Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns

America's story has always been best told in its newspapers. From the local and mundane-crime blotters, crop prices, and Sunday sermons-to the Federalist Papers and Watergate, the press has played an outsized role in our nation's culture and history. Newspapers in America have always been the crucible where our passions and debates are tried by the only judge this nation respects: public opinion. At a time of great transition in the news media, "Deadline Artists" celebrates the relevance of the newspaper column through the simple power of excellent writing. It is an inspiration for a new generation of writers--whether their medium is print or digital-looking to learn from the best of their predecessors.
Contributors include: Jimmy Breslin, Mike Royko, Murray Kempton, Ernie Pyle, Peggy Noonan, Thomas L. Friedman, David Brooks, Mitch Albom, Dorothy Thompson, Ernest Hemingway, Benjamin Franklin, Fanny Fern, Richard Harding Davis, Grantland Rice, Will Rogers, Orson Welles, Langston Hughes, Woody Guthrie, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, H.L. Mencken, Ben Hecht, Westbrook Pegler, Heywood Broun, Damon Runyon, W. C. Heinz, Jimmy Cannon, Red Smith, Russell Baker, Art Buchwald, William F. Buckley, Hunter S. Thompson, Pete Dexter, Carl Hiaasen, Dave Barry, Leonard Pitts, Anna Quindlen, Thomas Boswell, Tony Kornheiser, Kathleen Parker, Maureen Dowd, Bob Herbert, Michael Kinsley, Cynthia Tucker, George Will, Jack Newfield, Mike Barnicle, Pete Hamill and Steve Lopez. (Check Catalog)

Trolleys of the Capital District

When it came to first-class transportation, not many regions of North America had more to offer than the trolley lines of  New York's Capital District. From their humble beginnings as horse roads forming belts around Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, these trolley lines helped move people around Upstate New York from the late 1800s until their final exit after World War II. The lines of the United Traction Company, Schenectady Railway, and the Hudson Valley Railway provided hundreds of miles of track around their home cities, as well as direct routes to resorts in the Adirondacks, Lake George, and Saratoga Springs. The trolley lines became famous for disasters that made national headlines, labor disputes, and engineering wonders that included the longest trolley bridge in the world. The vintage images in Trolleys of the Capital District provide insight into an era gone by and an often forgotten form of transportation.  (Check Catalog)

Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year

ENDLESSLY VERSATILE, soup is perfect for any season and every occasion. What better way to capture the essence of spring than by simmering freshly shelled peas and fava beans in a fragrant broth accented by bracing mint and refreshing lemon zest? In summer, a cool gazpacho made by whirling perfectly ripe tomatoes, juicy cucumbers, and vibrant red peppers is fitting for a hot and humid day--no pot necessary! When the air turns brisk, soup nourishes and satisfies like no other dish. In autumn, white beans mingle with sturdy greens in satisfying, peasant-style pots, and starchy squashes and root vegetables blend into silky purees. Winter brings even more soul-warming fare, such as chilis and stews featuring sausages and other hearty meats and thick vegetable soups scented with woodsy herbs.
Williams-Sonoma "Soup of the Day" offers a tantalizing collection of 365 soup recipes: one for each day of the year. Colorful calendars at the beginning of each chapter offer an at-a-glance view of the dishes best suited for the ingredients, occasions, and typical weather of the month. From January to December, you'll find a seasonal soup that will satisfy any craving, and match any meal ranging from a quick weeknight supper to an elegant dinner party. A handful of the recipes are even appropriate for the holiday table, while others are perfect for using up a leftover roast or chicken. Notes accompanying each recipe offer ideas for ingredient variations, garnishes, and other helpful tips. All of the soups can be dressed up or dressed down; served in rustic earthenware mugs or on heirloom china; garnished with a flourish of fried herbs or dollop of pesto, or stripped down to the bare, tasty essentials--the possibilities are endless, but always delicious.
Full-color photographs enhance many of the recipes inside to help guide your cooking. You can start your soup-making journey at any time--just open this book, check the calendar, and you'll be inspired to create a new soup du jour every day of the year.
Sample recipes:
January
Chicken Chili with Piquillo Peppers
Tuscan Farro Soup
Barley and Leek Soup with Chicken Meatballs
February
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto
Black Bean Soup with Meyer Lemon Creme Fraiche
Winter Greens Soup with Shiitakes & Poached Eggs
March
White Bean Soup with Sage & Olive Oil
Broccoli-Leek Soup
Fava Bean & Farfalle Soup
April
Artichoke & Quinoa Soup with Green Garlic
Sorrel Soup with Torn Croutons
Carrot & Coconut Soup with Curried Almonds
May
Egg-Lemon Soup with Fava Beans
Leek & Asparagus Vichyssoise
Weeknight Ginger Chicken Soup
June
Cool Honeydew-Melon Soup
Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs in Broth
Golden Beet Soup with Dilled Goat Cheese
July
Chilled Cucumber-Yogurt Soup with Lemon & Mint
Spicy Corn Soup
Gazpacho
August
Watermelon Gazpacho
Charred Eggplant Soup with Cumin & Greek Yogurt
Smoky Red Pepper Soup
September
Corn & Lobster Chowder
Fennel-Leek Soup with Zucchini Carpaccio
Turkey-White Bean Chili
October
Acorn Squash Soup with Toasted Walnut Butter
Celery Root Soup with Caramelized Apples
Cannelini Bean, Broccolini & Bratwurst Soup
November
Red Cabbage & Apple Soup
Chicken-Tomatillo Soup with Chipotle Chiles
Smoked Fish Chowder
December
Cream of Sundried Tomato Soup with Crab
Short Rib Chili with Smoked Paprika Creme Fraiche
Sweet Potato Soup with Cheddar Cheese (Check Catalog)

Weight Watchers One Pot Cookbook

One pot and you're done--delicious recipes using everyday kitchen equipment
With every day so busy, wouldn't you just love to throw everything in one pot and have dinner ready? With "Weight Watchers(R) One Pot Cookbook, " you'll find 300 super-tasty and healthy one-dish recipes that the whole family will love. These no-fuss recipes are more than just easy--they are healthy and nutritious, as they come from the culinary experts at Weight Watchers.
You'll find over 300 delicious and comforting one-pot recipes that include casseroles, pastas, soups and stews, light stir-fries, and desserts--all accompanied by 100 beautiful, 4-color photographs. Organized by type of cooking vessel--everything from casserole dishes, skillets, woks, saucepans, slow cookers, pressure cookers, even specialty equipment such as fondue pots--this book lets you make the most of your kitchen tools while cooking delicious meals for the whole family.
Also included in this ultimate cookbook: All recipes include nutrition information and Weight Watchers "PointsPlus" values. Extra Healthy Tips provide easy suggestions for additions to the recipes. Tons of introductory information on each type of pot--from skillets to slow cookers--is also included.
For great-tasting, nutritious meals that are easy to prepare and quick to clean up, turn to "Weight Watchers One Pot Cookbook." (Check Catalog)

50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

This book will blow readers' minds (and it should) by making them realize how easy it is to hold a strong belief without applying either critical thinking or skepticism. Harrison ("Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity") pokes gaping holes into common beliefs in the supernatural (e.g., ghosts, horoscopes, angels, and miracles) and the tendency to believe that only personal religious tenets are correct despite total ignorance about other religious doctrine. Along those lines, for example, he debunks reincarnation by pointing out that over 100 billion people have lived on Earth but only 7 billion live today--and therefore, because of the shortage, people must be sharing bodies. Harrison guides us gently but firmly along an explorative path of our collective illogic, strong tendencies toward easy answers and magical thinking, and susceptibility to confirmation bias. He doesn't judge readers for buying into beliefs that have no real basis in fact and science, but instead asks them to second-guess the tendency to readily accept the unproven and the illogical as true. VERDICT An outstanding book that is required reading no matter what you believe.--Judith A. Matthews, Michigan State Univ. Lib., East Lansing Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information. (Check Catalog)

How to Cook Everything: The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food

The next best thing to having Mark Bittman in the kitchen with you.
Mark Bittman's highly acclaimed, bestselling book "How to Cook Everything" is an indispensable guide for any modern cook. With "How to Cook Everything The Basics" he reveals how truly easy it is to learn fundamental techniques and recipes. From dicing vegetables and roasting meat, to cooking building-block meals that include salads, soups, poultry, meats, fish, sides, and desserts, Bittman explains what every home cook, particularly novices, should know.
1,000 beautiful and instructive photographs throughout the book reveal key preparation details that make every dish inviting and accessible. With clear and straightforward directions, Bittman's practical tips and variation ideas, and visual cues that accompany each of the 185 recipes, cooking with "How to Cook Everything The Basics" is like having Bittman in the kitchen with you.This is the essential teaching cookbook, with 1,000 photos illustrating every technique and recipe; the result is a comprehensive reference that's both visually stunning and utterly practical.Special Basics features scattered throughout simplify broad subjects with sections like "Think of Vegetables in Groups," "How to Cook Any Grain," and "5 Rules for Buying and Storing Seafood."600 demonstration photos each build on a step from the recipe to teach a core lesson, like "Cracking an Egg," "Using Pasta Water," "Recognizing Doneness," and "Crimping the Pie Shut."Detailed notes appear in blue type near selected images. Here Mark highlights what to look for during a particular step and offers handy advice and other helpful asides.Tips and variations let cooks hone their skills and be creative. (Check Catalog)

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it. Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, On the Nature of Things, by Lucretius a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions. The copying and translation of this ancient book-the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age-fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists such as Botticelli and thinkers such as Giordano Bruno; shaped the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein; and had a revolutionary influence on writers such as Montaigne and Shakespeare and even Thomas Jefferson. (Check Catalog)