This has to be one of my favorite cookbooks when it comes to treats that you would normally get from a bakery. This book is filled with those delightful cakes, pastries, and cookies of yesteryear, you know, when bakeries actually cooked everything from scratch. Your not going to find things you would find in your local grocery store in here, you will find treats that you would normally find only in the finest bakeries.
The book is divided into several sections: Muffins, Danishes, crusty breads, pastries, cookies, pies and tarts, cakes, and chiffon layer cakes. Most recipes come with either a hand drawing or there are a few color pictures included. Each recipe is carefully written and includes information about the type of pastry this is, or something special you need to know about the preparation. The Queen of Sheba Torte is my favorite in this book a rich chocolate cake with a ganache topping. You will find that this book will help you create finery that typically only comes out of the better bakeries.

We used to live near the Greyston Bakery when it was in Riverdale, and it was wonderful. We felt lucky when we found the cookbook. All the recipes we have tried have been delicious. We just finished making the sesame tahini cookies as a gift for friends we are visiting, and they actually asked us if we could make another batch before we left!

I hope they reprint this book. My copy is getting old from being used so much! I have tried almost every recipe from this book--always wonderful. The results are always perfect. I can't think of another book I own with such a great success rate.

If you love to watch ER, then you'll go crazy for HEARTBEAT. Samuel Finn writes with an authority that allows the reader to become totally immersed in the story.

a great read for those who love medical books providing a accurate view of an ER

the characters are realistic, not flat or one dimentional. dealing with complex and gripping emotions.

all in all an enjoyable read!!

Things are not going well for Dr. Leon Mendel, the protagonist of first-time author Samuel Finn's Heartbeat. His marriage is on the rocks, people are dying at the emergency room he supervises, and he is having psychotic delusions. Then he meets Rita Thal, an alcoholic trying to recover from the death of her only child.

Heartbeat begins with a riveting description of an emergency shift from hell, told with such gripping detail that you will guess (correctly) that the author is writing from years of experience on the front lines of ER medicine. This book draws you in with an insider's view of an inner city ER and then keeps you going with interesting and likable characters and a tight, tense plot.

Heartbeat is a psychological thriller and a love story with the dark mood of a 1940's detective book noir. Once you start, you will have trouble putting it down. I highly recommend this book.

Read this book and you will see why the incomparable Miss Waters was a force to be reckoned with in her day. The writing is honest and takes the reader into a show biz world that mirrored the complexities of the segregated and racialized society at large during the first half of the 20th century. Rather than a rags to riches, this is more of a from poverty to success to survival story. I laughed out loud more than once at her candor and sharp observations. As a fan of Ethel Water's singing - before I found her memoir - I felt privileged to also read her own words on the life she lived.

This is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read. Ethel Waters was a great singer and reading this book is very inspirational! I found myself howling with laughter several times, her writing style is incredible! I couldn't put this book down and I devoured it within a day! I highly recommend this wonderful book!

I once had a non religious friend ask how could the poor live in such squalor, and yet be "religious". We live on a cultural divide, where we live upright and logical lives, and don't see the squalor around us and dismiss such families as "dysfunctional". Ethel Waters clear eyed yet loving view of her family and her culture will be an eye opener to those who think this way. From her childhood in the slums of Philadelphia and Chester PA to her rise in Harlem to her life as a singer, she apologizes for nothing, and unapologetically defends her culture to those condenscending to her race. Put into the context of the early 50's, when she wrote this biography, it gives an insight into racial relations that angrier books lack. One wishes that this would be re released with a Forward explaining the context of those times so that those born after the civil rights struggle will better understand not only the racial divides that few questioned only 50 years ago, but also to help them understand the importance of the black church and religion in the lives of those times.

This book proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the "good doctor" was completely guilty of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth. Despite the way the Mudd family has manipulated the story and the media for decades, the truth is finally coming out!!!

A True account of Mudd's involvement. Though he cried foul, "The guilty dog barks the loudest".

The Notes' section alone is worth the cost of the book!

This is a wonderful book and, in my humble opinion, a better book for most users than the big textbook edition "History of Art". The only complaint I have about this edition is its name; I feel it should be titled "History of Art: Concise Edition" as "History of Art for Young People" makes it sound too much like a children's book. While certainly suitable for an intelligent child, it is a superb art overview and reference for all people.

If you desire a general art reference you won't go wrong with this gem and you'll not find anything better. I have the 3rd edition also and it is excellent but this 6th one is greatly expanded (e.g., lots more photos and color) while retaining the user-friendly nature of the earlier editions. The text is clear and interesting, not written in the dry, boring style of a textbook. The printing and reproductions are top-quality. This art book is truly itself a masterpiece!

I needed to find a few good sources for an art history report and was lucky enough to pluck this book off the shelf at my local library. I ended up finding most everything I needed just in this book and was amazed at the detailed coverage of the history of each induvidual peice. I loved it so much that I bought it for myself, and it has probably been the best purchase I've ever made. The writing is excellent, the coloured pictures make it easy to distinguish certain important aspects of the art, and the background history on the artists, the impact of music, philosophies, or simply the work makes it the best all-around book on art history (especially for students) that I've ever read. It helps the reader to understand how the other influences of trade, literature etc. helped form periods in art history so that they may have a better understanding of the work in general. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in an art history class or any fellow art lover, it's wonderful.

As an art student in college, I slogged my way through several art history volumes, including Jansen's History of Art.Twenty years later, when attempting to revise an art enrichment program in my children's school, I was fortunate to come across Jansen's History of Art for Young People. Don't mistake the title as a reference to chronological age, but rather as aimed at anyone in an early (young) stage of fine art study. The book begins in prehistory and travels through to post-modernism, covering not only the art and artists, but the historical events that influenced the way the art developed. The text is very readable, with lots of key definitions, tables and line-illustrations right in the margins.There are four date based charts that organize the key achievements in Religion, Politics Science, Architecture and Art, emphasizing that art does not develop in a vacuum. Illustrations are well chosen with a fair number of color plates and sharp black and white pictures. Every page has some sort of visual aid, which makes it a pretty pleasant read for students. I highly recomend this book whether as a reference for learning about a particular artist or style, or as a foundation for designing an educational program. Jensen helps one turn the bits and pieces of art data that we all accumulate into a comprehensive sense of the breadth and influence of art in civilization. The depth of information is deep, but not so overwhelming as to drown the reader. If I were to make any criticism of this book, it would be only that it doesn't title itself as a history of WESTERN Art, which leaves an even larger portion of the world still unexplored.

Modern America is obsessed with the pursuit of happiness. It is in the Declaration of Independence, after all. Supposedly, the pursuit of happiness is one of our "inalienable rights."

The brilliance of Samuel Johnson is that he understood that those who seek happiness are the very ones who will never find it. This book is all about Rasselas and his friends as they try to figure out which "choice of life" will lead to happiness.

The conclusion of the book is that no choice of life will truly make you happy in this world. Happiness only comes after death when we meet up with our Maker.

The key is to simply accept life as it comes. Do not try to find happiness. If you stop searching for happiness, you will be shocked suddenly when you realize that something like happiness has snuck into your life by the back door. How did that get there?

This profound and wise insight is written with the usual Johnsonian artistic and literary brilliance. A must read for modern people who think happiness is something you can buy.

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia was a disheartening story about a prince who leaves the "happy valley" to pursue the choice of life. The princess and the prince, as well as the princess's favorite and their guide, enquire with all types of people in different positions to assist them in making their choice of life. I focused more on the philosophy than the story, and this, in the end, did nothing more than reassure me on the downfalls of human nature and society. It was enjoyable to read such a melancholy message expressed in an artistic and imaginative way, as I do not think that anything else would have lifted my spirits more than to know that although the downfalls illustrated in the book permeate our existence, people still retain creativity enough to express them in a pleasant way. This book is well written and the message is entertaining. It is a story that compliments the reader, as it can entertain with both its story and its opinions.

'The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia' was a disheartening story about a prince who leaves the "happy valley" to pursue the choice of life. The princess and the prince, as well as the princess's favorite and their guide, enquire with all types of people in different positions to assist them in making their choice of life. I focused more on the philosophy than the story, and this, in the end, did nothing more than reassure me on the downfalls of human nature and society. It was enjoyable to read such a melancholy message expressed in an artistic and imaginative way, as I do not think that anything else would have lifted my spirits more than to know that although the downfalls illustrated in the book permeate our existence, people still retain creativity enough to express them in a pleasant way. This book is well written and the message is entertaining. It is a story that compliments the reader, as it can entertain with both its story and its opinions.

The original edition of Alpha-Phonics is now once more in print and is available at Amazon.com. However, How to Tutor teaches more than just reading. It teaches the three Rs: Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. I wrote it to enable parents with little money to be able to teach their children the basic primary subjects at home. It's simple and easy to use. Because I have been critical of the way public schools teach children the basics, I decided to provide parents with a way to do the job properly at home so that they could be sure that their children learned the basics before going to school. I also recommend that you consider homeschooling. My book, Homeschooling: A Parents Guide to Teaching Children is a comprehensive introduction to the wonderful and exciting world of homeschooling. Read it. You'll be glad you did.

I have used this book recently in a summer tutoring program. The children I worked with needed remedial help and did quite well with the simple lessons. Previously, I had used it to tutor children who were behind for their age group. I recommend it for families on a very low budget who are planning to home school. It's like Ragu. It's all in there and you don't need much else other than your Bible.

I used Alphaphonics to teach my children how to read when they were 4 and 5 years old. It was thorough, VERY easy to use, and worth every penny (and there weren't very many of them needed!). "How to Tutor" is indeed the same thing-different format-and every bit as excellent. I used Mr. Blumenfeld's ideas on teaching cursive )included in this book. I strongly recommend to anyone, buy "How to Tutor" and save your money for those reading books for your children, when before you know it, they'll be reading them, thanks to Mr. Blumenfeld's book. It really IS all that's needed. For all of you who are insecure about teaching your child to read, use this and be encouraged, your child is teachable, especially by you. Just take the lessons in this book and write them on a chalkboard and discuss it with your student (great, by the way, for teaching those of any age who never really learned to read properly) Have you gotten the idea that I REALLY like this book? Don't let the price fool you, you CAN get great stuff cheap.

This book will satisfy the soul of any lover of wisdom. It's important to recognize that it's not just for followers of Judaism. Heschel is everyone's wise man. The best way to describe I Asked for Wonder is to think of a quotation book where you want to underline everything. Here is a deeper dimensionality of understanding where having a sense of wonder for God and the universe He created is the beginning of wisdom. Heschel himself is a wonder.

There are few authors that one is even tempted to call "wise" - with Heschel one wishes to say "very wise". This anthology of short excerpts should be read in a meditational manner - he gives one much to think about - to not think about it is to miss the point of the book.

An example: "Life passes on in proximity to the sacred, and it is this proximity that endows existence with ultimate significance. In our relation to the immediate we touch upon the most distant. Even the satisfaction of physical needs can be a sacred act. Perhaps the essential message of Judaism is that in doing the finite we may perceive the infinite."

This perception of the infinite in the finite is what is called "sacramental imagination" in the Christian tradition ... which is to say while Heschel is fully within the Judaic tradition, one need not be of his tradition to learn from him.

Add this to your must read list.

These short selections from some of Rabbi Heschel's writings help focus one's thoughts on his approach to life and Judaism.

I fondly remember my mother (who is now 8l) laughing and telling Sam Levenson's stories that she heard on the radio or TV. They truly were funny, meaningful and they helped her through some difficult days.

I just finished a biography of Audrey Hepburn and in it was Mr. Levenson's "if you need a hand, there's one at the end of your arm" piece and it's as poignant today as it was back then.

I'm saving these books to pass on to my three daughters so his ageless wisdom will continue to inspire a third generation.

(Nolan Levenson of New York, your grandfather was a gem!)

I just want too say that I love my grandpa's books. I never met him. I'm only twelve. I've loved all his books and i encourage you to buy them. This is a true statement. I am his grandson.

I'm not sure anyone under 30 (or even 35!) will remember Sam Levenson. He wrote a few books, made a few television appearances in the 60s, and passed on way too early. What he did leave us was a small body of work that made us laugh, made us cry, and made us appreciate the incredible power of love and family to allow a Jewish immigrant family to survive and thrive during Depression-era New York. The humor is warm and gentle but still laugh-out-loud funny. To be funny by being crude or shocking is too easy. To be able to make one laugh with warmth and truth and love is much harder. Sam Levenson did it the hard way, and we are all the richer for it.

This is a gripping story about class differences and being woman in colonial Indonesia.

We only get to know her as "The Girl", a stunningly beautiful teenager from a fishing village, who is picked to marry the local aristocrat "Bendoro". She objects to leaving the safety of her home, but is given no choice by her poor parents. They consider the marriage proposal from the powerful man in the nearby city to be a guarantee for a future of prosperity and good reputation.

So she is transformed from a village girl to Mistress, confined to the large manor with all its power plays. No longer is she able to move around freely. She is not to take part in the daily work. Her only obligation is to serve her husband obediently whenever he decides to order her attention.

"The Girl from the Coast" is a fascinating study about the system of social classes, not only in Indonesia, but in general. Trying to understand, the girl repeatedly turns to the servant who has been assigned to her. Why is her husband away all the time? What does he think of her? Why are there so many secrets in the manor?

Slowly she realizes what is happening in her new life. Materially she has no complaints, but she has lost her freedom. In Bendoro's world women are just another piece of property, to be enjoyed for entertainment or as a piece of furniture. In time she will be discarded, as all Bendoro's previous wives have been.

Two years after her marriage, the husband grants the girl permission to visit her parents in the village. It is a shocking experience. Far from enjoying the freedom of her village, she is now treated diffently. In the eyes of the villagers she is no longer the same as them; rather she is nobility.

Thus Toer describes when she first meets her former family and neighbors:

"All eyes were upon her, but each time she looked into a person's eyes, that person bowed his or her head quickly, as if nervous because of her presence. The girl winced. She couldn't remember her fellow villagers ever having acted that way toward her. No, of that she was sure, and now she felt even more strange than before, separated from her kinspeople, like a monkey in a cage."

Pramoedya Ananta Toer is Indonesia's master novelist, well known for books like "The Buru Quartet" and "The Fugitive". He was also a much respected dissident during the Suharto era, spending years in Indonesian prisons. Mr. Toer has been mentioned a number of times as a possible candidate for the Nobel literature prize.

In his epilogue Mr. Toer explains that "The Girl from the Coast" originally was intended as the first volume in a trilogy of novels on the growth of the nationalist movement in Indonesia. However, the two other novels in the trilogy were destroyed by the Indonesian military. That being said, "The Girl from the Coast" stands perfectly well on its own feet.