kpiccoli@northshire.com's blog

The holidays are fast approaching, but have no fear, the Northshire bookstore is here to help! Last night we had our annual holiday presentation, when the Northshire’s best and brightest booksellers recommended some fantastic books to help you with your list. But there’s so much more! What we didn't talk about last night are the fantastic books we've got in our Used and Rare Book Department.

We have hundreds of rare and antique adult and children's books on almost any subject with prices ranging from $5 to $2000. This year, as you get ready to tackle your holiday shopping list, don’t rule out these great books. Here are just a few of the unique books we currently have in stock.

We have a 45 volume set of the Complete Works of Charles Dickens, published c. 1880. This is a limited Cruikshank Edition numbered set (198/500) and includes a 3 volume biography of Dickens by John Forster. Each book contains delightful illustrations, the majority by H. K. Browne. This set is in great condition and is priced at $475. This is an amazing, one-of-a-kind holiday gift for any book collector or lover of Dickens (or your favorite staff member at the Northshire Bookstore). (READ MORE)

I love cookbooks, but I don't think about the ingredients as something that just magically appear in my kitchen. It's no secret that I love reading about food, but before reading Consider The Fork, I never really put much thought into my kitchen tools. I go to great lengths to know where my food comes from, who grew it, what went into producing it, and the kind of nourishment it provides. But what of the vegetable peeler (which I don't own)? Or the wooden spoon (also don't own)? Or the ever-obvious knife (own many)? Wilson's detailed research changes the way we view all of those items we take for granted. After all, my great-great-great Italian grandmother didn't make her famous pesto in an electric food processor, but I'm not about to give mine up for the job.

Consider the Fork tells the deliciously fascinating history of cooking and culinary tools. From knives to coffee grinders to the kitchen fire itself, readers will relish every moment.  Just how long did it take us to invent the vegetable peeler? How different are our whisks from the whisks of the Middle Ages? Consider the Fork takes the reader through the history of how we slice, cook, measure, grind, and mold our food. (READ MORE)