In this colorful book, kids will delight in the tale of the pure, if someone what unlikely, friendship that develops between an old, lonely man and the house-trained flea he purchases from a petshop ("teeny tiny litter tray" and everything). The classic theme of friendships that break the usual mold is revitalized in this story by Mary Elizabeth Hanson with quirky and emotion-filled illustrations by David Webber Merrell.

While the old man is enjoying taking his tiny little friend to the movies, the beach and even a whale-watching cruise, the ever-skepital townspeople begin to whisper among themselves. "He's knotted his noodle." It's true that they mean well, but it seems that the townspeople would feel a bit more comfortable if they could actually see the pal the old man is chatting with.

This is a fun, fun book with a strong message about friendship that your kids will want you to read over and over. You'll gladly oblige.

Amazon is making a serious mistake in classifying this marvelous book a children's book. I will be 70 on my next birthday, and I fell in love with this book and bought it (full price) while visiting Taos, NM. I plan to share it with my grown children. The charm of this book lies in the inseperability of its wacky tale and fabulous illustrations. I predict that this combination of Mary Elizabeth Hanson and David Webber Merrell will take its place alongside Lewis Carroll and Sir John Tenniel.

The title of this "little gem of a story" is what captured my interest, but the illustrations by David Webber Merrell stole my heart. Gentle lessons and laugh out loud illustrations are a wonderful combination to this feel good picture book. A lonely old man finds friendship and companionship in a most unlikley pet...and she is a lovely shade of purple with a saucy yellow bow on her head. This is one story you will want to read to yourself after you have read it to the children or grandchilden.

I love this book. It has recipes from all over Europe. This book is very large containing about 300+ recipes. Broken down into 14 different sections this book is likely to have just what you are looking for. Each section has several different areas of recipes. For example the vegetable section is broken down into hot soups, cold soups, stews, fried and roast vegetables, boiled, stuffed, salads, mushrooms, olive snd olive oil dishes, seaweed. She takes her time with each recipe stating where it comes from, the approximate year, and sometimes additional hints and tips on the recipes.
This book is wonderful because you get to learn a bit about each culture, sometimes what they ate with a particular recipes, or when it was served. It is also nice because many of the dishes are inexpensive to prepare and make great quanities. Perfect if you are cooking for a good deal of people. While this book is currently not in print, I would urge anyone looking for recipes from the Old World to take a chance on this book.

Elisabeth Luard has written a captivating book. If you read cookbooks for pleasure, this book is simply a must-have. Ms. Luard takes both a scholarly and a very practical approach to the subject. She describes in detail the development of peasant cooking, and each recipe is prefaced with an interesting aside or personal story. Reading this book, you will learn how a foie gras is judged while still in the duck, how a pig filled a winter larder and how to choose a perfect earthenware dish for Romanian Tocana de pui (chicken pot roast).

As a practical cookbook, it is wonderful. Each recipe is clear, concise and easy to follow. Ms. Luard gives suggestions for compatible side dishes and wine, as well as what to do with leftovers. (Did I mention most recipes are meant to serve 6 or more strapping farmers?) Each recipe is followed with suggested substitions, which comes in handy when you do not have sorrel or you don't care for prunes. More than 300 recipes are included, and they come from all over Europe, from Iceland east to Scandinavia, and south to Italy, not skipping a country in between. The book is divided into sections by ingredients, which I find extremely useful. The sections are: vegetable dishes; potato dishes; corner cupboard dishes (beans and grains); pasta, noodles and dough-based dishes; barnyard and dairy; fish and food from the sea; poultry; small game; pork; shepard's meats; beef, reindeer and grilled meats; bread and pastry dishes; sweet dishes; and the rustic kitchen. The last section is a great resource on herbs, mushrooms, oils and cheeses, and how to preserve meats.

There isn't space enough to tell you how great this book is. This is, without a doubt, my all-time favorite cookbook.

I like to read history, cookbooks, and about other cultures. Because of these interests, The Old World Kitchen is my cup of tea. The recipes are examples of peasant cooking in different countries and regions. There are lots of stews and soups. I never dreamed there were so many ways to cook potatoes. Having read most of them, it appears that they can be duplicated in western kitchens. The introductions at the beginning of each recipe are informative and interesting. The directions are clear and concise. They begin by telling what equipment you will need and what would be handy. At the end are suggestions about what can be substituted for recipe ingredients. These recipes are not diet food, but then peasants worked too hard to need to be on diets.

I have made almost every muffin recipe in this book and every one was a hit with many guests over several years! If you buy only one muffin book, this should be it!

I absolutely LOVE this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys baking. The great variety of recipes turn out perfectly every time. I especially love the recipes for muffins with a surprise inside. If you want a book that will please you every time you use it, and you WILL use it often, then buy this book.

I was given this book as a gift the year it was published, and I use it more than any other cookbook I own. The offerings range from smoked turkey muffins (excellent as an hors doeurves in miniature) to our all-time favorite, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Also includes excellent basic muffin baking information. Highly recommended.

The New Interpreter's Bible is a twelve-volume series, updating the popular Interpreter's Bible from a few decades ago. There are several key features common to all of the volumes of this series. First, each includes a two-column, double translation of the Biblical text (NIV - New International Version, and NRSV - New Revised Standard Version) arranged by topical unit or story. Then, they provide commentaries that look at the passages as a whole, as well as verse-by-verse. Third, interesting Reflection pieces that relate the passages to each other, to history, and to current concerns occur at the conclusion of each passage. Fourth, introductory articles for each book are provided that discuss transmission, historical background, cultural setting, literary concerns, and current scholarship. Finally, there are general articles about the Bible, each Testament, and various types of literature (Narrative, Gospel, Wisdom Literature, etc.) are provided to give general placement and knowledge about the text overall.

The list of contributors, editors, and consultants on the project is a veritable Who's Who of biblical and theological scholarship, representing all major traditions and schools of thought liberal and conservative. Leander Keck, of the Yale Divinity School, is the primary editor of the series.

The volumes were published individually, and can be purchased individually, which is a good thing, given that they are a bit... But for any serious biblical scholar, preacher, student, or enthusiast, they are invaluable.

--Volume VII--

The seventh volume of the New Interpreter's Bible is the volume that introduces the Apocalytic tradition in the Hebrew Scriptures. After an introductory essay concerning Apocalyptic Literature, the volume continues with the books of the major prophet Daniel, the apocryphal additions of Daniel, and the so-called twelve Minor Prophets, and so concludes the Hebrew Scripture/Old Testament section of the series.

In his introductory general article on Apocalyptic Literature, Frederick Murphy of the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, looks at the ideas behind Apocalyptic and Revelation traditions. There is more than one strand of tradition in such thinking, and Murphy approaches the task by looking at origins, commonalities, and the differences contained in the writings, both canonical and extracanonical. Murphy devotes some time to looking at texts beyond the scope of the NIB (those writings, such as the Enoch literature and the Apocalypse of Abraham, which didn't even achieve apocryphal status) to create a broader worldview for the context of biblical Apocalyptic literature.

Each of the books is addressed by a different scholar, each providing commentary and reflection material giving insight into historical interpretation as well as new directions for each of the Minor Prophetic works. Perhaps the best known of the Minor Prophets is Jonah, commentary for which is provided by Phyllis Trible of Union Theological Seminary in New York. Trible writes, 'The book of Jonah does not disclose its purpose, and speculation has not secured it. This uncertainty matches the meager knowledge about its origin, date, composition, genre, and setting. Nonetheless, the book offers an abundance of literary treasures, theological complexities, and hermeneutical possibilities.'

The additions to Daniel are called apocryphal because their status is not canonically clear within the Christian tradition. They are not contained in the official canon of the Hebrew scripture, and so Protestant tradition has tended to leave the books out of the Old Testament. However, these texts were included in the Septuagint, the primary Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures in the ancient world, and so the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches consider the texts canonical.

High praise goes to the general editorial staff for working with such strong authors/scholars, that their work fits together well as part of this set while retaining their individual characteristics (much like the writers of the Bible itself!).

--Other volumes available--

The following is a list of each volume in this twelve-volume set, and the contents of each.

Volume I: General Articles on the Bible; General Articles on the Old Testament; Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus

Volume II: Numbers; Deuteronomy; Introduction to Narrative Literature; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; I & II Samuel

Volume III: I & II Kings; I & II Chronicles; Ezra, Nehemiah; Esther; Additions to Esther; Tobit; Judith

Volume IV: I & II Maccabees; Introduction to Hebrew Poetry; Job; Psalms

Volume V: Introduction to Wisdom Literature; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs; Book of Wisdom; Sirach

Volume VI: Introduction to Prophetic Literature; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Baruch; Letter of Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel

Volume VII: Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature; Daniel; Additions to Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Johan; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi

Volume VIII: General Articles on the New Testament; Matthew; Mark

Volume IX: Luke; John

Volume X: Acts; Introduction to Epistolary Literature; Romans, I Corinthians

Volume XI: II Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; I & II Thessalonians; I & II Timothy; Titus; Philemon

Volume XII: Hebrews; James; I & II Peter; I, II & III John; Jude; Revelation

Most people understand that the study of Scripture is an enormous task; and that there is a considerable theological heritage to even the most benign of passages. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to translate that understanding into a willingness to genuinely delve into the vast pool of material out there. In addition, it's hard to know who to trust.

You can trust the New Interpreter's Bible series. All of the scholars who contributed are the best in their field. In addition, the layout (which includes two complete translations - the NIV and the NRSV) is conducive to both scholarly and spiritual study of the texts.

Each text is broken down into discret units (i.e. the Tower of Babel) followed by general commentary on the passage, verse by vers analysis of key issues, and then an overview of study questions. The commentators address issues of authorship, historical setting, translation, theological history, and personal application. In addition, they graciously point to excellent sources for further reading.

Speaking as a pastor, it is my strong opinion that every English-speaking Christian who is serious about Bible study should own the complete set.

I can't believe that no one has written an online review of this book yet! The NIB is the best Bible commentary written. If you are serious about scholarly study of the Bible, you need to buy the entire series. It is expensive to buy 12 volumes at $60-70 each, even if you save 30% through amazon.com like I did ;). In that case, check with your church or library. As a fall-back try Harper's or Jerome's for single volume commentaries. If at all possible, buy the NIB. Forget the earlier version of the IB.

The NIB is the definitive standard for serious Bible scholarship.

I found the book lovely, restful, funny, and full of wonderful tips. Elizabeth, her family and her community really come to life on the pages. I very much enjoyed this book.

Having met Elizabeth Coblentz a number of years ago, I was thrilled to buy a copy of her book. There are terrific photos and the recipes are fabulous. Would make a great permanent addition to anyones cookbook collection!

What a courageous woman Bess Corey was to go into the unkown territory of mostly crude men and make a home for herself. She didn't let anyone take advantage of her, yet she was sweet. She was an honest, humorous, hardworking woman. This book kept my interest from beginning to end. The only disappointment was that she didn't write more letters! This would be a great book for anyone who wants to really understand how America was built.

I came across this book purely by accident in the library, and since the title sounded interesting, I decided to check it out just to see what the letters were like. I was expecting dry letters written by a hardened woman. Boy, was I wrong -- I love Bess! She's so funny, and her letters back home are wonderfully descriptive. At 21, she left Iowa to stake a claim in South Dakota. I'm only about a third of the way through the book right now, and she's living alone in a tiny 2-room house on her claim, getting up at 5 to walk two miles through the snow to the schoolhouse where she teaches. At night, she writes these letters home, describing her day in great detail. This book is a treasure. I'm ordering a copy for my home library right now. :-)

This is a beautifully written book, and very readable. Having read a lot about the history of the period I already knew how fiercely the widow Custer guarded her husband's reputation and how much she did to enhance it. Unlike many female authors might do, however, Leckie does not judge Libby by modern standards, but puts her in the context of her time. She also touches on the possibility that remaining Autie's widow may have been far more liberating for her, in her times, than it would have been to become Mrs. Someone else. During her husband's lifetime she lived in his shadow, but after his death she was able to use that connection to become an author and lecturer in her own right. She also left an estate valued at over $300,000, after her husband had managed only to put them into debt. Having read her memoirs like Boots and Saddles and Tenting on the Plains, it was clear that Mrs.Custer never gave much insite into her true feelings. Nothing seemed to upset her except a criticism of her husband. Inspite of this, though, Leckie does manage to make her into a real person. I found her epilogue truly moving, and I came away with an understanding of an historical character, whom up to this point, I hadn't much cared for.

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Sometimes, it's not how good you are, but how good your P.R. is that determines your reputation. And in the case of the (in)famous U.S. cavalry commander George Armstrong Custer, the P.R. was definitely good. Immediately after Custer's death (along with 200+ of his troops in what was, and arguably still is, the worst battle loss ever suffered by U.S. forces), his widow, Libbie Bacon Custer, began a propaganda campaign designed to secure her beloved husband's place in history. Unfortunately for history, she succeeded far too well. This book, a biography of Custer's widow, gives real insight into how she manipulated the media available to her in order to glorify her husband--or to be more accurate, to glorify her idealized portrait of her husband. Had Libbie not done her work so well, Custer would have been only a footnote in American History. In addition to providing a valuable supplement to the historical record concerning Custer, Ms. Leckie's book paints a masterly portrait of an exceptional woman, which is well worth the time of readers with little interest in Custer

Far From Home: Families Of The Westward Journey consists of four essays by Lillian Schlissel (Professor Emerita of English and American Studies, Brooklyn College, CUNY), Byrd Gibbens (Professor of English, University of New Mexico, Valencia Campus), and Elizabeth Hampsten (Professor of English, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks) about the troubles and difficulties of individual frontier families in the latter half of the 1800s. Hardships, conflicts, and true tales of survival and what life on the fringe could cost fill the pages of these candid, insightful, scholarly, informative accounts into what it really was like to pack up and move West. Far From Home is a highly recommended addition to academic American Western Frontier Studies reference collections and reading lists.

YOU'LL LAUGH, CRY AND FIND YOURSELF IN THE PAGES OF THIS HUMAN HISTORY ABOUT THREE FAMILIES SEEKING A BETTER LIFE IN "WEST" OF THE 1840'S-EARLY 1900'S. YOU WILL SHARE THEIR HARDSHIPS, DISCOURAGEMENT AND TRIUMPHS, BUT MOST OF ALL, YOU'LL FIND OUT WHAT DREAMS, HOME AND FAMILY ARE REALLY ABOUT.

MY FAVORITE FAMILY, THE MALICKS IN OREGON TERRITORY IN 1840'S, COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO ANYONE OF US. I WATCHED AS THEY SUFFERED UNEXPECTED DEATHS AND HARDSHIPS. I SHARED THEIR MOMENTS OF JOY WHEN LAND AND LABORS PROVIDED THEM WITH ABUNDANCE, AND FAMILY TIES MATTERED MOST.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR A "GOOD READ" IN HUMAN HISTORY AT ITS BEST. I LIKED IT SO MUCH THAT I MAY READ IT AGAIN.

As the mother of three young children - one picky eater, one who can't get enough and one junk-food junky - I was thrilled to find a book written by a nutrition professional that can relate to the challenges of feeding kids. In this easy to read book, nutritionist Elizabeth Ward provides common sense advice on how to feed kids healthy foods based on both sound nutrition science and her experiece feeding her own children. Starting with "preparing for pregnancy," Ward covers topics that all parents want to know about -- breastfeeding, introducing solid foods, helping your child establish eating habits that will ward off chronic disease later in life, "super foods" for kids, food safety and more. I think what I like most is that all the information is presented in a really common sense, guilt-free way, and includes a lot of first hand experiences from mom's also trying to raise healthy kids in a "junk food" world. And the recipes are great -- easy to make and kid-friendly. In my opinion, any book that can help me feed my kids healthfully without adding to the stress of child rearing is easily worth five stars !

Many children's nutrition books offer unrealistic advice. This book, written by a dietitian and parent, is very practical and realistic, and helps parents figure out how to feed their children healthy food without making the dinner table a battle ground. I found the suggestions very helpful, and I plan to make this book my standard baby shower gift for new mothers.

Informative, interesting and entertaining. A lot of information about the old roses and a 'How-to' regarding pot pourri and other rose crafts. Beautiful watercolour plates of twelve of the old roses. Delish!

'Heritage Roses & Old Fashioned Crafts' is a charming, witty book written in the style of Jane Austen. It relates the history behind the name of the rose. The medieval crafts are delightful. The watercolour plates of the roses rivals Redoute. A true rose classic!