WITH the Festive Season upon us, our purse-string' become more loose and wt indulge in something of spending spree. If you arc looking for an extra special present, money little ohjeci then Great Dishes of the World, by Robert Carrie (Nelson, 85s.) is bound tE. please. It is a magnificen volume, superbly illustrated, ii the style of the popular "Sun day Times" series of Recipe, with coloured illustrations Few of us would buy it kr ourselves but probably mos' of us would like to receive it
For less ostentatious tastes an
more practical purposes, espec ally in price. there is Robir MeDouall's Cookery Book (Michael Joseph. 30s.). It is a revised and rewritten version of the author's first cookery bool, Cyril Ray is the editor of The Gourmet's Companion (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 30s.). The contributors are too numerous to name. It is published in six parts: Stories: Some Cooks and a Vigneron; Memorable Meals: Bottles and Dishes; Table Talk and Traveller's Tales; The Poetry of the Table. Anyone who appreciates good food and drink is bound to enjoy more than one part of this fare.
A Book of Recipes to add variety and spice to life' is hov, Mowbray's, the publishers, describe Vegetable Fare (8s. WI by W. E. Shewell-Cooper. The
enterprising housewife will profit by this small investment.
Never too late, by Stella Atter bury (Macdonald, 21s.). This a highly entertaining and interesting cookery hook with a difference. Recipes arc interspersed with diverting little anecdotes, and with an account 01 how the authoress came across the new ways of doing things which she describes. It wasfor example, a pure accident that led to her finding out bow to cook meat by cooking it slowly all night in the oven.
The Saturday Book, by John Hadfield (Hutchinson, 35s.). As varied and interesting as ever, this, the twenty third Saturday Book, offers such pleasures as a selection of experiments by the artist-photographer Hoppe,
and a pictorial sequence, "A Photographer in Japan", the stories of Mrs. Bloomer, and of the man who invented Struw welpeter, and a re-telling of the story of Puss in Boots.
While Some Trees Stand, by Garth Christian (Newnes, 21s). The author shows the disastrous effects, for the wild life of this country. of the increasingly rapid disappearance of woodlands and hedge rows, and the spraying of trees. Nightingale, elickoo, red squirrel and hedgehog are all declining, while badger, fox, hare and wild deer thrive. Mn, Christian's basic argument, that we need a policy of biological conservation, is well reinforced by the excellent photographs.
Cars of the World, by J. D. Scheel (Methuen, 30s.). This is an encyclopaedia for the car enthusiast. There are illustrations of most of the best-known cars of the world.
The Lilies of the Field, by William E. Barrett (Heinemann. 10s. 6d.). If you are looking for an inexpensive present to please both young or old. sophisticated or simple, this book is a suitable choice. It is an enchanting "long story" about Homer Smith. a Baptist from South Carolina. He meets four German nuns who look on him as God's answer to their prayers. The nuns expect him to build their church in the waste land where they have settled. with no materials at their disposal. They achieve just that.
Art of the World is a series of regional histories published by Methue.ii. The latest volume. Rome and Her Empire (48s.). is truly magnificent. Whether you know Home or not. you will not fail to be thrilled with the beauty of the -colour photography and the clarity of the accompanying text, both of which bring to life the splendour of Rome and her history.