William Rubel

Google Books takes down PDF

William Rubel — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:02:08 +0000

The seaman’s guide: shewing how to live comfortably at Sea was published in 1797. I downloaded the PDF for the book on December 18, 2009. But the PDF is no longer available for download.

Why has Google Books removed a public domain text from the Google Books project? When you click on the link “Where is the rest of this book” you get the following:

Many of the books in Google Books come from authors and publishers who participate in our Partner Program. For these books, our partners decide how much of the book is browsable — anywhere from a few sample pages to the whole book.

For books that enter Google Books through the Library Project, what you see depends on the book’s copyright status. We respect copyright law and the tremendous creative effort authors put into their work. If the book is in the public domain and therefore out of copyright, you can page through the entire book and even download it and read it offline. But if the book is under copyright, and the publisher or author is not part of the Partner Program, we only show basic information about the book, similar to a card catalog, and, in some cases, a few snippets — sentences of your search terms in context. The aim of Google Books is to help you discover books and assist you with buying them or finding a copy at a local library. It’s like going to a bookstore and browsing – with a Google twist.

Obviously, as no copyright law in the world encompasses a work published in the 18th-century, this help page is no help.

I have always found Google to be responsive to my comments, except over this subject. They never reply.

Please comment. Please list books that you have found that Google has taken down.

I am noticing that it no longer easy to find when and from what library a book was scanned. Have you, by chance, ever contacted the library a book was scanned from to inquire about why their title is no longer publicly available?

Google Book PDF Prints Blank Pages

William Rubel — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:41:42 +0000

I have, once again, tried to print from a PDF dowloaded from Google Books of a pubic domain book — a cookbook by Eliza Leslie, Miss Leslie’s lady’s new receipt-book. This book was published in 1850 – is thus in the public domain by any and all definitions of the public domain. The book was scanned from the New York Public library. Here is the link: http://books.google.com/books?id=-PspAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false.

When I try to print from the PDF I dowloaded all I get are blank pages except for the Google Logo.

I often have this problem with Google PDFs.

Naturally, it seems a mockery of the open source public domain spirit of Google Books for the PDFs not to print. I have looked at the PDF settings and find nothing that suggests that it cannot be printed, but it can’t.

Have any of you had this same experience? Please comment!

Elihu Burritt Book Wanted!

William Rubel — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:54:17 +0000

I am doing research into 19th century American cornbread. I am looking for a copy of Elihu Burritt’s An Olive Leaf, from, the House- wives of America, to the Housewives of Great Britain and Ireland, or Recipes for making Various Articles of Food, of Indian Corn Meal. The date should be something like 1846. I have found the above title reference in an entry in a period Agricultural journal (see my comment, below) seemingly written by Burritt. Existence of the text is also supported by Edward Matthews pamphlet, The Philosophy of bread-making in which he introduces a set of cornbread recipes with the statement, “I cannot therefore do better than give one of Elihu Burritt’s Olive Leaves, which will speak for itself.” (Thanks to Kevin, comment below, for introducing me to this text.)

Thus, while I have found period references to this title I have not found it listed in any bibliography. I suppose it still might not have been published, but I think it probably was. It could be in a private library in the UK. Perhaps at least more solid evidence of the title could be found in records of library sales.

I’d appreciate knowing of any other 19th century cornbread recipe collections outside of the cookbook literature. The Miss Leslie text that Larry suggested (see below) is really wonderful.

Thank you for your continued help,

William

Eating Chicory Buds

William Rubel — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:21:49 +0000

Buds from one of the many cut-and-come-again chicroy varieties.

The chicory family includes a large number of wonder edible greens. Chicories are most prized in Italy. If you visit Italy be sure to look at he seed selection in plant stores. It is legal to carry packaged seeds across most borders, including into the United States. You can also find chicories in seed catalogues that emphasize European plant selections, though the largest number of chicory varieties is offered by Italian seed companies.

Chicories are usually grown for their leaves. The taste of chicory leaves varies from bitter (raddichio) to mild. Chicories are perennials, however, they are usually grown as annuals. This is because the blooming cycle is a long one. If you are only interested in chicory leaves then this long blooming cycle is a waste of garden space. But if you eat the buds, then the blooming cycle turns out to be the most productive cycle in the plant’s life.

Chicory plants “bolt” when they bloom. Some varieties shoot up to six feet (2m). The little plant becomes a massive bush. Most of that bush is edible.

I first learned of eating chicory buds from Aldo, an Italian from Liguria who grows vegetables in the same community garden I do. One year a group of my chicories were blooming. Aldo saw me, and them, and came over to my plot. “These are the best part,” he said. He then explained that the chicory buds — pick the buds and as much stem as is tender — are best prepared when they are boiled in lightly salted water for a few minutes, and then sauteed with pork sausage. I asked him why, since they were the best part, did he always take out his plants before they bloomed. He said that his wife is American and doesn’t like bitter flavors.

Chicory buds are a little bitter. To me it is a delicous bitterness. In Aldo’s mind they must be eaten with pork. But I find them to be delicious just dressed with salt and olive oil. However you use them, parboil them first, then plunge them in cold water, drain, sqeeze dry, and proceed with your preparation.

Sanana’s “Teresa my Lover”

William Rubel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:23:03 +0000

Sanana is the adopted name of a street musician who lived in Maralal, Kenya. This is one of the several recordings I have made over three visits to Maralal, two in the late 1990s and one in 2002. Sanana plays a guitar but, as you will hear, he strums the open strings. Sanana’s voice has the raw power of the soul singer. Sanana has died, but I have not been able to ascertain exactly where or when, but he has probably with a year or so of this recording.

Teresa

Dutch ovens and Cast Iron Cookware

William Rubel — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:11:41 +0000

Dutch Ovens are hugely useful around the hearth. You want the cast iron oven with short legs. It is sometimes sold as a “camp oven.” Cast iron cookware holds heat nicely, and is a pleasure to work with in the kitchen, and around the hearth. Dutch ovens with legs are also often sold at camping supply stores.

Lodge: South Pittsburg, Tennessee: Lodge is the leading American producer of Dutch ovens and cast-iron cookware. Their cookware is widely distributed in the US and Canada. Go to the “outdoors” section of their web site to find Dutch ovens with legs. (423) 837-7181
Action Africa: Phoenix Arizona: Paul Zway imports, dessigns, and also manufactures a wide range of beautiful Dutch ovens. Much of his line is based on the South African potjie which is a cast iron Dutch oven based on a very old design. When ordering for hearth use, buyhis spider (three legged frying pan) or other pots with legs that are approximately 2 1/2 inches (5 cm) high. Go to the links page at the web site to find businessess carrying Action Africa products or call 1-888-762-8208.
Lehman’s: Kidron, Ohio: This company sells everything you need to set up a farm that is off the power grid. Lehman’s offers a wide selection of traditional kitchen equipment, including a crane, and an excellent selection of cast-iron cookware. (888) 438-5346
MACA Dutch Ovens: MACA is an industrial castings company. They make an extraordinary line of Dutch ovens. Their ovens are taller than standard—9 inches (20 cm) rather than the more standard 4 inches (10 cm) that Lodge makes. Taller can be helpful, but not necessarily! They also make oval ovens, a design that was retained in Europe but is less common in the US. Oval Dutch ovens are very useful for baking birds. Maca makes a Dutch oven larg enough for a turkey.
Sur la Table: Seattle, Washington: Sur la Table is a US chain that offers a fine selection of cast-iron and terra-cotta cookware suitable for hearth cooking.

Mycorrhizal Mushroom Research Group

William Rubel — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 20:29:21 +0000

This is the Swedish web site that coordinates several groups of mycologists who specialize in mycorrhizal mushrooms — mushrooms that grow in association with the roots of shrubs and trees. This group of mushrooms includes many of the most prized… Read more

Terfez Supplier

William Rubel — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 02:43:30 +0000

For all practical purposes, Terfezia is unknown in North American and most of Europe. Tefez is a truffle that grows in arid regions surrounding the Mediterranean. This company supplies Terfez from North Africa, where it grows in abundance. Terfez is… Read more

Grow your own Mushrooms

William Rubel — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 00:42:06 +0000

Growing mushrooms in ones garden is the opposite of collecting them wild in field and forest. If there is the farmer in you, then explore the Fungi Perfecti web site. Fungi Perfecti is the name of the business run by Paul Stamets, world authority on growing mushrooms. You can buy spawn for a large number of mushrooms. Paul also runs workshops for those interested in pursuing mushroom culture and a larger scale.

Fuf Girrarosti

William Rubel — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 20:45:32 +0000

An Italian clock-work spit! This is a beautiful web site. It is in both English and Italian. The spit is based on an early 19th century model. I have been told that the Le Capucin (see below) in more robustly constructed, but I have not seen this spit myself. This spit is imported to the USA by Brice Frankel, a Bruce Frankel, a reader of my book, The Magic of Fire, who was so inspired by it that he started a business importing the Italian Fuf Girrosoti spit. His company, Spitjack Hearth Rotisserie, is located in Worcester, Massachusetts.