Simple Asian Meals: Irresistibly Satisfying and Healthy Dishes for the Busy Cook

Once considered exotic, the flavors of Asia are now as close as the international aisle of every supermarket. Using only commonly available ingredients, award-winning cookbook author and Asian-food guru Nina Simonds creates easy, soothing, healthful meals that are masterpieces of simplicity.
In "Simple Asian Meals," Simonds presents over 100 recipes for accessible Chinese, Japanese, Thai,
and Vietnamese specialties--packed with fresh, seasonal ingredients and health-giving benefits from
immune support to ease of digestion to cholesterol reduction. Almost all her dishes require only one pot to prepare, and to make meal preparation as manageable as possible, she also provides freezing and storing techniques, recipe variations for convenience and personal taste, and lists of basic staples readers should always keep on hand.
Colorful, comprehensive, and informed by Simonds's own culinary travels and memorable moments
in Asia, "Simple Asian Meals" is every home chef's guide to creating exquisitely flavored Asian cuisine
quickly and effortlessly. (Check Catalog)

Eric Hoffer: The Longshoreman Philosopher

""My life is not important. It's not even very interesting. Ideas are all that's important."--Eric Hoffer"
THE EXCEPTIONAL LIFE OF THE "LONGSHOREMAN PHILOSOPHER"
A truly original American writer and thinker, Eric Hoffer was free of the practical pressures that steer many people of an intellectual disposition into conventional channels of thought. He lay beyond the peer pressure, grant-hunting, and cultural intimidation that stultify much of the academic world today. He always had the courage to stand alone.
Three books about Hoffer were published in his lifetime, all of them now out of print. But now, in this volume, Tom Bethell offers a new, detailed biography of the man who became known as the "Longshoreman Philosopher." In addition to drawing from Hoffer's private papers and interviews with those who knew him, Bethell spent time interviewing Hoffer in the years just before his death. His meticulous accounts of these meetings offer new insights into this often enigmatic but always fascinating man. (Check Catalog)

The Louvre: All the Paintings

An historic publishing event! Endorsed by the Louvre and for the first time ever, every painting from the world's most popular museum is available in one stunning book. All 3,022 paintings on display in the permanent painting collection of the Louvre are presented in full color in this striking, slipcased book. Comes with an enclosed, supportive DVD-ROM.The Louvre is the world's most visited art museum, with 8.5 million visitors annually, and houses the most celebrated and important paintings of all time. For the first time ever, "The Louvre: All the Paintings" collects all 3,022 paintings currently on display in the permanent collection in one beautifully curated volume.Organized and divided into the four main painting collections of the museum-- the Italian School, the Northern School, the Spanish School, and the French School-- the paintings are then presented chronologically by the artist's date of birth.Four hundred of the most iconic and significant paintings are illuminated with 300-word discussions by art historians Anja Grebe and Vincent Pomarede on the key attributes of the work, what to look for when viewing the painting, the artist's inspirations and techniques, biographical information on the artist, the artist's impact on the history of art, and more.All 3,022 paintings are fully annotated with the name of the painting and artist, the date of the work, the birth and death dates of the artist, the medium that was used, the size of the painting, the Louvre catalog number, and the room in the Louvre in which the painting is found.The DVD-ROM is easily browsable by artist, date, school, art historical genre, or location in the Louvre. This last feature allows readers to tour the Louvre and its contents room by room, as if they were actually walking through the building.DVD-ROM System Requirements: DVD-ROM runs on a PC (Windows 2000/XP or later) and MAC (OSX 10.4.8 or later) running the following browser software Internet Explorer 7 or 8; Firefox 3.6 and above; or Safari 5.0 and above. (Check Catalog)

Lest We Forget: Masterpieces of Patriotic Jewelry and Military Decorations

Since ancient times, memorable moments of military history have been commemorated with jewelry, medals, and symbolic accessories. In Lest We Forget: Masterpieces of Patriotic Jewelry and Military Decorations, Judith Price illuminates iconic military objects, exploring their origins and documenting their place in history. The dramatic compilation of patriotic jewelry and decorations presented in Price's sixth book tells a truly dazzling story of Western historical conflict and resolution. Lest We Forget serves as a stunning tribute to our men and women in service both past and present. This book derives its title from the poem Recessional by Rudyard Kipling, often used as a tribute in war memorials, while its contents chronicle our military history since the Revolution through 150 iconic artifacts. It showcases such diverse items as the Washington Peace Medals to the Indians, the earliest Medals of Honor, Civil War Corps badges, British military decorations, and historic French treasures. Drawn from leading world museums and private collections such as the British Museum, the West Point Museum, the Musee de l Armee, and the Imperial War Museum, the objects depicted in this book movingly recall the role of decorations and jewelry in commemorating war and peace.  (Check Catalog)

Along New York's Route 20

Few roads can match Route 20's beauty, history, or contribution to New York's vitality. In 1926, Route 20 became a federal highway and evolved into New York's foremost east-west road. But unlike most early highways, it has survived almost completely intact. The story of Route 20 is told through more than 200 vintage postcards showing scenes from the Shaker communities in Columbia County to the Lake Erie Shore. The postcards show the personality of the road: main streets, the Finger Lakes, and scenic vistas. Not to be forgotten are the tourist courts, hotels, diners, and gas stations that made travel possible. (Check Catalog)

The Story of English in 100 Words

The world's foremost expert on the English language takes us on an entertaining and eye-opening tour of the history of our vernacular through the ages.
In "The Story of English in 100 Words," an entertaining history of the world's most ubiquitous language, David Crystal draws on one hundred words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the first definitively English word--'roe'--was written down on the femur of a roe deer in the fifth century. Featuring ancient words ('loaf'), cutting edge terms that reflect our world ('twittersphere'), indispensable words that shape our tongue ('and', 'what'), fanciful words ('fopdoodle') and even obscene expressions (the "c word..".), David Crystal takes readers on a tour of the winding byways of our language via the rude, the obscure and the downright surprising.  (Check Catalog)

Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

The secret behind France's astonishingly well-behaved children.
When American journalist Pamela Druckerman has a baby in Paris, she doesn't aspire to become a "French parent." French parenting isn't a known thing, like French fashion or French cheese. Even French parents themselves insist they aren't doing anything special.
Yet, the French children Druckerman knows sleep through the night at two or three months old while those of her American friends take a year or more. French kids eat well-rounded meals that are more likely to include braised leeks than chicken nuggets. And while her American friends spend their visits resolving spats between their kids, her French friends sip coffee while the kids play.
Motherhood itself is a whole different experience in France. There's no role model, as there is in America, for the harried new mom with no life of her own. French mothers assume that even good parents aren't at the constant service of their children and that there's no need to feel guilty about this. They have an easy, calm authority with their kids that Druckerman can only envy.
Of course, French parenting wouldn't be worth talking about if it produced robotic, joyless children. In fact, French kids are just as boisterous, curious, and creative as Americans. They're just far better behaved and more in command of themselves. While some American toddlers are getting Mandarin tutors and preliteracy training, French kids are- by design-toddling around and discovering the world at their own pace.
With a notebook stashed in her diaper bag, Druckerman-a former reporter for "The Wall Street Journal"-sets out to learn the secrets to raising a society of good little sleepers, gourmet eaters, and reasonably relaxed parents. She discovers that French parents are extremely strict about some things and strikingly permissive about others. And she realizes that to be a different kind of parent, you don't just need a different parenting philosophy. You need a very different view of what a child actually is.While finding her own firm "non," Druckerman discovers that children-including her own-are capable of feats she'd never imagined. (Check Catalog)