The Cotton-Pickers

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Readable Look at Mexican Poverty and Transients

cotton-pickin' cotton pickers

Traven wanders through more hard work

The Cotton-Pickers
B. Traven
Manufacturer: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1566630754

Book Description

Set in Mexico in the 1920s, this picaresque tale of a laconic American drifter overlays a powerful study of social injustice. Great storytellers often arise like Judaic just men to exemplify and rehearse the truth for their generation. The elusive B. Traven was just such a man. --Book World

Customer Reviews:

Readable Look at Mexican Poverty and Transients.......2007-01-28

This is an interesting story about poverty and worker exploitation in Mexico during the late 1920's. The story is narrated by Gales, an offbeat American living as a nomad in Mexico and bouncing from one crummy job to another. He picks cotton, works in a bakery, drives cattle, etc. The only jobs available to him, Indians, and other transients offer low pay, long hours, and demeaning conditions. Many jobs also feature crooked employers that cheat their workers. Despite these difficulties, Gales has a sense of freedom, which he greatly values. Also, there are a couple decent employers and some successful strikes by workers.

Author B. Traven (1890-1969) had a nicely readable style, a soft heart for underpaid workers, and disdain for the seamier side of capitalism. This isn't his best work, but it's an entertaining story of transient poverty and exploitation in Mexico. Readers should be sure not to miss his TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.

cotton-pickin' cotton pickers.......2001-09-07

Well, what's there to say? It was written by the same talented writer who wrote Treasure of the Sierra Madre. You won't be disappointed. Traven delivers. Easy read. I read it in a day. The man is always for the underdog--who can't relate to that? The only thing that bothers me at times is Traven's political [views]. Man obviously had an ax to grind--well, ok, I suppose, everyone has an ax to grind about something. But when it comes to poltics and religion--well, two subjects that just sicken me--because you can never get anywhere with that stuff. You can talk about that b.s. until you're blue in the face and still end up nowhere.

Other than that--yes, I highly recommend the book.

Traven wanders through more hard work.......1999-10-27

This novel, like "The Death Ship," does not have atraditional narrative structure. And like "The Death Ship" this story is narrated by Gales, a crazy American who goes through life doing one lousy job after the other. From cotton picker to cowboy, from baker to wanderer, Traven once again takes Gales through a trial-by-toil world.

Of course the book is entertaining and it's even insightful (especially if you've ever had a job in Mexico); but what worked so well for "The Death Ship" doesn't seem to be as effective here. It lacks the tough satire that his first novels has.

Also, if you've read "The Night Vistor and other stories" you'll feel a little ripped off, since about 40 pages overlap between these two volumes. But if you haven't, then you're in for a pretty good treat.

I mean, nobody sweats like Traven.

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COTTON OPENING AND PICKING: Cotton-Pickers, Parts 1 and 2-Cotton Opening and Cleaning-One-Process Picking, Parts 1 and 2.

Manufacturer: International Textbook Company,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GSAT7A

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Cotton Picker Room Machinery. Catalogue No. P 20
Woonsocket Machine & Press Company
Manufacturer: Woonsocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KPLVEE

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Cotton Pickers (Educational Series Teaching Pieces, Series VII)
Elizabeth Blackburn Martin
Manufacturer: The Boston Music Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music
ASIN: B000P00NKW

Product Description

Illustrated cover with blacks in cotton field. Educational series teaching pieces. Annotated by John M. Williams. Very good. Scarce.

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Cotton Pickers 1ST Edition Us
B Traven
Manufacturer: HILL & WANG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q020MU

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The Cotton Pickers, Traven
B. Traven
Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K06Q4E

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THE COTTON-PICKERS

Manufacturer: Hill and Wang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 080900111X

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The Cotton-Pickers, 1st US Edition
B. Traven
Manufacturer: HILL & WANG
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TM2TLC

Not All Okies Are White: The Lives of Black Cotton Pickers in Arizona

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Not All Okies Are White

Not All Okies Are White: The Lives of Black Cotton Pickers in Arizona
Geta J. Leseur
Manufacturer: University of Missouri Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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Emigration & Immigration | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Labor & Industrial Relations | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Not All Okies Are White.......2000-10-22

I happen to be part of one of the families discussed in this book. I found it to be quite nice. I wasn't mentioned in the book but my mother, grandma, granpa etc. was. I think Geta did a fabulous job in making this book a success! It took a lot of time to archive this information about my family, and through this book, I am able to know where my ancestors came from and pass the book on to my children in the years to come. thank You.

Customer Reviews:

Black roots in America, both South and North, cannot be fully understood without reading this book........2006-12-29

Every black person in America, who has family roots traceable to the South, would be well served to see their roots from an incredibly enlightening paradigm. ROOTS has a new meaning...found in this great book.

Book Description

Israelis and Palestinians have been caught in what seems a "forever war" with routine terror in the promised land for more than 100 years. This book is the first to bring together commentary and anguished personal insights from people on both sides of the battle. Readers get a personal look at--and a clearer, more nuanced understanding of--the psychological trauma that is common for men, women and children there. Psychologists in the regions, as well as scholars from across disciplines, tell their personal stories, interwoven with academic reflections on important issues fueling the conflict such as humiliation, revenge, hate, and the need for a homeland and identity. Readers are brought face-to-face with controversial issues, like the psychological impact of Israel's Separation Wall, and unique perspectives, including the stories of eight Palestinian female martyrs, the insights of a young student helping to save blasted bodies after the bombing of a bus, the compassion of a Jewish doctor treating suicide bombers, the thinking of a Jidhadist woman raised to hate Jews but now working for peace with Israelis, and a doctor bringing together Palestinians and Israelis using meditation to find peace.

Customer Reviews:

A top pick for any college-level collection.......2007-05-08

TERROR IN THE HOLY LAND: INSIDE THE ANGUISH OF THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT offers up new analysis and psychological understanding of the ongoing and lasting traumas to the peoples on both sides, and is the first to blend analysis from both a social and psychological viewpoint in the process of describing conflicts and national identity crises. These essays cover everything from terrorism's impact to occupation's lasting conflicts, and provide a unique, multi-faceted survey of complex issues which goes far beyond the usual political focus. A top pick for any college-level collection strong in Middle East politics and psychology.

The Land of Terror (Doc Savage, #8) (The Fantastic Adventures of Doc Savage)

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From the back cover.

The Land of Terror (Doc Savage, #8) (The Fantastic Adventures of Doc Savage)

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553086073

Customer Reviews:

From the back cover........2006-02-07

A vile greenish vapor was all that remained of Jerome Coffern, first victim of the monstrous Smoke of Eternity. But there would be thousands more if Kar, master fiend, had his evil way.
Only Doc Savage and his mighty five could stop him. The corpse-laden trail led to a prehistoric crater and mortal combat with the most destructive killing machinces ever invented by nature.

Land of Terror (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

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Pellucidar's nadir
ERB explores reversed stereotypes in the land of Pellucidar

Land of Terror (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0803262655

Book Description

If you have ever wondered what a civilized man of the twentieth century would do if catapulted into an Old Stone Age where huge cave bears, saber-toothed tigers, monstrous carnivorous dinosaurs, mammoths, and mastodons roamed the savage terrain, you need look no further than Land of Terror, the sixth installment of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Pellucidar series.

Years ago David Innes and Abner Perry bored straight down through five hundred miles of the earth's crust and landed in Pellucidar, the savage, primeval world that lies at the center of the earth. This is the story of their continuing adventures in the timeless land of perpetual noon and their encounters with the hideous creatures and savage men who pursue them. Although they encounter enemies at every turn, David and Abner find a few loyal friends as they embark on exhilarating adventures.

Anne Harris provides an introduction to this Bison Books edition.

Customer Reviews:

Pellucidar's nadir.......2007-01-26

I'm an avid ERB fan who has acquired just about all the Master's published work. That said, I consider myself one Burroughs' most ardent admirers. Unfortunately I found little to admire in Land of Terror. The novel is disjointed and incoherent with little or nothing to redeem it in many places. Probably the worst facet of the book is the fact that Dian the Beautiful is so little onstage. She appears early on then disappears till the next to last page, having miraculously made everything all right offstage. Probably the two best parts of the book come in the sections featuring the Jukans and the Ruvans, but everything else feels like padding. Characters appear and disappear with appalling regularity, leaving the reader no chance to identify with them. The whole plot (such as it is) seems to be a travelogue of unexplored areas of Pellucidar while David Innes stumbles obliviously into trap after trap. (Had Burroughs made Innes' inability to find his way home unaided the linchpin of the book, I'd be less caustic; but that is a minor point only occasionally mentioned.) Why ERB made his character so stupid at critical times rather than carefully plotting their temporary downfall is a mystery to me. Richard Lupoff says it is to give the reader a sense of superiority over the character, but Innes' slowness, inability to return home, and general failure to recover his wife accomplish that well on their own. Turning a man who has forged an empire from nothing into a blithering idiot for the plot's purposes is sheer folly. How I wish Burroughs had written this better. Unfortunately he didn't, but the parts where he really applied himself to the story do shine, though they are far too few.

ERB explores reversed stereotypes in the land of Pellucidar.......2003-12-05

"The Land of Terror" was the sixth of seven novels in the Pellucidar series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and is rather unique in that it was never published in magazine form having been rejected by all of ERB's publishers. Instead ERB, Inc. published the book in 1944, although clearly there are five "parts" to the novel that would have worked as a magazine serial. The result is one of the most disjointed Burroughs novels and the low point in the Pellucidar series.

In "The Land of Terror" the focus returns to David Innes, who is rather surprised to learn that he has been living in Pellucidar for 36 years, although he still looks like a young man of about 20. In all that time Abner Perry has brought such wonders of civilization as gunpowder and sailing ships, and now he is working on poison gas. The first adventure has Innes being captured by the women of the village of Oog, who have reversed the traditional gender stereotypes. The second takes Innes to the land of the Jukans, where he is captured by this most bizarre race and forced to make mud pies (no idea what point ERB is making with these crazy society, especially when David declares his name is Napoleon Bonaparte). The third deals with the love story between David's companion, Zor, and Zeeto, while David is off trying to rescue Dian the Beautiful (again) and makes friends with a mastodon. The fourth part of the story has David captured by the giant 6-foot long ants. The final story takes place on Ruva, the Floating Island, where, once again, David ends up a slave. The people of Ruva are black and have white slaves, so there is a racial flip that bookends the opening gender flip. The point this time is that the black masters treat their white slaves better than what happened in human history in the outer world.

The lake of a comprehensive narrative and the repetitive capturing of David Innes easily explain why ERB's usual publishers were not interested in this Pellucidar novel, which is the weakest of the series. There are some philosophical sections to "The Land of Terror," where Innes thinks deep thoughts about how 20th century inventions are making human beings so dependent that they are becoming more helpless than their ancestors. But there are also sections where Burroughs gets caught up in describing the animal life of Pellucidar while he comes up with the next place for David Innes to be held captor. Actually, Dina the Beautiful comes out better in her brief appearance in the early part of the story, before she also becomes an unwilling captor.

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Super Reader
LAND OF TERROR (Doc Savage #8)
Kenneth Robeson
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRGB00

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-31

This is great. Some solo Doc action in an early car chase, and him vs 5 armed 'Squint'-led hoods.

A scientist friend of his deceased father, distintegration 'Smoke of Eternity' grenades (that you get to see employed), and a showdown on a dinosaur infested Thunder Island, off New Zealand.

Absolutely fabulous, in other words. Not to mention treed by Tyrannosaurs and pursued by Pterodactyls and chased by Creodonts.

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Doc Savage #8: The Land of Terror

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000IGE7Z0

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Doc Savage; The Land Of Terror #8

Manufacturer: Bantum Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GWG5J2

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Land of Terror
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Manufacturer: Ace Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FWAVHA

The Circle: Terror and Triumph in the Holy Land

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Crisscross pressures and childhood friendships

The Circle: Terror and Triumph in the Holy Land
H. Edward Schmidt
Manufacturer: Upper Falls Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0971757607

Book Description

The Circle: Terror and Triumph in the Holy Land is about the unyielding bond of friendship of three children, two Jewish siblings, and an Arab boy, all caught in the raging conflict between Arab and Jew. World War I is over, and Ismael returns a hero in the struggle against the Turks. Arabs are free for the first time in four hundred years. Yitzhak, caught in the glory of Zionism and the struggle for a Jewish state, joins the Circle, a secret organization know only to a few in the Yishuv. Sarah, unlike her brother Yitzhak, dedicates her life to a Palestine where Jew and Arab live together in freedom. Their world is ripped apart when Ismael's father, Abdul Latif is assassinated.

Customer Reviews:

Crisscross pressures and childhood friendships.......2002-10-06

Set in the Holy Land during the early 1900s, before and during World War I, The Circle: Terror And Triumph In The Holy Land by H. Edward Schmidt is a compelling historical fiction about the Poletsky family of Arach, his wife Rivka, and their two children Sarah and Yitzhak. They are a Jewish family who live on the sacred soil of Palestine even as war erupts all around them. As the fate of the land is debated and promised, the family's son joins the Circle, a hard-core and extreme Zionist group committed to murdering its enemies, while the daughter embraces a vision of a free Palestinian state with both Jewish and Arab citizens. Crisscross pressures and childhood friendships create multiple conflicts in this heated page-turner of a novel.

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Doc Savage: The Land of Terror
Kenneth Robeson
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q8V8GQ

Edgar Rice Burrough's Pellucidar Series: At the Earth's Core, Pellucidar, Tanar of Pellucidar, Tarzan at the Earth's Core, Back to the Stone Age, Land of Terror, Savage Pellucidar (Set of 7)

Average customer rating:

Great Vintage Collection of Tarzan Tales inside the Earth!

Edgar Rice Burrough's Pellucidar Series: At the Earth's Core, Pellucidar, Tanar of Pellucidar, Tarzan at the Earth's Core, Back to the Stone Age, Land of Terror, Savage Pellucidar (Set of 7)
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NW0BSQ

Customer Reviews:

Great Vintage Collection of Tarzan Tales inside the Earth!.......2007-09-25

I always enjoyed Tarzan running around the jungle etc etc but when he made his way "back into a land time forgot" in the Pellucidar series of tales at the earth's core fighting dinos and sabertooths and mastodons and cavedudes -- well, heck! How cool was that! So get the series of tales here all together.

Book Description

When the Dark Knight suspects a modern-day rock-and-roll icon of masterminding a nationwide crime spree using teenaged fans as his henchmen, Batman runs into unexpected opposition from an unexpected source: his own ward, Robin. Certain that his idol is not guilty, Dick Grayson sets out to uncover a bizarre and elaborate frame-up in this dazzlingly illustrated graphic novel.

Customer Reviews:

Lame, not LAMF, but seriously LAME.......2007-01-21

This reads like the writer(s) took Greil Marcus and a VH-1 documentary, put them in a blender and then connected the dots into a lameass story. I found myself cringing at every page. Elvis is such a hackneyed reference (if Cher uses Elvis as a refernce point that should be a clue to leave it alone) that its hard to do right. Also irritating were the none-to-veiled references. Why the hell not just go ahead and quote? Its part of popular culture, and later on in the story names are named, so the Joycean (while creative) medeley of rock and roll patois/references feels unneccesary. It also goes way beyond suspension of disbelief to throw in Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon as 'motivating factors' for Batman. Why not the tragedy of the loss of innocents at Altamont, or at the Cincinati Who fiasco?
The major problems with are the writing and the time it was published. The references are so stereotyped, hackneyed, and lacking in insight that it suggests that the writer(s) may not have been in touch with rock and roll, and therefore makes poor subject material for a story. You can see this is in the omission of various figures of the canon (e.g., there are more punk icons than Mr. Vicious which would have made better characters, figures in the metal and Black Metal scene who would have made striking villianous characters, and even pop and contemporary figures, such as less-veiled references to Cobain, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi, Moon, Bonham, Barrett, etc (note that the list of dead rock and rollers is far from limited, yet it would appear that in Jones' world there were only 6). Even the way the people hold their guitars suggests someone unfamiliar with the art form. And the scene with all the kids singing along to the song in the woods? Very Broadway as opposed to Hammersmith.
Finally, the time this was published, 1999, seems to be 10 years too late. the subtextual themes about the vanishing middle class, the blue-collar lip of the unemployment bubble was a more appropriate theme for the Grunge backdrop of late 80s early 90s. There would have been more fuel for Cobain tie-ins and more of a cultural support in the unifying power of rock and roll as a revolutionary enegery. By 1999 rock and roll was dead but only Marilyn Manson claimed the body (and promptly molested it). Rock had become a plastic boner band with all the revolutionary power of a jiggly dildo. The net result is that, in 1999 when this was published, the very ideas that form the core of the narrative were already passe, given way to posse and the exploitation of the other p that people were down with. The story was dead when it hit the water, and kept sinking.
Bottom line: even the most obsessive Batfans will be thankful to leave this out of the library, leave it on the subway, or better yet, under my wheels.

Not worthy of the format, but it has its own merits........2006-09-29

Batman: Fortunate Son is something of an odd animal. In a way, it's like that one cringe-inducing episode of your favorite TV show where they brought on the fictional TV-created "rock stars" (and it seems like every eighties or nineties 8PM TV action/adventure show eventually did this for some reason, from the A-Team to MacGyver). But in another, it provides a bit of much-needed plot diversity to the Batman mythos, which can get repetitive at times (murky streets of Gotham, crazed supervillains, gangsters, etc).

To begin, let's look at the creative team. Gerard Jones was a prolific DC (and Marvel) writer in the nineties, with notable runs on Wonder Man and various Green Lantern-related titles (Along with Green Lantern: Mosaic, Guy Gardner and Trinity, he was also the last pre-"Emerald Twilight" Green Lantern writer). Artist Gene Ha was a DC discovery during that period, doing spot fill-in work on the Green Lantern books written by Jones before handling main art chores on "Trinity" and then moving on to bigger projects like this one and some ABC stuff. This is sort of a transition project for Ha as he was just moving from "hot newcomer" to a status as a quality veteran who does good art, but without ever becoming prolific.

In terms of story, it's important to note that despite the title, Batman is a supporting character here. But while Robin takes centerstage over his mentor, neither of them are the "main" character. That's reserved for the "villain/pawn" of the piece, Isaak Crowe (a pretty decent fictional rocker name, I guess). This structure is very unusual for a Batman story, and that's where both the problems and the strengths begin. Throughout the book, many "Un-Batmanly" things take place. Our heroes infight over rock-and-roll (an idea which mostly worked), jaunt across the country in Ha's very cool version of the Batwing (an idea that was a nice change from Gotham only), and operate in full daylight among crowds of people (something that's almost a no-no in Batbooks because the character is considered an "urban legend" according to DC).

Then there's the "God of Rock", an ersatz Elvis who has a heavy presence over the story despite being dead. I found the "God" to be very entertaining because there was a lot of great satire surrounding him. It was a lot like the "Aaron Viva" character on "Brisco County, Jr." I guess. The only problem is that this humor did damage the dramatic sensibilities of the rest of the story, even though it's probably the most entertaining part of the book, especially for an Elvis fan.

At one point, there's a very funny tribute to Elvis related to Captain Marvel, Jr. It's well-known that Elvis was a comics fan who absolutely loved CM, Jr. and actively patterned some of his costumes and capes after that character. At one point in the fictional "Graceland" stand-in, there's an "Elvis jumpsuit" on display with a LOT of Marvel Family elements added in (more than Elvis ever used in reality).

And there's the ending, which I won't give away, but it's fairly cliched on several accounts. However, if you have any familiarity with Elvis conspiracy theories, then you may find it worth a chuckle.

In total, it's a mixed bag. This story is definitely NOT worth a twenty-five dollar hardcover, but had it been a $4.95 annual or something, it would have been considered pretty decent. Fortunately, by buying used here, that's about what I paid.

....What?.......2006-08-20

This really has to be the worst Batman book I've read. It's just plaing boring. The entire premise is ridiculous and there's a total lack of what makes Batman, Batman. The whole idea that Batman needs to learn about rock music to defeat evil is just plain stupid. Plus, Robin is going to leave Batman because they disagree on whether a rocker who blew up a music video studio did it of his own free will or not. The entire premise of the story is so unlike any Batman story that's come before it in a very bad way. The only intriguing part of this book is the artwork. Most of it is normal fair. What really caught my attention was the way the artist drew the eyes of the characters. The artwork on the masks of Batman and Robin really humanizes the characters as you can actually see their eyes, as opposed to the usual white slits. If you like pretty pictures get the book. If you're looking for a good story with a well thought out plot, character development, and a story that belongs in a Batman book, look somewhere else.

The Worst of Batman Harbound Graphic Novels.......2001-04-08

Everything about this book "says" magizine format, yet, DC rips the reader of with a hardbound. I keep it, and would buy it regardless, because I collect the hardbound graphic novels.

The story is for the 12-14 year old male who loves "rock" music and in some way wants to feel validated about his musical taste. It is mostly a generation gap story where both Batman and Robin understand eachother a little bit more at the end of the book.

The art work is average and the story better suited for a price of two bucks. If it sold at the magazine news stand price, it would be worth. But a hardbound book is like going to the movies after a matinee. You pay full price because it is worth it. This book is more liek the ABC movie of the week. Little investment for a little enjoyment.

If you are buying this book as a gift, get it for a boy 12-14, in to rock music and Batman. He will give it a big "thumbs up." But to everyone else, who is a Batman fan, get something else.

Incredible Batman story based on rock music.......2000-07-27

This graphic novel is a great example of what comics can be. Anyone with an interest in Batman or rock music will enjoy this book. The story concerns a young musician who some believe is destined to save the soul of rock. Others, including the Batman, dismiss him as a greedy servant of evil. Robin, however, is a fan. Debate rages in the Batcave as elsewhere, until the young star, driven by visions of the God of Rock (a blond-haired version of Elvis, dripping with verisimilitude) disappears and begins to lose his mind. The story shows some interesting aspects of the batman/robin relationship and manages to tell a compelling superhero story set against the backdrop of the turbulent music industry.

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable

Carucci's Secrets - a useful addition

One of my favorites

Good, but not what I was expecting

A great resource for cooks wanting to take their "game" to the next level

Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks: Tips, Techniques, Shortcuts, Sources, Hints, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, Plus 100 Sure-Fire Recipes to Make You a Better Cook
Linda Carucci
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Culinary Arts & Techniques | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Professional | Professional Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks: 5,000 Ingenious Kitchen Hints, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Solutions

Get Saucy: Make Dinner a New Way Every Day with Simple Sauces, Marinades, Glazes, Dressings, Pestos, Pasta Sauces, Salsas, and More

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Chef's Secrets: Insider Techniques from Today's Culinary Masters

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ASIN: 0811842436

Book Description

When it comes to food, Linda Carucci is at the top of her class. As a cooking instructor with more than 20 years of food industry experience, no one is more qualified than Linda to reveal the indispensable everyday secrets and shortcuts that professional chefs use constantly in their cooking. Each of the more than 100 sensational recipes—soups and salads, pasta and risotto, main courses and side dishes, plus indulgent desserts—offers truly useful guidelines and tips. What is a chinois and why will this make homemade chicken stock better? Why are Turkish bay leaves preferable to the California variety? What cut of meat will ensure the most flavorful pork chop? Why is a marinade essential when grilling a flank steak? Why should granita be frozen in a square, rather than round, pan? The recipes go from down-home good and simple-to-prepare favorites (Tomato Cheddar Soup, Spaghetti and Meatballs) to guest-worthy, look-what-I-can-do feasts (Double-Crusted Timpano, Rack of Lamb). Clear illustrations show techniques such as how to cut the skin from a salmon fillet and slice basil into a chiffonade (and what is a chiffonade anyway?). Add to that a myriad of user-friendly charts (recommended temperatures for meat doneness; typical cuts of poultry, meat, and pork), menus, and resources, and any new cook—as well as the not-so-new ones—will quickly find that going back to school is way more fun (and delicious) than they ever remembered.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable.......2007-08-18

I borrowed this book from the library and now I am considering buying my own copy. I would consider this more of a teaching/reference manual rather then an everyday cookbook. This book offers a huge amount of information from food science, cooking techniques, and of course many delicious recipes too. I Especially enjoyed the info on improving knife skills, understanding your palate (such as the role of acid and umami). This book is full of information on how to be a better cook, assuming you are not already a professional chef. There is no substitute for practice but if you can't go to cooking school this is also helpful. Overall I found this book easy to read, thoughtful, and an excellent reference I would refer to often.

Carucci's Secrets - a useful addition.......2007-05-07

I don't buy many cookbooks anymore as many sit on the shelf and never get used - except perhaps my 1950's version of the Joy of Cooking - but Carucci's Secrets is one of the few others I find a useful addition - not only for basic recipes but also for techniques and variations on a recipe - I most often use it as a quick reference for tips on how to make things even better - she often has a succinct tip on something simple but impactful that makes this book worth checking out before I try something new or sometimes if I want to find an improvement on an old recipe.
As an aside, I first met Linda at a friend's party, where she had brought a dish that was excellent, but seemed quite simple - many people were raving about it and later I saw her signing cookbooks and realized she was an expert in our midst - and reading her cookbook is like having a brief conversation with a down to earth friend or a next door neighbor - seems like casual advice - not overwhelming in details or overly technical - it's "just right."

One of my favorites.......2007-04-23

I love cookbooks. I have dozens and would have hundreds if I had more space. But there are only a few that I pull out when I need a really good recipe; the books that I trust to deliver a delicious result. "Cooking School Secrets", "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison and "The Joy of Cooking" by Irma S. Rombauer are the three that come out when I'm having people over and I'm not sure what to make. I pull this one off the shelf for other reasons too. For instance, I can finally hard boil and egg to perfection due to the insructions and explanations in this book. The introduction is full of information that has made me a better cook, just as the title suggests.

As for the recipes, I've made the "Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles", the "LInguine Aglio e Olio", and the "Fresh Fava Beans with Pecorino and Meyer Lemon Olive Oil", all good. But it was the Thanksgiving dinner that I made from the recipes in this book that really made me a convert. My husband, who complains loudly every Thanksgiving that he doesn't like turkey, ate seconds. My mother insisted it was the best Thanksgiving meal she'd ever had. I loved the fact that the recipes for roasting the turkey, making the stuffing and preparing the gravy were clear and presented in a step by step fashion. I can say with confidence that this book is filled with really well tested recipes that turn out deliciously every time.

Good, but not what I was expecting.......2007-03-08

The information is fairly helpful, but all spread out. You have to go through and look at every recipe to get the tips. I like the background of the recipes Linda gives, and the sources information in the back is pretty helpful. Might have been better if not written as a cookbook with extras.

A great resource for cooks wanting to take their "game" to the next level.......2006-07-16

Permit me a brief digression that will later bear on the review. I once attended a massage therapy school in a city with three competing schools, and I was continually amazed at how limited the competing graduates from the other schools were in basic anatomy, assessment, and palpation skills compared to what I learned. On the other hand, those graduates were way ahead in actual "salon/day spa" cosmetic techniques, so they tended to land positions more easily. They couldn't find a trigger point, balance a meridian flow, or treat a muscle tear, but they could select the best aromatherapy oils for various emotional stresses. Which set of skills were more valid, or "better"? It all depends on what you think is important in massage therapy.

Any course of education and training from a particular institution will have its prejudices, limitations, and standards. Other, competing training schools (and schools of thought) may well differ from the curriculum taught here and may well criticize and castigate these shortcomings. The important thing, you need to understand the rules and conventions of a craft or an art before you can successfully experiment with them or break them for effect (something that people like Alton Brown, Mark Bittman, and Mario Batali do all the time). And Carucci's book does an amazingly thorough and accessible job setting forth those conventions, heuristics and "secrets" in one place, in an easily absorbed format. And she offers them AS conventions and secrets, which implies that other, alternate techniques may well exists. (I didn't even know that the ratios of the ingredients in "mire poix" were an issue, for instance). So to me, this book really is a cooking school between two covers, with all the advantages and limitations that would imply. Mastering the contents of this book will give the aspiring cook/chef a useful set of tools and protocols for "serious" cooking...but other cooks and chefs, trained in other ways of thought may well disagree with many of the "secrets" presented here. The important thing is to understand that the issues exists and that no "secret" is any better than the understanding and perception of the person trying to use it.

So to me, the most important (and useful) part of Carucci's book are the parts were she emphasizes the actual use of the senses and intuition as part of the cooking process. That takes this book to the next level as far as I am concerned and makes it a valuable resource in the education of would be cooks. I've learned a ton of stuff in the three short weeks that I've had it, and more important, I understand the extent and depth of my ignorance, in ways I never did before from working with these pages.

This is a great book to have. The only cookbooks in my collection that I like better are Alton Brown's (and I know that many people consider his recipes hit-or-miss See how personal perceptions enter into it, no matter what you do in subjects like cooking?) I'm delighted that I found this on the stands and decided to give it a chance.

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