Amazon.com
Open the door and step outside to see how the Arts & Crafts aesthetic has shaped gardens over the years as surely as it has influenced architecture and furniture. This follow-up volume to Inside the Bungalow: America's Arts and Crafts Interior shows the characteristic brick, tile and wood, wide-porched exteriors of the bungalow style half-buried beneath wisteria vines, arbors, flowers, and foliage.
The bungalows that the gardens surround range from the archetypal dark, timbered wood and stone to the rustic, grand, and even Southwestern, offering a visual feast of gardens to match. The authors emphasize not specific plants, but the architectural elements and style of such gardens: tiled fountains, pergolas, pathways, and the use of stone, timbers, and courtyards to tie house and garden together.
Both text and photos focus in on details like outdoor light fixtures, hose bibs, mailboxes, birdhouses, fences and lattice as part of the characteristic Arts & Crafts aesthetic. The "Garden Portraits" chapter includes garden plans as well as photos of bungalow exteriors from Seattle to southern California, emphasizing that it is not the plants themselves but how they are grouped to emphasize the architecture and the hardscaping that creates an Arts & Crafts garden. Still, there are certain plants that appear over and over again in the photos, and have the right look for such gardens--ornamental grasses, vines, climbing roses, and plants with bold structural foliage like iris, ferns, clivia, and hosta. The charming chapter on potting sheds and tree houses, as well as the exuberant and colorful plantings throughout, go a long way toward explaining why people have been so captivated by "bungalowmania" for more than three decades. --Valerie Easton
Book Description
This third volume in a popular series highlights the special beauty and enduring appeal of Arts and Crafts bungalow gardens.
Matching Paul Duchscherer's authoritative text with striking photographs by Douglas Keister--the team that made The Bungalow and Inside the Bungalow so successful--Outside the Bungalow will captivate the ever-growing number of Arts and Crafts aficionados. In it the garden, with its "nature-friendly" charm and character, takes the spotlight as an integral part of bungalow living.
Focusing on the fixed architectural or "hardscape" elements, striking ensembles include entry gates, arbors, portals, and driveways; wooden fences, screens, railings, and masonry walls; paths, walkways, and steps; ponds, fountains, bird baths, swimming pools, and spas; courtyards, patios, gazebos, pergolas, and porches; outdoor furniture from benches to swings; and details from treehouses and potting sheds to lighting and garden accessories. Special chapters feature gardens of the famous Charles and Henry Greene houses, and a turn-of-the-century plant list. Portraits of gardens in context with their vintage bungalows range from glorious color photographs to hand-colored postcards of the period and will thrill architecture or design professionals and amateurs eager to recapture the romance of "bungalowmania."
Customer Reviews:
America's Arts and Crafts Garden is great for ideas........2006-11-10
This book is full of pictures of lovely arts and crafts style homes and gardens. I got several ideas for my own yard just from leafing through the pages.
Unique style beautifully presented.......2002-11-26
This book covers the architectural aspects of the property surrounding the bungalow - gates, arbors, fences, walls, paths, steps, water features, courtyards, patios, pergolas, porches, outdoor furniture, etc. The photography and color illustrations are superb and it is hard to take your eyes off the photos to actually read the text! And although the photos were taken at the present, the authors have not neglected the history of these dwellings and have included beautiful colored postcards that were so popular during the 1920s and 1930s. An introductory sections discusses the movers and shakers of the Arts and Crafts Movement, like William Morris, William Robinson, Gertrude Jekyll and Gustav Stickley. The final chapter is devoted to the architectural firm of Greene and Greene, whose style was a major influence. Most of the houses and gardens photographed here are on the West Coast (mainly Seattle, WA, Portland, OR and Pasadena, CA) although there are some Rhode Island properties included as well. A final section is devoted to planting the garden and includes lists of plants which are good for any situation imaginable. This is a wonderful book - beautiful, unique and inspiring!
Nothing like it............2002-10-12
Disclaimer: I'm a bit biased, because its my home on the cover, despite this, the book is a crucial tool, there was so obvious a need for a book on this topic, one that relates to what people were wanting to do with their homes, and helping them to avoid. to a point, having to scrounge through years of bound periodicals in the library, and random drives through promising neighborhoods in search of inspiring examples....not that you would get to see the back yards.
Doug and Paul have gone out of their way to search out appropriate examples for all three of their bungalow books together, ranging always from the garden shed to the Gamble house. This is the only in-print book I'd recommend for the topics of Arts & Crafts fencing, walls, paths, site integration etc.
Having seen many of these sites in person, I can say that photographer Doug Keister, has brought a focus that many would miss in person. My wisteria only blooms 4-5 weeks a year, but of course, they got it then.
My only complaint is that the photos are so compelling that many might never get to read all the text, which is what the book is all about.
There is some validity to the point above about a West-Coast bias to the topics, but when you consider that virtually every other A & C garden book has a English tilt, it seems less a problem. There is room for a knowledgeable Mid-Westerner to write a good book as well. "Outside the Bungalow" is not the last book that should be written on the topic, just the best, by far, so far.
Excellent resource for creating a "complete" environment.......2000-09-19
What a great resource for those who feel that their home begins outside in its surroundings. The bungalow has never really gone out of style and continues to hold national appeal. This book is full of ideas that cross the spectrum from simple to ellegant. It draws the reader outside of the bungalow and gives one cause to reflect on making the outside environment beautiful, comfortable, unique and completmentary to the structure itself. Many of the small towns in Southern California have undergone a second life with downtown revitalization projects that have extented into the older neighborhoods. Duchscherer & Keister give the reader an appreciation for the beauty that can be created around these older homes.
The constant theme running through this book is the timeliness of the garden. The garden didn't come into being during the Arts & Crafts period, it simply became a tremendous complement to the home.
Don't be discouraged if you don't live in a Greene & Greene, the effort and love you put into the setting of your home, will give you the same level of pride in ownership. You may not be able to have the largest or most expensive home on the block, but you can have the most beautiful garden.
Many of the gardens in the book have multiple photographs which are cross-referenced to give the reader an almost 360 degree visualization. The only suggestion I would make is that the author include an overview of those superlative gardens and identify the various views to provide the reader with an even better understanding and appreciation of the home's surroundings.
The Bible in Bungalow Restoration and Gardens!.......2000-07-21
This entire series--The Bungalow, Outside the Bungalow and Inside the Bungalow--are bibles for bungalow restoration. They are filled with many great ideas and lots of wonderful pictures. Great initial books to buy and refer to time and again throughout your restoration process. If anything could be found wrong with the books, it is the heavy concentration of pictures of West Coast bungalows. We have many bungalows in Minnesota too!
Book Description
Following the success of A Passion for Flowers, Carolyne Roehm's seasonal notebooks have established themselves as essential resource guides for gardening and entertaining. Each notebook features recipes and menus related to the specific season and to holidays within that season, as well as gardening tips - both practical and armchair. The books are also remarkable for their stunning design, with large, color photographs which embody the themes of beauty and grace. Now, in one specially designed slipcase, all four notebooks are available as a year-round source of pleasure and information.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful and a good read too!.......2003-08-11
Of all the Carolyne Roehm books, this set is my favorite. It had some practical gardening tips as well as the flower arrangements and recipes. If you are expecting a gardening "how to" book, this is not the one. However, the books are beautiful and I enjoyed each one. It gave me many ideas for my own home. I will never have a budget that allows me to purchase 12 dozen roses for one display, however, many of her ideas can be implemented on a smaller scale with less expensive florals. The color combinations were inspiring as well as the examples of matching floral displays to the surroundings. If you love flowers and beautiful table scapes, you will love this book.
overpriced cookbook.......2003-06-02
A seasonal cookbook with a lot of flowers. Not much design help whatsoever. Not what I wanted
Book Description
Celebrate fall with Susan Branchs first all-new, large- format work in four years--a brightly illustrated and lovingly designed, full-color paean to autumn. Susan Branchs long-awaited autumn book picks up where The Summer Book left off, featuring more of the delicious, easy recipes and inspirational ideas that have won her an enthusiastic and growing following. AUTUMN FROM THE HEART OF THE HOME is a bountiful harvest of appetizing recipes, imaginative menus, and homemade autumn arts. Full of cozy projects, thoughtful gifts such as the Sniffle Basket and the Sunday Breakfast kit, seasonal decorating and entertaining ideas, Halloween and Thanksgiving inspirations, and garden tips, AUTUMN FROM THE HEART OF THE HOME features mouthwatering recipes for Touchdown Chili, Butternut Shotglass Soup, Iowa Corn Bread, Savory Sage Riblets, Harvest Stew, Grandmas Stuffing, Curried Pumpkin Pots, Ginger Crisps, and of course, Hot Chocolate. Illustrated with glorious watercolors and handwritten in Susan Branchs trademark style, this beautiful new book is a sensational addition to the Susan Branch collection.
Customer Reviews:
Enchanting.......2007-10-11
I admit, autumn is my favorite time of year. The cooler weather, just perfect for sweaters. . . the leaves of crimson, copper and gold. . . the sweet-tart taste of an apple pie fresh from the oven. . . . Susan Branch does a beautiful job of capturing the essence of autumn through her stories, recipes, decorating ideas, and charming illustrations. This is a book to be savored, and it makes a lovely gift as well. Here's hoping that Susan creates books on spring and winter as well!
Memory making .......2007-07-15
I thoroughly enjoyed this edition of Susan Branch's popular Heart of the Home series. I am planning to give this to my daughter-in-law to be to help her start her own family memories. Not only are the recipes good, but I enjoy as much the memories Susan shares with her readers. The recipes are clear to follow and the serving suggestions go a long way in making a lovely presentation. Thanks, Susan!
Excellent recipe book.......2007-04-03
I think that Susan Branch epitomizes New England and most especially Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Her books are just wonderful and I personally own a collection of them. I display them as part of my decor due to the wonderful way in which she puts them together. Her notes and anecdotes are absolutely devine and I hope she keeps on publishing her work.
Love It!.......2007-01-18
This purchase was actually a gift, the 5th time I've given this book as a gift, I've owned my own copy since it was initially released. I am a huge Susan Branch fan and this is one of my favorites. It is a lovely edition with excellent recipes, ideas and feel good stories. Will purchase again in the future, can't wait for her next release.
Warm fuzzys for fall!.......2007-01-04
This book is a celebration of my favorite season - fall! There are so many fun ideas - good recipes, cute stories, gift ideas, decorations and other ways to put your own personal touch on the season. The sections are short and easy to fit into a busy schedule. Or, if you've got time, brew some tea and sit for a minute to savor the thoughts. Either way, you'll get warm fuzzy's for fall!
Book Description
Former fashion designer Carolyne Roehm is renowned for combining a keen appreciation of beauty with practical know-how. Now, with this gorgeously illustrated guide, readers can go behind the scenes of her memorable parties, learn her entertaining secrets, and visit the glamorous homes where she has dazzled her prominent guests.
Imparting fresh ideas and inspiration for knockout events on any budget, At Home with Carolyne Roehm follows the calendar’s seasons to provide year-round suggestions for place settings, floral arrangements, and menus. Emphasizing creativity and natural elements, Carolyne Roehm’s tips are not exclusively geared toward elegant functions: Picnics, cozy fireside meals for two, afternoon teas, and formal dinner parties are treated with equal verve. Drawing on ingredients and imagery appropriate for spring, summer, winter, and fall and all the major holidays, this handsome collection yields a trove of simple but sophisticated recipes along with perfect tabletop and decorative accents to accompany them. Biscuit sandwiches of Mustard-Glazed and Smoked Cheddar; Shrimp and White Bean Salad; Zucchini and Watercress Soup; and Fudgy Rum Chocolate Cake are just a few of the delicious and easy-to-prepare dishes. For successful festive occasions that friends and family will remember for years, from a grand New Year’s Eve gala to a spring brunch with a floral theme, At Home with Carolyne Roehm is itself glorious cause for celebration.
Customer Reviews:
Feast for the Eyes.......2007-08-28
What a feast for the eyes! I loved the photography and her lavish table settings. I, too, entertain a lot and use themes to guide my table settings and my menus - so I loved all the ideas that she shares. She plans each "event" around the seasons - utilizing the flowers, food and color palette of spring, summer, winter or fall. I use this book as I do cookbooks - as an inspiration for whatever ocassion is on tap - paging through for anything that jumps out at me.
I thought the shots of the flowers were particularly bold and graphic - encouraging the readers to use fresh flowers as a centerpiece or accent whenever possible.
I have been a huge fan for many years and recently visited Weatherstone (her home in Connecticut) when she had a wonderful tag sale this past June. She was there (in that magnificent setting)signing books and was as gracious and beautiful as ever. Her line of gift wrap is gorgeous - encouraging us all to take the extra time to make even the package look spectacular. For those of you who don't know - she has a wonderful quarterly newsletter available through her website www.CarolyneRoehm.com. It is packed full of sumptuous details and ideas to stimulate all your decorating and entertaining senses.
I am a Connecticut-based Interior Designer/Photo Stylist who loves everything beautiful - and this book is exactly that.
Another Gorgeous Evergreen.......2006-11-05
What a treat to have another of Carolyne's incomparably beautiful books. The gorgeous photos and ideas never go out of style -- year after year it is a pleasure simply to page through her amazing ideas and inspirations.
Jaw Dropping Coffee Table Book.......2004-07-13
A treasure! Gorgeous photography on glossy paper; perfect gift or coffee table book. Easy recipes mixed with very do-able settings that create beauty in the extreme. Every page is special.
Visually stunning and an incredible resource.......2003-08-01
This book is absolutely amazing. Although I do not have all the resources as Ms. Roehm, the recipes are supurb, while the suggestions and ideas are easily adaptable to the smaller scale and your personal environment. If you are looking for a resource on interior design, think again...this is an entertaining guide. There are also lots of helpful hints regarding color usage and flower selection. This book is my new entertaining Bible! Step aside, Martha!
Nice recipes ..........2003-02-25
I've only made a few of the recipes so far, but they turned out very nicely. In particular, the lemon-dill pasta will become a staple of mine from here on out.
My only complaint is that not all recipes for the suggested menus are included.
Book Description
Authors David and Jeannie Stiles give readers all the information they need to build their own cabins -- whether it be as a wilderness retreat or a backyard studio. The authors describe each step in the process from buying land to obtaining services, from finding qualified construction help to deciding on and developing plans for a structure that suits their lifestyle and budget.
Cabins is packed with detailed illustrations, plans and common-sense advice.
Chapters include classic construction methods: how to build a log cabin, pole-built and stick-built cabin, post-and-beam, stone, cordwood and kit cabins. Construction methods are clearly illustrated in photographs and drawings and the advantages of each are explained in detail. Foundations, windows, doors, insulation, roofing, installing utilities, water and sanitary systems and heating are all discussed.
Many designs are presented as inspiration and to help readers select the cabin that is perfect for them: homesteader log cabin, writing cabin, guest cabin, Japanese moon-gazing cabin, lakeside retreat, pyramid and A-frame, and hillside Mediterranean cabin. The authors include personal reminiscences from successful builders and cabin owners, and discuss furnishings and accessories that can help readers get the most enjoyment out of their newly built wilderness retreat.
Customer Reviews:
Good & Workable.......2007-03-16
Ive begun a mission to build a small cabin on some family property here in Oregon. Recently, Ive done a good deal of research and purchased 5 notable books on how to build a cabin/small dwelling.
Upon reviewing this material it looks like its well thought out, but is lacking in alot of depth. Gives a wonderful representation of what could be done, and what is possible (something which other books lack).
Out of these 5 books, Ive got two which will carry me to the end with great depth, and 3 that will be "reserves" for ideas. This is definitely the top of my reserve pile, and my first for pictures of ideas.
Many good ideas and a few good laughs.......2006-12-29
As others have noted, this is a useful book for generating ideas and getting the creative juices flowing. I bought it to obtain those features, and it did not disappoint me.
The Stiles are, apparently, a prolific couple on this and similar topics, and they certainly deserve credit for effective packaging and marketing. David Stiles has filled the book's pages with material--some good, some irrelevant, and some good for entertainment--but he certainly has filled it nonetheless. The layout and tone of this book is vaguely reminiscent of a copy of an early 1970s Mother Earth News. The reader's challenge is to extract the kernals of insight from the volumes of chaff. What the book lacks in detailed engineering and construction discussion and techniques it makes up for in peripheral and, in some cases, funny advice. Consider the detailed description of the electronic vehicle-arrival and gate-unlocking monitors--this in a book purported to find ways to get one in touch with mother nature and perhaps forego electricity entirely. Or the sketch plan for the garden-hose remedy against racoons infiltrating your metal trashcan. The advice is intriguing enough, but one suspects that a bit more discussion on well-installation or obtaining running water might be in order before turning to a technological solution involving the use of pressurized water for a racoon problem. Given the Stiles' ties to Manhattan, maybe the accepted security measures of their current environment don't seem quite as ridiculous or irrelevant as they probably do to anyone who actually lives in a rural area. Or consider their admonition against Coleman lanterns being "Scary and hard to light." Hmmm, I, too, have fears and I'm certainly not the most dexterous fellow, but I've learned that five minutes of hands-on practice can turn even the most hardcore urbanite into a safe and proficient Coleman-lantern lighter. Something tells me Mr. Stiles has not taken the time to do the same, and this casts a disconcerting pall over the value of much of his other advice. How much of it has actually been tried?
But this book is valuable for the focus it gives to architecture and perhaps encouraging one to pick up a tablet of graph paper and start sketching floorplans or facades; extract those ideas and use them as fodder for formulating your own. Read the rest with a grain of salt. For a more focused, pragmatic, and obviously tested perspective on cabin-building, get a copy of G. Wayne Fears' "How to Build Your Dream Cabin."
A lot of general information but not comprehensive........2006-02-20
This book has been quite valuable to me as I plan my cottage in Canada. While it is not totally comprehensive, it does a very good job of explaining many of the relevant concepts of cabin planning, design and a fair idea of the building process. Some useful details concerning construction techniques are provided, as well.
Other reviewers have argued that much is left out--correct, given that the book only runs 240 pages. I think that those reviewers misunderstand the intent of the book: to give the reader ideas, not to hand-hold them through every single step of the process. For example, many of the building plans that are provided are lacking in some key details. So what? I intend to have an architect draw up my plans anyway.
At minimum, I know a heck of a lot more after reading the book than I did beforehand.
Terrific Informational Read - NOT Blueprints or Plans, Though.......2006-01-31
I'm tending to agree with both sides here! And I think it's a great book. I have been reading building and cabin books for a year (we're building this Summer). This one is pretty great - a good way to inform yourself about options, the decisions you need to make, kinds of cabins, etc. Another reviewer writes as if I were going to go out and build my cabin based on the info in this book. Now that would be silly wouldn't it? I need architect drawn plans. So read this wonderful book, and go buy some plans. No, yt's not a how-to, and it shouldn't be used that way. But it's still a great book.
Great book on Cabins.......2005-12-08
We used the ideas in this book to add nice touches to our Mt. Rainier cabin rental. The photos are great and the projects well described. the ideas are very creative.
Book Description
Harness All the Latest Technology, Equipment, and Methods Needed to Keep Any Pool or Spa in Top Condition!
The Ultimate Guide to Pool Maintenance provides complete guidance on all the maintenance and repair tasks required to keep pools and spas working at peak efficiency. This Third Edition now contains information on the latest technology and equipment, together with Quick Start Guides and difficulty ratings for each procedure.
Filled with hundreds of detailed illustrations, this updated classic features:
- A step-by-step explanation of each pool maintenance procedure with easy-to-follow photos
- Quick Start Guides to help readers start and finish each task quickly
- Tricks of the Trade to make each procedure easier
- Tools of the Trade highlighting parts and tools for each job
- An Easy, Advanced, or Pro difficulty rating for every task
- The following new material: new information on chlorine alternatives; a new section on maintaining saltwater pools; expanded coverage of pools with built-in spas
Inside This Updated Pool Maintenance “Bible”
• The Pool and Spa • Basic Plumbing Systems • Advanced Plumbing Systems • Pumps and Motors _ Filters • Heaters • Additional Equipment • Water Chemistry • Cleaning and Servicing • Special Procedures • Water Features • Commercial Pools • Winterizing • Basic Electricity • The Toolbox • 50 Things Your Pool and Spa Can Do for Our Environment • Facts and Formulas • Typical Pool and Spa Health, Safety, and Building Codes
Customer Reviews:
Techy - but very good.......2007-08-16
Cover all items, and for an engineer and new pool owner like me it covers things I'll probably never need but are interesting to know. It is a heavy read and appears to be for pool builders in places.
Plethora of information that does not require a doctorate to understand.......2007-08-14
The book was very well written and an excellent resource for someone who needs to understand how the different aspects of a pool or spa work. Certain readers may find some of the information too detailed. However, this reader being a new pool owner and an engineer greatly appreciated the comprehensive explanations that were provided.
The text includes a plethora of information pertaining to pools, spas, and the support equipment. It provided a basic explanation of construction, repair, replacement, and maintenance of the structure and equipment. There are many pictures and detailed diagrams. In addition, there are numerous quick tips throughout, which are presented in bold fonts and segregated from the main body of the text. Although the information that was provided was thorough, the explanations do not require a doctorate to understand. This reader would recommend the book to any new or existing pool owner with even a slight amount of mechanical understanding.
Not very user friendly.......2007-07-09
It's a pretty complicated book for a pool novice like myself it is impossible to use the book for trouble-shooting.
About the best out there right now.......2007-05-21
There is a good amount of useable information in this pool maintenance manual. It is not a technician level book but specific enough to be useful. It gives you tips on how to do common repair items, has a very good chapter on water chemistry, and goes over the basics of winterizing and summerizing your pool or spa. There are a lot of marginal quality black & white pictures to go along with the maintenance descriptions. I can't imagine it would be too difficult to put a little higher quality pictures in the book. If you are considering upgrading from the Second edition of this book to the third, I personally wouldn't. Is it worth $20 ? Yes, I got enough out of it to justify the cost.
Book Description
More than 1,000 ideas will keep crafters busy year-round.
Full-size patterns make any project easy to complete.
Detailed instructions guide crafters from start to finish.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!!.......2006-12-15
I purchased this book to use for crafts that I make. It has a nice selection of patterns, many which would look especially nice on totes. I used one of them to paint a design on my sliding glass door, which prevents me from running into it. :o) My only disappointment is that permission is not granted to use the patterns on crafters items that are sold at craft sales, which is what I would like to do. Other than that, it is a wonderful book with excellent patterns and ideas to use in making gifts or for decorating. It would also be useful for teachers who need patterns to enlarge for bulletin board ideas. The patterns could be copied onto a transparency.
1001 Full-Size Patterns, Projects & Ideas.......2006-07-06
Thank you, excellent new product; fast and efficient service. Very pleased and highly recommend.
Not really what I was looking for.......2005-10-15
Child like projects. Looking for something a little more advanced. Didn't find a project I would use. Although, I may use some of the patterns on other items.
Cute but not what I expected..........2004-03-26
If you're just starting out crafting or you are looking for projects to do with children then this would be a great book for you. The ideas are well explained and very simple, there are tons of pictures (both in black & white and in colour), the patterns are all full-sized, but it wouldn't be too exciting or different for an advanced craftsperson looking for a challenging project.
Amazon.com
Maria Rodale, who comes to organic gardening naturally--her father and grandfather, who founded Rodale Press, were famously passionate organic gardeners--felt for many years that while there was plenty of good information about organic gardening, there was neither an existing primer that taught all the very basics nor a book that showed that organic gardening can be a beautiful, sophisticated way to plant. ("Admit it, you thought that if you were an organic gardener, you needed to have black plastic mulches and aluminum pie plates to scare the birds and rabbits, didn't you?") So she wrote this one, which, from the discussion of planning your garden on graph paper and the tips on digging up grass to the recipes for using the fall harvest, is utterly, seductively beautiful.
The seasonal organization of the book does sometimes seem almost incidental, save for the calendar pages that show what to plant and what tasks to do during each month. But the discussion of seeds--the various types, where to get them, how to start them indoors--plus Nana's kugel recipe will keep new organic gardeners from chafing at the bit during the winter, and the interviews with numerous long-time organic gardeners make great reading throughout the year. Rodale shows great sense in deciding what's important to new gardeners and those just deciding to go organic. Pests, both animal and plant, are the great fear of potential organic gardeners, and many pages in the book are devoted to weeding effectively, beating the bugs, and gently monitoring the animal population (getting a dog or cat is one good, low-effort solution to keeping a number of destructive small mammals out of the root systems). Rodale's excellent photographs--of her children, her garden, the Rodale Institute farm--appear on almost every page of this artfully designed book. It's a joy to read, and will inspire many a fresh organic tomato. --Barrie Trinkle
Customer Reviews:
Bleeding Heart Liberal's Favorite Gardening Book.......2002-02-16
The beautiful photograph on the front cover showing my favorite flower, the Bleeding Heart, virtually guaranteed that I'd be taking this home with me. I was not disappointed! This is my favorite gardening book of a pretty extensive collection. It is large and so filled with gorgeous photographs that it almost qualifies as a "coffee table book" except for the fact that it is also chock full of very smart and useful information about organic gardening plus well written inspirational tid-bits from Maria Rodale's personal gardening life history. It is divided up into seasonal sections and is a very effective spring fever reliever. I love to dream over the photographs and gardening suggestions when everything is dormant under a blanket of snow. Maria writes as though she is talking to a friend, sharing charming anecdotes, her favorite tools, cherished recipes. Her garden is a lovely, inviting place where the whole ecosystem is respected including the so-called "pests." Do you want to know what to feed a hummingbird? Maria tells you. How about ten ways to eat a tomato? Yum. Maria's there for you. As she says, "Life takes creative thinking. Practice in your garden." I find that after a few minutes with this book my own creativity blossoms. The genuine passionate love for gardening and the green world that is between these pages when combined with all the useful practical ideas and philosophical encouragement makes for a real treat.
beautiful,imformative,easy read,clear instructions.......1999-08-04
The Maria Rodale's Organic Gardening:Your Seasonal Companion to Creating a Beautiful and Delicioius Garden is breathtakingly beautiful. Organized by seasons, bursting with information,techniques for gardening and with a bonus of old family recipies, it is a book that will be referred to often. Maria's conversonational form of writing makes the book fun and easy to read. $24.50 is a very reasonable price for so much knowledge.
An amazing and well written book!.......1999-04-17
As a budding organic gardener this was an excellent book that not only kindled my interest in the subject but was also incredibly educational. They layout of the book by seasons makes for a fun read. Ms. Rodale gives excellent tips (and great recipes!) for each season. The interviews are fun to read, and include some very interesting personalities.
If you are an organic gardener, buy this book! If you are not, buy this book anyway, it may turn you into one.
My only complaint (and it's not aimed at this book in particular) is that most authors of gardening books forget about those of us in the dreaded near-arctic zones. Short growing seasons and long winters can be a pain! :)
Book Description
From autumn's first frost all the way through the new year, you'll enjoy every minute of Holidays at Home Cookbook, our book of fall and holiday celebrations! We've gathered our Gooseberry Patch friends' best recipes, memories and how-to's for an autumn barn party, farmhouse Thanksgiving, yuletide open house, handmade Christmas and so much more. Generously sprinkled with tips and ideas you'll want to share with friends & family.
Customer Reviews:
Another Golden Gooseberry.......2002-10-05
For those of you who are familiar with the Gooseberry Patch Co. series, you will not be disappointed with this great cookbook. For those of you who are not familiar with it, what are you waiting for? This series (as well as Holidays at Home specifically) has recipes that are so easy to use, it doesn't matter if you're Julia Child or a 20's male bachelor (heh heh), it's easy to make everything in here. And it's delicious!
While I feel this particular volume doesn't separate itself from the rest of the series, that is not at all a bad thing. It still has the recipes, memories, and ideas that they all have, and you're bound to enjoy it! Plus I'll plug the Old Fashioned Country Cookies title from this series. It's simply amazing.
Happy cooking!
Customer Reviews:
So Detailed!.......2007-01-04
Everything you have been looking for in a cookbook. This cookbook has terrific recipes, directions you can understand, print that is easy on the eyes, tons of pictures, extra cooking hints, spiral binding makes it easy to see each recipe and remove/replace in the book. This cookbook is a must have!
Books:
- Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics: The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook and The Lady & Sons, Too!
- Pottery Barn Home (Pottery Barn Design Library)
- Professional Painted Finishes: A Guide to the Art and Business of Decorative Painting (Whitney Library of Design)
- Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
- Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
- Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings: Step-by-Step Construction Methods (Quick Guide)
- Romantic Home Sewing: Cottage-Style Projects to Stitch for the Home
- Scandinavian Modern Furnishing, 1930-1970: Designed for Life (Schiffer Book for Designers and Collectors)
- SOMEBODY IS GOING TO DIE IF LILLY BETH DOESN'T CATCH THAT BOUQUET: THE OFFICIAL SOUTHERN LADIES' GUIDE TO HOSTING THE PERFECT WEDDING
- Stone Houses: Traditional Homes of Pennsylvania's Bucks County and Brandywine Valley
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
- The Twelve Quickies of Christmas Vol 1
- Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music, Fifth Edition, Volume 1: Ancient to Baroque
- Media and Ethics: Principles for Moral Decisions
- Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach
- The Thin Red Line
- The Lutece Cookbook
- Introduction To Accounting : An Integrated Approach, Volume 1, chapter 1-13 , hc , 1997
- Poststructuralism, Marxism, and Neoliberalism: Between Theory and Politics
- CI: Dark Target: An Army Counterintelligence Novel
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Inside the Bungalow: America's Arts and Crafts Interior
Bungalow Details: Exterior
Bungalows: Design Ideas for Renovating, Remodeling, and Building New (Updating Classic America)
Bungalow Style: Creating Classic Interiors in Your Arts and Crafts Home
Bungalow Colors: Exteriors
