Gillian Riley

The food we eat, how we source it and prepare it, and what we think about it, has been recorded in works of art since earliest times, from cave paintings to altarpieces and secular still-lifes. In Food in Art Gillian Riley brings together a wide-ranging selection from the vast amount of material available to discuss what we can learn from the art of the past, how to interpret symbols and decorative elements, and enjoy the details of the cooking and presentation of meals.But this is not all, for food historians can also explain how the almost abstract precision of a kitchen still-life by Meléndez is in fact a precise local recipe, or how the size of a sucking pig on a spit in a small vignette in a Book of Hours can tell us a lot about medieval husbandry, or in what way an ornate pie in a Dutch still-life can be more than the sum of its parts. We can also learn why Aldrovandi’s pet monkey clutches an artichoke, and puzzle out the presence of a cucumber in an altarpiece showing the Annunciation. The text accompanying the images explains much more, and also offers quotations from contemporaneous prose and poetry, with reference to iconic recipes and key personalities. Herbals, psalters, health handbooks and hunting manuals, devotional works and kitchen scenes, portraits and classical landscapes – all yield unsuspected gems. With the author’s help, such works allow twenty-first-century viewers to understand something of the social complexity of lost modes of life regarding food production, presentation and consumption.This book also explores the many links between food and myth, religion, ritual and legend, and the use of symbolism and allegory in religious and moralizing art works. Covering everything from cave art to cookbooks, bestiaries to botanical illustration, Food in Art is a wide-ranging examination of a world in which cuisine, culture and art production are intertwined and interdependent.To view some sample pages from Food in Art please click here.

The popularity of Italian food all over the world is ever increasing. Unhampered by any sense of superiority, and unburdened by the weight of a great classical tradition, Italians cook and eat in the ways they have known and trusted for generations, absorbing new influences while cultivating and maintaining a distinct and esteemed gastronomic tradition. Lovers of Italy, the Italian people, and their cuisine, from the general ravioli revering public to those with specialist skills and interests, will welcome this new A-Z reference. The Companion consists of a short introduction followed by entries covering a range of topics such as the universal appeal of Italian gastronomy, influences from outside Italy, dishes, ingredients, delicacies, obscure terms, cooking methods and implements, regional specialties, personalities, books and writers, and history. This is an inspirational work providing an even blend of history, practical information, quotation, and anecdote.

The popularity of Italian food all over the world is ever increasing. Unhampered by any sense of superiority, and unburdened by the weight of a great classical tradition, Italians cook and eat in the ways they have known and trusted for generations, absorbing new influences while cultivating and maintaining a distinct and esteemed gastronomic tradition. Lovers of Italy, the Italian people, and their cuisine, from the general ravioli revering public to those with specialist skills and interests, will welcome this new A-Z reference. The Companion consists of a short introduction followed by entries covering a range of topics such as the universal appeal of Italian gastronomy, influences from outside Italy, dishes, ingredients, delicacies, obscure terms, cooking methods and implements, regional specialties, personalities, books and writers, and history. This is an inspirational work providing an even blend of history, practical information, quotation, and anecdote.

Everyone knows how bad smoking is for them: about half of all regular cigarette smokers will be killed by their habit, but they just can't seem to give up. If you're really serious about giving up smoking then this is the book that will not only help you to stop, but to stay stopped for good.Gillian Riley's techniques allow you to understand your nicotine addiction, take control and break your smoking habit. There is a step-by-step giving up programme that is easy to follow and really works. Even in stressful situations, or when boredom sets in, you'll soon realise that even though the freedom and opportunity to smoke is there, you have chosen not to.How to Stop Smoking and Stay Stopped for Good will even help you to give up smoking without gaining weight.

As anyone who has ever been on a diet knows, they simply don't work. No one can diet indefinitely and, once you stop, the weight simply piles back on. Eating Less is not about dieting; instead, it places the emphasis where it belongs, on healthy eating and eating less. This revised and updated edition offers you a unique and inspiring solution to overeating: its aim is to look at thoughts and beliefs about food, unravel the mind's addictive impulses, and retrain it to have a more healthy, balanced relationship with food. It introduces you to practical techniques that you can apply in your daily life; it shows you how to set your own limits without feeling deprived and becoming rebellious; and it gives you the ability to develop greater control by helping you to overcome addictive behaviour. So simply follow Eating Less and see your weight fall off and stay off.'Eating Less is likely to succeed where diet books fail. The utter simplicity of its message and techniques makes it easy to start and continue with a programme that revolutionises your attitude to eating and weight.' Sarah Litvinoff

You already have willpower. Everyone does. All you need is to learn how to use it. With just a little practice, willpower can work even when you don't feel inspired, when you are faced with your strongest temptations. And the wonderful news is that willpower isn't something that gets handed out to some and not others. It's simply a matter of understanding how to access it and unlock its potential. When you do you'll see just how liberating, exciting and rewarding using willpower can be. Very soon, rather than being your own worst enemy, you'll become your own best friend.Use the brilliant strategies in this book to:- overcome addictive behaviours- quit smoking- take control of overeating- achieve your dreams- enhance your lifeWith a little belief, some confidence and the techniques laid out in this revolutionary book, you'll soon discover just how strong your willpower can be.