"Public Lives, Private Passions" answers questions such as Do relationships with people in the public eye differ from any other? Does the pressure of constant public attention influence the relationship? Susan Mitchell answers these questions by interviewing nine women whose partners have been influential in a variety of fields. They are Gabi Hollows, Eileen Bond, Jerry Rogers, Ann Hollingworth, Betty Churcher, Cherryl Barassi, Rosemary Tipiloura, Helen Gibson and Patrice Newell. These Australian women reveal their struggles with success and failure, confidence and doubt, and how they have learned to celebrate their sense of self.

This is a super introduction to the habit-forming, varied cuisine of New Mexico! The recipes are tested in the Cooking School, so you can be sure that they are workable. Since I have attended three classes at the school, it is with confidence that I recommend this book. The recipe for New Mexican Green Chile and Cabbage Soup with Sausage alone is worth the price! There is a good list of sources for Southwestern ingredients in the back. My only criticism is that I find the layout of the index to be confusing.

Well I wish it weren't so, but this book is probably the last collection of essays by Henry Mitchell. It was compiled posthumously by his wife and contains the essays he did not include in his two books THE ESSENTIAL EARTHMAN and ONE MAN'S GARDEN. Although one might assume these essays are inferior, they are not, they are simply the ones he wrote after he published his two books which were collections of his essays to that point.

As Allen Lacy says in the introduction, "For a couple of decades, the luckiest gardeners in the nation were those who subscribed to the Washington Post and ...on Thursday...could turn to Henry Mitchell's "Earthman" column. I can remember a rival column at the time, written by Jack Eden, and while Eden would be spraying for insects and dumping tons of fertilizer on his lawn, Mitchell dug up his lawn and turned it into garden.

The essays are arranged by season--a collection of random writings that appeared in monthly columns in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His writing is warm, witty, and a joy to read on a cold winter day or in the middle of summer sitting on the patio with a tall glass of lemonade.

He covers a variety of plants, grown in his own yard from those solid citizens--roses, peonies and irises--to the esoteric banana trees in pots and lilies in his horse trough pond. In one essay on plants that make their own elbow room, he writes of Agaves in pots that simply crack the sides when the pots become too small, the lotus that eventually sends tubers far beyond the tub, and the water lily that ran a hole in the side of the tank and escaped.

The book is lovingly illustrated by Susan Davis to whom he dedicated the book, and Allen Lacey has written a very nice introduction. Mr. Mitchell died in the early 1990s but his essays are as fresh and wonderful today as they were the day he wrote them. I love his books and wish I had originally bought them all in hard cover as I have read them over and over.

This book, the third collection of gardening essays from the late Henry Mitchell, again demonstrates why he was so respected. If there were ever a garden author you would expect to find holding forth over a beer at a neighborhood bar, daring anyone to start an argument with him, it would be Henry Mitchell. A man of strong opinions on almost everything to do with gardening and life in general, his commentary is always trenchant and pithy.

Although it is still an excellent read, this collection does not reach the heights of the first two from the same author. Mitchell's first collection ('The Essential Earthman') was long out of print but is now available again. His second collection ('One Man's Garden') is also available. I'd recommend anyone not familiar with Mitchell's writing to read one of those before diving into this book, but only because they are so good, not because this one is bad.

As with his other books, there is a lot of practical advice crammed into these pages, especially for city gardeners. Non-city dwellers may sometimes find the urbanocentric view disconcerting, but never uninteresting.

If you are looking for a "how-to" book or a step-by-step guide, this isn't it. But if you want a book that gives you the "feel' of gardening, this one's for you.

I was compelled to comment, as I noticed one reviewer felt that the book had no merit whatsoever. I would disagree completely. Mitchell's book is a wonderful and relaxing read and can be quite informative, if in a offhand sort of way.

The only bad thing about the book is my envy. Mitchell had so many more options in his zone 7 garden in DC, than my zone 4 in Minneaopolis. Regardless, it's a very nice read in the evenings.

I agree with the other reviewer. While this is a lovely book, it was not what I was expecting or hoping for. I found it lacking in illustrations.

I am starting a catering business and I was looking for a book which was focused on presenting foods on the buffet table. This book did include several helpful photographs but the book had too many receipes and not enough helpful hints on presentation.

Arranging Food Beautifully is an interesting book but not what I expected. I had hoped to learn tips on presentation and view actual table settings however the content contains more recipes than tips. The recipes are great, and the few photos that are included are helpful, but I would classify this more as a cookbook than a table setting book.