This is a fantastic book, which I have read cover to cover. It covers Sauternes, its history, the 1855 rankings, the author's rankings based on quality of wine, and a large writeup for every Chautea of worth in the region explaining the history, the wine making methods, and good and bad vintages. This book is by far the best out there, and my professor at Purdue who taught a Wine Appreciation class (Dr. Richard Vine) told me it was the best in his opinion too. Of particular interest is the history of d'Yquem which the author painstakingly covers. He also devotes a huge chapter to the winemaking methods of Sauternes (by Sauternes, I mean Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Preignac, etc). He explains picking methods, chapitilzation (spelling?),etc. I almost always consult this book before making a Sauternes purchase. Disappointingly, I would say only about half the time is the vintage I'm looking at covered in the book. Also, he doesn't go much beyond 1994. However, this is still the best book you can get. You WON'T be disappointed.

Detailed information on the history of the Sauternes wine region and the various processes involved in the making of this sweet wine. Each cru classe is introduced before extensive notes on tastings from past memorable vintages up to the recent ones are presented. Yes, tasting notes on the 1988, 1989, and 1990 vintages are included. Chateau d'Yquem has an entire chapter devoted to it! A handy reference and a must-have for all Sauternes lovers!

Before, I would always wonder why Bordeaux wine is so expensive. Many had told me that it was, indeed, superior. I am glad that Stephen Brook took the time to explain in common language, all the factors that have made this wine region such a "hot-spot" for the wine industry.

This book is not only a look at this wine region and it's wines, but a must read for all who are interested in the power structure of Europe, especially France.

I originally intended to give this book to my uncle for his 65th birthday, but when I started leafing through it, I found myself completely drawn in. An incredible lineup of wine writers have contributed to this book, making for some truly fascinating reading on the history of wine. I kept a copy for myself, and bought another one for my uncle (who told me he much preferred it to the ties and golf paraphrenalia he received...!)

Book Review

Brook, Stephen. Claws of the Crab: Georgia and Armenia in Crisis. Sinclair-Stevenson, 1992.

This is another treasure of a book about the Caucasus that I unearthed from the bowels of the Wandsworth Public Library system in south London. Only one other person had borrowed it, back in September 1999 when I was working in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Reading this book, I discovered that Stephen Brook had got there before me when all the exciting stuff was happening at the start of the nineties. Independence from the Soviet Union, the overthrow of the tyrannical president Zviad Gamsakhurdia and the battles for Nagorno Karabakh - Brook was there or thereabouts. Studiedly sympathetic to the Armenians and guardedly admiring of the Georgians, Claws of the Crab is a rare eyewitness account of many of the events that made independent Georgia and Armenia what they are today. Suffice to say that there's been remarkably little change since the book's completion in 1992.

Outsiders perceive L.A. as a hellhole of endless sprawl, smog, and high crime, emblematic of the U.S. at its worst. Stephen Brook moved to L.A. long enough to really get to know the city and all of its complexity. He's a Brit, but never falls into the trap of arrogant Yank-bashing, as so many British travel writers do when they visit the U.S. It's refreshing that Brook is a writer who actually likes L.A., so we experience the city through the eyes of a British newcomer who enjoys being there and accents the positive where he can. However, Brook is not blind to the negative elements; he gives ample coverage to the gang problem, the abuses by LAPD, and Black-Korean friction. He discusses the perceived failure of the public school system, but also interviews teachers who have dedicated their careers to providing a quality education. Brook takes us through the various suburban communities, explaining how each has its own unique character. At the end of the book, I felt I understood the fabric of the city in a way no tourist does, and now I can't wait to re-visit L.A.

The action started in the first lines of the book and kept going to the end. Enen when it seemed there was a lull, something was simmering on the next page. Not until the end did I realize who, what and why. The story was very entertaining and the mystery was a well hidden secret that kept me on the "edge of my seat". Now, I want the next book!!

The newest anthology of Florida tales by the best of Flordia storytellers is a delight to read, not only entertaining but educational. There is humor in tales like Three Little Cracker Pigs, ghost stories like Ghost Dog of the Biltmore, personal stories like Three Little Words, Urban legends like the Silent Customer, pour quois tales like The Tale of Rabbit's Tail. What I like about reading anthologies is I get a taste of many authors and if I have only a few minutes, like waiting at a doctor's office or business, I can get an entire story read.These stories are so good you'll want to read them over and over, tell them in your own words to your children and grandchildren, or over coffee. Annette Bruce and Stephen Brooks, both storytellers have selected storytellers from Miami to the Panhandle. Every library should have a copy. Storytellers, media specialists and public speakers can make good use of stories from Sandspun. An added delight is the cover art of a Florida great white heron against mangrove swamp bordered by a Seminole Indian motif.

Wine People by Stephen Brook (contributing editor for Decanter magazine) is an impressive and informative collection of forty portraits of individual people who devote their professional lives to the many different nuances of wine production and consumption, from the wine creators and salesmen to critics and connoisseurs. Lush, full-page color photographs abound in this highly engaging account, written by a respected wine fancier for anyone who wants to know more about wine and the people who make it. Wine People is an appealing, fascinating, fact-filled book, and highly recommended for cultured wine devotees and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in learning more about the personalities and professions that comprise the wines and wineries of today!

The Wines of California, Stephen Brook, Faber and Faber, London, 1999, ISBN 0-571-19030-8. Paperback; 685 pages; $20.

Stephen Brook has been a freelance writer for many years specializing in wine and travel books. He won the André Simon Award in 1987 for Liquid Gold: Dessert Wines of the World, and has written several other excellent travel and wine books. He has been learning about and drinking California wines since the late 1970s, and finds that California wines appeal to him strongly for their generosity: "California wine regions routinely succeed in offering rich, full-bodied, fleshy, opulent wines that make an immediate sensory appeal." This is a generous book that beautifully expresses the "instantaneous pleasure" he finds in California wine.

Brook briefly summarizes the history of wine in California, relying gracefully on the works of Charles Sullivan. He has a short, but excellent, summary of the "rules of California wine", asserting that California as an independent country would be the world's fourth largest producer after Italy, France and Spain. (A telling comment: "By and large, California wineries are not keen to dupe the consumer, although the overall laxity of the regulations often makes it easy for an element of deception to creep in.") Brook devotes about a quarter of the book to the wine regions, a quarter to grapes and types of wines, and the balance to a "Gazetteer" of various producers throughout the state. Throughout he relies on personal relationships with hundreds of grape growers, wine makers, writers and wine lovers.

Brook emphasizes that: "There were no secrets, no mysteries, about wine. My questions, whether about viticulture or winemaking techniques, were readily answered." In a favorable review of the book published in "Decanter" recently, Gerald Asher emphasizes that "this willingness to share information has made it possible for Brook to track changes that amount to a U-turn in all things vinous in the state. When talking to growers elsewhere, I am often amazed to hear them make references to a California that no longer exists - they cannot imagine a place where change can be so rapid and so fundamental."

Brook is quite skeptical about the AVA system, but his summaries are clear and historically accurate. Similarly with his descriptions of the various types of wine; I found his section devoted to Zinfandel particularly enlightening. But the heart of the book is a series of short, elegant essays on hundreds of different wineries; there are no tasting notes to speak of, but he captures the styles of wines made by many of these wineries in quite a remarkable way. And he captures the history and the character of the wineries with conciseness and clarity.

For example, I have just finished reading Robert Mondavi's autobiography, Harvest of Joy, admittedly a book that could have benefited from tighter editing. Brook's four pages captured the essence of Mondavi's story with style and warmth.

It would be fun to quote dozens of these essays; here's part of one favorite just to give you the flavor of the whole: "Newton's vineyards are not open to the public, which is a great shame since these are arguably the most beautiful in all of California. Peter Newton's wife Su Hua is Chinese, and the terraced vineyards are reminiscent of Chinese landscape paintings, the whole effect enhanced with red-lacquer gateways, wooden pagodas, and other Chinese ornaments. ... Peter Newton told me that Su Hua is now the winemaker, even though she also pursues a separate career in San Francisco. It's perfectly conceivable that this immensely dynamic and talented woman does indeed make the wines. She has been a model, a scientist, designed much of the vineyard and winery buildings, and has formidable expertise as a wine marketer. There is a mysterious personage at Newton called Luc Morlet; he is the director of oenology, but I have never met him and don't know what he does. The team is completed by the consulting services of Michel Rolland, who only advises on his special subject: Merlot."

I can only agree with Gerald Asher that only a person who finds great pleasure in California wine could have "devoted himself to a study of this magnitude. I give it a 'thumbs up'." Highly recommended.

This is an excellent pictoral review of a lovely home recently built in the Wisconsin countryside. The book is full of great ideas for both interior and especially exterior architectural details. As an interior and architectural designer, I have stolen ideas extensively for a Scandinavian style home I am working on which is currently under construction. The house featured in the book is beautifully done, but not for those seeking a subtle take on the Swedish/Scandinavian home. Disneyesque could aptly describe the overall look and feel of the home. This is not to say it does not have a great charm, but it slams its design concepts home with no punches pulled. It is an American interpretation and distillation of Scandinavia.
There are a lot of great ideas for color and design for the built interiors, but I found the interior furnishings and accessories to be ameteurish and do not live up to the professional standard of the architecture that contains it. The furnishings are rather middle of the road contemporary country style and do not suit the carefully orchestrated design concepts of the architectural designer. For instance the sofas are large and clunky, and are upholstered in a bland fabric - none of which would ever been found in a house of this type of traditional Swedish home.
With that caveat I highly recommend the book to those who admire the Scandinavian style and especially to anyone planning to design and build a home in this style.

As a folk artist, I am interested in European interior design. My interest in Swedish design lies in the magnificient use of color. This book provided what I needed.

I'm fascinated with Carl Larsson's home, and have long wished to recreate that same feel in a modern home. Not being an architect or interior designer, I find it hard though to translate the essence of Carl Larsson and charming old-world Scandinavian design into modern details. This book shows it all. The magnificent home featured is packed with charm without being gaudy. It's also packed with ingeniously creative solutions to practical needs. Full of color photos, it's eye-candy worthy of coffee-table display, and yet is practical enough to be a workbook during the planning stage of a building/remodeling project. It's now my "Dream Home Bible".