From Catharine Beecher To Martha Stewart: A Cultural History Of Domestic Advice by historian Sara A. Leavitt is a thoughtful and informative overview of the history of domestic advice, gleaned from research into hundreds of manuals written throughout the past 150 years. Cultural themes, the broad appeal of domestic advice across the decades in spite of radical changes in women's rights and roles in America, and the connection between women's homes, and the world outsides the home, mark From Catharine Beecher To Martha Stewart as a fascinating, accessible, insightful, scholarly treatise. Especially recommended for personal and Women's Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections, From Catharine Beecher To Martha Stewart is also available in hardcover (0807827029).

Wonderful reference tool for helping us do-it-our-selfers in the quest for easy, yet stylish decorating projects for the home. Having recently moved to a new home and feeling the desire for a change in my decor without spending a bundle, I purchased several decorating idea books for guidance. After going through all the books I must say....."THE NEW HOME DECORATOR" is the absolute best! It is packed full of over 100 uncomplicated projects with beautiful photographs that walk you through each stage as you transform everyday objects and outdated rooms into stunning revitalized treasures. The book is divided into six different chapters according to different rooms of your house. I personally favor the chapter on bedrooms....the "pistachio-shell border" is so easy and fun, but really the whole books is easy and fun. I highly reccomend this book to everyone and now all my friends are heeding my advice and either coming over and burying their nose in it all the time for ideas or begging to borrow it. But it's the only book I own that I'm not willing to lend out.....honestly I cringe at the thought of a friend or neighbor beating me to the punch on an idea or project from the book. Even if readers aren't interested in the actual projects themselves, the photos are so inspiring and innovative that their own creative genius will begin flowing and any decorating dilemnas or stalemates on ideas they were faced with will be passe. I don't think it has seen a bookshelf yet! 5 STARS for decorating enthusiasts!

This book was distributed in the first set of poise-charm classes that I took at Gayfers department store in Montgomery, Alabama at age 12. Through weekly drills, we covered topics such as walking on a runway, making regular poise-pivot turns and Dutch boys, climbing stairs, doing introductions, maintaining good posture, and sitting properly, among others. In the end, we had a fashion show at the mall, and membership in the Jr. Gayfer Girl Club was extended to us, along with seasonal store discounts at 10%. This was the summer of 1983 when "Calvins" still meant almost everything and many girls in my class said that Tom Selleck was their favorite actor; it was before anyone had ever heard of a concept such as the "supermodel." By this I mean that few if any of us in the class had an idea of who Gia Carangi was or what she represented at the time. As I recall, Stewart's book covers numerous questions: How to set a table? How to make introductions? What to do when you lose your best friend or boyfriend- the kinds of relationships that are at best "iffy" from the start? (And this is where I first learned that word, along with a few others, for overall, Stewart addresses her young audience with the grace of Miss Manners and does not condescend to it by watering down her language). How to handle it when you are the target of gossip? She offers a party lexicon, consisting of varieties such as the "come as you are party." She addresses the importance of sending a "bread and butter" note after visiting someone. There are even, I think, a few recipes. And there's a section for filling in your family tree inside the front cover. We never engaged this book directly in our course, but this was reading that I complemented by poring over illustrated sections on "social graces" in one of the old and very thick dictionaries in our house, which seemed to cover just about everything. I was disappointed that in a later charm course I took at age 14, the official book was one from Seventeen magazine and more focused on makeup instead of the development of social skills along the lines of Stewart's book. I even read and referred to her book many times throughout my early teen years. I finally passed my much loved copy on to the preteen little sister of my boyfriend when I was 17, for I was tutoring her in math at the time. In retrospect, this is a book that part of me wishes I'd held on to as a keepsake, for only hindsight has allowed me to understand fully the difference that it helped to make in my social, emotional and personal development and maturation. In general, exposure to a text with that kind of orientation at an early age also introduced me to and gave me a deep love and appreciation for the "how to" genre, and to this day, as an adult working as a university professor and moonlighting as an artist, I regularly mix "how to" books into the range of selections that I read. This book may have also put me on the road to cultivating a love for books in the self-help genre, though I don't always have a lot of time to read these kinds of selections. The world has changed a lot since this book's first publication date, and with all the complex issues youth often face in and beyond school settings these days, it may well come across to some as dated and old-fashioned. But I think that there is a timeless quality about it that would make it work for any time.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook was entertaining to read cover to cover. It was easy to read in an hour, and I often caught myself mentally planning to use several recipes and ideas. The side notes are very helpful in making the recipes successful and simple. Most recipes were ones that I would use for special family events and for entertaining. The best cookbook that I've read that includes detailed descriptions in parenthesis with the ingredients listed in the recipe. I enjoyed the forward by Martha Stewart and the intro from Ina Garten. The photos were vivid and personable. The sources are listed for specialty foods also. If you like to cook simple specialty dishes for family or friends, this is a cookbook to read and use. Ina Garten's book is not just your ordinary cookbook.

Before I found The Barefoot Contessa I hated cooking. Even after building a new home with a large, beautiful, functional kitchen, I wasn't interested. In fact my oven didn't get used for the first two months. Then a friend recommended Ms. Garten's book and I liked it because it looked pretty on my countertop. Since the day I opened it, my husband says I'm a changed woman.

My first attempt at a recipe was Parker's Split Pea soup, which is as delicious as my mother's (sorry, mom) and sooooo simple. If you can use a knife to chop veggies you're 90% there. The Rosemary Whitebean soup (use FRESH rosemary or don't even bother) enticed my neighbor to ask about the aromas she could smell from her yard. I then moved on to recipes that required more focus but are easily followed like Filet of Beef Bourginon (my husband's all-time favorite) and Swordfish with Tomato and Capers with Parmesan Smashed Potatoes served at a dinner party for eight (something I never would have even considered a year ago) where a guest inquired about whom I used for a caterer! Overall, extremely well written and simple to navigate your way through each recipe. Ina's side column notes are helpful personal touches, like why to use Kosher salt instead of table salt. (I had never even heard of such a thing...) The biggest rewards are hearing guests rave about MY cooking and, of course, enjoying the incredible food in my newly-discovered kitchen.

I can't say enough about this wonderfully illustrated, masterfully written cookbook. Before I got married, I didn't cook at all. After our wedding, my husband and I entertained quite a bit and always chose recipes that left me stressed when my quests arrived. Then I found The Barefoot Contessa and fell in love. The recipes are easy and delicious. I've tried about 20 of the recipes so far and have loved all of them. Be sure to use fresh ingredients - and the best quality you can afford - it really make a difference! The quantities are very large, so watch out if you're just cooking for the family - you may need to size down the recipe. Some of my favorites are the brownies, pecan bars, meat loaf, hummus, sun-dried tomato dip and the banana crunch muffins. Don't pass this one up - it's the only cookbook in my collection that gets used every week!

I haven't used this book much at all. Books by Joseph Garcia-Prats and Dana Wechsler Linden were much more helpful.

I am both a physician and a mother of a son who arrived 11 weeks early. This book has helped in every facet of my premature parenthood from breastfeeding (or, in my case, my ongoing attempts) to just feeling I was not the only preemie parent out there. In addition, the explanations of the various medical problems premature babies may face are excellent. Truly, a book that every premature parent would benefit from having.

Our son was born at 26 weeks (3 months early) and was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) until one day past his due date. We were given this book after he'd been there one month. Let me tell you what a life-saver it was! We had been given a "crash course" in the care delivered to a premature infant... very scary stuff. Wires, machines, noise, drugs -- and in the middle of it all this unbelievably tiny human being who is your child. This book took much of the fear away and instead educated us. Preemies don't stop being preemies when they come home! This book gives the technical data in an easy to understand format that is not condescending and also focuses on the emotional as well as physical needs of the baby. Additionally, it gives contacts and information on potential problems, how to spot them early, and how to handle them. There is also a good referal list in the back. I would recommend this book not only to preemie parents, but to anyone in contact with a preemie and their family. PS. As of this writing, our son is one year old and doing great!

This book provides a good background for the subject of woodland management for both timber and enjoyment, blending the two subjects well. It does not provide much in the way of specifics, as the subject is too broad, and often recommends professional help rather than suggesting ways of helping yourself (i.e. further reading).

This book is a basic introduction to woodlot management with a focus on the forest ecosystem, basic valuation metrics for trees, reforestation, and conservation.

The major difference between this title and the Beattie, Thompson, Levine text is that the latter devotes substantially more space to financial, legal, and logistical issues associated with harvesting trees. Conservationists will probably prefer this book while the reader focused on income from his or her woodlot will prefer Beattie et al.

Neither text goes very far helping the reader identify specific health problems in a woodlot; look more to Pirone et al. for an excellent introduction.

Excellent source of information. It is one of a few books of its kind - well worth the investment. The author(s) did an outstanding job of telling the whole story. Everything I wanted to know was available to me in this book. I'm ready to manage!

well researched book good biography. hope to see more detailed book on the same subject. craigavon should also be researched to see his important part in the crisus

A.T.Q. Stewart established his well deserved reputation as an objective, erudite scholar with this small book. Unlike many academic historians however,he also writes well. He treats his subject not as a sounding board for a trendy, modern "ism", but instead as an objective event in the past. He examines not only what happened, but why it happened. This volume examines the rise of Ulster Loyalist resistance to Irish Nationalist "Home Rule", which the Northern Irish Loyalists rightly saw as the short road to independence for Ireland from the Empire. Their threatened armed "rebellion" against the British government so as to (ironically) achieve their aim of remaining British, ultimately set in motion the events of 1916 and later 1968/69, which sadly continue up to this very evening. Stewart treats his subject dispassionatly and with great insight and detail. At the same time Stewart describes events almost as a jounalist would have done. One can almost see the gun runners unloading the rifles off the docks in the darkness from his narration. Ultimately, he also describes how the participants faired. The nascent U.V.F. marched off to meet their doom on the Somme. The peaceful Nationalists were ultimately politically outflanked by Sinn Fein who revolted in 1916, a mere six weeks before their counterparts went over the top in Flanders. The British Officers who threatened to resign at Curragh Barracks rather than enforce what they saw as an unpatriotic law, lost not only their lives but their world. In short, if you are interested in this aspect of British history, this is a book well worth having.

Marthat Stewart in herself is an interesting woman. She must have strong leadership to get where she is at. And honestly I was hoping to read more about her leadership capabilities, how she organizes her days in some depth and some of the obstacles she had to arise from. I did learn about her upbringing, all her successful steps and how she buys this and decorates and entertains that. It was good reading, but I was hungry for more and did not feel the price tag was worth it.

Anyone would be insane to rate this book below five stars. One of the best reads of the year. Meachum has brilliantly tapped into the enigma that is the life of Martha Stewart. If you have kids, buy this book for them. Heck, buy one for yourself as well. You shan't regret it.

Oh boy, I can't wait to read this book! And that's not just because I helped do the research for it (well, I Xeroxed an article and mailed it to the talented and lovely author, that is.) It's extremely well-written and Virgina Meachum has utterly mastered the difference between passive and active voice (I helped with that, too.) But seriously, it's an insightful and awesome book.

To be honest, what made me order this title was its very enticing cover design - it begged to be read.

Though I enjoyed the book, I wasn't AS intrigued by it as I was by, let's say "The Hills of Tuscany" (F. Mate), or "Under the Tuscan Sun" (F. Mayes). In a way it seemed that "Driving Over Lemons" stayed one-dimensional.

Sure, Chris Stewart describes the hardships he and his wife Ana encountered when starting their lives in this run-down farm house named El Valero, he also throws in a good sense of humor, but in my opinion the book lacks a certain local color - something both above-mentioned books on Tuscany offer in abundance... Mate and Mayes couldn't have written their books about France that way. With Chris Stewart's book I wouldn't be so sure... Not much uniquely Spanish in it.

However, it is an entertaining read, if simply for the theme itself: Couple starts a whole new, different life in a foreign country - be it Spain, or another (Mediterranean) place...

If you're not looking for something uniquely Spanish, go for it. You won't regret!

This was a warm, spirited, pleasing book to read. Although, Driving Over Lemons will not indoctrinate the reader into all things Spanish, nonetheless we learn a good deal about Andulucia as seen through Chris Stewart's eyes. I picked up this book because I was intrigued by Stewart's life. I am glad he chose to share it with the public. The book details a rich "neighborhood" of "characters" that really belong in a good fiction book. Eccentric ex-pat English ladies, a Dutch farming-family, scheming sheep dealers and of course, the local hero, Domingo. While some people are only dealt with briefly, others beome the focal point for important events in the Stewart's life. Unlike some authors who spend a year somewhere, and then write an omninscient account of their time, Stewart is going nowhere. Having sunk his life savings into his Spanish farm, Stewart is forced to learn (but not always accept) local ways and customs as he carves out a life with his ever-capable wife Anna, and later, their baby Chloe. So, if you are looking for some good, escapist non-fiction, this book is for you. It is the perfect book to toss in your bag as you embark on vacation.

This book has been huge in the UK - top ten for the past six months - and no wonder. It is such a great tale: Chris Stewart, one time drummer of Genesis (he left at age 17) sinks his all (the grand sum of $35,000) into a peasant farm in Andalucia. It has no runing water, no electricity, and gets cut off altogether when the river is in flood. Oh, and it turns out that the man who sells him the farm has no plans to move out himself. But as the subtitle says, Chris is an optimist, big time, and that carries him through, along with a little realism from his wife Ana, and local wiles from Domingo, the best neighbor you could hope to find. The book gains its strength from the fact that Stewart has no money and needs to work (as a sheep shearer), bringing real and often very comic insights into the local life - something I found lacking in the Mayle/Mayes Provence/Tuscany bestsellers. But like those books, this is a perfect holiday read - and a book that makes you yearn to follow the Stewarts' lead, and head for a simpler life in the sun.

Designing Women by Margaret Russell is, simply put, the best book on interior design that I have ever read. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. It is informative and extremely well-written.

In addition to being a useful summary of current design trends,this book is simply one of the most beautiful interior design volumes produced in years.

We compliment Margaret Russell for her good taste and her clear, presentation, refreshingly uncluttered by hyperbole.

When it comes to design books, the bridge between aspirational and practical is hard to cross because it usually doesn't exist. This book not only showcases great ideas, but sources them. It is inspirational (especially for women) in that you feel empowered to create a room of your own. It is beautifully photographed and well-written; each brilliant corner seems attainable. I loved the sources in the back, which lead readers on a variety of paths. Unlike other design books, this is luscious and useful at the same time. I highly recommend Margaret Russell's interpretation and explanation of how modern women live.