Samuel Chamberlain's ineffaceable black & white photographic images of New England landscapes and interiors are vividly captured in this book. This book serves more or less as a summary of over fifty years of Chamberlain's efforts and works published in numerous books, which are now highly sought after. Many of his best photographs are represented in this single volume. I consider this to be the best book of photographs taken on New England because it represents the spirit and essence of the land and the people who inhabited this region of America through the first half of the twentieth century.

I highly recommend this book because if you are unacquainted with Samuel Chamberlain and his work this book will give you insight and appreciation for his legacy as one of America's greatest photographer artists. This book stands as a compendium to works on his best known subject, New England. Samuel Chamberlain was one of America's preeminent photographers during the early and mid 20th Century. He is conspicuously and sadly forgotten today. I use the word conspicuously because if you every see his photographs as originally published he no doubt would have left you intrigued and impressed by the richness of the work. It is amazing how his black & white photographs could actually capture the colors of the New England foliage. One can feel the sun shining through autumn colored leaves. I think his greatest passion and love was the rural New England setting. I was recently very pleased to see "The New England Image" back in print and on the bookshelves. The first printing, which was bound and printed by Conzett & Huber, Zurich, Switzerland, 1962 is one of Samuel Chamberlain's best-known and most popular books. Discover or re-discover Samuel Chamberlain with "The New England Image."

Samuel Chamberlain was one of America's preeminent photographers during the early and mid 20th Century. He is conspicuously and sadly forgotten today. I use the word conspicuously because if you every see his work as originally published he no doubt would leave you intrigued. That's putting it mildly. I think his greatest passion and love was the rural New England setting. It is amazing how his black & white photographs could actually capture the colors of the New England foliage. One can feel the sun shining through autumn colored leaves. I find that remarkable and that is what has intrigued me and has sent me on a never-ending quest to locate copies of his originally published books. If you do become intrigued, you must locate copies circa the time of the original date of publication. I am not an expert on printing techniques and papers, but I do know that his original works were usually printed on a bright white matte finish paper, which reproduced the photographs as close to photograph paper as was possible. When you see photographs in a newspaper, they look as though they are made up from a series of dots, which they are. I believe what you are seeing is a sample of the dpi or dots per square inch. With more dots per square inch definition and tonal qualities are increased. With Chamberlain's original publications, one does not see any dots. The photographs are vibrant and have to be seen in person to be appreciated. I have seen one of his old titles back in print recently, "The New England Image." I own a first printing, which was bound and printed by Conzett & Huber, Zurich, Switzerland, 1962. Actually this is one of Samuel Chamberlain's best-known books. The first printing is a work of vitality and art. The new edition is so poorly printed that it makes the photographs look entirely undistinguishable from the originals. The latest printing of "The New England Image" in fact makes Chamberlain's photographs look very mundane, commonplace and "undistinguished." As an extension of his New England subjects, which were often composites of nature and typical historical and uniquely New England structures, he also turned his lens to Colonial American architecture and interiors. Actually, that was another hallmark of Samuel Chamberlain. Later in his life he did some shooting in color. You can find a quantity of his color work in books on Cape Cod circa 1968. I do recommend this book because if you are unacquainted with Chamberlain will possibly gain some appreciation for his work. Again modern printing techniques do not do justice especially for black & white photography the more that I think about it. I think the main thrust of technology today is the perfection of color reproduction. How unfortunate that is for Samuel Chamberlain and for future generations.

Excellent entertainment, but you can easily read it in one sitting!

More a recipe book than a memoir.

Great traditional french recipes.

If you've been reading heavy, deep, take-themselves-way-too-seriously type books lately this might be just the ticket if you want to take a break. It's a fast read and if you enjoy reading recipes/cookbooks then you'll love this.

The entire second half of the book is a cookbook and every recipe looks great! I can't wait to try a few.

My only complaint is the use of French was a little tough for a non-French speaking person. I don't mind a word here and there but there were whole sentences and/or paragraphs occasionally. There was no translation so at times I felt a little left out. I completely understand why the author did this and since I like to also read books that use lots of Spanish (a language I do speak a bit of) I know if you speak French you'll love the book all the more for it.

If you love cooking, eating and want to read about some really lovely people then don't let the French thing stop you. Just don't be surprised.

The gastronomic diary of an American family in France, and of their most treasured possession, Clementine, their extraordinary cook who accompanies them to Marblehead, Massachusetts on the eve of World War II where she struggles with the American way of cooking while managing to retain her very French sensibilities

Sam Chamberlain was in the Mexican War and painted some interesting small glimpses of life & death. Reading his book is almost like listening to a veteran who seems to have been everywhere and done everything (especially with women). Sam Chamberlain relates deaths of soldiers to Mexican guerrillas and duty in the occupation but more often than not, Sam Chamberlain proclaims preposterous pick-ups with a host of women. The reader almost senses the author is bragging to fellow high schoolers in a locker room or to anyone who will listen in a bar, hence the title of the book is fitting "My Confessions: Recollections of a Rogue". This book would probably be disregarded as pure fantasy if it were not or the fact that sometimes he does detail military and daily life senarios which are proved by others.

Sam Camberlain was a 16 year old private from Boston who served in the elite 1st US Dragoons in Mexico and gives vivid descriptions and paintings of Saltillo, Monterrey, and Northern Mexico. For those interested the Mexican War, this is a "must read" book and has been used by historians as a primary source for years, but his paintings are also a treat for the scholar as photography was in its infancy during this period and lithographs were often made using the artist's imagination. Camberlain captures many scenes which have escaped photographers and those who made lithographs, including the massacre of Mexican civilians by Arkansas troops in a cave in Northern Mexico. Although he was not at the savage fighting during the capture of Monterrey, his flavorful paintings of aspects of the fighting were based on accounts he said he heard from those who were there.

Truth or Tall Tale? Read this book and you be the judge.

Read 'My Confession' for a first hand account of the War with Mexico, as well as an eyewitness report on the notorious Glanton party. This is one of the most controverisal stories in American and Mexican history, and the discovery of these papers in the 1950s brought out an event that was otherwise best 'swept under the rug' of history. Cormac McCarthy pointed a spotlight on this whole affair when he wrote Blood Meridian, and fans of McCarthy may want to read this to confirm that he wasn't making everything up in Blood Meridian:The Evening Redness in the West. The basic storyline of The Kid, Glanton and the Judge's scalp hunt as set forth in 'Blood Meridian' is related here by the man who lived thru it all, General Samuel Chamberlin. I for one was disturbed to find the Judge among the cast of real characters, I couldn't imagine that such a horrible figure actually existed. Read the book to find out what really happened to Glanton, the kid, as well as 'the judge'. And keep your powder very dry.