Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

In this exquisite and very personal book, Martha Stewart welcomes you into her world, where she entertains in the expressive and beautiful style that she has made so famous. Whether a simple blueberry breakfast on a Sunday morning in Maine or a more lavish holiday dinner at Bedford, each of the gatherings is equally memorable, for what Martha cherishes above all is spending time and sharing delicious food with her family and friends. “A meal of substantial finger foods with ingenious cocktails, a sit-down formal dinner, a buffet supper, or something more relaxed such as a backyard barbecue—each is a welcome and inviting way to entertain,” writes Martha. Featuring elegant and casual affairs held throughout the year and a diverse collection of enticing recipes, Martha’s Entertaining shows us—in the broadest and most lovely fashion—what it really means to entertain and host today. From an afternoon Easter egg hunt for children to a festive Halloween dinner held inside her horse stable; from a sophisticated cocktail party on a friend’s yacht in New York Harbor to a spring garden fête amid the most glorious beds of peonies, Martha’s parties offer a glimpse inside her beautiful homes. Each is unforgettable and endlessly inspiring. All of the events feature menus and stories for dreaming and planning, as well as delicious yet approachable recipes: Tomato and Gruyère Toasts, Mini Crab Cakes with Tarragon Tartar Sauce, Tiny Tuna Burgers, Leek and Porcini Risotto, Wild-Mushroom Lasagna, Braised Short Ribs, Roast Turkey Breast with Sage Butter, Rhubarb Crumbles, Blueberry Jam Tartlets, and Chocolate Honey Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce, plus some of Martha’s favorite drinks, including Pomegranate Cosmopolitans and Honeydew Mojitos. Mix and match the recipes to create your own distinctive occasion. Set among Martha’s dining rooms, kitchens, gardens, and patios, this is her most intimate book yet, a new classic for hosts and home cooks of every generation.

Welcome to this curated list of 50 incredible things to do in Chicago, Illinois. Known as the "Windy City," Chicago is a bustling metropolis that offers a perfect blend of history, culture, art, architecture, sports, and culinary delights. Whether you're a local looking for new experiences or a visitor exploring the city for the first time, this list will guide you through an array of unforgettable activities and attractions. Begin your journey by immersing yourself in the city's artistic treasures. Visit Millennium Park, where you can admire the iconic Cloud Gate sculpture, and make your way to the Art Institute of Chicago, home to an extensive collection spanning centuries and continents. For a unique perspective on Chicago's architectural wonders, hop on an architecture boat tour along the Chicago River, where expert guides will showcase the city's world-renowned skyline. Chicago is a sports lover's paradise, with iconic venues like Wrigley Field and the United Center. Catch a baseball game at Wrigley Field, cheering on the beloved Chicago Cubs, or witness the electric atmosphere of a Chicago Bulls basketball game at the United Center. Don't miss the opportunity to explore the city's diverse neighborhoods, such as Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, and Chinatown, each offering its own distinct charm, cuisine, and cultural experiences. No visit to Chicago is complete without indulging in its renowned culinary scene. Sample the city's signature deep-dish pizza at legendary establishments like Giordano's or Lou Malnati's. If you're craving international flavors, head to neighborhoods like Greektown or Little Italy, where you'll find a delectable array of authentic cuisines. End your culinary adventure with a visit to one of Chicago's vibrant food festivals, like the Taste of Chicago, where you can savor a wide variety of culinary delights from local vendors. With its iconic landmarks, world-class museums, passionate sports culture, diverse neighborhoods, and mouthwatering cuisine, Chicago offers a vibrant tapestry of experiences that will leave you captivated and craving more. Embark on this list of 50 things to do and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of art, history, culture, and flavors that make Chicago an extraordinary destination. Get ready to create lifelong memories in the city that truly has something for everyone.

“The next day Wordsworth arrived from Bristol at Coleridge’s cottage,” William Hazlitt recalled, “He answered in some degree to his friend’s description of him, but was more quaint and Don Quixote- like . . . there was a convulsive inclination to laughter about the mouth.” Hazlitt presents a Wordsworth who differs from the one we know—and, as Matthew Bevis argues in his radical new reading of the poet, this Wordsworth owed his quixotic creativity to a profound feeling for comedy. Wordsworth’s Fun explores the writer’s debts to the ludic and the ludicrous in classical tradition; his reworkings of Ariosto, Erasmus, and Cervantes; his engagement with forms of English poetic humor; and his love of comic prose. Combining close reading with cultural analysis, Bevis travels many untrodden ways, studying Wordsworth’s interest in laughing gas, pantomime, the figure of the fool, and the value of play. Intrepid, immersive, and entertaining, Wordsworth’s Fun sheds fresh light on how one poet’s strange humor helped to shape modern literary experiment.

An innovative combination that incorporates a compact-sized travel guide with a convenient fold-out map provides in-depth coverage of the great cities of the world, featuring capsule reviews of recommended hotels, restaurants, shops, and nightlife options, as well as handy travel tips, fun facts, the twenty-five best things to see and do, Web sites, service information, and other useful sections.

If you enjoy popular music and culture today, you have vaudeville to thank. From the 1870s until the 1920s, vaudeville was the dominant context for popular entertainment in the United States, laying the groundwork for the music industry we know today. In Vaudeville Melodies, Nicholas Gebhardt introduces us to the performers, managers, and audiences who turned disjointed variety show acts into a phenomenally successful business. First introduced in the late nineteenth century, by 1915 vaudeville was being performed across the globe, incorporating thousands of performers from every branch of show business. Its astronomical success relied on a huge network of theatres, each part of a circuit and administered from centralized booking offices. Gebhardt shows us how vaudeville transformed relationships among performers, managers, and audiences, and argues that these changes affected popular music culture in ways we are still seeing today. Drawing on firsthand accounts, Gebhardt explores the practices by which vaudeville performers came to understand what it meant to entertain an audience, the conditions in which they worked, the institutions they relied upon, and the values they imagined were essential to their success.