if you love french cooking and impressionism, this is your book. it's one of my favorite cook books in my collection. a word of caution, the ingredigents used in some of the recipes may not be found in all areas of north america. i brought my copying several years ago while i lived in toronto, so i didn't have too much difficulty finding ingredients. in sum,the cook provides a wonderful artistic cullinary journey. the book still can be found bookstores. i found few a few copies at borders six or seven months ago on the discount table. the book is well worth searching for!!!

Um. . . I know this book is not out of print cause a friend of mine bought it a few weeks ago and I just ordered it from Barnes and Noble, since they have it. It is available! I guess you just have to find a company with a more complete stock!! This is an awesome book and I would highly recommend it.

Genevieve Rodis-Lew is Professor Emerita at the Sorbonne and has written a splendid biography on the life and thought of a major and influential 17th Century European philosopher. Ably translated into English by Jane Marie Todd, Descartes is vividly presented in the context of his time. Drawing upon his own correspondence, Rodis-Lewis traces his disillusion with the Jesuit scholastic method and his attraction mathematics and then to metaphysics. Descartes emerges for the modern reader as a complete and complex man, so much more than a mere footnote in the history of science or the evolution of western philosophical traditions.

I came across this wonderful book almost by accident as I was looking for something, ANYTHING, dealing with Poussin's ties to his native France (in more than a superficial way). The majority of books about Poussin deal, for admittedly good reasons, with Poussin's life in Rome where he lived and worked for many years. Still, it is amazing that Olson is, to the best of my knowledge, the first art historian to really explore the range of political and friendship-based (French) issues Poussin's paintings grappled with even as he lived in exile. As someone who is living in exile from my own native country, I can tell you, I continue to be deeply concerned about, and influenced by, the political news from home, and the information I receive in letters from friends. Certainly Poussin's experience was no different. I also appreciated that Olson took the time to spotlight the political work of women during the Fronde, and also his discussion of women's roles throughout the book as a whole. It is astonishing (well, maybe not) that within the Poussin scholarship with which I am familiar, women exist only as a (now) notable absence -- this despite the great number of strong women Poussin himself depicts in his work! Olson takes great first steps in rectifying this oversight. The book is well researched and I learned much about the social and cultural milieus Poussin operated within. Beyond this, I will say that the book was a pleasure to read -- especially having read a few books and essays on Poussin (by writers I will not mention) that were dry as aesbestos in the Gobi Desert. Olson weaves Beautiful Prose, Historical Accuracy and Intriguing Scholarship into an especially relevant account of this Great and Gifted Painter.

This is an exciting book that unfortunately feels formulamatic at times. Maybe that is because it was produced as a serialized novel originally. It can have that "find out what our heros are up to next issue" feel.

Overall it is fast paced, but long. I liked the action sequences and the author's creation of distinct personalities for his heros. While I had to read this over a long period of time, I found I enjoyed it most when I could put in a couple of hours at a time and fully submerge myself in the author's world. I would recommend picking this up for a vacation book or if you know you'll be able to keep at it night after night.

The author uses a convincing historical and period backdrop for his tale. It feels real which aids the story. The romantic nature of his heros leads to a wonderful story of comradship and loyalty, good versus evil, etc. Many things to like, but I did not find it deserves quite as lofty a pedestal as most of these other reviewers do.

For those trying to read The Musketeers Saga:
In the original French, there are only three (3) books - 1. The Three Musketeers 2. Twenty Years After and 3. Ten Years Later. But when translated, most English editions split the behemoth Ten Years Later into a Trilogy (and some four - which make it all the more confusing!).

The reading list should be 1. The Three Musketeers 2. Twenty Years After and 3a. The Vicomte de Bragelonne 3b. Louise de la Valliere and 3c. The Man in the Iron Mask. Five books - that's the total series!

I highly recommend this series from Oxford University Press containing the complete unabridged and annotated versions of all of these books. The notes are located in the back of each book so as not to slow down the flow of the text. Most of the notes give additional info on historic characters and places. And a few point out that Dumas was a better storyteller than historian, as keeping dates seems to be such a nuisance!

The story starts out with a young naive Gascon by the name D'artagnan who goes to seek his fortune with the King's Musketeers. On his journey to Paris he has a tangle with a man named Rochefort whom D'artagnan chases throughout the book, along with his female companion Milady, a woman of pure evil.

He meets the Three Musketeers and they don't get off to such a great beginning as he finds himself preparing to fight a duel with all three of them. Eventually D'artagnan wins over Athos, Porthos, and Aramis and together the four set off on adventures to protect their majesty the queen (Anne of Austria) against the bad intentions of the cardinal.

It's all intigue and romance and swashbuckling! I loved it all, every sentence. And i love how M. Dumas twists history to his own literary devices.

I played hooky to finish reading this book!

I have only prepared one dish that fell short of genius (winter vegetables - despite the selection of vegetables, a little bland). His desserts (the blueberry brioche brings restaurant quality into your kitchen) are wonderfully inventive. Photos accompany many of the recipes and each food section contains an index of dishes to follow. This is the first book I turn to when I am in the mood for a challenge that I know I can complete.

Although there are a few dishes at Daniel's which I wish were present in this book, this book contains recipes which are highly enjoyable both to make as well as to consume.

The recipes can be complicated at time, but they are well-depicted. The reader need not consult other cooking manuals for an explanation of ingredients or techniques or processes. The dishes, if well-followed, produce delectable results, even if the undertaking was somewhat grand. Though the binding of my copy of the book has fallen apart though excessive use, it is probably the only component of the book about whose quality I have doubts.

This is an academic treatment on the use of propaganda, chiefly art and monuments, in glorifying the Napoleonic exploits and being used to further France's continuing imperial pursuits. The text is quite readable and the book is graced by some good looking but rather kitschy pictures, many drawn by the leading Romantic painters of their day. These pictures and paraphernalia collectively led France to continue revelling in the Napoleonic myth long after the legend had passed on.
The notes and bibliography take up more than a third of the book!

This is a stick and learn book to be used for Sunday school or junior church. Recreate Bible stories with 52 movable stickers and read along stories.

This book was VERY,VERY DISAPPOINTING!It had only 2 chapters on 30yrs.of being a SLAVE(if you can believe that!) and 13 CHAPTERS
on 4 yrs. in the White House!!
GO FIGURE!!!!! I am SO SORRY I had my daughter get this book for me for Mother's DAY!

The story/diary it self I found wasn't written very good.However I found Ms.Keckley's relationship with Mrs.Mary Todd Lincoln and her family intersting.
She gave some insightfll thoughts about Mary and Abraham that was quite a treat to read.

I got a copy of this book from a book fair not on purpose. As a non-native English learner, what strikes me is the ability of Keckley to express rich emotions in very simple words and sentences. I always like reading first person narratives, fictions or true stories, but seldom find one as captivating as this. A five-star from me and it's a pity she didn't seem
to have written other books.

This looks like a nice summary of the Napoleonic Wars in the 1805-1807 period. It has nice pics. I was browsing thru and noticed that the picture on the battle of Eylau painting by Gros is reversed.
I'm pedantic about this point as the battle of Eylau was one of the major engagements during the featured period.
The Gros painting has been reproduced over and over again in other Napoleonic books. The author is an obvious Napoleonophile and Osprey's output are military books.
If they can't get this simple picture right, why bother? There are other Napoleonic books.

I enjoyed this basic, solid intro to the early Napoleonic years. It is worthwhile.