As with the rest of the "Beautiful Cookbook" series, this is more than a cookbook full of wonderful recipes -- it is a book of wonderful pictures of food, of the stories behind the people and of the traditions of the culture.

I collect this series because:
a) The recipes are always incredible
b) The presentation is always unique & intriguing
c) The recipes are simple for beginning to intermediate cooks
d) The stories and information makes it more than just food, but an experience.

The only "watch-out" I give is that the recipes are authentic and on occasion I have found finding some of the ingredients very difficult. However, the book usually will suggest alternatives.

Not only does this book include excellent recipes, it is of coffee-table quality for its beautiful pictures and history of the southwest. Definitely try the tortilla soup, the stuffed pork roast, the fiesta shrimp, etc., etc., etc.

This was my first cookbook, and I loved it. I usually eat on the go, and I wanted to buy something for special occasions. Most cookbooks I saw seemed to be aimed at housewives or low-fat faddish consumers. When I saw this book, the huge pictures and great presentations convinced me to take it home, but the fun began when I began to use it. The glossary of ingredients at the end was very helpful for a beginner like me. I did my own variation of the Guacamole recipe and combined it with my own variation of the green salsa recipe for an office pot-luck. (I am a musician, I can't help but tinker with things). I even used the molcajete. (I think the variety of fresh vegetables combined with the non-blender approach really did it here). I never heard the end from everybody on how they loved the guacamole. (It was gone in about 10 minutes even though I made quite a bit). I also tried dishes I never had before, such as the jicama salad. That was great. Also, the smoked salmon enchiladas were awesome. I tried the chimichangas, but I think that was a little advanced for my level (especially since I tried to use tamale flour mix)....they did not hold together very well, although they were still delicious. I did better than most restaurants, and I've been to quite a few good ones. Too bad this book is out of print, and no, don't e-mail me 'cause I aint' selling it to ya.

From the time you get the book you realize this book was made by team members for team builders. The book has a lot of white space so you can scribble notes. This book was written so that a basic mind could comprehend the steps needed to build and manage sucessful teams. This is a keeper!

Clear, observative and Easy-going on the subject. It reflects the key guidelines of Team Management. Do not hesitate. Claro, observador y ameno en la temática. Retrata los puntos clave de la Gestión de Equipos. No lo dudes.

With all the dynamics that take place in a team based environment, this book has come to my aid on several occasions, it's the best tool I have in resolving complex team issues.

Pino is so refreshing, so much fun. His recipes have no quantities. Forget that, he says, be creative, abandon your inhibitions, trust yourself. A good Italian lesson in or out fo the kitchen! Although I'm an average cook, I find his recipes straight forward with ingredients organized in three columns--pantry, cold storage & fresh from the market. He chats away with you on little tips like how to make your bean salad ever stronger tasting, on episodes from his childhood, on the Tuscan way of life in the old days. With the polenta recipe you read about the "heartbreaking imagination" of the poor people who made endless varieties of polenta dishes for all three meals. He makes you laugh throughout the book with tales like his first kiss with his face among the stinging nettles--just before the grilled vegetable recipe. A full of life book! You'll have a good time cooking and soaking up the Tuscan culture around food and love. What else is there?

Margaret Cowan, author of Your Guide to 133 Decadent Cooking Holidays in Italy.

I bought 'Tuscan in the Kitchen' years ago and find myself turning to it continually. I have tried 99% of the recipies and find each one bursting with flavors not found in any local retaurant. Measurments for the ingredients are not given, leaving the recipe in the hands of the cook. This requires a bit of wisdom in cooking and inspires all sorts of improvisation. Not for the beginner! But worth the fun.

I went away for a year and left my books with my sister. This book was in her kitchen and it took me another year to get it back from her. The recipes are the finest and it was only when I lent it out and was told that there were no measurements that I became aware of it. Mr. Luongo instills in us the instinct to cook these dishes ... through his words, stories and pictures. The meals that I've made from this book are my kitchen regulars ... I can't wait for a nice cold day to make the "Stracotto" again. It is a leftover that I dream of all day long!!

I hardly ever read a college text straight through, but this book was so informative and lucidly written, I could scarcely put it down. I imagine "Volcanoes" is used as a freshman introductory course, as there is very little geological mumbo-jumbo about say, the differences between a reverse dip slip fault and a left lateral strike slip fault.

In fact, I wish I'd read this book first, before "The Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes" or "Perils of a Restless Planet." Its definitions are clear and easy to remember, and usually accompanied by a photograph or drawing. One of my favorites is a photograph of the San Andreas fault, which is a right lateral fault, "so called because for a person standing on either plate, the sense of motion on the opposite side is to the right."

Now, at least I understand the difference between left and right lateral faults. Dip slips and strike slips will have to wait for another book for geometrically-challenged folks like me---I can't just close my eyes and visualize a three dimensional object, unless prompted by very clear diagrams and text.

This book is an introduction to the geology of volcanoes (plate tectonics, the formation of mineral deposits, etc.), rather than a series of stories about dangerous volcanoes, although there is an appendix on "The World's 101 Most Notorious Volcanoes." One of my favorite chapters, "Volcanic Power" has little to do with volcanoes as we usually picture them, e.g. an erupting strato-volcano like Mt. Vesuvius. It is about geothermal energy, and why it might play an important role in our future:

"Even though geothermal power is still an infant and largely unproved industry, its potential makes it worth serious effort and investment. The U.S. Geological Survey in a recent assessment of potential geothermal energy resources in the fifty states to depths of 10 kilometers listed the following estimates: hydrothermal reservoirs, 12 x 10(to the 21st power) joules, or about 2 times the energy in the world's oil reserves; hot dry rock, 32 x 10(to the 24th power) joules, or about 6000 times the energy in the world's oil reserves; magma reservoirs, 4 x 10(to the 23rd power) joules, or about 80 times the energy in the world's oil reserves."

In light of recent history, perhaps we should be investing more research in our geothermal resources.

Read "Volcanoes" if you have any interest at all in geology. It would even make a good high school text, although it is a bit dated: my copy was published in 1981, but the only thing that struck me as out-of-date was a diagram of the Earth's crustal plates---the Juan de Fuca plate was labeled 'Gorda Plate,' although everything was pretty much in the right place. Just be sure to buy the revised and expanded version that was published in 1989.

This book presents fascinating yet complex information with commendable clarity. Not only is the writing excellent, but the diagrams add much to the exposition. For example, the diagram on page 88 ("Ring of Fire" chapter) clearly explains the relationship between severity of volcanism and earthquakes to the steepness of the angle at which a tectonic plate is subducted into the mantle. The book is sensibly organized into introductory material, chapters giving "autobiographies" of volcanoes and thus clarifying the multiplicity of volcanic and eruption types, chapters synthesizing this knowledge into generalization, and chapters explaining opportunities and risks associated with vulcanism (eruption dangers [carefully subdivided into discussion of nuées ardentes, lahars, and lava flows] potential of climatic change, likelihood of finding valuable ores, and the potential of geothermal power). Twenty-five superb color plates, in addition to the excellent diagrams, grace the book. Useful appendices include "World's 101 Most Notorious Volcanoes," web sites pertinent to volcanology, and a useful glossary (although the Icelandic term jökulhlaup [= "glacier outburst flood possibly triggered by volcanism"] is an omission I noted).
This book deserves the rare commendation of simultaneous suitability for a rigorous introductory course in volcanology and accessibility to the curious layperson with no formal geological training, such as myself.

When i bought this book, i thought previous reviews were all exagerated, but this book is truly amazing. Complexity put into good and understandable english. Any vulcanologist wannabe, like me, MUST have this. Nice one Rob & Barb.

First off, I entered my hometown wrong in my review of "A Walk across America" as Killeen, TX. My hometown is Hendersonville, TN and I am stationed in Killeen, TX. Anyway, just like I said in my first review, Peter and now Barbara both write in a way that you, the reader, are walking right beside them through the West. Peter and Barbara share with you walking in the Texas summer heat (something which I know about), the mountains in the west, and stepping into the Pacific as their adventure ended in 1979. A good book which like the first, I simply could not put down, once I started reading the book. I always wanted to know what adventure lied ahead on the next page or the next chapter. I would have to force myself to take a break from reading, the book was so good. I recommend for those with a thirst for adventure to purchase a copy of this book and also the book "A Walk Across America", and hopefully those who read both books will agree with me.

THE WALK WEST continues the journey of Peter and Barbara Jenkins that began in the book A WALK ACROSS AMERICA. The book is a delight to read. Peter Jenkins is an excellent writer. His descriptions of people and places are so vivid that he is able to capture the essence of a person, place, or event in a few short, almost poetic words without any drivel. Barbara is quite a different writer, but the ancedotes she shares throughout the book enhance the story, filling in details that help one better understand a situation, person, or event.

Reading about their journey reminded me of how great America truly is. We live in a great nation, the most blessed on the Earth and we are surrounded by goodness. However, just as the Jenkins were faced with some life-harrowing events (the voodoo lady, the crazy maniacs in Colorado, the drunk driver in Utah), so are we all. The world is a wonderful place, but evil still exists and admist all the good there is always a token of evil that threatens and menaces until it either destroys or is destroyed itself. Also, when I reflected upon the hardships the Jenkins endured on their long walk it helped remind me of how blessed my life is. Blessings surround us, but most of the time we are blind to them.

My parents introduced me to the Jenkins' journey and I am so grateful they did. The walk across America captures an essence of what the United States is and in doing so, reflects upon each of our own lives. After all, we are all on a journey and because of that "the circle is never broken".

One of my all-time favorites. Hard to put down.

I am a professional personnel who dove head first into being a stay at home mom - who misses the professional world, but knows she is in the right place w/kids right now, home - it can be a shocker. Even with all of the stay at home mom stress, it's worth it to me to make $0 and stay home with our kids. The biggest lesson I've learned these past 4 years is to take care of your mind, body and spirit (self-esteem). This book shows others (even non-moms) how they can regain balance in their lives by determining what they love to do and shifting their professional gears to a more fulfilling position. Excellent read!

Glaser and Smalley are among the most influential of current business scholars because they think so clearly and write so well while discussing the most important issues. Perhaps you have already read their Swim with the Dolphins. If not, you are urged to do so. In this book, they focus on an especially timely subject: The importance of "soul" in the equation for "success." In recent years, I have examined the results of more than 30 "employee satisfaction" surveys and was surprised, frankly, by what were rated the highest attributes: feeling appreciated, being treated with respect, believing in the value of the work to be done, enjoying the work to be done, and trusting the organization by which one is employed. What about compensation? Depending upon the individual survey, it was ranked anywhere from ninth to thirteen in importance. For those who participated in the surveys and probably for most other workers, money is never enough and seldom most important. The authors ask all of the right questions but, to their credit, resist the temptation to advocate any ":right answers." That responsibility they entrust to each reader. Although this is another of recently published books which have a gender-specific frame-of-reference, almost everything the authors share can also be of substantial value to men...not only to understand much better their mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, business associates, etc. but, more to the point, to understand themselves much better.

Connie Glaser is right on target. All who have not read her book, When Money Isn't Enough, get it. She shares with us reality today. It is tough. The time pressures and family pressures are a reality. Nobody outlines the current environment and the choices better than Connie Glaser in this very special book. It is command reading for everyone, woman and man alike. Give it to your colleagues and discuss the challenges. Glaser makes us stop and reflect on choices we all have. Congratulations to Connie Glaser and all of us will be helped with the right balance we choose. Her work advances our own thinking.

This book is simply a treasure. The story is about a boy and his bear and their blankie, who have an adventure on a dark, stormy night when they help their forest friends build a storm shelter. The rhyming text is very smooth and soothing...it actually slows down my 16-month old and 4 year old! And the illustrations are without a doubt BEAUTIFUL!! This book is requested every night and I'm more than glad to narrate!

The illustrations and storyline are captivating. My children ages 2 & 3 can't get enough of this one. I don't even mind reading this over and over again! We own a large childrens library and this is at the top of our "favorites list".

When I was a little boy, my big sister gave me an exquisitely illustrated book about a mother bunny who was called upon to deliver a special Easter gift to a dying child living in a remote mountain cabin.

I received the book about 50 years ago, and to this day I vividly recall the highly detailed illustrations and, because of them, I recall the gist of the book as well. I loved that book. And I found myself reading it once in a while until I was nearing my teens. It was just a beautiful book with a beautiful message about courage, altruism, and the responsibility we humans need to have for one another.

I kept the book, and passed it on to my little daughter. She, in turn, has read it repeatedly to my grandchildren.

Barbara Upton has the artistic genius needed to make a book into an heirloom. I don't know that Klickitat will rise to that level, but it might, because the book is very attractive and highly readable. If it fails to become a family treasure, it would be only because the language in the poem would not appeal to children beyond maybe 7 or so (my youngest grandchildren are 8, and they object to the word "blankie" in the poem, for example.) I think a book earns a special place in a person's heart when the book's message says something to "kids" of all ages, in language that does not turn off older children.

I hope a quality book publisher hires Upton to illustrate a real book, with a story line that will appeal both to tykes who can't yet read, and to kids who learned to read years ago, yet pick up the book from time to time simply because its message is still relevant, the language is not obviously geared to toddlers, and the illustrations are appealing unto themselves. All these elements make a mere book into a family treasure.

As I said, Upton has the gift to produce works of art that children will want to carry into their adult lives. I think Klickitat will pass down for a few generations. And I think competent book publishers will recognize Upton's genius for beautiful art, and turn her loose on a big project like my treasured Easter story. Let's hope so, anyway.

If they do, I'll be one of the first in line to buy it.

Glenn Troester, Editor & Publisher Meeker Herald & Rangely Times Meeker Colorado

I am a widower whose high school sweetheart became my wife of almost fifty years and who died four years ago. I know what grief is and what grief can do.

AfterLoss will help and explain to all who are suffering the pain and grief of losing a loved one, and are seeking answers to the many questions, feelings and sensations caused by their loss.

The author of AfterLoss, Barbara LesStrang has endured the many mind numbing and physical effects caused by her own losses and conquered them.

This book not only tells her story, it also tells the stories of twenty two others who have fought and won the grief battle thrust upon them.

The Afterloss book is exceptional. In my estimation it stands above the rest of the grief recovery products in many ways. The personal and intimate sharing of Barbara's experiences and the real life stories of the other people make this a very real book. Mrs. LesStrang has managed to talk and share a subject that has been taboo for a long time with ease, comfort and knowledge. This book provides some excellent guidance and reassurance to those who are grieving. As a Funeral Director I do not hesitate to offer or suggest this book to all my families. Thank you Mrs. LesStrang!!

Barbara LesStrang brings a unique honesty and sensitivity to those in grief. The integrety with which she shares her own grief experience bridges the gap between our good intentions to encourage hurting people, and the effective ministry that provides credible support in time of loss. This author understands the grieving heart. She speaks its language. Her messsage comes as a breath of fresh air to an intimidating but unavoidable facet of the human experience. When we don't know what to say we usually send flowers. When we don't know what to say we can trust this book to say it for us. It is a bouquet that lasts for a lifetime.

This book is wonderful. It was what kinda got me started into the research of Chinese characters and such. Until I read this book I never knew how beautiful and interesting and deep the chinese character is. The stories and describtions just captivate you. The in depth design of every single character and the story behind it is very interesting and fascinating. Though not as long as I would have hoped, I reccomend it.

If you only have the time and patience to learn forty Chinese characters in your lifetime, you should learn the ones in this book. Concepts such as "spirit", "benevolence", "harmony", "loyalty", and "wisdom" characterize so much of traditional Chinese thought and culture. The authors illustrate each of these characters with beautiful brush and ink calligraphy on rice paper background. There is a short explanation accompanying each character telling why it is written just so. For example the strokes making up the character "love" show us that the word means "breathing into the heart with a gracious motion". The character "enlightenment" shows the two components "sun" and "moon" which together light the world. Students who wish to practise writing these characters can follow the useful stroke order guide next to the explanations. This is a beautiful gift for the student or scholar, or just for those who appreciate Chinese culture.

This beautifully designed book is a little gem. There is a clear breadth of understanding of Chinese culture and language. The text is eloquent and if you are learning to write Chinese characters, the stroke-by-stroke instructions make it seem easy and less intimidating.

1999 Intermediate/Novice Bridge Book of the Year. Each convention is clearly and concisely explained and how it fits into a standard bidding system. Learn how and when to use each and know what your opponents are doing.

This is an excellent book for all bridge players, except perhaps for the complete novice. I own about 25 bridge books, and this is the one that I find myself going back to over and over. It's clear, up-to-date, easy to follow, and has just the right level of detail. The examples are very helpful. It covers Jacoby, weak 2 bids, takeout and negative doubles, as well as more sophisticated stuff.

I have read a number of books on bidding, and had read about many of the conventions in the book before, but never really felt I could use them. This book does a GREAT job of explaining some of the most important conventions in simple terms.