Book Description
COLONEL LESLIE R. GROVES was a career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers, fresh from overseeing hundreds of military construction projects, including the Pentagon, when he was given the job in September 1942 of building the atomic bomb. In this full-scale biography Norris places Groves at the center of the amazing Manhattan Project story.
Norris contributes much in the way of new information and vital insights to our understanding of how the bomb got built and how the decision was made to drop it on a large population center. Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, writes, “The brilliant engineer who commanded [the Manhattan Project] has never had his due. Groves finally emerges as the historic, tough, larger-than-life leader who made the atomic bomb happen and gave shape to the atomic age.” Groves’s hard work and numerous innovations during World War II also had a lasting imprint on the Cold War that followed. Procedures and practices developed during the Manhattan Project became the building blocks of the “national security state” and the “military-industrial complex.”
“I had always thought of General Leslie Groves as a fringe character in the story of the atomic bomb,” says Seymour Hersh, “a military martinet widely ridiculed by the nuclear physicists. Norris has rewritten the history of the most important event of World War II and in so doing has given us the best account yet of the military colossus that built America’s first nuclear bombs.”
Customer Reviews:
A Long Fuse.......2002-10-27
As biographer Robert Norris himself concedes, there have been many accounts of the Manhattan Project since World War II, several biographies of Leslie Groves, and even Paul Newman's memorable depiction of Groves in the film "Fat Man and Little Boy." Norris hoped to achieve the academically definitive biography, and no one can accuse him of failing at that. He is thorough. In fact, there is unintended humor in the "racing" title: as late as page 214 the search for real estate for Hanford and Oak Ridge is just getting underway. Groves's bomb has a long fuse.
Leslie R. Groves entered West Point on the eve of World War I. When the United States entered the war, the Academy's curriculum was compressed into a two year matriculation in the belief that many new officers would be needed quickly on the European front. As timing would have it, neither Groves nor many of his fellow cadets saw action. What resulted, however, was a glut of peacetime officers, an undesirable situation for ambitious career officers like Groves. Eventually Groves's accomplishments would outrun his rank, a major political liability. In the end, however, Groves himself was his own worst enemy. Intelligent and self-motivated, Groves became an accomplished engineer at the Academy, though it would seem that as a cadet he acquired the skills without the polish. As an officer in the Corps of Engineers he was brusque and dogged, except with those who could advance his career. Superiors tolerated his rudeness and obesity because he could kick behinds and deliver the goods. In peacetime he might have been shuffled out; but as the Nazi shadow extended closer to home, a man of Groves's productivity would be annually disciplined for his interpersonal shortcomings and "punished" with greater responsibilities. It was thus that Groves became a major force in the construction of the Pentagon, and ultimately a secret weapons project based in the New York District of the Army Corps of Engineers, the so-called Manhattan Project.
To the uninformed, Groves's contribution to the production of the atomic bomb was as scoutmaster for a collection of scientific mad monk geniuses in the desert of New Mexico. In fact, Norris leaves the impression that Groves was more of an absentee landlord at Los Alamos. The real action was going on elsewhere, primarily in massive industrial complexes at Hanford, Washington, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In some respects the building of these two industrial facilities was as impressive as the making of the bomb. That Groves was able to build not one but two mammoth atomic factories in roughly eighteen months is staggering.
As Norris tells the story, Groves enjoyed a decent relationship with Robert Oppenheimer and most of the scientists working for him. He did not totally understand the intricacies of atomic physics; in truth, the entire project was a foray into the unknown. Where he excelled was in translating theoretical problems into practical management components which he executed against incredible odds: shortages of rare substances and wartime civilian labor, secrecy and security, political and military infighting, and concern over the German nuclear program, to cite a few. When his scientists were divided over opposing theories and techniques, Groves's favorite stratagem was simply to test both possibilities in laboratory situations and select the one that worked.
Which raises the question of costs and accountability. The funding of this massive secret project is probably a good subject for a separate work. Suffice to say that Groves drew his funding from an extraordinarily large but innocuously named account, and that funding was one problem he did not have to face, at least until after the war. Conveniently, there was in fact no one-certainly not his [many] senior officers-who could question the wisdom of Groves's expenditures and management techniques. He answered, nominally at least, to a civilian board appointed by Roosevelt, which included James Conant, President of Harvard. But from this narrative the board's primary relationship with Groves appeared to be running interference.
After Japan's surrender, Groves exercised a proprietorship over the newly confirmed nuclear technology, and he would parcel it out sparingly and reluctantly. He advocated an American hegemony of nuclear weaponry-no international control of atomic bombs, no sharing of technology with allies-and even within America he embargoed information to most government agencies, including the White House. Groves protected the stockpile, and since the weapons were stored as component parts, Groves could obfuscate the true strategic strength of the American arsenal as political needs dictated. Norris contends that Groves forged much of this nation's current nuclear philosophy during and immediately after the Manhattan Project.
New technology notwithstanding, the old politics would eventually derail Groves. In 1948, during his annual fitness review, Groves was told by Dwight Eisenhower to his face that his maverick days were over and that he would not be appointed chief of engineers. Eisenhower, who regarded Groves as a loose cannon, made it clear that too many officers had been rubbed the wrong way by his arrogance. No fool, Groves submitted his resignation and spent several years with Remington Rand in the early years of computer development.
Norris depicts Groves's role in the atomic espionage trials of the 1950's in a benign light, [Gregg Herken's new work depicts the General's involvement in a darker light] and I suspect that the author's closeness to his subject made him somewhat less critical of Groves's tactics and style. Overall, this is an extremely valuable work for several reasons. "Racing for the Bomb" is a commentary on the pros and cons of national crisis management, the dilemma of giving someone enough power to get the job done without creating a dictator. There is also a message here about contemporary nuclear proliferation. Have India, Pakistan, Iraq, and North Korea mastered their own Manhattan Projects, or is nuclear proliferation simply a matter of espionage and horse-trading? One can almost hear Groves saying, "I told you so."
good, dry scholarship.......2002-10-07
This biography fills a significant gap in the historical record: behind the incredible scientific and engineering triumph of the Manhattan Project, there was a master administrator. Leslie Groves is that administrator, the take-charge guy who knew how to inspire, find competent people to whom he delegated tasks, cajole and bully his way into the historical achievement of the first working atomic bomb. In this bio, you get to know who he was, how he operated, and what he did. There is no doubt he was a great and talented, if somewhat unsung, man.
Nonetheless, Groves' life and methods are not exactly something that would inspire a lay reader about the epoch. There are far better books for that, such as Rhodes' Making of the Atomic Bomb, which is the most readable and best reported and researched of the whole shelf of books on the subject in my opinion. No, this is a book of value principally for specialists in scientific and military history and for atom-bomb buffs. There was info I needed in it and could only find there, so it was most useful for a scholarly purpose. But it was not a fun read about a rich time.
Afterall, when contrasted to great politicians or scientists or adventurers, there is a reason why very, very few bureaucrats find a narrative niche: they are simply not as interesting or as comprehensible. Norris even says as much, when he admits there were not many layers to Grove: he was a competent and arrogant man, who when given extraordinary authority during the war was capable of achieving extraordinary things. At the end of the war, he refused to change along with the army and instead retired to a corporate position and as a curmugeon who corrected in excruciating detail the innumerable accounts that kept appearing.
I do not mean to diminish Norris' achievement here, only to put it into perspective for prospective readers. The prose is clear, if a bit lackluster. But this is very good scholarship and a useful addition.
Recommended for specialists only.
Great biography of Leslie Groves.......2002-09-03
The book is definitive, scholarly, yet dramatic and exciting. Indispensable for understanding how the atomic bomb came about. A necessary counterpoise to the prevailing scientist-based story of the development. Additionally Norris's description (meticulously documented by a vast quantity of letters and interviews) of Grove's childhood and professional years before WWII recreates a lost era when society's leaders and doers were on a higher plane than they are today.
great reading.......2002-07-17
This has to be the definitive biography of General Groves. The research is meticulous. The book reads more like a suspense story than a biography
I really enjoyed the book.
Why I loved "Racing for the Bomb".......2002-05-27
For those interested in the development of the atomic bomb, this book fills a gap, telling who made the American program succeeded where other nations failed or followed later. General Groves drove the project relentlessly to timely success with immense resources, personal determination, project management skills, and effective delegation. Without Groves, the world would have changed more slowly. A good read, if a bit slow on Groves' life before the bomb.
Average customer rating:
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The Manhattan Project's taskmaster. (Scientists' Bookshelf).(book on Gen. Leslie R. Groves)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist
Philip Morrison
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
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ASIN: B0008FN08Q
Release Date: 2005-07-30 |
Book Description
One of the major intellectual figures of the twentieth century, Paul Ricoeur has influenced a generation of thinkers. In this, the first philosophically informed biography of Ricoeur, student, colleague, and confidant Charles E. Reagan provides an unusually accessible look at both the philosophy of this extraordinary thinker and the pivotal experiences that influenced his development.
"A valuable introduction to Ricoeur; highly recommended."—Library Journal
"[A] lively introduction to the life and thought of one of this century's most notable philosophers."—Norman Wirzba, Christian Century
"Reagan lucidly explains Ricoeur's difficult philosophy while shining overdue light on the personality behind it."—Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Combines biographical and philosophical essays with a more personal memoir that makes Ricoeur's humane and magnanimous nature abundantly evident. Four revealing interviews, coupled with photographs, and an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources, complete this illuminating study."—Choice
Customer Reviews:
Ricoeur's Life and Work .......2005-05-13
The work of Paul Ricoeur, while brilliant, is often difficult to penetrate. Reagan's book helps the newcomer to Ricoeur's writing get through those difficulties to an understanding of the importance of his philosophy. Reagan is uniquely qualified to do this. He was Ricoeur's student and has remained his lifelong friend. Reagan's book offers highly readable summaries of some of Ricoeur's major works complemented with biographical details that put those works into the context of Ricoeur's life. If you are only going to buy one book about Ricoeur, this should be it
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Utopian Studies, published by Society for Utopian Studies on January 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1325 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Paul Ricoeur: His Life and his Work.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Camille Raymond
Publication:
Utopian Studies (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1999
Publisher: Society for Utopian Studies
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Page: 266
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Paul Ricoeur: His Life and His Work.: An article from: The Review of Metaphysics
Gregory J. Walters
Manufacturer: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
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ASIN: B00097RRHS
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on September 1, 1997. The length of the article is 729 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Paul Ricoeur: His Life and His Work.
Author: Gregory J. Walters
Publication:
The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1997
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: v51
Issue: n1
Page: p169(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Paul Ricoeur: His Life and Work.(Brief Article): An article from: Theological Studies
Peter E. Fink
Manufacturer: Theological Studies, Inc.
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ASIN: B00097QBDE
Release Date: 2005-06-01 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Theological Studies, published by Theological Studies, Inc. on September 1, 1997. The length of the article is 2092 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Paul Ricoeur: His Life and Work.(Brief Article)
Author: Peter E. Fink
Publication:
Theological Studies (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1997
Publisher: Theological Studies, Inc.
Volume: v58
Issue: n3
Page: p581(1)
Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
The best-selling author of The New Fit or Fat offers a feast of useful information and practical advice in this comprehensive guide to exercise and training. Helpful to anyone designing a fitness program, whether it's to lose a "spare tire" or train for a marathon.
Book Description
Best-selling author Covert Bailey has revolutionized thinking about health and fitness. Smart Exercise is a comprehensive guide to exercise and a lucid explanation of how our bodies stay fit or fat. Most important, Smart Exercise reveals the world's best-kept secret about fitness: keep your muscles in peak form and everything else will follow. Using his famous sense of humor to great effect, Bailey explains how muscles function, describes the multiple benefits of a good workout, and shows why muscle efficiency is the key to lowering body fat and improving general health. Take Covert's Home Fitness Test, make this book your exercise bible, and enjoy the benefits of being in the best shape of your life.
Customer Reviews:
Some new and useful thinking.......2007-06-17
I found a few gems in this book. For one, I discovered that the target heart rate is not as important as we've been led to believe. Indeed, not important at all.
This is a book that will encourage and inspire you if you find it hard to stay motivated in your exercise and eating program.
Smart Exercise, Real World Results - It Worked out for me. I lost 200 lbs.......2006-07-27
This book gives practical advice to exercise, training and diet, and it does so using a clear way and with a great sense of humor.
When I bought this and a couple of other books, about six years ago, I was looking for an introductory reference on aerobic training, fat burning, and on the use of heart rate monitors for general fitness improvements, and wasn't disappointed at all, since what I learned really worked out for me: Armed with a Polar Heart Rate Monitor (the old M61) I was able to drop more than 200 lbs in about eight months, and the heart rate monitor training has helped me keep those lbs off for over six years. Not only I went fro size 44 to size 32 pants, but also obtained substantial benefits that included weight control, cardiovascular improvements, lowered blood pressure, and improved muscular-skeletal strength and flexibility, but also the myriad of mental and psychological benefits derived from being in the best shape of my life.
I especially like the chapter about measuring your own Fat and Fitness. The formula to estimate Body Fat Percentage is very useful if you don't have a Body Fat Scale or Monitor at Home. I used the formula, and other data that I found on several books to set-up an excel spreadsheet to monitor my progress, which gave me motivation to keep training smarter.
In short terms, based on my experience I can recommend this book, and it's a great reading as well.
Another tools you may want to consider, to complement this book and your strategies for boosting your metabolism, loosing weight, and even more important keeping that weight off are:
- A Body Fat Monitor or Scale. This will help you monitor your progress, to assure that the weight you are loosing is fat (fat lost = increased metabolism) and not muscle, water or bone mass (decreased metabolism).
- "Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss", which is another very practical, readable and insightful book, focused on how to boost your metabolism.
- "The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life".
- A Heart Rate Monitor Wrist Watch. This is an excellent tool that will help you monitor and control your Heart Rate in order to keep yourself in a burning fat state (increased metabolism).
- "The Hard Body Guide". Excellent strategies, programs and workouts, aimed to increase your muscle mass.
If you are focused only on your diet, the first three may be worth considering. If you exercise, or want to start doing it right, the last two are for you. If you do both, all the four recommended options can improve your results.
easy to understand.......2006-07-08
I am a personal trainer and I bought several copies of this book to give to my clients. It explains how we burn fat in a scientific, but easy to understand, way. I suggest this book to someone who is confused about the best way to lose weight.
informative, entertaining.......2005-09-25
I recently began teaching an exercise program and wanted to become more knowledgeable in aerobic/anaerobic exercise,burning calories and how best to describe and explain it to my classes. Within the first few pages I was gathering valuable information that was easy to understand and retain. I borrowed the book from the library, but will purchase it so I can refer to it as I need to. I'm in a quandry as to why people in other reviews seem to be upset by Mr. Bailey's decription of "fat people". I'm sure these people know they are fat, and in no way is he knocking them, only describing them in the most efficient manner for the purpose of the book. I whole-heartedly recommend this book.
Disappointing.......2005-05-09
I purchased this book hoping to learn more about how exercise affects the body, and how to exercise most efficiently for weight loss. That is, after all, part of the title. What I found was a book that was not very informative, focusing mostly on personal opinion and a little on actual research. I would like to have seen a lot more actual scientifically-based information. The author also has a habit of reporting information from a study performed on fit people and writing that it should work the same way for fat people (a term he uses often). He will then have a chapter about how fat people's body is different from fit people's bodies and so can't be trained the same way. Aside from this annoying repetition of contradictions, I also found the layout to be frustrating. Each "Chapter" is, at most, 3-4 pages long, averaging 2-3. This is not enough room to put anything truly valuable, and he wastes most of the room he's given. He either glosses over a topic without providing detail, or provides an excessive amount of detail that the average reader might not understand and doesn't really need (the things he actually knows about - biochem). And yet, even when going so far in-depth, he leaves out important parts of the processes! Maybe it's because I've taken biology courses and have actually spent time reading the scientific literature, but I found the book to be more of a feeble attempt to milk his popularity than something intended to educate the public. It gets two stars because someone who has no knowledge about the human body and metabolism processes (and I mean NO knowledge) would learn something new. If you know the basics, don't bother with this book. He should leave this topic to those who are educated in the fields of medicine and exercise physiology who can provide solid evidence for their opinions. Definitely a waste of money.
Book Description
A golden crust crowned with garden-ripe tomatoes and basil, redolent of garlic, and flavored with fruity extra-virgin olive oil was created in Naples. This oldest documented pizza recipe, shown on the cover, remains as up to date as any of the innovative toppings that reflect the current gourmet status of the humble pie. From traditional pizzas of Italy, France, New York, and Chicago to the new delicious concoctions popularized in California, Pizza contains a delightful array of mouth-watering recipes.
Check out all of James McNair's Chronicle cookbooks!
Customer Reviews:
No more frozen pizzas.......2006-07-18
Here's the book for you if you want to impress your friends with your gourmet pizza. There's smoked pheasant pizza, wild mushrooms pizza and some more traditional ones like deep dish stuffed pizza and New York style pizza.
The glorious full-page color photos make you want to eat the page. I recommend cooking the recipes and keep your book intact.
Great Start to making Homemade Pizza.......2001-12-29
I never figured I'd be able to make a decent pizza at home, until I purchased this book. I was worried a standard home oven could never produce the quality any pizzeria could produce, and that the right equipment and skills wouldn't help.
I was wrong.
This book offers simple recipes for pizza dough, and how to cook the pizza in your oven, that allows you to come up with something rivaling the local pizzeria. I've followed the instructions, and found the regular recipe produces a nice, high quality crust - and once you have the crust, you can play around with toppings, so you've got most of a good pizza down. I have yet to try the Chicago-style corn crust, as I can't find a deep-dish pizza pan yet.
The sauce recipes are not quite as good as the dough recipe, with the one I use most often seeming like it's missing something, perhaps a little sugar, so that's going to be something to play with.
To be honest, the interesting history of pizza presented in the book, along with the basics of cooking the pizza, and the supplies you need, are the best part of the book - the other recipes for various toppings do seem like afterthoughts, though a few do get my interest.
Mommy makes the best pizza in the whole wide world.......2001-05-25
I had to write this review to refute the "pretty pizza, no substance" one, written by the angry reader who accused McNair of writing the book to pay off his mortgage. Don't believe a word of that negative commentary. I've been making pizza for years using a brick oven stone and have had lots of success with McNair's ideas. And his ingredients don't seem particularly exotic to me-- what's so mysterious about freshly ground Parmesan cheese? McNair himself recommends substitution if you don't have a particular ingredient on hand, or if you prefer an alternative ingredient taste-wise. I especially like the whole-wheat pizza crust recipe-- I just throw the ingredients into a bread machine and use it for two thin pizzas. I add some mozzarella & cheddar, the New York Neopolitan pizza sauce (very simple) and some garlic and add steamed spinach, basil & Italian flat-leaf parsley and oregano & Parmesan on top, & it's easy & delicious. And according to the kids, "Mommy makes the best pizza in the whole wide world." Thanks, James McNair. I hope you pay off your mortgage and that I pay mine off too someday.
Great cooking!.......1999-07-24
I own several James McNair books, and I find them consistently reliable. Yes, some of the recipes do call for specialized ingredients (Parmigiano Reggiano cheese instead of Kraft Parmesan, for example), but that's just one detail that makes McNair's recipes so much better than many others. I recently made pizza for lunch for some houseguests who were astounded that I could do so from scratch without an awful lot of effort--they had NEVER seen it done at home before. It's not at all difficult, and the results are far superior to anything out of the freezer or thrown at the doorstep by a fast-moving delivery driver. Many of McNair's books are old reliables around my house!
Pretty to look at, no substance.......1999-07-12
McNair has a "cookie cutter" approach to his cookbooks, laughing all the way to the bank. No love, and little care, went into this one. The recipes do not generate the appearance or flavor promised in the descriptions, and have to be tinkered with. In some cases, you wonder if the author actually worked with the recipes. Expensive ingredients are specified, such as imported cheeses, which add little or nothing to the dish. This feels like a book done to pay the mortgage. Save your money for your own mortgage-- don't buy this book.
Product Description
Best-selling cookbook author James McNair is back with a fresh new book filled with everyone's favorite food - pizza. Over 60 sensational recipes illustrated with 28 luscious, full-color photos make this book a delicious addition to every contemporary kitchen. You'll find techniques for mixing, stretching, topping and baking like a pro plus recipes like the classic Chicago-Style Deep Dish or Tomato-Basil and the exotic Tandoori Chicken Pizza and an Apple-Triple Crema Pizza for dessert - now that's amore! Soft cover. 144 pages.
Amazon.com
According to James McNair, the average North American family enjoys pizza at home at least 30 times per year. If you're ordering your pies from a big pizza chain, there's a good chance you're eating a lot of fair-to-middling pizza. Stop! Try making it yourself at home with the easy recipes in the colorful--and durable--New Pizza book. But a word of advice from the author: "For the best pizzas, the rule is simple: use only the freshest and finest ingredients available."
Before he gets to pizza assembly, McNair lets us in on perhaps the most important step--how to make a fantastic, foolproof crust, either Neapolitan or California style (the latter includes olive oil). He debates different flour mixtures, olive oil purity, and methods of kneading, all in search of a sturdy, flavorful crust (soft or firm, depending on your preference). From crusts, he moves on to traditional pizzas "that have stood the test of time to become true classics of the pizza baker's art." This section includes Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza (Pizza Margherita), Four Seasons Pizza (Pizza Quattro Stagioni), and New York-Style Pizza. Considering contemporary pizzas, he notes that Americans, particularly West Coasters, prefer pizza loaded with toppings, while Italians sprinkle just a few choice ingredients over their pies. Try Garlic-Glazed Chicken Pizza, Roasted Potato and Tapenade Pizza, or Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Pizza with Tropical Salsa. The stuffed pizzas are scrumptious--you'll need a hearty appetite for Zucchini-Stuffed Deep-Dish Pizza, Chicago Style, or Spanakopita (Greek spinach pizza). There's even a section on dessert pizzas. Finish off the evening with Fresh Fig, Blue Cheese, and Honey Pizza or Chocolate and Berry Pizza. Whichever way you choose to top your pie (and the combinations are endless), McNair is ready with a helping hand. --Dana Van Nest
Customer Reviews:
Not very good.......2003-05-27
I bought his first book and I bought book this because it
said 'foolproof' techniques. Well the first book was bad and
this is worse. The techniques are not foolproof because
I tried the recipes over and over again and the pizza was aweful
tasting. After buying 2 of his books and turning out aweful
tasting pizza I have come to the conclusion that
McNair can't make a pizza. Don't waste your money.
Fun, imaginative pizzas.......2003-04-03
Pizza is really what you make of it. It's one of the easiest foods to make. I was skeptical of this book... once you have a crust, who needs a pizza "recipe?" After trying a few of the exotic pizzas, the answer was clear: I do. I've tried stuffed pizzas, dessert pizzas, goat cheese & artichoke pizzas, traditional tomato, basil & mozzerella pizzas and a few of the un-pizza like pizza wraps/sandwiches. While I had to modify quantities to accomodate the pans I already have, it's not hard to adjust because pizza making is very forgiving. (The quantities of are just fine if you use the right tools/pans.) I've even taken to throwing the dough in the air, but I look more like a kid learning to juggle than a pizza chef.
One complaint I had was the obvious West-Coast bias of the author. Growing up in New Jersey and having lived on the East Coast my entire life, I was eager to try what different areas call "pizza," but Mr. McNair spends an unjustified amount of the book raving about California pizzas, ingredients and doughs. Nearly every pizza in his book is based on the "California Pizza Crust" dough. However, this isn't all bad, because it's really a great dough, with a great listing of variations. I've made every base dough in the book (there are only 3 or 4, but with many good variations on each) and each has its own distinctive qualities, but all were well crafted thanks to the recipe. The humidity in Miami, FL makes dough making very difficult, but using a bread machine and the authors recipes helped overcome any difficulties.
The physical quality of this paperback book is superb. The pages are very colorful, and made from thick, semi-glossy paper. All images are crisp and attractive, and there are quite a number of them. There are no step-by-step pictures, but the written directions are clear and thorough.
All in all, I recommend this book highly to anyone that enjoys pizza in its many varieties. However, if you're not crazy about less traditional pizzas or are only willing to enjoy pizzas that are replicas of what you grew up with, you probably don't need an entire cookbook dedicated to pizzas. Making pizza is a gratifying, but time-consuming project - as are all things involving rising doughs. It's still easier to call the locally owned pizzeria and get a pie, but you'll probably have a tough time finding these delicious gourmet pizzas there!
Absolutely brilliant!.......2003-01-28
No fresh novice to pizza making, I attempted the art two times before I consulted Mr. McNair's New Pizza. Both times I failed! My crusts were hard and flavourless, torture to bite through.
That was until I found New Pizza.
My first go with the recipes in this book, I made an Easy, deliciously wonderful, chewy, flavorful pizza.
Some plusses and minuses compared to his first pizza book.......2001-02-07
I thoroughly enjoyed McNair's first pizza book. It had clear instructions, interesting descriptions, wonderful photographs, and recipes that both worked well and expanded my pizza-making repertoire. I bought the new version expecting more of the same, but it has been a little disappointing. The techniques section is all text, several of the recipes don't have pictures, and the small print is hard to read against the colored background of some pages. He advocates using a pizza screen to facilitate getting pies in and out of the oven, but I get great results using just parchment paper. The recipes themselves are excellent. The ones carried over from the first book have subtle but noticeable improvements. His Neapolitan-style pies are closer to the real thing. You use the unappetizingly named "seasoned tomato pulp" instead of tomato sauce, but it really is better. My crusts even got big blisters I had only seen before in good pizzerias! Some of his innovative pizzas are over the top. I would never spend hours roasting pork shoulder just for a pizza or turn my pies into pinwheels, but they are interesting ideas. Overall, this is a fun and reliable pizza book. I just wish it didn't have the few small but inconvenient shortcomings.
Everything you need to know about pizza.......2000-12-29
This book is an excellent reference that teaches pizza-making beginning with the fundamentals. Instructions are given for preparing various kinds of dough by hand, food processor, mixer, and bread machine. A separate section covers common ingredients such as seasoned tomato pulp and roasted garlic. Mr. McNair's style of writing is thorough and entertaining.
The first recipes are simple (tomato and garlic, garlic and olive oil). These let you concentrate on making great crust. Later recipes begin to include some unusual ingredients. You won't find "Artichoke and Goat Cheese Pizza" at Domino's! It was delicious. Another of my favorites now is the Corn Pizza. I have yet to work up to stuffed pizzas. Some of the sweet pizzas (dessert and otherwise) will probably remain untried.
The full-page photos are well-done, and the book itself is colorful. My one complaint would be that, with my poor eyesight, some pages are difficult to read: white print on sky-blue, black print on dark red.
I would recommend "New Pizza" to anyone (beginner or experienced chef) who wants to have fun experimenting with pizza.
Book Description
Once a humble Italian dish, pizza is now a favorite around the world. In The Pizza Deck, James McNair shows you how simple it is to make pizzeria-style pizza from scratch in your own kitchen. The deck includes 50 scrumptious recipes for a variety of sauces and doughs, and for pizzas ranging from the traditional (Pizza Margherita) to the modern (Garlic-Glazed Chicken Pizza). You'll also find tips on assembling, baking, and serving your pizzas. So next time the moon hits your eye, make your own pizza pie!
Average customer rating:
- Good ideas
- Elaborate but thought-provoking
- Creative pizza, gorgeous presentation, delicious!!
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James McNair's Vegetarian Pizza
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Pizza
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Pasta
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Vegetables & Vegetarian
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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James McNair's Salads
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James McNair's Pizza
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Vegetarian Sandwiches: Fresh Fillings for Slices, Pockets, Wraps, and Rolls
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James McNair's Salmon Cookbook
ASIN: 0811801004 |
Book Description
Endlessly versatile, easy to prepare, and a fresh satisfying meal in itself, pizza has become a staple of every schedule-driven 90s cook. With over 250,000 copies sold, Pizza has proven to be by far the most popular title in James McNair's best-selling series of single-subject cookbooks. Now James McNair's Vegetarian Pizza offers a new collection of innovative recipes, featuring a cornucopia of vegetables, cheeses, fruits, beans, and herbs and drawn from a wide range of international cuisines. Easy-to-follow instructions for making traditional crusts, suggestions for quickly prepared alternatives, and a wealth of variations on basic recipes round out this crisply photographed celebration of a perennially popular dish.
Customer Reviews:
Good ideas.......2003-11-23
Lots of neat ideas for pizzas - they're more gourmet style than anything. Each recipe has a picture which is just wonderful - large, colorful. The recipes themselves don't get me all that excited. Some of them are things that you might have for dinner (like a salad or a chinese stir-fry) and the author put them onto a pizza crust. But there are some interesting ones like the spinach pizza (sauted spinach with garlic, raisins and pine nuts put onto a pizza crust with melted cheese) and some ofthe eggplant recipes are neat. The Athenian pizza is excellent - feta, red onion, mushroom, olives etc baked on the pizza crust. And there are some interesting ones that I'm looking forward to trying that use different pestos. Overall good cookbook with inventive ideas and very pretty presentation that you could easily serve to guests.
Elaborate but thought-provoking.......2000-03-24
The unbelievably beautiful photographs (taken by the writer himself) showed me uses for things I never would have dreamed of putting on a pizza--okra, eggs (sunny side up!), fruits, and a wide variety of vegetables such as cauliflower. McNair is a bit of an ingredient-snob (he seems horrified by the idea that anyone would use anything but a tomato ripped from the vine moments ago to make a pizza). That said, the book will help you unleash your creativity before you stick that Boboli in the oven. A few really ambitious people might actually try to follow one of these recipes, which would be quite an adventure, and one with a delicious conclusion.
Creative pizza, gorgeous presentation, delicious!!.......1998-10-30
This cookbook has an extensive collection of creative pizzas...all beautifully presented in color photos. I have tried several and all are delicious and fun. I took off one star because some take a long time to make. Enjoy!
Average customer rating:
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Pizza Cook Book
James K Mcnair
Manufacturer: Compute Publications International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0862412846 |
Average customer rating:
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12-Pk James McNair's Pizza
James McNair
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0877019630 |
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