James Beard became a household name teaching home chefs how to cook like culinary stars, from the Theory & Practice of perfecting processes to crafting Menus for Entertaining to fine-tuning Simple Foods. This cookbook brings together his wealth of gastronomic knowledge in one essential guide, filled with one thousand elegant recipes guaranteed to please any palate and indispensable tips for mastering the art of cooking.

In The New James Beard, you can discover a fresh, flexible approach to preparing food with a focus on ingredients and simple yet inventive substitutions. With clever takes on traditional recipes, like Mexican Pot Roast and Lime and Tea Sherbet; internationally inspired dishes, such as Peruvian Eggs and Turkish Stuffed Eggplant; and instructions on how to refine classic techniques, such as making pasta or poaching eggs, you can learn how to prepare and experiment like the top chefs in the world.

One of the most celebrated and enduringly popular works in Southern literature, this collection assembles Carson McCullers’s best stories, including her beloved novella “The Ballad of the Sad Café.” A haunting tale of love and violence in a small Southern town, the novella introduces readers to Miss Amelia, a formidable woman whose home serves as the town’s gathering place. Among other fine works, the collection also includes McCullers’s first published story, “Wunderkind,” about a musical prodigy who suddenly realizes she will not go on to become a great pianist.

First published in 1951, The Ballad of the Sad Café was adapted for the stage by the Edward Albee and later made into a film starring Vanessa Redgrave and Keith Carradine.

Shirley, Charlotte Brontë’s second novel, following Jane Eyre, tells the story of two women of radically different circumstances, whose bond of friendship helps them emotionally navigate the romantic entanglements of Victorian society.

The quiet and shy Caroline Helstone was raised lovingly yet sternly by her uncle in a Yorkshire rectory. Shirley Keeldar is a bold and beautiful heiress whose wealth catches the eye of the ambitious—though nearly bankrupt—Robert Moore. All three lives will become entangled in matters of the heart, as both women struggle to find their own way in a changing society.

Caroline and Shirley’s friendship and their contrasting life conditions and views of traditional gender roles make this novel “as interesting and relevant today as when Brontë wrote it” (Curled Up with a Good Book).

Every house has its secrets . . .

For twelve-year-old Ottilie Finch, London is an exciting playground to explore. Her family have recently arrived in Hampstead from Durham, under a cloud of scandal that Otty is blissfully unaware of. The only shadow over her days is her mother’s mysterious illness, which keeps her to her room.

When young local girl Mabs is offered the chance to become Mrs Finch’s companion, it saves her from a desperate life on the canals. Little does she know that all is not as picture-perfect as it seems. Mabs is about to become tangled in the secrets that chased the Finches from their last home, and trapped in an impossible dilemma . . .

Trisha Mills, a student in her final semester of law school, has fond memories of listening to the music of Adaline, a once-famous recording artist. Trisha learns that Adda is now a street singer in Asheville, NC, where she lives in a storage closet she rents for her equipment. Adda’s sole means of support in her senior years comes from the donation box.

Along with her meager possessions, Adda has a box labeled, “Things to Remember.” Once Adda and Trisha become friends, Adda agrees to show Trisha the contents of the box, and reveals her journey from her beginnings as a sharecropper’s daughter, her rise to fame, and her fall into poverty.

Even while busy cleaning out the home of her deceased grandfather, preparing to sit for the bar exam, and planning her wedding, Trisha cannot overlook the injustices that Adda has experienced. Aided by attorney Rusty Bergstrom, Trisha convinces Adda to seek restitution.

Learn how these four natural, everyday items can accomplish hundreds of household tasks—from personal to pet care, kitchen to outdoor uses.

Salt, lemons, vinegar, and baking soda are the all-you-need all-stars of the home. From personal hygiene and grooming to household cleaning and gardening, this powerful quartet has a long and storied history of usefulness that is also utterly modern and of-the-moment: green, cheap, and effective.

Beginning with a brief introduction to each of these amazing substances, this comprehensive book of household hints (useful indoors and out, for people and for pets) offers hundreds of smart solutions for better living. Combining one part science with one part practicality, and a dash of fun, this indispensable, earth-friendly reference is a must-have in any home.