Alchymic Journals

Book Description

Capturing the spirit of arcane writing, Evan S. Connell delivers spectacular and esoteric prose as he imagines the journals of seven alchemists. The first is Paracelsus, the famous sixteenth-century alchemist, who is followed by an array of distinct voices: physicians, historians, alchemists, and philosophers. Each employs a unique personality and point of view in a world of pre-scientific thought, of the western world about to step into modernity.

Though this historical recreation is medieval in style, Connell succeeds in infusing his diarists with alchemic wisdom, ancient appeal, and felt humanness. A work of rigid art and astute mimicry, Connell’s work is intelligent and remarkable, medieval yet applicable to modernity. Alchymic Journals is, at its core, a study of humanity from the mind of one of America’s greatest writers.

Customer Reviews:

Decent Compilation of the Superman Legacy.......2002-03-13

I found "The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told" much more effective...Why?
Maybe it was the stories by the likes of Byrne, Moore and Kirby...
Maybe it was the multi-part stories from the 60's...
Maybe it was the 'imaginary' stories that helped convolute the DC Universe so badly that only by destroying it could it be saved (in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths')...
Whatever the reason, these stories (though rarely great) are consitently good and entertaining. They hold up well enough to still honor the pre-death Man of Steel and the impressive legacy he wields.

If you can find a copy, you may not be dazzled but you probably won't be dissapointed either.

Good overview.......2002-01-10

I have no way of knowing if these REALLY are the the greatest Superman stories ever told, but it's certainly a good overview of the career of the Man of Steel. For anyone interested in a scholarly history of Superman, the two introductions are invaluable: giving us Superman's history, his revisions, and the people who made him. The stories here are samplings from the entire history of Superman. We see that, in the beginning, Superman couldn't fly (he could just jump really high) and that Lex Luthor had hair. To me, the stories get much better in the later years. There's a superman adventure by comic-legend Jack Kirby and, my favorite, a little story by Alan Moore about what to get Kal-El for his birthday.

"Faster than a speeding bullet...".......2001-08-30

I began reading comics right at the end of their Golden Age, and they were instrumental in fostering my life-long love of reading. That's why I would never denigrate them, and I always encouraged my children to read them. One of my favorites was, of course, Superman, not only the comic, but the television series. I had a very large collection of all types of comics from the 50s and early 60s, but they were sold (except for my complete set of Classics Illustrated) several years ago, to help pay for home remodeling. I'm sorry they're gone, so when I saw this book on a bargain table at Borders, I knew that I would buy it, and I'm glad that I did. Several of the early stories were from books I had as a youngster, and even the ones with which I was not familiar were very interesting. This is a good collection to have, as there are some interesting written articles, and the stories themselves give a good chronology of Superman's evolution through the years. It's a great nostalgic work for the aging Baby Boomer!

Great.......2001-07-08

Another great collection of Superman stories. This collection offers a wide variety of tales, ranging from early stories to those told during the Superman re-launch in the mid-80's. All were great, and really show the quality of the character and creators who have made the character such an icon. When read in one volume you can really see how the character has evolved yet still maintained the qualities of heroism over the years. Highly recommended.

Highly recommended.

Not the best Superman stories, but certainly not the worst.......2001-06-21

This is one of those collections that proves 'old' comics (40's-60's) don't necesarilly have to be corny. The stories told in this collection are nice stand-alone reads. Nothing spectacular but also nothing that isn't worth your time. There's even an Alan Moore story in here. If I compare the stories in here to a lot of other stuff from "those days" these come of very positive in 90% of the cases and you'll get to see some fun surprising things (like a Lex Luthor WITH hair).

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Great intro to the Superman comics
DC cannibalizes a classic trade paperback
Greatest Superman Stories? Not quite.

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1
Various
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401203396

Customer Reviews:

Great intro to the Superman comics.......2007-05-12

This was recommended to me on The Daily Planet forum for people who are just getting started and interested in learning about Superman. It was recommended to me that I read this one FIRST as well as DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore. If you are wanting to learn the mythos of Superman this is the way to go.

DC cannibalizes a classic trade paperback.......2005-07-14

Well, I had this hard-hitting review planned until I saw the review by Mr. Klees which captured all of my points fairly well. So, with a nod to him, I will tone it down and echo some similar sentiments regarding this horrible "semi-reprint". SUPERMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD is a rare example of DC comics royally screwing up a trade paperback.

In the late `80s, DC released a trade collection titled THE GREATEST SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD (referred to hereafter as "V1.0"), which gave a fairly good representation of some of the best Superman stories of the past 50-odd years. I had no real interest in Superman before the mid-`80s, but after having become engrossed in John Byrne's post-Crisis revamp of the Man of Steel, I picked up the V1.0 trade with somewhat moderate hopes of tiding myself over. In short, I was amazed at how enjoyable and fun the classic Superman stories were. I eventually lost track of that copy, and as I've grown older and had a chance to read more and more Superman stories, I've realized that, while V1.0 may not truly be the greatest, it was a good attempt, and a nice book to have on the shelf.

When the recent "replacement" trade SUPERMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD (referred to as "V2.0") was released, I unfortunately bought it without a second glance, as I was sure I had another chance to own those collected stories I enjoyed so much as a teen... WRONG!!! This book is an almost completely different collection. First off, it's cut by about 140 pages, yet costs five bucks more than V1.0. While it does retain a few stories from the first book, the missing stories are too much to ignore. DC's stated reasoning for this is that, since some of the stories in V1.0 had since been reprinted elsewhere, they didn't warrant repeating here. Well, how about this, DC: maybe the fact that they've been reprinted so often is an indication that they truly ARE great!

So, gone are many awe-inspiring or just-plain-fun tales from V1.0. In V2.0, they are replaced with stories such as "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way", which is really too recent to have proven itself as one of Superman's "greatest" stories, and, of course, Jim Steranko's much-hailed "Exile at the Edge of Eternity", which, while it does have some amazingly beautiful art, suffers from a hackneyed plot.

Luckily, after some searching, I was able to find a pristine copy of V1.0. They're still out there, so I recommend you invest a little time in finding that one instead of the unnecessary V2.0. The same thing has happened with the Dark Knight, as THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD has been replaced with BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD. That original book is also not too hard to find. Happy hunting...

Greatest Superman Stories? Not quite........2005-05-12

Though some of the reviews below are referring to a book other than the one shown on this page, this review is for the recent revamping of the Greatest Superman Stories Collection. While the original collection, published in the late-80s to mark Superman's 50th anniversary, had its flaws (too many "imaginary stories and a history gap of 14 years from 1971 to 1985) it was still a good solid overview of the character's history. This new edition, which has both fewer pages and a higher price, jettisons most of the truly great stories collected in the original edition and replaces them with a largely uneven bunch.

Instead of Alan Moore's "For the Man Who Has Everything" and John Byrne's "The Secret Revealed", we get 2001's over-wrought "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way." According to someone at DC Comics, the Moore and Byrne stories were dropped in part because they'd been re-printed elsewhere since the original Greatest Stories book. If this is the case, I'd like someone to explain why the highly over-rated "Must There Be A Superman" (re-printed in the Superman in the Seventies" book) was one of the sole carry-overs from the first edition.

Lest anyone think I'm simply a curmudgeon who can't stand change, I'll happily concede that there are still great stories in the book (1988's "Return to Krypton" probably being the high-point). Still, as a collection that purports to represent the best of the character's history, it's a weak effort. Fans who want a true representation of the character's history will be better off seeking out a copy of the previous version. Even if you ignore the "imaginary stories", the page count is still higher, the price is likely to be lower. As for the entertainment value, it's like a match-up between Superman and Luthor. There's no question who's going to win.

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 2

Average customer rating:

Good kick back reading
Vintage Superman
Loses a star due to the lag between volumes
NOT THE GREATEST, BUT VERY GOOD.
Man of Socialism

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 2
Jerry Siegel , and Joe Shuster
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401209564

Book Description

Experience the history of Superman with this series thatreprints the early adventures of the Man of Tomorrow in chronologicalorder.This volume features classic tales from 1939 and 1940 written andillustrated by Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, in whichthe Man of Tomorrow battles crooked politicians and slumlords as he bringsjustice to the downtrodden masses.

Customer Reviews:

Good kick back reading.......2007-09-11

It's nice to read Superman's early stories. This is the way, he is supposed to be. Excellent kick back reading.

Vintage Superman.......2007-08-16

This is a collection of the earliest Superman comics, they are in color and affordable. I would consider these a must own for any Superman fan. Overall production value, although not flashy, is excellent and the stories are classics. This is where it all started.

Loses a star due to the lag between volumes.......2007-02-19

Almost a year after the release of Volume 1, DC finally gives us SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOLUME 2, continuing the admirable but somewhat laughable effort (at this rate, at least) of reprinting every Superman appearance in chronological order. This book features classic tales from Action Comics #14-20 and Superman #2 & 3, from 1939-1940. All stories are written and illustrated by Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Keep in mind that these are some of the earliest adventures of Superman from comics' Golden Age, so the style is very direct, almost to a fault. Looking back on them, there's no real narrative complexity or character development - more like Siegel and Shuster were simply producing stories to fill a demand. It actually seems that the boys from Cleveland weren't quite sure what to do with their fantastic creation now that he was finally in comics. Superman didn't have much of a rogues gallery at this point; instead, he deals with white-collar criminals and thugs, with everyone behaving similarly to what was seen in the Superman TV series of the `50s. The only remarkable villain is the Ultra-Humanite, whose appearance in the final story of this volume is something no fan of James Robinson's THE GOLDEN AGE will want to miss. In any case, you're experiencing comics history in the making, getting a look at stories that your parents or grandparents enjoyed as kids, and gaining an understanding of why comics caught on as they did in a world that had a need for fantastic heroes. Even though these stories may be somewhat bland, they have an appeal that can't be ingnored.

I just wish DC would speed up their reprinting of these stories so that readers don't grow old before the Golden Age stories wrap up. There are certainly plenty of stories and other characters to choose from to keep these books coming. Get it in gear, DC!

NOT THE GREATEST, BUT VERY GOOD........2007-02-02

The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told volume two is out, containing nine stories from throughout Superman's long and colorful history. Are these truly the greatest Superman stories? Probably not. The real goal of the DC editors seemed to be to select one story from each decade as opposed to honestly giving readers the best stories. It's more a decade-by-decade sampler of Superman. Good stories no doubt but you could find better I'd argue.

The first story seems to be included more for its historical significance rather than its greatness. "The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk" was originally presented in Superman #30 from 1944 and features Superman's first encounter with the troublesome imp from the 5th dimension. Mxyztplk is presented as a cartoon-like character, content to play practical jokes and far removed from the most sinister personality of the modern day character.

"Superman's Other Life" from Superman #132, 1959 presents an interesting "what if" story. Batman feeds all data about Superman into a super-computer called the Univac (which sounds more like Hoover's latest model...) and Superman can visually see how his life might have been if Krypton had not exploded and he was sent to Earth. It's actually an interesting story though hindered by Wayne Boring's art who I never much cared for due to his blocky character appearances.

Superman #141 gives us "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac" a pedestrian title for sure but a solid story written by popular Sci-Fi author Edmond Hamilton. Includes early Curt Swan art.

I'd say my favorite story in the book is "The Secret Revealed" from Superman #2 (2nd series) by John Byrne. Luthor is delving into Clark Kent's mysterious past and goes so far as to kidnap and torture Lana Lang. When all his data is processed by computer it reveals that Clark Kent is Superman. Luthor refuses to believe this as he thinks no person could hold such power without abusing it. A truly chilling look at Luthor's twisted personality.

Jonathan Kent is the true star of "Life After Death" from Superman 500. As Jonathan fights for life in a hospital, his spirit travels far and wide to try and return his son to life after being killed in the battle with Doomsday.

These aren't the greatest Superman stories ever but then again, ask a hundred people to give you their top Superman stories and you'd get a hundred different answers. Most of the stories are very good, a few are exceptional, and a few are ordinary. Great cover by Alex Ross!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Man of Socialism.......2006-11-04

I hate Superman. I have always hated Superman. This has nothing to do with my childhood years and my brother always calling Superman before I could get a chance to. I just hate Superman. Too damn good. Too patriotic. Too one-dimensional. Too authoritarian. I always gravitated to the more grey area heroes like Batman, SPider-Man, Daredevil, Dr. Strange. This being said, Superman Chronicles is a wonderful collection and allows the scholar to see Seigel and Schuster's creation in its original context. This has opened a new window on the character for me, and for that, this book is worth exploring if you have ambivalence toward the Superfascist.

Average customer rating:

The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told

Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0930289293

Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, The

Average customer rating:

Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, The
Unknown
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WL9GPC

Average customer rating:

The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told
DC Comics
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Superman | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000UDFHZK

Book Description

This final volume in the audio version features, in addition to the 1962 title story, "The Cruel Sky," "The Steam-powered Word Processor," the classics "The Hammer of God" and "A Meeting With Medusa," and Clarke's latest story, "Improving the Neighborhood," published in Nature in 1999.

Average customer rating:

Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent

Finally tried some of the recipes - all turned out great!

Book of travels not recipes

Excellenet!

a few nitpicks

Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent
Jeffrey Alford , and Naomi Duguid
Manufacturer: Artisan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Essays | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia

Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia

Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

Washoku: Recipes From The Japanese Home Kitchen

The Cooking of Southwest France : Recipes from France's Magnificent Rustic Cuisine

ASIN: 1579652522

Book Description

For this companion volume to the award-winning Hot Sour Salty Sweet, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid travel west from Southeast Asia to that vast landmass the colonial British called the Indian Subcontinent. It includes not just India, but extends north to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal and as far south as Sri Lanka, the island nation so devastated by the recent tsunami. For people who love food and cooking, this vast region is a source of infinite variety and eye-opening flavors.

Home cooks discover the Tibetan-influenced food of Nepal, the Southeast Asian tastes of Sri Lanka, the central Asian grilled meats and clay-oven breads of the northwest frontier, the vegetarian cooking of the Hindus of southern India and of the Jain people of Gujarat. It was just twenty years ago that cooks began to understand the relationships between the multifaceted cuisines of the Mediterranean; now we can begin to do the same with the foods of the Subcontinent.

Customer Reviews:

Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent.......2007-09-10

A beautiful book that can be a coffee table book, cookbook, and an adventurous travel read. It has gorgeous colorful pictures with short vignettes about the recipes and people of India. It will transport you to a different world and the cooks will not be disappointed with the unique recipes.

Finally tried some of the recipes - all turned out great!.......2007-09-04

I've had this book for about three months, and have flipped through it many times, but this weekend I finally bought the staple ingredients that many of the recipes needed, and tried out three of them. They all turned out delicious! Don't be put off by strange ingredients, they were all very cheap, and easy to cook with.

Book of travels not recipes.......2007-01-29

The pictures and stories of the travels through the region are fabulous, but if you are looking for good instrutctions and pictures of the recipes, this is not the cookbook you are looking for.

Excellenet!.......2007-01-24

I just got this book yesterday and I'm already planning my week's meals based on the recipes! :)
I've made Andhra Style Scrambled Eggs so far and they are DELICIOUS, especially served with plain basmati rice, ghee and pickle.
All the recipes in here sound very interesting. The dal recipes(tok dal and mountain dal) look like they'll turn out great.
Being an Indian, I can certify this book contains authentic recipes that people cook and eat everyday at their homes in India. This is what makes this cookbook different from the other so called Indian cookbooks....the other books just offer a westernized Indian selection while this book focuses on home cooking that is prevalent in India.
The previous reviewer perhaps eats Indian only at restaurants where everything is over spiced and the delicate flavor is lost. I just came back from visiting India and I saw that very less spices and masalas are used in rural Indian homes.
I LOVE this book and will always refer to it when I'm in the mood for some different Indian food...although I cook mostly Indian at home, this book offers a lot of different recipes and variations from various local regions....so much so that I'm sure I'll be proficient in Indian cooking in no time!

UPDATE: These are all the recipes I've tried from their book so far
1) Scrambled Eggs (5 stars)
2) Cachoombar (3 stars)
3) Cauliflower Dum (3 stars)
4) Tamarind Pulao (3 stars)
5) Bangla Dal with a hit of lime (4 stars)
6) Tilapia Green Fish Curry (5 stars)
7) Karnataka Chana (2 stars)
8) Hot Cucumber Salad (2 stars)
9) Fish Bolle Curry (3 stars)
10) Chappatis (3 stars)
11) Prawn White Curry (4 stars)
12) Eggs with curry leaves (4 stars)

a few nitpicks.......2007-01-07

I agree that this is a great 'coffee table' type book and that the authors have done some immaculate research into some of the lesser well known cuisines of the subcontinent and have lovely pictures to document their travels. What I didn't care for are the 'Westernizing' of the names of the dishes. For example, Gulab Jamun (which is a pretty well-known dessert to most Indian food fans)becomes something like Cottage cheese soaked in syrup. As an Indian, I also found a lot of the dishes very underspiced. I know that with Indian food, it really is a matter of taste, but I often found myself adding up to 3times the amount of spices called for in a recipe. Because it's so bulky, I often find myself turning to my other Indian cookbooks which are easier to keep near me as I cook in the kitchen.

Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent

Average customer rating:

Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent
Jeffrey Alford , and Naomi Duguid
Manufacturer: Random House Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

A roadmap, for cooks and armchair travellers alike, to one of the world’s richest and most diverse culinary regions, by the authors of Seductions of Rice and Hot Sour Salty Sweet.

From Sri Lanka to Pakistan, from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and northern India to the lushness of Bangladesh and southern India, the Subcontinent has always been a source of wonder, and for people who love food and cooking, it has forever been a part of the world unlike any other.

Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford have been making trips to the Subcontinent, separately and together, for over thirty years. As the couple says, “A trip to the Subcontinent has become a great gift; we come home feeling more alive, more connected.” On their frequent visits, they are continually reminded how good everyday food is, both street food and home cooking. Whether it’s a simple dish of rice and lentils, a masala dosa, or a tender grilled fish served with hot tandoor bread and fresh coriander chutney, food doesn’t have to be elaborate to be good, or to be special.

Jeffrey and Naomi explore the Subcontinent and its cuisines, seeking out authenticity as they go. Their stories, along with their breathtakingly diverse photographs of places, people and food, allow us to experience with them one of the most visually stunning places on earth. Their recipes are tailored for the North American home cook, and for every occasion. Mountain Dal with Bhutanese Red Rice makes a perfect last-minute weeknight supper, while Cashew-Coconut Meatballs, Goan Fish with Green Chutney, Banana Pachadi, and Bean Sprout Salad make a dazzling yet easy-to-prepare feast for a dinner party.

Mangoes and Curry Leaves is a very accessible and practical resource, and an intriguing introduction to one of the most extraordinary culinary regions of the world, served up with a little slice of life on the side.

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