'A real and rare gem, this is the must-have book on Venice and its cooking' -Anna del Conte

Skye McAlpine, author of the successful blog, From My Dining Table, offers an insider's perspective on Venetian home cooking, illustrated with her stunning photographs.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists pass through the city of Venice each year, eat at trattorie, and leave having dined in Venice, but not having eaten well. It is the food cooked in homes and made with local ingredients, the recipes passed down through generations - which Venetians guard ferociously and exclusively for their own gratification - that is Venetian food. It is romantic and it is exotic. It dapples in spices, and delightfully foreign flavours. It's pine nuts and raisins, bay leaves and sweet vinegar, heady saffron and creamy mascarpone. It's a legacy of a maritime republic that once upon a time journeyed across the seas, gathering culinary gems from as far and wide as Turkey, Greece and China, and then over generations wove them into the city until they became the way of living and eating. For Skye it is the food of her childhood, laden with nostalgia, synonymous with comfort and the source of an endless fascination.

Some of the recipes in A Table in Venice are translated and barely adapted from the old Venetian cookbooks. Other dishes are more loosely inspired by Venice, by the ingredients, by the flavours, and by everyday life there. All of the recipes are typical of Skye's cooking style: simple, fresh, colourful and always plentiful, and offer a rare glimpse into the tastes and secrets of a true Venetian kitchen.

Ranging from Kentchurch Court, a former fortified medieval manor house that has been the seat of the Scudamore family for nearly 1,000 years, to a delightful Strawberry Hill-style Gothic house in rural Cornwall and car-crazed Goodwood House, this beautifully illustrated book showcases ten outstanding British country houses, all still in the hands of the original families. James Peill recounts the ups and downs of such deep-rooted clans as the Cracrofts, landowners in Lincolnshire since the 12th century, whose late 18th-century Hackthorn Hall is a perfect example of the kind of house Jane Austen describes in her novels (indeed, she appears on their family tree), as well as the relatively newly arrived Biddulphs, who constructed Rodmarton, an Arts & Crafts masterpiece, in the first decades of the last century. James Fennell has once again provided superb photographs of a wealth of gardens, charming interiors, bygone sporting trophies, fine art collections and fanciful family memorabilia, making The English Country House a delicious treat for Anglophiles and lovers of old houses.

Is the butter plate on the right or the left? How should you introduce someone whose name you can't remember? What is the polite way to handle a guest who arrives early? Emily Post's Entertaining provides answers to these and many other questions that vex today's hosts and guests.

Emily Post's Entertaining is a practical guide to hosting with elegance and ease. Its goal is to give everyone the confidence to handle any get-together, from casual and cozy to formal and fancy. Among the wide range of events and entertaining quandaries Peggy Post addresses are: getting together for everything from a Super Bowl party to dinner with the boss; throwing children's birthday parties; giving a casual dinner with takeout food; making appropriate introductions; jump-start dinner conversation; choosing the right wine; and much more. Entertaining covers the basics of hosting, but most importantly, it reminds you that successful entertaining springs not from the good china and an elaborate table setting, but from the people you are with and the memorable time you spend together.

"The best hosts spin magic out of thin air, creating the kind of special occasion guests can't stop talking about."

From simple dinners and casual parties to formal business functions and catered events, Emily Post's Entertaining shows you how to be the perfect host. With Peggy Post's guidance, you can breeze through toasting your guest of honor and unflinchingly manage sticky social situations such as unanswered invitations and surprise guests. Emily Post's Entertaining helps you to entertain with elegance and ease, making every get-together a memorable event.

After the Second World War, a newly affluent United States reached for its own gourmet culture, one at ease with the French international style of Escoffier, but also distinctly American. Enter James Beard, authority on cooking and eating, his larger-than-life presence and collection of whimsical bow ties were synonymous with the nation's food for decades, even after his death in 1985. In the first biography of Beard in twenty-five years, acclaimed writer John Birdsall argues that Beard's struggles as a closeted gay man directly influenced his creation of an American cuisine. Starting in the 1920s, Beard escaped loneliness and banishment by travelling abroad to places where people ate for pleasure, not utility, and found acceptance at home by crafting an American ethos of food likewise built on passion and delight. Informed by never-before-tapped correspondence and lush with details of a golden age of home cooking, The Man Who Ate Too Much is a commanding portrait of a towering figure who still represents the best in food.

Did you know that the average person buys nearly 50 gifts each year--and that finding the perfect present is a quandary most gift-buyers face with each gift-giving occasion they celebrate? Well, here's the solution they've been seeking: "Gifts Anytime: How to Find the Perfect Present for Any Occasion." This new book offers down-to-earth gift-giving ideas and etiquette for all occasions--from weddings to anniversaries, business situations to birthdays and more. It also teaches readers how to gather gift intelligence about family and friends, and how to write thank-you notes from the heart.

"Perfect for any Gilmore Girls fan, creating by fans for fans, over 100,000 sold, this is the ultimate Gilmore Girls gift! The infamous appetites of the Gilmore Girls are given their due in this fun, unofficial cookbook inspired by the show. Fans will eat up the delicious recipes honoring the chefs who fuel the science-defying metabolisms of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Whether you're a diehard fan or new to the scene, author Kristi Carlson invites you to pull up a chair and dig in. Luke's diner menu, Sookie's eclectic inn fare, Emily's fancy Friday Night Dinners, and town favorites are the key influences behind these tempting dishes. One hundred recipes, covering all the bases from appetizers and cocktails to entrees and desserts, invoke key episodes and daily scenes in the Gilmores' lives. Prepare yourself for: Salmon Puffs Risotto Pumpkin Pancakes Rocky Road Cookies The Birthday Girl Cocktail And many more! With beautiful photos, helpful kitchen tips, and fun tidbits about the show, Eat Like a Gilmore is a must-have for any Gilmore Girls fan. Easy-to-follow recipes make it possible to cook and eat your way through Stars Hollow. So don your apron, preheat the oven, and put on your favorite episode. It's time to Eat Like a Gilmore! Looking for more recipes? Check out Eat Like a Gilmore: Daily Cravings!

In the follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Antoni in the Kitchen, Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski shares easy and delicious dinners for every night of the week. Let's Do Dinner is an invitation into Antoni's easy kitchen. Dinner with Antoni means satisfying meals full of lean protein and loads of vegetables, with splurges of carbs and decadence. Simple, yes, but always special. Antoni keeps shopping lists short and steps and pans to a minimum. Pulled chicken nachos, pasta carbonara with spring onions and peas, or pan-seared steak with harissa butter and crispy potatoes - it's all good for post-work evenings or casual entertaining. Antoni shows how to crank up the flavour, make exciting suppers from pantry staples, create new takes on classics by swapping in one surprising ingredient, and build a rousingly flavoured vegan grain bowl. Plus, he lets you in on the secret weapons in every kitchen that get great food on the table fast.

Liven up the party with this heady collection of drinking games! Choose from brain-boggling classics such as Fuzzy Duck and Twenty-One or dizzying games of pure chance like TV Drinking and Vodka Roulette - whichever you play, you're guaranteed to be gleeful and giggly by the end!

A mouthwatering collection of recipes for small bites and fingerfood - ideal for serving at parties or any social gathering, large or small. Ideas for fresh light bites for summer entertaining include Smoked Aubergine Puree with Feta Cheese and Pomegranate in Chicory Boats; Ceviche of Seabass with Avocado and Chipotle Dressing; and Grilled Peach, Mozzarella and Parma Ham Bites. Warmly spiced Asian-style canapes, ideal for cocktail parties, include Seared Beef Tataki Spoons with Miso Sauce and Spring Onions and Laksa Marinated Prawn Skewers. Ideas for festive gatherings include Stilton with Red Wine Poached Pear on Walnut Toast; Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Watercress and Beet Rolls; Glazed Baked Chestnuts Wrapped in Bacon; and Persian Sausage Rolls with Pistachios. For those with a sweet tooth there are Rose and Raspberry Profiteroles, Cocoa Nib and Salted Caramel Brownies, and Mini Donut Balls on Coffee Shots.