I got this book as a freebie when I worked in publishing, and after ten years using it I'd be glad to go back in time and pay full price.

Clear, well-directed photography shows you exactly what to do and what your ingredients should look like. The focus is on methods and techniques, not recipes, though there are some recipes too. The skills described range from boiling an egg to making the most sophisticated souffle, so there is useful information for really plain cooking to fancy gastronomie and everything in between.

The only area this book falls short on is the nitty-gritty basics like how to measure flour or bake a potato or calculate how many tablespoons in a quart. For that, get yourself a copy of the Joy of Cooking (1962, 1963, 1964 or 1975 edition much better than modern "improvements"). With these two you'll have virtually all the info on how to cook (aside from specific ethnic cooking techniques), and can focus on collecting recipes to your liking.

I bought this book when a friend recomended it to me. I used this book for everything dealing with cooking and baking and have been for a long time now. My brother-in-law came to me last week and asked me if I could recomend a good over-all cookbook and I didn't have to think twice. La Varenne Pratique is the only way to go. It covers everything dealing with techniques, cooking methods and general information on practically all foods. I also had the chance to go to France and work with Anne in her cooking school at the Chateau du Fey. It was by far the best experience that I ever had in the cooking field. Bon Appetit!

If faced with having only one cookbook, this would be it. I have seen no better reference for finding not only the answers to the simple day-to-day questions, but also, the answers to those wierd questions questions that crop up from time to time.

I believe that this book is the perfect book for the beginning cook with step-by-step instructions for making omeletts, peeling shrimp, chopping onions, etc...

I also believe that this is the perfect book for even the most experienced cooks as it demonstrates complex techniques in very straight-forward, illustrated terms. Topics like making aspics, pastries, cleaning monkfish, piping chocolate decorations...

This is the book I go back to time and time again. Pretty enough to be on the coffee table as long as your living room is close to the kitchen!

The glory of the Imperial Guard resounds above all others in the annals of war. Created, built and nurtured as a bodyguard for Napoleon, it grew from a brigade of fewer than two thousand men into a virtual army, and became 'a human fortress which no one but [Napoleon] could dominate and no enemy could penetrate'. And, on such battlefields as Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, Wagram and Waterloo, it won the laurels of undying fame. Written by France's foremost historian of the Napoleonic Wars, Commandant Henry Lachouque, and translated and adapted by Anne S. K. Brown, this sumptuous work is enhanced by over 180 illustrations, including 86 plates in full colour. This new printing from the second, revised edition of Lachouque's masterwork will be especially welcomed by students of Napoleonic history. The plates alone are uniquely valuable as a source of uniform colours and style, and the text provides the definitive history of an elite body of men. With its vivid narrative and lavish illustrations, The Anatomy of Glory can lay justifiable claim to be one of the most magnificent books on military history ever published. The critical acclaim that greeted it upon its first publication provides ample testimony to its reputation. The Anatomy of Glory is both informative and entertaining: a work of unquestionable quality - termed a masterpiece by Elting - and a monumental contribution to Napoleonic literature.

I concur with the supportive opinions expressed here that this book, The Anatomy of Glory by Commandant LaChouque, et al, is the ultimate reference material for serious students of the History of the Imperial Guard.

I first came upon this wonderful book as a Senior at the University of Minnesota in 1984. My senior thesis was a study of Anglo-French Diplomacy during the Napoleonic period, and I find this book to be a wonderful source of information, not only information concerning the History of the Guard, but also more generalized history of the period itself.

This book, as stated, has a fabulous collection of artwork from the Anne Brown Collection at Brown U., and also does a wonderful job getting down to the nitty gritty concerning the Marshals, the Campaigns, the Politics of the Period, etc. Commandant LaChouque leaves no stone unturned in this hugely successful documentary on the Era.

The fact that this book centers the majority of its attention on Napoleon's Guard specifically is especially attractive to me since even now with the advent of the Internet it's still a bit of a tooth pull to get so complete an analysis of the history of one of the most courageous, loyal and dedicated organizations of professional soldiers the world has ever seen...La Garde Imperiale! These hardcore heroes richly deserve to be remembered, and this book does their memory ultimate honor.

The day I lost my original copy of this book was a sad one, and I'm very pleased I have now had, thanks to Amazon.Com, the opportunity to get a replacement. I most highly recommend this book for any gung-ho student of Napoleonic History...Vive L'Empereur!

I first saw this book and read it in high school. Since then, it has been an indispensable part of my Napoleonic library. It is full of information unobtainable eslewhere in English. The superb illustrations, from the Anne S.K. Brown Collection at Brown University, greatly enhance the presentation, Mrs Brown also being the translator. The book traces the Guard from its inception during the Revolution, its emergence as the Guard of the Consuls, and into its final evolution in 1804 as the Imperial Guard. The personalities who populate it are a truly talented and colorful group, from Pere Roguet, to Napoleon himself. The book almost appears as a personal narrative of the author, Commandant Lachouque, and while he has been accused of being somewhat biased, his references used for the book itself are impeccable. That the book has already stood the test of time is a virtue in itself. The new Introduction to the latest edition is by Col John Elting the noted suthority on the Napoleonic period, and new information on the Guard was discovered by him for this introduction. It not only enhances the Guard's formidable combat reputation, but the book itself. This book is a must for every Napoleonic enthusiast.

Thank's Mary Anne. Your book "French Toast..." is a very interesting book and a manual about emotional life. I would read your e-mail (or speak with you, from your e-mail). Thank's. I have understand very much about me, now. I want your rewiew about "my review" in this web page. I'm spanish woman. I'm living near Madrid. (sima_gabe@hotmail.com)

Thank's Mary Anne. Your book "French Toast..." is a very interesting book and a manual about emotional life. I would read your e-mail (or speak with you, from your e-mail). Thank's. I have understand very much about me, now. I want your rewiew about "my review" in this web page. I'm spanish woman. I'm living near Madrid.(sima_gabe@hotmail.com)

I have done extensive reading of books in the field of eating disorders and I have never read one as good as this one. Ms. Cohen's writing style is clarity itself. She helps you to tailor make a solution for your own particular eating problem. She does not preach a single, magic solution that will automatically work for everyone. "Each person's eating disorder is as unique as a fingerprint," she says at one point. She is compassionate and recounts marvellous stories from her extensive experience in the field of eating disorders to help readers gain insights into their own individual problem. She helps you become friends with food rather than treating food as the enemy. I give the highest recommendation to this book.

The standard edition of this work in the US, and a lively one. Jean-Anthelme de Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) is known for this book and for pithy maxims like "Adam and Eve sold themselves for an apple. What would they have done for a truffled fowl?" (That of course in the days when the truffles that most people heard of were real ones, not chocolate candies that look like them; and also when the real ones were much more plentiful and less expensive.) Memorable are the wonderful anecdotes of the kindly old priest and his "austere" meatless menu ("The Curé's Omelet," with "theoretical notes" afterwards) and of Brillat's scheme at a country inn to enhance a humble dish. This wide-ranging book established its author as an original and knowledgeable voice in French food writing, to be compared with Carême and Grimod de la Reynière.

Brillat-Savarin, among other roles, was the basis of Marcell Rouff's _The Passionate Epicure,_ a fictional book gently combining food and sex (naturally, as a friend of mine remarked, since it's French), which was widely read in English when the translation appeared in 1962. Marcella Hazan and (I believe) Julia Child cited it in their cookbooks. In his preface to the 1962 Rouff, Lawrence Durrell (himself a fashionable author at that time) explained that many in the Brillat-Savarin family "died at the dinner table, fork in hand" and that Brillat's sister Pierrette, two months before her hundredth birthday, spoke at table what are to food fanatics easily the most famous last words ever: "Vite! Apportez-moi le dessert -- je sens que je vais passer!"

Fisher's translation and notes are a lively part of this edition of Brillat-Savarin (happily reprinted recently). Some booksellers offer newer editions by different English translators; I don't know why. This semi-scholarly translation and editing, executed in France during the post-war period described in her autobiographical _Two Towns in Provence,_ was the work that established Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher among US gastronomic writers. Her later status as Official Food Celebrity encouraged journalists to cite her automatically (whether they had read her work or not), but at least this time, publicity and merit coincide.

Physiology Of Taste is an unabridged photomechnical reproduction of a classic 1925 edition and should be on the shelves of any serious and dedicated gourmet cook. Physiology Of Taste provides a timeless discussion of French food and cooking written in 1825 by a master at both culinary insight and writing. Whimsical reflection mixes with serious food insights in a most satisfying manner.

I noticed that the exact same 2 reviews are listed for both MFK Fisher's translation and the Penguin Classics edition. Let me say that I own both, and MFK Fisher's is by FAR the better one. It expresses Savarin's personality so well in English. Even though I am not a fan of her writing in general she is a first-rate translator of French! She captures the humor and poetry and makes it much more the book so many have read and loved. I've tried but I just don't enjoy the colder, more academic Penguin version. I am grateful to MFK Fisher for bringing this document to new life.

Collage is an art - or craft - form that is becoming very popular today, permitting as it does a great diversity of materials, treatments and subject matter. This is an ideas book for those who are interested in the craft. The authors treat collage in a wide sense, using paper, fabrics, stone, string, metal, wood and in fact anything handy as backgrounds and media. The ideas can be applied to clothing and to the decoration of the home, and the lively work illustrated - from a variety of artists - is sure to spark off new ideas in the reader. Brian French is an artist; his wife, Ann Butler, an embroiderer, and both are teachers too.

This book explores the different uses that collage can have not only in art but in everyday life- the pictures alone make it a fascinating non-academic work, with ideas to explore in greater depth if wished. Most highly recommended.

Brian French has here expanded on his previous book, 'Principles Of Collage', by coauthoring this book which takes collage ideas into the real world and examines how collage, pattern, shape and space is part of our everyday life. There are great illustrations from art works but also from everyday homes, showing how a little artistic innovation can transform any object or place

Ann Delbee's nonfiction treasure introduces us to one of the most compelling personalities of recent history. Camille Claudel was, in trite terms that fail miserably to serve her, a contemporary, colleague, and lover of the famed sculptor Auguste Rodin. Not merely a biography, but an unabashed dissection of the life, loves, and works of a true Renaissance woman, this biographical masterpiece illuminates every nuance of an extremely complex persona. Detail and development are so extensive that it is difficult to remind oneself that this is not AUTOBIOGRAPHY. We are thrust into the midst of the stormy relationship between Claudel and Rodin and learn of her influence on the great artist's life and work. At the same time we reflect on Claudel's own place in the art world of her time. The artist paints a vivid portrait of Camille's home and family life, particularly the special bond she shared with her brother, the poet Paul Claudel. Delbee succeeds with splendor in developing an understanding of Camille's unique positon as a woman in her society. Ultimately, Camille Claudel rises from these pages both triumphant and tragic.

This is a book that I wish I had not read and yet it is one of the best books I have ever read. Camille Claudel's soul found it's path into mine and I felt all the hate towards August Rodin that she was incapable of because of her love for him and breathtaking passion for her own and his work. In a lot of ways this book resembles "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" in revealing how a human spirit will not bend....

I highly recommend this set of CD's. They provide an excellent way of increasing your comprehension and speaking skills. I listened to them for hours while driving in my car which presented a wonderful opportunity to increase my comprehension and speaking skills greatly. The conversations are organized around relevant practical situations with French speakers of varying accents. Each conversation is followed by oral practice drills based on varying grammatical issues and important practical phrases. I really think that those who devised this course did a truly outstanding job. If you drive frequently these CD's provide a particularly good opportunity to learn French.

I am a teacher (not of French obviously!) but I studied four years of it in high school and college French and never really learned how to speak much. I have searched for and tried many intermediate level "how to" sets for French and this set is the best I have found so far.

It has about 16 lessons with a dialogue of 3-4 minutes and then 10-15 minutes of various drills. The book does not "teach" grammar, it assumes that you know about 2-3 years of high school French. The dialogues seem faily up to date and interesting. For me, this set was at just the right level. Others always seemed to be for beginners or way too advanced. I know there is a big market for this beyond-beginner, but not too advanced level, but few book/audio sets are there.

One of the BEST features is that it is on CDs rather than cassettes. This is a BIG plus. Often, when I want to go back, I just want to hear all the dialogues again, or just do all the drills again. With CDs, you get right to the place you want to be. ALL language sets should be this format. Wake up, all you publishers out there!

The only thing this set should do differently is to create a little more space in the drills and have more of them that are just a bit easier. Most students just need more, more, more practice speaking, speaking, and speaking.

This is a wonderful resource for anyone teaching French at the elementary school level. It has the obvious Eiffel Towers and Monet on the Japanese Bridge, but also has the Gauls, La Fete des Rois and Guignol. My only complaint is that the explanations are not ON the page - the coloring part is great for K-2, but older kids could benefit by being able to read the descriptions of the illustrations.

This coloring book has great pictures to help children learn about French culture - including holidays, French money, French food and shopping, and also includes a simple and attractive map of France and a world map illustrating where French is spoken. In the back of the book are brief but informative explanations of each of the coloring pages. I think it is appropriate for kids aged 5 - 12, esepcially those interested in France.

The hardcover version of this book deserves more than five stars. It is the most enjoyable and rewarding book of baby photographs that it has been my pleasure to view and hug. I vastly prefer it to the paperback version.

The book has lots of modestly done baby nudity, and a little partial adult female nudity that is totally tame and artistic.

One of the pleasures of this book is that the images are HUGE! In some cases (such as with preemies), the babies are almost life size. The reproduction quality and paper are outstanding, so you can almost feel like you are present with these sleeping, mewling, cuddling, delightful little creatures!

I recently reviewed Ms. Geddes's Black-and-White: Photofolio. Until Now overcomes the limitations that I found in that wonderful work. There are many more images here (113), the size and reproduction are better here, and Ms. Geddes has provided interesting notes about the origins of each photograph.

The book begins with a nice quotation from Pablo Casals about the potential that is represented by each new life. The images connect the babies to nature (appearing as part of fruits and vegetables, masquerading as insects and animals, and overwhelmed with flowers) and to other babies and people. Many of the images also play with the thought that babies are angelic. Beyond that, there is a strong message of the connection that all humans have with one another.

If you are like me, you won't fall in love with all of these photographs. Sometimes sleeping babies aren't exactly the right models for the compositions Ms. Geddes has designed. On the other hand, sleeping babies are perfect in many images here, such as the baby lying upside down on a woman's abdomen.

But almost all of the images of babies and children who are awake are amazingly good. How does she do it?

A few of the images where the babies are extremely small seemed a bit contrived to me, but they are technically very well done.

My only complaint about the book is that a few of the images on two pages are marred by the center crease, and should have been reproduced differently.

Here are some of my many favorites in this volume:

Zac & Georgina 1991; Woodland Fairy 1995; Phillip & Arin 1993; Eddie with Scott & Sean 1993; Cabbage Kids 1991; Caleb (head version) 1997; India 1992; C.J. 1996; Ruby 1994; Zac 1992; Rebecca 1991; Christopher 1995; Four Angels 1996; Peony Angel 1995; Trent & Joel 1992; Aleesha & Jessie 1992; Crocodile Tears 1990; Linda & Ben 1994; Aunty Biddy's Face 1996; Boys & Doves 1993; Kieran & Abigail as Angels; and Jim, Flora & Pearl.

I also suggest that you think about how you could create your own imaginative versions of these images with your own children and grandchildren. Imagine what a great gift of enhanced self-image that could be for the child in the future. Rather than wanting to hide her or his baby picture (like those nude shots on the rug), the child can draw upon the photograph as a source of self-image and strength.

Evoke the potential of all those around you!

I recieved this book as a gift. I love children, I believe they are our greatest asset, so does Anne Geddes. The natural poses, the ability to catch innocence at its best is amazing. My teenagers loved the book and so did their older grandparents. The pictures will stir a number of emotions from tears to smiles. It brought back many memories of my children as infants. This book is an outstanding investment for someone you love or anyone one who loves children.

Anne Geddes continues to amaze with these wonderful photographs of babies. What is it about her that she is able to capture the beauty and innocence of children. It truly makes me understand that as a parent we have an awesome responsibility to nuture our children. I loved the range of photos including the black & white, and it was wonderful to see the mix of ethnic races. I did not find the nudity at all a problem - it was at all times tasteful and only served to reflect the wonders of the human body and our ability to create another precious life. Anne keep on inspiring us.

This is definitely the book to study to get started on the road to reading books in French. The French history section is an account of successive rulers of France, and is very informative. All the 4 short stories by French authors are very interesting. The sidebar in this section, with the translation of difficult words is particularly useful. The dialog section is fairly easy, not very useful for any serious reading, but serves as a good refresher.

A graded reader for beginners. The vocabulary and (especially) the verb forms are strictly controlled. This makes it a good way to start noticing agreements, prepositions, and so on without running into a lot of unfamiliar grammar. The readings are fairly interesting too!

One of the best NTC lnguage books.

Whether you are studying French in a formal course or learning at home with CDs, this book is a GREAT resource for learning to read French. It is made up of three parts: a clever dialogue section to get you warmed up, then some interesting (really!)readings in French history, finally ending with French literature (slightly simplified & with a few translations in the margins). A person beginning French from ground zero, with no more than basic (subtitled French movie) knowledge, will find him/herself reading and understanding pages and pages of French after a few nights' read. Amazing! I'm ready to move on to France Soir or Le Figaro -- with the help of a decent dictionary bien sur!