Does exactly what it says on the cover

It's an essential piece of reading if you want to learn to drive - nothing more, nothing less.<br /><br />Although the rules of the road can be a dry subject and not most peoples idea of an entertaining read the book is neatly and clearly laid out and gives you the ground rules in a clear, plain english manner so it actually does a pretty good job of giving you the information you need without boring or confusing you.<br /><br />Even though most driving packages come with an electronic copy on the CD and there are also smartphone apps, it is much more comfortable and convienient to have a pocket-sized paper copy for less than the price of a good pint of beer.<br />

Don't buy one copy......buy 3

I bought this book as soon as it came out partly because of some outstanding reviews, but mainly because I couldn't believe that no one has tackled why certain flavours go together before. So obvious.....doh!<br /><br />I showed my new purchase to a foodie friend of mine over dinner. He salivated over it to the detriment of the meal we were eating. The conversation wasn't so hot either. To make a point, I left it with him. And then I left him. One copy down.<br /><br />I showed my next copy to my sister in law and it hasn't been seen since. Two copies down.<br /><br />My third and final copy hasn't left my handbag. What a joy to have something like this to dip into. Niki Segnit has come up with perhaps the most innovative approach to food writing since Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking. But where as Harold's opus demands scholarly concentration, The Flavour Thesaurus, is full of humour and life. This is what she has to say on the combination of celery and shellfish:<br /><br />"Waking from a coma in season 6 of The Sopranos, the first thing Tony asks for is a lobster roll from the Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village. If you've ever wondered why mobsters are fat, you might like to note that these include melted butter AND mayonnaise. Mix lobster meat, a little finely chopped celery, a squeeze of lemon and seasoning, and leave in the fridge while you open out hot dog buns like books and brown the insides in a pan of melted butter. Stuff the lobster mix into the bun. Eat lying back on a sun lounger, thinking of New England."<br /><br />So although the basic premise is the matching of pairs of flavours, there is just so, so much more. Food history, recipes, delicious morsels from other great food writers and cultural references from Chekov to the Rolling Stones, make this a life affirming treasury for the confirmed foodie or anyone who has a passing interest in why we eat what we do. Segnit has a charming, intimate style - you just know she'd be a brilliant dinner companion - she manages to combine her hard won research with a sparklingly light anecdote or knowing opinion.<br /><br /> Utterly terrific. Just remember to buy more than one copy.

lovely book, but only if you have a lot of time on your hands...

Like other reviewers, i was sucked in by the fantastic reviews for this book, and got a copy for my birthday. I was very excited when it arrived, but, when I started actually studying the recipes, I found that :<br /><br />a) I don't have half the ingredients, nor can I buy them anywhere near me <br />b) I need more cookery equipment than I own <br />c) I would need a whole afternoon to prepare the evening meal!<br /><br /><br />I did try making a couple of things, tried the apple and olive oil cake, that took me about two hours to make and it turned out very dry and ordinary. Plus the kitchen was like a bombsite. <br /><br />If you are a real foodie and have no job to go to, perhaps this is the book for you!

Like it!

Its a nice way to learn!<br /><br />Not useful in case you want to rush and finish the Theory test asap!<br /><br />I like realising where I go wrong while driving, must mix-n-match the book lessons with practical driving :)<br /><br />Never imagined it to be a 400 page one though :O<br /><br />(I'm still reading it though, will edit the review after Theory Test!)

Poor Accuracy

The concept of this book is fantastic: a trove of information containing almost every conceivable statistic from the 2009-10 season. Unfortunately, this is marred by one monumental failing - its accuracy. On page 134, for example, it states that Chelsea were runners up in Premier League in the 2009-2010 season. If the authors cannot get even this correct, it makes you wonder just how many other misprints there are among its 1056 pages. Without confidence in the statistics given in this book, it isn't much good to me at all.

un-put-down-able

Part history & material culture, part engineering, part educational, part cycling-advocate, part travel book, inspiring and very well written throughout. <br /><br />This is a great, compact book and very hard to put down once you start. It was impossible for me to read this without dissembling my own bike in my head, and had me wandering to the shed a few times to look at components on my own bike that I had paid little attention to in the past. Reading the passages of Penn's own bike travel and his relationship with the bike certainly put my own cycling into perspective. His description of how his bike 'saves his life everyday' makes leaving the house each morning for the commute much easier, and reminds readers of the joy of cycling. <br /><br />I think this book will inspire cyclists to seek out independent manufacturers with a focus on quality and craftsmanship - in an age of mass-production, this has to be seen as a positive development. Hats off to Robert Penn for covering so much ground with such ease.

Voice over option does not work

Be careful! The voice over option does not work as mentioned. Tried it on XP as well as Vista.

Good Reference

Great reference, teaches you a lot of signs indeed some of which I have not seen on roads. Cheaper than you would find in a high street bookstore, so recommend.

Great book about photography

I love this book. I have been doing photography for couple of year as a hobby so new some things already. But this book just fulfil the areas what I wasn't sure about. Book is written very easily so there is no problem to underastand how things work. There are examples on every page and also you can do your practice after each lesson. <br /><br />I would recomend this book to poeple who like to take nice pictures but also who want to know a little bit more about camera and its functions. <br /><br />

Go and climb them all

An excellent book with many of the best climbs in the UK. There are omission but all the major climbs I know are in there. Each climb is described and has a good map. I am currently working through them all.

Striking designs, interesting info

I'm in the USA, but I ordered the UK version because it is the original, and because the title is so much better than"The Visual Miscellaneum". This is a lovely book to look at, with statistics to boggle the mind and move the heart. It's a great thing to pick up now and again, flip to a random page and be simultaneously awed by its creativity and wowed by the information. It deserves a place alongside Tufte's seminal"The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" (a prosaic title to place alongside"The Visual Miscellaneum") on any information designer's bookshelf.

Such an easy book to use

I bought this book for my husband which arrived a week before his test. It was easy for him to read and has the answers on the bottom of the page. He passed first time and it only took about 20 minutes for him to answer the questions. Definately recommend this book.

Excellent but...

All the previous reviews, both good and not-so-good, were on target and it was a good replacement for our last 1999 edition as many of the road numbers have changed! We didn't like the thin paper and plastic(as opposed to previous metal)spiral spine, the ends of which worked their way out with constant use. We were used to the map of France with page references being on the back cover ('Key to the map pages')which is preferable to inside the front cover and found tiresome the lack of next-page-overlap arrows on the motorway petrol station pages.. but all this information was indeed very useful, along with 'aires' locastions and speed cameras! Minor annoyances, perhaps, as this atlas is invaluable, right down to the tiny minor roads. Should add, even if irrelevant, how delightful driving still is in France by comparison with the UK - largely traffic free motorways which make our roads here look quite unfit for purpose! This atlas is a must and highly recommendable overall.

France Road Atlas

The A3 size is just what I wanted and so much easier to use than A4 as it gives a better prospective of the country. The paper is a too flimsy and needs to be treated very carefully to avoid tearing but has very good detail and clarity.

Theory test book

Good quality.. writing inside in pen thoough but does what i needed it for :D Good delivery time and good price

Great Book

Essential reading if you want to pass yor test. Give it to my daughter who is learning to drive and was praised by her instructer for getting the correct book to learn from. Definately recommended.

Digital Imaging

This is a superb book and the DVD that accompanies it is very good will help any from new to advanced Photoshop user