Yeah, I know. No one's holding a gun to my head. But Henry's book is a classic.

I'm a longtime crook, er, cook, and I found that the thoroughness and thought behind these recipes elevated it into the small realms of "best cookbooks I've ever read."

Yeah, I know. From some "rat fork" like Henry. But it's good, really, really good.

He goes through a money-laundry list of typical Bronx-Italian recipes--all the standards, like Sunday Gravy, ziti, pizza, even the infamous scungilli--each one embellished with some anecdote of his life on the run. From supreme wealth and access to the finest authentic ingredients on his home criminal turf to the handful of homogenized American choices from Middle America while penniless on the run. And they're all forkin' good!

Christ, his handlers even get addicted to Henry's cooking, and I can see why: every recipe I made with this book--and I've been around the world a few times--was a hit.

Nothing criminal about that.

Joe Dogs, watch your back.

When you grow up with an Italian mom who cooks dishes that nobody else has ever heard of you wonder if you are the only person that has tasted such amazing dishes. Well I don't wonder anymore. The recipes are wonderful. I grew up cooking most of the dishes written about in this book and must say Henry's recipes taste just like "mom's" - in fact just a bit better.... I think this book is extremely well written not only for the "advanced" cook but also for the "novice" cook as I bought a copy for my son and he now uses it to prepare dinner for his family. If you want to cook real "Italian" food - this is your book.

This is one of the 3 cookbooks that have changed what I eat and the way I cook. Henry Hill has some excellent classic recipes and adds his own little twists to each recipe. Having lived away from major cities myself for some time, I especially could relate to his struggles to find the right ingredients. His mob stories are amusing too.

I read the book cover to cover because it is kind of in a story form. Hill will tell a few stories about a particular place he lived and then give recipes for the food he ate there. I highly recommend this cookbook. It is a must have.

This book is a must-have for teachers, administrators and parents of the gifted. The diversity of articles includes all the hot topics of gifted education written by some of the best known experts in the field. This book is especially good for the serious reader who has some background in the field. It should be on every gifted educator's bookshelf.

This is my favorite opera guide and general reference. It contains brief biographies of the composers, detailed but not overly long synopsis of the plot, given act by act, a brief overview of the performance history, a critical appraisal of the opera itself, and a very thoughtful discography demonstrating excellent musical taste. The work is presented alphabetically by composer, and chronologically by work for each composer. The writing style is clear, advanced but not pedantic, and should be accessible to beginners as well as to opera buffs. As if this weren't enough, there are historic photographs of key performances throughout the years.

The vision of opera is open-minded and broad. Porgy and Bess is here. So is Gilbert and Sullivan. When an opera exists in different manuscript versions, such as Verdi's Don Carlo or Simon Boccanegra, all variations are discussed.

Since opera is somewhat expensive to collect, listeners will want to have some guidance as to which recordings to purchase. Here the Viking Guide is particularly good. Many of the suggested recordings are selected by Alan Blyth, author of Opera on Record and Opera on CD (both very highly recommended, by the way), as well as long time reviewer for Gramophone magazine. I don't always rank recordings exactly as Blyth does, but I find his taste to be the most reliable of any of the critics whom I follow.

This volume was originally published in 1993, but is now very hard to find. The publishers have printed an abridged version under the Penguin Guide series. I understand they are also coming out with a CD-ROM version of the full Viking Guide. I can safely recommend both these alternative versions as well as my trusty hardcover version.

There are other valuable opera guides. The series published by Norton of the Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera and to Opera Plots is excellent. But for a single volume reference work, nothing surpasses the Viking Guide. Amanda Holden and her team have done a splendid job.

Very highly recommended.

This book gives a good idea of what it is like for people to have this all on their shoulders. It seems that my dad isn't the only one that has a few problems raising kids. I think reading it made him feel a little less alone.

The book is easy reading and provides some easy techniques to keep children happy. I found some of the information useful but common knowledge. It's a good beginning for any single father.

This book is insightful and full of accounts of valuable life experiences. At times hilarious and thought provoking, sad and uplifting, I would recommend it as a reference book for such educational courses presented in high school or college as Child Growth and Development, Marriage and Family Living, and any parenting course.

Amazon sent me this by mistake. What I really wanted was the NEW Penguin Opera Guide, which is vastly superior with twice as many pages and higher quality paper with lots of B&W photographs. It also weighs a ton compared to this lightweight. Make sure you get the new edition, unless you want something lightweight to take with you to the opera. What is here, however, is fine, just not nearly as complete as the new edition.

Let's put it simple. If it is not in Viking, you have to do quite specialized research to find it.

This book collects issues 7 - 10 and 4 of Todd McFarlane's short-lived Crow series. McFarlane bought the rights to the Crow, but the comic was cancelled after issue 10, because nobody really liked it. Jon J Muth does have a writing talent, unfortunately somebody made the mistake of trying to continue Eric Draven's story, rather than beginning anew.

If you decide to buy this book, do so only for the art, and not for the storyline. It's a shame, considering the vast talents McFarlane has at his disposal