Amazon.in:Customer reviews: How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage Classics Anniversary)

Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 4 July 2021

I ordered the product online. I got a message saying my payment failed. So i ordered again on COD terms. And now got two of the same item- one paid and one COD! Your computer systems are clearly not working

Helpful

Linda

A Cheap and Nasty Version of the Original

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 16 November 2022

Verified Purchase

I was shocked to see that the "Vintage Classics Anniversary" paperback edition of How to Eat is a cheap and nasty copy! The pages are so small that the edges of words have actually been cut off on some of the pages. The margins are tiny which makes the book hard to read and there is no room to make notes on recipes. It is so thick and small that it won't stay open on the worktop for the user to follow a recipe. The print in this version is all in black without the colour headings and subjects which make the original so easy to follow and use. It looks to me like the publisher has cut every corner possible to produce this as cheaply as they can.
I returned it and bought the hard back version which I am happy to say is a copy of the original, a million times better than the paperback and well worth the extra cost.

Alabastron

A wonderful book, but impossible to read or use, thanks to mean, cost-cutting production

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 October 2018

Verified Purchase

I'm afraid that this anniversary paperback edition of Nigella's lovely book is a disgrace to the publishing profession. Having worked for many years in the business, I can almost hear the editorial/production/sales meeting as the edition was in the planning stage. "What's the optimum price at which this book will sell?" says the Editor. "14.99" says the Sales Manager. "Right", says the Editorial Director". "I'll cost it", says the Production Manager. Working from that price, they work out how to produce the book for it. If the optimum price agreed at the meeting is too low, but isn't corrected at a subsequent meeting, quality suffers. Cheap paper stock is chosen, and as has happened here, is shaved down to the minimum dimensions that will accommodate the text. Almost no margin is left at the heads of the pages, and no margins at all in the gutter. "Gutter" is the term that describes the margins at the inside edges of the pages. If these margins are inadequate, the words at the ends of lines disappear into the gutter and cannot be comfortably read without bending the book back and breaking the spine - not something that anyone who loves books would dream of doing.

I wanted to keep this anniversary paperback edition at Amazon's great price of £10.99 because I love the brilliant cover design. So I tried. But after half an hour of trying to read the book my hands hurt from holding it, and my eyes hurt from peering into the gutter. So I've returned it, and have ordered the hardback. It should be fine: its quoted dimensions - 19.6 x 4 x 25.4 cm as against the paperback's 15.3 x 4 x 21.6 cm - tell me that there will be plenty of space surrounding the words on each page, and an ample gutter. And there is a good chance that it will lie flat so that I can use it to cook something if I want to. It costs £8 more, but it will be worth it.

Vintage have been in the book-making business for a very long time, as have Clays, who printed and bound the book. Both ought to have known better than to offer such a mean, stingy production job, useless as a book to read or to use, and an insult to its author and its readers.

186 people found this helpful

B J Dixon

Disappointing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 May 2018

Verified Purchase

Not impressed. Bought this second hand as it was out of print and was the only Nigella cookbook I didn’t have. I wish I hadn’t bothered. Firstly, the condition of the book was stated as being ‘very good’ when in fact it was very poor indeed. Fair enough, it was second hand, but don’t try and claim it is of good quality when it blatantly isn’t. Unfortunately I don’t like the book either. It isn’t really a cookbook, it is more of a cookery manual/bedtime read with absolutely no photos of any finished dishes whatsoever. It is long winded and rambling and really difficult to follow. I can’t understand the rave reviews about it and I am a massive Nigella fan and love all her books and recipes. This sadly did not live up to expectations.

2 people found this helpful

Simon

Book was unreadable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 30 September 2021

Verified Purchase

The media could not be loaded.

The book arrived with the binder the wrong way round, making the book unreadable. It has also been done upside down. Please send me a replacement

H.G.

What's the point for having a cook book with no pictures of food cooked?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 August 2013

Verified Purchase

I was really excited for this book as have a couple of Nigella's cookbooks and they have always been foolproof at the very least. To my horror, this book is one heavy baroquesque Nigella-style ramble that is difficult to follow and stand alltogether (all those 'emerald entanglements' of leeks or 'rather gorgeous naughtinesses' of mushy peas... you get the picture). Almost 3 kg of it.

But the worst of all is that there are NO PICTURES of food anywhere in the book (apart from occassional potato or boiled egg for 'decorative' purposes), which, given that Nigella cookbooks paved the way of illustrated guideliness to cooking, is surprising at least. Whether the recipes are any good - I have no idea, Nigella's ramble effectively prevented me from getting through.

In a nutshell, a huge waste of money and a giant headache. I honestly wish I had a fireplace - I could use it as kindling.

7 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Returned: Badly Printed, wondering how anyone at Vintage thought this ok.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 4 June 2021

Verified Purchase

Might be a good book. But most of is buried somewhere deep in the spine of the book. Too much time spent thinking about eating and not enough time spent thinking about printing books.

One person found this helpful

BiggKitty

What a horrid edition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 May 2021

Verified Purchase

of what is probably a wonderful book. The paper is cheap and nasty and the whole thing did not encourage me to even open the book, was sent back for refund.

Orangehazy

Mmmm.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 24 May 2020

Verified Purchase

I haven’t read it yet but a cookbook without pictures or illustration doesn’t inspire me. I should have checked more closely before I ordered it. This probably means I’m not a ‘foodie’. I can live with that. I do like reading good prose though so I’m sure I will take something away from it.

7 people found this helpful

Mary Wood Power

Dissapointed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 October 2019

Verified Purchase

Not very happy. The book was damaged on the front but could live with that, but just sat down to read it and the back cover is coming away from the main book. Really dissapointed. I never leave reviews good or bad but l feel this is necessary so other people won't waste there money purchasing this hard back version

2 people found this helpful

5 star		71%
4 star		15%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		4%

AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Download Audio Books	DPReview Digital Photography	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Prime Now 2-Hour Delivery on Everyday Items	Amazon Prime Music 90 million songs, ad-free Over 15 million podcast episodes

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage...

›

Customer reviews

Customer reviews

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage Classics Anniversary)

Filtered by

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From India

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

From other countries

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage... › Customer reviews

Customer reviews

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage Classics Anniversary)

Filtered by

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From India

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

From other countries

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage...

›

Customer reviews