I bet the original is interesting and maybe fun to cook from. The revised edition tries to celebrate the history of the original while providing practical updates, but the result is an unsatisfying compromise that is a little like the overcooked vegetables it suggests you make -- bland, flavorless and not all that practical. Did I overextend that simile? Whatever, if you like your food history spliced with depressing 90s-era diet tips and microwave cookery, buy this book. Otherwise, uh, don't.