There was one another 50's icon who rivals Marilyn in popularity today--Bettie Page. True, she didn't make any A-movies, but like Marilyn, embodied that woman who drew a fine line between good girl/bad girl and crossed the lines as easily as one drank Coca-Cola. Unlike Marilyn, Bettie survived, but like Marilyn, her legend lives on for one simple reason: she dropped out of sight in 1957 following the fall of Irvin and Paula Klaw by the Kefauver Committee on indecency and pornography and refused to have herself be photographed as she is now. Thus, she is remembered as she was back then. And as her life has become simpler, she values her privacy. She says so as much in the hand-written foreword, at the same time surprised and honoured that so many people are interested in her.Karen Essex and James L. Swanson book is a great place to start for those curious about Bettie Page. Basically, it's a biography accompanied by lots and lots of colour and b&w photos, many of them topless. There are two of them which has her completely nude. She also posed for countless magazine covers and photographers. Art Amsie's photos are the best of the lot here. Bunny Yeager is touched on briefly, but that woman has a book on herself so... Looking at the early Bettie, before she became a pin-up from 1947, is also quite a revelation. She is still beautiful, but in an ordinary way, like a typical girl growing up in 1940's America.There is clearly a dualism going on here. There's the pretty wholesome girl in the bathing suit or maybe not, and then there's the darker leatherbound fetish girl, be she receiver or giver. That latter half led to her downfall. The point also was that she enjoyed her work, mainly the lighter beach stuff. You can see it in those twinkling eyes and smile of hers.The last section of the book features models who have been influenced by her, be they in clothes or just looking like her. Of the lookalikes, Eva Herzigova, Debi Mazar, and Janice Dickinson have got it down to the bangs, (it's the bangs that did it for Bettie, after all), long black hair, and prominent eyebrows.Apart from being one of fantasy artist Olivia's favourite subjects, Bettie's images appear on album covers by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and the David Lee Roth Band. Her three videos, Teaserama, where she acts opposite stripper legend Tempest Storm, Varietease, and Strip-O-Rama have come out. She'll live on, no doubt about it.Anyone interested in Bettie Page-start with this book. You won't be disappointed.

This is the ultimate book on Bettie Page. This book is for every true Bettie fan. Even contains an introduction from Bettie herself.

If you really want to follow the history of legend, this is the ultimate book on Betty Mae Page!

So said one of her photographers. What a marvelous book. If you're like me, and have been a Bettie fan for years, you've been waiting for this book. For years one could find stuff on her only in comic shops and the like, dealing in old memorabilia from the Fifties, or in various "alternative" shops that sold her image on T shirts. As a teen that's where I learned about her, thanks to "The Rocketeer," the comic "The Bettie Pages," and psychobilly trash-punk band the Cramps, who for a short time had a bass player the spittin' image of our fair maiden. Now that we've finally opened our eyes, we can buy several books on her, this being by far the best. It is the ne plus ultra of Bettiebooks, of pin-up books in general. What a trend-setter; a humble, troubled, open and honest woman who was not exploited, who has not turned herself into a PC victim--she's idolized by smart, hip young women who see in her freedom, sexuality, playfullness, life itself. This book had better be reprinted--it's an absolute crime to be unavailable. Get this book by any means necessary!

If you loved the bood "Becoming a Chef" (and how could you not!), you will love having this journal on hand to record your growth as a culinary artist. Yes, it is primarily a blank book on which to record your thoughts, but it prompts you with pages to write about your food memories, major moments in your professional and creative development, restaurant reviews and experiences, etc. It also has unlined pages for sketching ideas and plating concepts, and the book is filled with honest and inspiring quotes and stories from some of the best known food pros of our time.

I have made it a point to give both books to newly promoted lead cooks and sous chefs, but if I had the money I would give them to all of my cooks. Writing about our dreams and taking a few moments every now and again to let our creativity flow onto a page is a great way to rescue ourselves from burnout. It also is fun to have a way to look back on our growth.

Do you remember the first time you tasted foie gras? Your restaurant's first great review? Your dazzling Christmas dinner menu? Your grandmother's recipe for cheesecake? Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of the best-selling title BECOMING A CHEF, hope you do. In developing THE BECOMING A CHEF JOURNAL, they have created a unique journal in which you can record your cherished food memories. Peppered with inspirational quotes, THE BECOMING A CHEF JOURNAL encourages the reader to record the flavors, aromas, sights, textures and sounds of all the culinary journeys the occur both in and out of the kitchen. Like an old diary or favorite book, this journal will become one of the most treasured items on your bookshelf

Talk about fascinating! Daily tips and tidbits about all of the areas of wine - from descriptions of wine types, to discussions about regions, to information about history and more. It makes learning about wine easy and fun!

Culinary Artistry is a book some may passover or leaf through in the bookstore for the likes of the Joy of Cooking or a Martha Stewart volume 20 cookbook. But look closer, the charts and the what-goes-well-with-what sections of this book alone are worth the price if only to give the food lover an inspired moment to create a dish with ingredients he or she may love. If you find yourself saying, "gee, I'd really love to have salmon tonight but I don't know what to put with it", pick up this book, find Salmon and refer to the extensive list of items that the interviewed chefs prefer with it and an idea is born. After that, all it takes is a little know-how in the kitchen and you've created your very own gourmet meal. If you choose to read from front to back you'll also discover page after page of insightful information from some of the nation's top chef's. Take your time, it's not a novel but it can be read like one and used as reference even after you've reached the last page. For the money, this is a book that will stay on your shelf for years to come and still manage to provide a new idea each time. So put down the Martha Stewart Haloween cookie issue and give Culinary Artistry a try, "It's a good thing". Sorry about that last one, she's infectious.

Great opera and great art have inspired rhapsodies -- so, too, can great food. In CULINARY ARTISTRY, best-selling authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page reveal the artistic "genius" of the chef and in doing so celebrate the complexity and subtlety of their creative process. You get a privileged look at the principles upon which great chefs base their cuisine. Also discussed are techniques for flavor enhancement, the development of new dishes and the principles behind their menus. Just as the authors' best-selling book BECOMING A CHEF was hailed as the most extraordinary and insightful book on the process of becoming a chef, so, too will CULINARY ARTISTRY make history as the first book to explore the art of food and truly celebrate the artistry of great American chefs. "This is not just a book -- it's a transcendental experience." -- SARA DUVALL, executive producer of the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"

"CULINARY ARTISTRY receives Honorable Mention as one of the year's best culinary reference books...[It] offers insights into creative cooking."
--THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page go where no culinary writers have gone before, exploring what inspires great chefs to create new flavor combinations, dishes and menus."
--INTERNATIONAL COOKBOOK REVIEW

"CULINARY ARTISTRY chronicles the creative process of culinary composition and explores the architecture of flavors, dishes and menus."
--NATIONAL CULINARY REVIEW

"One of the best culinary books of the year."
--TIME OUT: NEW YORK

"A great achievement."
--Chef Daniel Boulud

"Fascinating...A philosophy book on the culinary arts."
--Arthur Schwartz, "Food Talk" on WOR RADIO

"A wealth of information."
--Lindsey Shere, pastry chef, Chez Panisse

"Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have set me free...The sequel to 1995's BECOMING A CHEF, this fat volume offers limitless ways to compose dishes using the idea of food matches and menu plans from 30 of America's top chefs."
--Patty Stearns, THE DETROIT FREE PRESS

"I unconditionally recommend the book CULINARY ARTISTRY. One afternoon won't cut it with this book -- this is a definite buy. It tells when different fruits, vegetables, fish, etc. are in season, and how to make them taste good without the expense of a culinary school education. It will save your family a load of money, and greatly improve your own creativity with food and flavors."
--Liz Tarditi, chef and columnist, TODAY'S GOURMET

And the purpose of this book is....Well, to be honest, I was not quite sure. Then two hours passed, and I was still reading it.

That was my first impression of Chef's Night Out, the latest publication from Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, the same team that brought us Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry and Dining Out.

Chef's Night Out serves as a mouthpiece for over one hundred chefs, highlighting their favorite restaurants, what they eat, and why they eat there. The index of contributing chefs reads like a Who's Who of American cooking: Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Todd English, Rick Bayless and Francois Payard, to name but a few. The restaurant recommendations, however, range from upscale destinations like Nobu, Bobby Flay's choice for inventive Japanese cuisine, to downtown recommendations like Pho Bang, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's house of pleasure of simple Vietnamese food.

What makes the book really interesting is reading why the chefs like to eat at a certain restaurant -- understanding what a great chef thinks makes a great restaurant serves up an unusual learning experience. Additionally, there is a multitude of short educational essays throughout the book -- not all of which come from chefs. Stephen Beckta, sommelier of Cafe Boulud, writes an outstanding piece, unveiling his wine philosophies: Serving Wine to Industry Insiders, Wine and Food Pairing Guidelines, Matching Wines and World Cuisines, and Palate of the People, describing how a client's palate is often based on their geographic origins. His three-page article alone makes the book worth picking up.

So, if you are the kind of food lover who has the money to spare and loves to read easily-digestible short stories -- like Norman Van Aken's snippet on Cooking in Miami, Charlie Trotter's tips on creating a memorable dining experience, or just that Mario Batali likes well-done hot dogs from Gray's Papaya, then this is one for you.

--Jeremy Emmerson

Chef's Night Out by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page tells you where the best chefs across America like to eat and why. This simple idea packs a lot of information into it. It's not just a list of four-star restaurants. You also find out where they go for burgers and oysters and pizza and steak and in the process you find out what they think makes for a great burger and oyster and pizza and steak. It's an education just to read about why they like these places and the food they serve, even if I never make it to half these places (which are in cities from New York to Los Angeles, but also cities I never go to like Atlanta and Baltimore). There are also a lot of interesting articles on things like what kinds of wine to drink with different ethnic foods, which is worth the price of the book in itself. This book is a must for any professional chef who wants to know how the top 100 chefs think about food (and who they are).

CHEF'S NIGHT OUT authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are hosts of a new show of the same name that is aired on TaxiVu in the backseats of New York City taxicabs. They interview top chefs about their favorite places to eat in the city, and provide insider tips on what to order when you're there and what else not to miss. This book tells where 100 top chefs across the U.S. like to eat on their nights off -- where Daniel Boulud eats in New York City, where Charlie Trotter eats in Chicago, where Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel eat in Los Angeles. I can't imagine a better book to guide me to great restaurants in San Francisco, Washington, DC, Detroit or New Orleans -- or any of the other dozens of cities covered. Even if I don't make it to all of these places, I still enjoy reading about them and learning more about how top chefs think about food and restaurants. Still, after reading CHEF'S NIGHT OUT, I'm planning a trip to New Orleans so I can check out Uglesich's (a favorite of everyone from Todd English to Anne Rosenzweig to Charlie Trotter)!!

Ever wonder what got people like Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Charlie Trotter interested in cooking in the first place? Why top chefs like Patrick O'Connell (who never went to cooking school) wouldn't hire someone without a culinary degree? What it was like for chefs like Emeril Lagasse when he worked at restaurants in France as a stagiaire? How chefs like Rick Bayless and Mary Sue Milliken got their first jobs in the restaurant business? What chefs like Mark Miller and Bradley Ogden got out of their travel experiences, and how they were changed as chefs in the process? What the favorite books are of chefs like Lydia Shire and Michel Richard, and what they learned from them? What some of the dumb mistakes made by great chefs like Jacques Torres were, and how they persevered? And why leading chefs like Alice Waters believe that "being a really good cook has to do with having a point of view"?

Becoming A Chef will provide all the answers, and so much more. This is one of the best books I've ever read.

Let's not mince our praise: BECOMING A CHEF is one of the best books ever written about the back-of-the-house side of the restaurant business. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page interviewed more than 60 top chefs for this entertaining and enlightening look at the culinary profession.

Jeremiah Tower (formerly) of San Francisco's Stars reveals that he originally wanted to be an architect. Todd English of Olives (Boston, etc.) reminisces about watching his grandmother make potato gnocchi. Andre Soltner, the living legend formerly of Lutece in New York City, waxes philosophical about love -- in his estimable opinion, the most important ingredient in any dish. Perhaps Norman Van Aken of Norman's in Coral Gables, Florida, sums it up best: "This is not a profession that you choose. It chooses you."

In addition to life lessons and some 50 recipes from the usual suspects (Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Emeril Lagasse, etc.), the book includes a brief history of the culinary profession; a chapter on opening and operating your own restaurant; and listings of culinary organizations, publications, and cooking schools in the U.S. and abroad.

For the uninitiated as well as those who have already found their calling in the kitchen, BECOMING A CHEF is a must-read.

I loved this book. It provided great information for aspiring chefs and those who want to see what it is really like to be a chef. With quotes from some of the country's top chefs, the authors delve into the proffesional cooking world . Great recipes, info on cooking schools and inside information from these chefs is included. The book also includes a great history of the French culinary "family tree." Anyone thinking of becoming a chef needs to read this book!

DINING OUT is a unique take on the current American fascination with restaurants. It's the first overview I've ever seen on how restaurant critics approach their job, and a fascinating one at that. Although it does stretch the average person's mind to generate symphathy for the food critic who must dine out night after night, the authors' synthesis of many interviews gives new dimension into how these critics shape our tastes and expectations. Moreover, they balance the critics' viewpoints by offering up a selection of glitterati chefs, who express themselves openly and pungently. Living in NYC, my husband and I eat out a lot, and I found this book useful in learning how to get the best service and the best food. There are also juicy tidbits about critics and restaurateurs that enliven the text throughout.

"Finally, the best insider's view of our business for the discerning restaurant goer. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page do a wonderful job of exploring the 'behind-the-scenes' side of professional cooking. As New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl would say, 'Four stars!'" --DANIEL BOULUD, RESTAURANT DANIEL

"Dining Out is an intriguing foray into the secret and powerful world of restaurant criticism. Michael Donnelly's photographs confer an element of high style and high drama to this intelligent and absorbing book." --NANCY NOVOGROD, TRAVEL & LEISURE

"Dining Out is a fascinating story, one that absolutely needed to be written. I found this book to be a compelling, revealing, and utterly entertaining look at what the critics, and those they criticize, had to say." --MICHAEL ROMANO, UNION SQUARE CAFE

"This is no fair -- it took me a lifetime to learn all these insights into the restaurant business! Well done!" --ELLA BRENNAN, COMMANDER'S PALACE

"Dining Out is both entertaining and educational, and can make your restaurant experience the same. The sommeliers' comments add to the pleasure." --ROBERT MONDAVI, ROBERT MONDAVI WINERY

"Not unlike theater, restaurants have been made or destroyed by the words of a critic. Dining Out goes beyond the words to explore the underlying logic of the restaurant critic. It is an invaluable addition to the library of those who like to dine out." --LEONARD SCHLESINGER, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

"Don't start this book if you're hungry -- the guide to leading critics' favorite restaurants across the country is a challenge to start one's own food odyssey and eat at least one meal in all of them!" --JEANETTE WAGNER, THE ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.

"Michael Donnelly's photographs of restaurant life shimmer with elan, bursting on the page in glints and daubs of light and shade. If you are a connoisseur of fine cuisine and artful photography, you will delight in these pictures." --WILLIAM WEGMAN, ARTIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER

I became intrigued by the life of restaurant critics after reading former New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl's wonderful memoirs "Tender at the Bone" and "Comfort Me With Apples" and wanted to learn more about the ultimate profession for people who love to eat (but don't necessarily love to cook). Ruth appears on the cover of "Dining Out" (wearing a beautiful black hat whose brim covers most of her lovely face), and there are lots of photographs of her on the inside as well where she shares some of her hilarious experiences reviewing restaurants. There is probably more about Ruth in this book than any other critic interviewed. One of the authors (Andrew Dorneburg) is a chef who has cooked for Ruth and writes about how nerve-wracking it was when she came in to eat at the restaurant where he was working at the time and she was recognized (despite the fact that she went on to buy numerous wigs and wore various disguises on other visits to other restaurants in order to remain anonymous). I never realized how much a critic's opinion can sometimes make or break a restaurant. I also enjoyed reading Ruth's list of her favorite restaurants across the United States (the back of the book is kind of a restaurant guide, and mentions different critics favorite restaurants in cities across the US) and hope that someday I can eat at every one of them!

"Dining Out" is a fascinating book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves dining out in restaurants and/or is curious about what it's like for Ruth Reichl and other restaurant critics who do so on a regular basis. It is an informative, funny, and touching journey through life in and around the restaurant business.

This book is very useful for Sunday School teachers (pre-school age). Not only does it give you a clear instruction on how to make the finger puppets, it also gives out ideas on using it for lessons. The idea lessons refers to certain Bible verses besides everyday life experience. Once you get the hang of making the puppets, you can even be creative and design your own puppets! (the basic patterns are pretty similiar; it's the details that vary) Great book!

365 days of wines! Merlots, Ports, Sparkling whites. A wine lovers dream all year long.
Unfortunately I purchased this calendar for my Uncle Louie for his birthday. Uncle Louie is only a few days into a 12-step Alnon program and my gift has accidently sparked a 3 day binge in return. To date (no pun intended), my Aunt Violet still isn't speaking to me, and poor Uncle Louie is dealing with chirosis of the liver.
Regardless, if vino is keno with you, then a marvelous purchase awaits!