editing and number of glaring typos detract from what could've been a real treat. Even a proofreader would have made a world of difference.
Candy:The Sweet History.......2003-11-01
Any candy lover, any nostalgia buff, anyone who sneaks a snickers or hides Hershey Bars in secret spots in the kitchen (or bedroom) will love this book. It's not only inforamative, but a trip down the sweet, sweet memory lane of childhood! It's a great gift, but like your favorite candy, don't share it unless you've got one for yourself!
Amazon.com
Tim Richardson has always looked at life through candy-colored glasses (his grandfather worked for a toffee company and his father was a dentist), but in Sweets, as the world's first "international confectionery historian," he takes a look at the history of mankind. From prehistoric cave paintings of our forefathers eating honey to references of cocoa beans used as money by the ancient Mayans, Richardson has left no gobstopper unturned. Through intensive research, plenty of taste testing, and field trips around the world to places such as Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Haribo plant in Pontefract, Yorkshire, "birthplace of all English gummy bears," Richardson leads a whirlwind tour filled with unforgettable characters, intrigue, and high stakes. Along the way, he explains our planet-wide obsession with anything sweet--it's been scientifically proven that even newborn babies and elephants love anything sweet--and offers up a lifetime of trivia for the sweet-obsessed. Although Richardson is English and American readers might be unfamiliar with his number one favorite sweet, Rhubarb and Custards, chances are any sweet-lover will relish this quirky look at civilization and the truly fascinating history of candy-making and consumption. --Leora Y. Bloom
Book Description
A journey into the heart of sweetness.
Humans are all, secretly or openly, obsessed with sweet things-and we always have been. The Aztecs mixed chocolate with blood in sweet libations to their gods; Saladin entertained Richard the Lionheart with exotic sherbets and sugared jellies; Victorian sweets magnates built the towns of Bournville and Hersheyville from fortunes made through successful candies; and today the manufacture of sweets is shrouded in a level of secrecy that would make Willy Wonka proud.
In Sweets, Tim Richardson takes us on a magical confectionery tour through time and space, letting his personal passion fuel the narrative of candy's rich and unusual history. Beginning with a description of the biology of sweetness itself, Richardson navigates the ancient history of sweets, the incredible range and diversity of candies around the world, the bizarre figures and practices of the confectionery industry, and the connection between sweets and sex. He goes on to explore the role of sweets in myth and folklore, and finally, a personal philosophical justification for continual sweet-eating based on the writings of Epicurus.
A delicious blend of anecdote, history, and investigative reporting, Sweets is the perfect gift for everyone with a sweet tooth.
Customer Reviews:
Good, Not Perfect.......2007-07-21
Tim Richardson embarked on a mammoth task to document the story of candy from an international perspective. In many ways, he succeeds -- his chapters on the origins of candy and chocolate in medieval Europe, and his discussion of labor relations in the chocolate factories at Hershey and Cadbury are superb. His writing even has a tinge of anthropology, too, explaining to us why we like sweet things in the first place.
However, towards the end of the book, Richardson tries to get you to believe that modern science has launched a conspiracy against candy by claiming that it will make you fat. Richardson says that sugar, since its a carbohydrate, is not actually so bad for you. I found this to be rather ignorant, since it is an extremely high-calorie carbohydrate and will definitely make you fat if you eat a ton of it! In addition, his final chapter reads like an unimaginative listing of candy from around the world rather than a narrative like the rest of the book, making that section a bit boring to read. Half of the "traditional Jewish" sweets he mentioned I had never heard of, making me wonder if he knew what he was talking about in reference to other cultures.
Still, if you are interested in the topic, it's worth picking it up -- if you can handle the at-times obnoxious British sense of humor!
Delicious!.......2004-07-14
Ahhh, what a book. From its scrumptious cover to its last tasty page, I devoured this book, and didn't even worry about what it would do to my teeth. Or my waistline. Tim Richardson's boyish exuberance shines through on every page. I would like to meet him and share some chocolate with him.
On second thought, I'll keep the chocolate to myself.
The only thing I didn't like about this book: it could have used some illustrations. Or perhaps a sampler of some of the candies Richardson describes in loving detail.
An extroardinary overview of candies the world over.......2003-10-14
Tim Richardson's "Sweets: A History of Candy" is an extraordinary overview of confections from all over the world, and all through recorded history. He covers every continent (with special attention paid to the Brits and the Americans, who both have an enormous national sweet tooth) and every conceivable type of candy, from milk- and cream-based confections to those which have their foundations in nuts and fruits to those commonly enrobed in chocolate and beyond.
There is apparently nothing which cannot be made somehow into a sweet. Richardson reports that in India, "sherbet" is made from ground-up chickpea powder, sugar and baking soda. The Maoris, in the early part of the 19th century, commonly ate fern root "moistened with treacly brown sugar crystals from the pith of the . . . cabbage palm" and the Turks, known throughout the civilized world for the sheer breadth of their confectionary offerings, make pastries and nutmeats with the most fabulous names: lady's navel, glad eyes and sweetheart lips are but among a few.
Along the way, Richardson never fails to fascinate and inform. He tells us that writer Roald Dahl was told in childhood that licorice whips were made from rats' blood, tying this into other candy myths like the 1970s-era one about Bubble Yum being filled with spider eggs. Richardson has even managed to unearth some true-life horrific candies, such as "Kelly-in-a-Coffin," a popular 19th century sweet molded like, well, a baby in a coffin (more acceptable, apparently, when infant mortality was a more everyday part of life).
Despite the occasional unnecessary pomp (Richardson is overly fond of referring to himself in print as "The First International Confectionary Historian"), this sweet book is a special treat for anyone interested in either candy or history--or both!
A Delicious International History.......2002-11-26
American candy names have their own sweet, maybe cloying, attractiveness: divinity, Tootsie Roll, Slo Pokes, or Goo Goo Clusters. In _Sweets: A History of Candy_ (Bloomsbury) by Tim Richardson, you will find these, but you can also find Scottish curlie murlies, gundy, and soor plooms (sour plums); Australian Fizzoes, pollywaffles, and Freddo Frog Chocolate Bars; and candy with a more-or-less international appeal, such as Cowpats which are shaped like you-know-what. Tim Richardson has, in researching and writing this book, transformed himself into the world's first international confectionary historian, a designation he frequently, with self-deprecating humor, bestows on himself as he tells us about his efforts on our behalf. It's a wonderful post for him. He begins his book, "My grandfather worked for a toffee company. My father was a dentist. So I have always had strong feelings about sweets. But I have never been confused. I like sweets. I like them a lot." The enthusiasm shows on every page.
This is not a recipe book. Though many of the candies might be made at home, Richardson concentrates on manufactured sweets, and the recipes for them are deeply guarded secrets. Candy is so complicated that it is virtually impossible to copy a sweet exactly without inside information. Not only the recipes are closely guarded, but the machines and processes, too, and often Richardson didn't get a peep. But when he did get admitted to a factory, he was delighted: "...every time I entered one I was delirious with joy, ecstatic that the machines were exactly as I hoped they would be." Comparisons with Willy Wonka's factory are unavoidable. Richardson covers the long association of sweets and medicines; often in the past apothecaries and confectioners had bitter rivalries. It was not simply that "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down;" sugar preserved medicines and helped bind pills together. Shaping sweets into fanciful statues has a long tradition. The Duke of Albemarle a couple of centuries ago commissioned a tower of sugar eighteen feet high, inhabited by gods and goddesses; it was too tall to get into his banqueting room. These days we have more modest gingerbread houses adorned with candy for the holidays, but marzipan, sugar, and spun sugar used to be carved into ornate sculptures of windmills, temples, and ruins to make table decorations.
There are countless sweet plums pulled out here, amusing details about a universal human interest produced with the sort of good humor that the subject deserves. Richardson's puns are actually worth savoring; in a section on the eighteenth century's low price of sugar and high price for handmade sweets, he tells us "A good confectioner could make a mint." Richardson has informed us of his own favorites here, in a happily personal book of international history, and the boiled sweet known as Rhubarb and Custard is his top choice. "It is said that on his deathbed, the novelist Aldous Huxley called for a dose of mescalin, the hallucinogenic drug. If ever I find myself in a similar situation I will not call for mescalin. No, a quarter of rhubarb and custards will suffice."
Average customer rating:
- Enthusiastically recommended reading!
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Ganong: A Sweet History of Chocolate
David Folster
Manufacturer: Goose Lane Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Company Profiles
| Biography & History
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Chocolate
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Gastronomy
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0864924801 |
Book Description
Nothing says love like a box of delectable chocolates. And selling love is how Ganong, famous for its century-old Delecto brand, became one of the world's leading candy-makers. At one time, this family-owned business produced 1100 different kinds of chocolates and confections. Ganong: A Sweet History of Chocolate is an illustrated history of the family and its business, from its humble beginnings in St. Stephen, New Brunswick to its current niche in a world dominated by super-sized conglomerates. In 1873, James and Gilbert Ganong opened a grocery store; they soon discovered that candy would sell and set about finding true artisans who would invent some of Ganong's trademark sweets. They did, indeed, discover a "lozenge man," a hard-candy specialist, a "gum and jelly" man who was also adept at mixing chocolate, and a "sugar-boiler." Ganong was on its way. In a hundred and thirty-three years, the company has amassed an impressive list of firsts: it concocted the first All-day Sucker, the five-cent chocolate nut bar, and that Maritime Christmas favourite -- the Chicken Bone. Ganong was one of the first companies to sell boxed chocolates, and it was the first company in Canada to use the heart-shaped chocolate box, first for Christmas and later for Valentine's Day. As this lusciously illustrated book reveals, Ganong pioneered not just the art of making candy but also the art of selling it. The company's colourful streetcar posters were "rich in Edwardian idealism. The women were lovely, the men were handsome." Its trading cards, its newspaper ads, and the actual chocolate boxes were true reflections of the times and today are treasures in themselves. Along with the colour reproductions of many of Ganong's packaging and marketing materials from days gone by, author David Folster has selected a rich array of archival photographs of the original Ganong factory (now a retail outlet and museum) and the many loyal employees who have contributed to the sweet success of this company. Five generations of Ganongs have worked in the factory, still located in St. Stephen, and the Ganong family continues to run the company today. Their name represents more than a commercial brand or a delicious candy. According to Folster, Ganong is emblematic of Canada itself. And they make fine chocolate, too.
Customer Reviews:
Enthusiastically recommended reading!.......2007-01-04
James and Gilbert Ganong opened their grocery story in 1873 and found that candy was a best selling, motivating them to invent what would eventually be more than 1100 different kinds of chocolates and confections, making them one of the world's leading candy-makers. "Ganong: A Sweet History Of Chocolate" is a wonderfully illustrated and fascinatingly presented history of the Ganong family and their business from its humble beginnings in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, down to its present international status as a unique niche candy-maker in a world dominated by super-sized conglomerates. For the past 133 years, Ganong's chocolates have earned a number of 'firsts' that include the first All-Day Sucker, the five-cent chocolate nut bar, and that Maritime Christmas favorite - the Chicken Bone. They were the first company in Canada to use the heart-shaped chocolate box, first for Christmas, and then for Valentine's Day. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Ganong: A Sweet History Of Chocolate" is an inherently fascinating account of five generations of Ganongs who have worked in the family factory (still located in St. Stephen) and enthusiastically recommended reading!
Book Description
Can you imagine Valentine's Day without chocolate hearts, Halloween without candy corn, Christmas without candy canes, or Hanukkah without chocolate coins? Candy has always played an important and mouthwatering part in holiday celebrations as well as day-to-day life. Here is a collection of little-known facts, including how many kinds of candy came to be.
Customer Reviews:
A lively and intriguing history of candy production .......2004-11-06
What would the holidays be without candy - Valentine's Day without the hearts, Hanukkah without chocolate coins? Candy wasn't always part of our lives, explains Ruth Swain in How Sweet It Is And Was: chapters provide a lively and intriguing history of candy production from the first accidental discovery of fudge at Vassar to Hersey's mechanization of the chocolate-making process. Kids in grades 2-4 will love How Sweet It Is And Was.
Average customer rating:
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Sweet on the West: How Candy Built a Colorado Treasure (Western Passages)
Manufacturer: Institute of Western American Art at the Denv
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
African American
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Museums
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Private
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Colorado
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0295983671 |
Book Description
William and Dorothy Harmsen were true American entrepreneurs—the ice cream store they opened in Golden, Colorado, in 1949 grew into the wildly successful Jolly Rancher Candy Company. In choosing that name for their business, the Harmsens embraced the American West as the defining identity of their company. Soon, they also began to collect art that depicted the American West. They bought works of art by recognized masters of American western art such as George Catlin and Ernest Blumenschein, but they also acquired works by artists who were taking contemporary approaches to time-honored western themes.
The Harmsens were generous about sharing their collecting with the public, lending paintings to exhibitions and museums and sending groups of objects out on tour and, in 2001, donating the collection to the Denver Art Museum.
This, the second volume of the Institute of American Western Art's ongoing book series Western Passages, celebrates the Harmsen's legacy as Colorado businesspeople and philanthropists. Ann Scarlett Daley's lively introductory essay details the story of the Harmsens' success in building both their business and their collection. Following the essay is a full-color gallery of treasures from the Harmsen collection, accompanied by commentaries by scholars of American art.
Average customer rating:
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The Sweet Side of Little Rock: A History of Candy Making in Arkansas
Del Schmand
Manufacturer: August House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Company Profiles
| Biography & History
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Production & Operations
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Arkansas
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0874835178 |
Average customer rating:
- A fun history of candy makers and candy-making history
|
Sweet!: The Delicious Story of Candy
Ann Love , and
Jane Drake
Manufacturer: Tundra Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Other
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Diet & Nutrition
| Health
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Cooking
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0887767524
Release Date: 2007-03-13 |
Book Description
Through time and across continents, stories of sweets and their inventors intrigue and entertain us. Learn about primal sweets — from honey, sweet milk, and nuts to sugar candy, chocolate, and “sweet” stories of success.
Sweet! The Delicious Story of Candy takes us through history from 4,000 B.C., when islanders in Papua New Guinea cut sugarcane for its sap, and 2,600 B.C., when the first-known beekeepers produced honey to embalm the dead, to 500 A.D., when the Chinese made pear and plum syrups from unripe fruit, and all the way through to the world’s first chocoholics and modern-day candy factories.
From cravings to the scoop on ice cream, Ann Love and Jane Drake present a comprehensive and irresistible story of candy through the ages, complemented by a detailed timeline and playful illustrations from artist Claudia Dávila.
Customer Reviews:
A fun history of candy makers and candy-making history.......2007-05-13
Ann Love and Jane Drake's SWEET! THE DELICIOUS STORY OF CANDY provides a fun history of candy makers and candy-making history, covering both world history and centuries of events to consider how candy evolved. From a map of popular sweets around the world and insights into the chemistry and attraction of chocolate to accounts of prehistoric beekeeping and the invention of caramel in Arabia, which was used as a hair remover, SWEET: THE DELICIOUS STORY OF CANDY will prove an inviting, compelling survey for grades 4-6.
Customer Reviews:
Don't leave home without it.......2000-10-20
This book goes with me everywhere. Many non-specialty auctions have a few paintings worthy of consideration. I find that Theran's book {& several of her other books: on prints,etc,} makes a difference in how I bid. I have definitely been pleased with the results.
Great intro sections, and an update will be welcome.......2000-02-15
The bulk of the books lists artists' names and price ranges listed by artist, high and low, with a sprinkling of short essays on particular artists. Even more fun and useful are the chapters in the begininng -- Where to Buy Art, Dealing with Dealers, How to Sell, Restoration. They're a neat overview of the problems, pitfalls, and strategies for navigating the art market.
out of date.......1999-09-07
While Theran's book has an excellent list of artists the price guide is way out of date and a new and updated edition is very definitely needed.
out of date.......1999-09-07
While Theran's book has an excellent list of artists the price guide is way out of date and a new and updated edition is very definitely needed.
A broad selection of Artists, scant information........1999-07-30
I found many artists, living that I knew. Many more that I did not know were there. The prices stunned me. One should seek this sort of guide before buying important art works, or art works they simply like. A wealth of information, more could only make it better.
Books:
- Sensational Pasta
- Should You Leave? A Psychiatrist Explores Intimacy and Autonomy -- and the Nature of Advice
- Smokin': Recipes for Smoking Ribs, Salmon, Chicken, Mozzarella, and More with Your Stovetop Smoker
- Square Meals
- Staying Dry: A Practical Guide to Bladder Control
- Staying Healthy With the Seasons
- Stress Management for Dummies
- Strong Women, Soft Hearts: A Woman's Guide to Cultivating a Wise Heart and a Passionate Life
- Sweet Maple: Life, Lore and Recipes from the Sugarbush
- The Art of Basketball: A Guide to Self-Improvement in the Fundamentals of the Game
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