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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

* THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS...

 
 
...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text while keeping the focus tight. Some magazines will reissue popular or classic recipes in an "easy" format. Here are some recent "re-editions"...
 
26.FROM VINES TO WINES (Storey Publishing, 2015; distr. By T. Allen, 254 pages, ISBN 978-1-61212-438-4, $25.95 CAN paper covers) is by Jeff Cox, who has written over 20 books on food, wine, gardening, and landscaping. He's also a writer for many magazines. His book From Vines to Wines was originally published in 1999; this is the fifth edition. Almost 200,000 copies have been sold over its lifetime. It's a standard and classic work: the complete guide to growing grapes and making your own wine. Wine connoisseurs, gardeners, and home winemakers will find the latest techniques in this fully revised and updated edition. There are thorough and illustrated instructions for choosing and preparing a vineyard site; constructing effective trellising systems; planting, pruning, and harvesting the right grapes for an area's climate; pressing, fermenting, aging and bottling wine; and judging wine for clarity, color, aroma, body, and taste. Quality/price rating: 89.
 
 
 
27.THE EASY KITCHEN: GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES (Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-597-9, $19.95 US hard covers) and
 
28.THE EASY KITCHEN: VEGETARIAN DISHES (Ryland Peters & Small, 2015, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-596-2, $19.95 US hard covers) are both good examples of publisher books. The Easy Kitchen series brings together quick and easy recipes on popular subjects with mostly SLOFE principles (seasonal, local, organic, fast, and easy) covering the the esses: snacks, small plates, soups, sandwiches, sauces, stews, salads, substantial savouries, seafoods, sides, and sweets. Recipes come from the stable of writers (all given credit) such as Tonia George, Hannah Miles, or Ross Dobson. They are mainly arranged by course, with excellent photography. But caution: there is a semolina crumpet recipe in the GF book (semolina is hard durum wheat, but it can also be ground rice or ground corn grits – check the labeling). Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.
 
 
29.VEGETARIAN MEDITERRANEAN-STYLE (Taunton Press, 2015, 238 pages, ISBN 978-1-62710-768-6, $19.95 US paper covers) is from Academia Barilla. It was originally published in Italian, and here it is translated for the American market. They offer 100 regional Italian dishes, with cooking tips and some cultural history. It is mainly the Mediterranean region of Italian cooking, rather than Mediterranean cooking in general. There's cipolle ripienne (stuffed onions), asparagi alla bismark, eggplant parmigiana, or cavatelli with fava bean puree and crispy breadcrumbs. It is a nice package, with difficulty levels indicated. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there are also tables of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.
 
 
30.COOKING FOR ONE (Ryland Peters and Small, 2015, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-602-0, $16.95 US hard covers) is another publisher's book with contributions from their writing stable (Laura Washburn, Tonia George, Caroline Marsden, et al). It's a good idea, with worthwhile preps for solo dinners that also emphasize satisfaction, quick cleanup, and waste minimization. There are some freezer friendly recipes here, as well as batch cooking and storage. London has a third of homes occupied by just one person, while New York and Paris have more than half, and Stockholm has almost two thirds. That's the market. There are over 90 recipes here, and they have all been indexed by a named indexer, Hilary Bird. Preparations have their ingredients listed in a mix of metric and  avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.
 
 
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