The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches: Recipes, History, and Trivia for Everything Between Sliced Bread Paperback – April 5, 2011

My boyfriend is obsessed with sandwiches. A sandwich would be his final request on his death bed, I know it. I gave him this book for Christmas in 2011 and he couldn't stop talking about all the sandwiches he wanted to make from this book. I really don't remember how in the world we got started on this tradition, but we decided at some point in early feb. 2012 that our valentine's evening would be spent in the kitchen working together to create a mutually agreed upon sandwich from this book & it was so much fun & so delicious we ended up doing that for both our birthdays, our anniversary, the next valentines day and so on. It's really neat because ever since the first time we took one of those big sticky tab page flag things & wrote "valentine's day 2012" or whatever & stuck it on the page of the sandwich we made. So now when we get the book out & turn to one of those tabs it's like "oh remember last year when we made the xyz and that funny thing happened" or something like that. It's turned out to be really neat. It's such a low key way to celebrate something & it takes all the pressure off both of us. Anyway, I'll stop gushing now :)The book has tons and tons of sandwiches in it. Some are basic run of the mill deli type options but others are super fancy and quite elaborate (those are the ones we choose.) in addition the recipe, each sandwich includes the history and any other relevant facts of the sandwich or it's key ingredients. It tells how they got their name, where it was first popular, some famous person that eats one 3 times a day (j/k)...stuff like that. if you like sandwiches you gotta have this book!

They are a few good sandwich ideas, some are just not anything new or special, I was looking for some new recipes and I did not find any here but it is a decent book.

No one really needs a recipe for a sandwich, but how can you not love a book that tells you not only how to assemble an authentic Kentucky "Hot Brown", but also how the delicious hot turkey sandwich originated and got its name?Every sandwich that I could think of is included, from the lowly grilled cheese, plain ham sandwich, and hot dog, to the more complex Reuben, Dagwood, pineapple Spamwich, fried green tomato BLT, and skewer-prepared Spiedie. (Okay, there's no "Manwich".) Some of the recipes suggest variations, and all of the recipes include descriptions of the authentic original ingredients.This book should inspire you to create a multitude of totally-not-dull lunches! Each sandwich is illustrated with a beautiful, full-color, close-up photo; the sandwiches are presented in alphabetical order by name: and there is a complete Index of Sandwiches at the back. This modest little 7" x 7" x 3/4" book is comfortable to carry around, and is a lot of fun for commute-time, break-time, or any-time reading. It's also guaranteed to make you hungry, if you haven't just eaten.

With the Encyclopedia of Sandwiches not only do you get well written and scrumptious recipes but you also get some fascinating history. Knowing the historical origin of the sandwich makes a person appreciate it all the more.Most all of the recipes in this book are accompanied by excellent culinary photography. Sauces, spreads, and proper sandwich assembly are well explained in the Encyclopedia of Sandwiches.The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches is great to have around for a good reference. It also makes for an interesting read from cover to cover. The author, Susan Russo, is not only interesting but she also has a wonderful sense of humor. The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches would make an excellent addition to anyone's cookbook collection.

I want to do a little something different with sandwiches rather than your basic turkey and cheese. Some of the recipes in this look pretty good and the directions are really simple and to the point. But there are just as many dumb, filler recipes. Take the Peanut Butter and Jelly recipe. "Spread peanut butter on both slices of bread. Top 1 slice with liberal amount of jelly. Close sandwich and eat." Yes, that is the recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Unless you've been living in a cave, most people already know how to make a lot of these sandwiches, which I dub "filler recipes" to bulk up the book.The photos are nice and that's really the only reason I've giving it 3 stars. The more complex sandwiches have clear, short instructions. The history given is nothing more than "This sandwich was popular in the 1920's", so don't expect any depth to the history.If I had it to do over again, I would not buy this book. It would probably make a good gift for a college student or teenager looking to learn how to make basic sandwiches but for adults wanting to diversify the basic ham and cheese sandwich, skip this book.

I was filling out my classroom library this summer, and was buying a lot of Encylopedias of one topic or another. On a whim I got this. Never have I seen a book so eagerly read, or so fought over. I have to keep track of who has it so every student has a chance to read it. They go completely nuts over it, or should I say Fluffer Nutter over it. Often I have three or four students reading it at once. As a side benefit I have often gotten students to bring me some of these sandwiches, which I claim to eat (I have seen their desks, and hands, I am not eating what they cook.) They say the sandwiches are spectacular, however. For 5th and 6th graders this was a surprising must buy for a class library.