Utopia's Garden - French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution

Book Description

The royal Parisian botanical garden, the Jardin du Roi, was a jewel in the crown of the French Old Regime, praised by both rulers and scientific practitioners. Yet unlike many such institutions, the Jardin not only survived the French Revolution but by 1800 had become the world's leading public establishment of natural history: the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle.

E. C. Spary traces the scientific, administrative, and political strategies that enabled the foundation of the Muséum, arguing that agriculture and animal breeding rank alongside classification and collections in explaining why natural history was important for French rulers. But the Muséum's success was also a consequence of its employees' Revolutionary rhetoric: by displaying the natural order, they suggested, the institution could assist in fashioning a self-educating, self-policing Republican people. Natural history was presented as an indispensable source of national prosperity and individual virtue.

Spary's fascinating account opens a new chapter in the history of France, science, and the Enlightenment.

E.C. Spary. Utopia's Garden: French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Utopian Studies

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E.C. Spary. Utopia's Garden: French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Utopian Studies
John T. O'Connor
Manufacturer: Society for Utopian Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Utopian Studies, published by Society for Utopian Studies on March 22, 2002. The length of the article is 1341 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: E.C. Spary. Utopia's Garden: French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: John T. O'Connor
Publication: Utopian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2002
Publisher: Society for Utopian Studies
Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Page: 223(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Utopia's Garden: French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution

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Utopia's Garden: French Natural History from Old Regime to Revolution
E.C. Spary
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPWBHQ

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Explains every aspect of the outdoor experience

Hiking and Backpacking, 2nd: Essential Skills to Advanced Techniques
Victoria Logue
Manufacturer: Menasha Ridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Everyday Wisdom: 1,001 Expert Tips for Hikers (Backpacker Magazine)

The Backpacker's Handbook

Appalachian Trail Hiker, 4th: Trail-proven Advice for Hikes of Any Length

The Hiking Companion: Getting the most from the trail experience throughout the seasons: where to go, what to bring, basic navigation, and backpacking

Lightweight Backpacking and Camping: A Field Guide to Wilderness Equipment, Technique, and Style (Backpacking Light)

ASIN: 0897325842

Book Description

If you want to enjoy a well-planned, well-equipped day hike or backpacking trek, take charge of your outing with Hiking and Backpacking. The book demystifies the outdoor experience, proving that you don't have to be a wilderness warrior to get back to nature and have fun. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned path master, the wealth of tips, techniques, and tricks will have you trailblazing like never before. Whether you're out for an easy stroll, an overnight hike, or are tackling a long trail, Hiking and Backpacking: Essential Skills, Equipment, and Safety is the ticket to enjoying a safe and rewarding trail experience.

Customer Reviews:

Explains every aspect of the outdoor experience.......2001-02-11

Backpacking: Essential Skills To Advanced Techniques clearly explains every aspect of the outdoor experience of hiking on foot through the outdoors. The planning section details all the options for picking the best trails to fit ability, time and interests. There is a useful section devoted to those who dare to embark on serious long-distance hikes. The reader is provided with all the information needed to safely and competently select the gear most appropriate to the hiking project from the hi-tech equipment available to today's outdoor enthusiast. Backpack also offers sound and practical advice on pacing oneself, crossing streams, hiking in snow, using a map & compass, finding a good camp, setting up a kitchen, as well as maintaining and repairing equipment. Very highly recommended for the outdoor enthusiast, Backpacking is an ideal introduction for the novice, and offers a wealth of information, tips & techniques that even the more experienced backpacker will appreciate and benefit by.

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Characterizing the adolescent experience as monstrous is not exactly a new idea. M.T. Anderson's woefully confused teen vampire in Thirsty and Jean Thesman's reluctant young witch in The Other Ones serve as excellent examples of this metaphor set to fiction. But no one really captures how our hormones make us howl as well as Annette Curtis Klause. Blood and Chocolate chronicles the longings and passions of one Vivian Gandillon, teenage werewolf. Her pack family, recently burned out of their West Virginia home by suspicious neighbors, has resettled in a sleepy Maryland suburb. At her new school, Viv quickly falls for sensitive heartthrob Aiden, a human--or "meat-boy," as her pack calls him. Soon she is trying to tame her undomesticated desires to match his more civilized sensibilities. "He was gentle. She hadn't expected that. Kisses to her were a tight clutch, teeth, and tongue... His eyes were shy beneath his dark lashes, and his lips curved with delight and desire--desire he wouldn't force on her... he was different." But Vivian's animal ardor cannot be stilled, and she must decide if she should keep Aiden in the dark about her true nature or invite him to take a walk on her wild side.

Klause poetically describes the violence and sensuality of the pack lifestyle, creating a hot-blooded heroine who puts the most outrageous riot grrrls to shame. Blood and Chocolate is a masterpiece of adolescent angst wrapped in wolf's clothing, and its lovely, sensuous taste is sure to be sweet on the teenage tongue. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human or beast? Which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?

Customer Reviews:

A sweet and intense view into the life of a teen werewolf..........2007-10-07

This is the story of a teen werewolf named Vivian. She discovers that challenges that come from loving a human, though she is not one. The story is filled with vivid imagery, and a real relationship that is more than sexual tension. Although, the story is short, it is a good read. I give it 4.5 stars.

EXCELLENT READ!!!.......2007-09-28

This is a great book, that is so much better than the movie. It sucks you in right from the start and is hard to put down.

Blood and Chocolate what a combination!.......2007-09-20

Enjoyed The book Blood and Chocolate. Is alot better than the movie.
Of course, what book isn't.

Cliche and bad at the beginning, almost satisfying by the end, this is an inconstant, sub par book. Ambivalently recommended.......2007-08-29

Vivian is a werewolf: young, attractive, just come of age, and proud to be a wolf. However, after the death of her father, her pack has been displaced and is in turmoil, making her feel estranged from the other wolves. When she meets a human boy named Aiden, romance sparks between them. He is a welcome change from the turmoil of her wolf life, but love between a human and a werewolf is forbidden and Vivian worries that Aiden will not be able to accept her completely. Blood and Chocolate is a very different coming of age story, in which Vivian must learn to completely accept herself as a wolf and learn the differences between the werewolf and the human. The plot is interesting, but the characters are exaggerated and idealized and the writing lacks skill, although improves during the course of the book. This is a text I would have preferred to keep on remembering fondly from my childhood; it does not make a very good reread for an adult audience. Ambivalently recommended.

There are some books from your childhood that you come back to, reread, and discover that they are as good as you remember or even better. There are other books from your childhood that turn out to be something of a disappointment, and this book is of that later category. Blood and Chocolate has a wonderful premise, but complications such as characterization and writing style drag the book down. The first half is bad, almost laughably so. The second half improves as characters become more complex and the writing matures, but all in all this is a book best left fondly remembered rather than reread.

For the first part of the text, the characters are cliché to a great degree; only with complications in the plot do they become more complex themselves. Vivian is devastatingly attractive with exceptionally long legs. She wears skin-tight dresses that "sheath" her form. She writes her phone number on Aiden's palm. Until the character falls into love and then begins to doubt her love, she is exceptionally limited, idealized, cliché, and laughably so for all qualities. The writing style also begins as limited and as cliché, rich with verbs like "sheath," cliff-hangers, thoughts in italics, and a brash neo-Gothic air. However, I suspect that the book was written linearly, because by the end the writing style has much matured and improved.

The improvement in both character and writing style makes the end of the book better, even satisfying, but it also makes the book as a whole feel disjointed. In fact, the end of the book is quite good, both in terms of the plot itself and Vivian's changes and challenges, and in terms of style and technique. On this account, I do somewhat recommend the book, as by the end it feels like a worthwhile read. However, the better the end of the book gets, the worse the beginning feels in comparison, making me wish that Klause and her editor had spent more time bring the whole of the book to a universal high standard. In the end, I recommend this text only ambivalently: it's not a bad one to read as young adult and the ending does help justify the time spend reading, but technically it is an inconsistent, sub par text. Read it if you want, or don't, but you may not want to come back to it if you had fond memories of it from your childhood.

Teen Angst, Werewolf Style.......2007-08-25

Vivian is a werewolf. She's always known this, and has always accepted it. She knows she's a member of a pack, for good or for ill. What she also knows is that she's not sure that the future that's been chosen for her--to mate with one of the pack members--is the one she wants. When an opportunity presents itself for Vivian to flirt with an attractive boy at her school, she seizes the moment to be a normal teen with normal desires. Aidan is sweet and sexy, and Vivian finds herself falling for him. But what about her other self? Can she share this secret part of herself with the boy she loves, or should she, as the pack insists, stay with the wolf-kind? Complicating matters is Gabriel, the new pack leader; after involving herself in the process that named him, Vivian unwillingly finds herself Gabriel's chosen "queen"--a title and a position she vehemently does not want.

Had there not been supernatural beings involved, this might have been any young adult book. We have the star-crossed lovers, the dysfunctional family, a disapproving community, lots of sexual tension, betrayals, and discovering who you really are. The addition of the werewolf aspect is indeed a new twist, and probably keeps this novel from dissolving into emotional overdrive. Klause also mixes things up with murders that must be solved, and a truly disgusting mother (though she does try to make the mother at times sympathetic). Vivian is left to her own devices much of the time, and as a teen, she sometimes makes the wrong choices.

I wanted to like this novel more than I did. While it did have its moments, it was peopled with characters I just didn't care for. I liked Vivian, but she never really connected with me. The other characters were either overbearing, mean, or wimpy; Vivian's mother, though grieving, was a particular irritant, throwing herself at men and leaving Vivian alone to face her own demons. There were some exciting parts, but the gore factor was fairly high. The ending is satisfying, but I wasn't left wishing the book was longer. If you like supernatural tales, you'll probably enjoy this one, though I can recommend it only to those who already enjoy the genre.

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a sumptuous feast of love and mystery
A plus for "Blood and Chocolate"
A tour de force: a novel of ideas, Gothic Romance
an epic that feels intimate
A delicious tale from beginning to end

Blood & Chocolate
Mark Zero
Manufacturer: Giant Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1933975008

Book Description

"When Marnie Hawthorne inherits her family fortune:a candy empire built on the world-famous Hawthorne Toffee Bar,she also inherits the dark secret her reclusive grandmother concealed for half a century. The truth behind the Hawthornes: rise from small town candy makers to international chocolate magnates is as disturbing as it is unbelievable, and the only man who knows the whole story has a reason not to tell it. As Marnie becomes entangled in the mysterious drama of her grandmother's life, she finds that her future depends on the ghosts haunting someone else's past. Spanning four generations, Blood and Chocolate tells an epic story of longing, forbidden love and the unpredictable consequences of desire."

Customer Reviews:

a sumptuous feast of love and mystery.......2007-01-23

Blood & Chocolate is a gripping story of love, obsession and the mysteries of the human heart. The novel's tense, unpredictable plot made it hard to put down and its beautiful language swept me into the complex lives of its characters. As a fan of classic American literature, I appreciated the richness of Blood & Chocolate on many different levels: like the best romances, it's a tale of crossed destinies and passionate longing. Like the best mysteries, it keeps its secrets until the very end, and when you do learn the secret at the heart of the novel, it becomes even more mysterious in your memory and imagination.

I couldn't wait to get home from work and read another chapter, and I was sad when it ended. Even after I finished the novel, it gave me a lot to think about and enjoy. I recommend it highly.

A plus for "Blood and Chocolate".......2006-12-16

I just finished Mark Zero's book "Blood and Chocolate". I enjoyed every minute of it because it's a different kind of murder mystery. You know almost from the beginning who was killed and how. The mystery is in the unraveling of why that is bound up inside the inner life of the wealthy family on whose property the murder is committed. The kicker is seeing how the chief investigator becomes entangled in the secrets and ultimately has his life ruined. This book is for people who like character study and unexpected twists in the plot. I recommend it highly.

Dennis Bourret
Tucson, Arizona

A tour de force: a novel of ideas, Gothic Romance.......2006-12-12

In a tour de force, author Mark Zero writes a novel of ideas in the form of a Gothic Romance. It's all here: an atmosphere of darkness and decay, interwoven tales of love ruined by wealth, power and madness. All the different ways people love, or deceive themselves that they love, are represented in this fast-paced narrative, sharply written. In addition to balancing complex interwoven tales that span generations, "Blood and Chocolate" evokes a small town in Illinois and its characters with such richness of detail, physical and psychological, that it will keep you thinking about this book long after you finish the last page.

an epic that feels intimate.......2006-11-19

Blood & Chocolate is a beautiful, provocative and moving book. It tells the story of the Hawthornes, the most prominent family in the small town of Templeton and the inventors of a world-famous candy bar. The head of the family, Henry, is just a chocolate shop owner till he hits on the recipe for a delicious toffee that catches on like wildfire and makes him millions of dollars. His wealth transforms his family and the town, as Hawthorne Toffee becomes Templeton's largest employer. However, the Hawthornes have a closet full of skeletons that complicate matters, both for them and the people who depend on them for their livelihood.

The story begins when Marnie Hawthorne inherits the family fortune. Jon, a reporter from the local paper, is sent to interview her, and what happens between them unexpectedly changes the course of their lives and affects almost everyone in Templeton. Meanwhile, Jeremiah, an old codger who knows all about the Hawthornes' dirty laundry, watches the drama unfold, and it's through him that we get the full depth and richness of the Hawthorne family saga, a fascinating story of four generations of intrigue, affairs and secrets.

Blood & Chocolate is an extension of the literary tradition of Poe, Melville and, of course, Nathaniel Hawthorne (unlike Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing, though, Mark Zero's prose is compulsively readable, witty and engaging). It's a portrait of small town life, as sharp in its observations as Sinclair Lewis's "Main Street." Finally, it's a very moving romance, and the care the novel takes in describing the town so vividly and exploring the internal lives of the characters so realistically is amazing.

One of the best books I've read this year.

A delicious tale from beginning to end.......2006-11-13

From page one, Blood and Chocolate gives the reader a real sense that a tale of mystery and intrigue are about to unfold. Mark Zero's introduction of Jeremiah Grayson, with his old world feel and peculiar ways, grips the reader immediately. For anyone who has ever lived in a small town, Templeton provides several deja vu moments that emerge from many of the down-to-earth characters involved in the drama, as well as from the visual imagery Zero creates.

Beautiful Marnie Hawthorne has no idea when she arrives in Templeton, after inheriting a family fortune, that she will become the focal point of a dark family secret that has engrossed an entire town for generations. Zero keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This book is a must-read and a page turner to the very end!

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Blood and Chocolate
Annette Curtis Klause
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Blood and Chocolate
Annette Klause
Manufacturer: RECORDED BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000WTKDF6

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Fantastic Narration, Almost Perfect Storyline
Tacky French Werewolves in the Suburbs
THE BEST BOOK EVER!
the best story and narration i've ever heard

Blood and Chocolate

Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Fantastic Narration, Almost Perfect Storyline.......2006-12-13

I must agree with the reviewer below in saying that the ending is a little hokey, though the narrator makes up for it all! Her voice is smooth, full of passion and cradles you with writer's words. Almost a 5, but the ending is off... BUY IT! READ IT!

Tacky French Werewolves in the Suburbs.......2003-04-26

I would almost give Blood and Chocolate 5 stars, but I didn't like the romance novel feel to it--young girl starts out hating older man, then comes to love him. Other than that, the writing is fantastic, and I absolutely love Alyssa Bresnahan's narration. I listen to a lot of audio books on my commute, and she is a narrator that I seek out because she is consistently excellent. I liked characterization of the werewolves as biker bar types. Good book--I highly recommend it.

THE BEST BOOK EVER!.......2000-07-10

I have never read a book so interesting in my whole life.My only regret was that there wasn't more of that book to read!I've read every one of her books and this is my favorite!Its a story of a young Werewolf that uerns for the pack to be back like it was before they moved to Maryland.The young girl goes throuh all sorts of obsticeles until she finaliy finds her place in the pack as queen.If your a viewer I recomend you read this you wont put it down!

the best story and narration i've ever heard.......1999-10-16

This recording is so amazing because you can almost understand all of Vivian's actions and thoughts. Vivan becomes almost like a friend that you feel obliged to look after. She is devilish at times, but no more so than you would expect from a teenage wherewolf to be. I really think Alyssa Bresneham brings Vivian to life, and I would deffinitly recomened this book to all teenagers and even some cool adults.

Blood and Chocolate.(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

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Blood and Chocolate.(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine
Lauren Adams
Manufacturer: Horn Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on July 1, 1997. The length of the article is 633 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Blood and Chocolate.(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Lauren Adams
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 1997
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: v73 Issue: n4 Page: p459(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Young Adult Review, Brief Article

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Chocolate lowered blood pressure.(Cardiovascular Medicine): An article from: Family Practice News

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Chocolate lowered blood pressure.(Cardiovascular Medicine): An article from: Family Practice News
Mary Ann Moon
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000VLW0RY
Release Date: 2007-08-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2007. The length of the article is 512 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chocolate lowered blood pressure.(Cardiovascular Medicine)
Author: Mary Ann Moon
Publication: Family Practice News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37 Issue: 15 Page: 13(1)

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Daily dark chocolate lowered blood pressure.(Across Specialties): An article from: Skin & Allergy News

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Daily dark chocolate lowered blood pressure.(Across Specialties): An article from: Skin & Allergy News
Mary Ann Moon
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000WMIIGE
Release Date: 2007-09-27

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Skin & Allergy News, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2007. The length of the article is 538 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Daily dark chocolate lowered blood pressure.(Across Specialties)
Author: Mary Ann Moon
Publication: Skin & Allergy News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 38 Issue: 9 Page: 55(1)

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Demography.(World Trends & Forecasts)(will cocoa give us the next penicillin?: blood-pressure-reducing cocoa promises sweet health benefits): An article from: The Futurist

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Demography.(World Trends & Forecasts)(will cocoa give us the next penicillin?: blood-pressure-reducing cocoa promises sweet health benefits): An article from: The Futurist
Cynthia G. Wagner
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Futurist, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2007. The length of the article is 508 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Demography.(World Trends & Forecasts)(will cocoa give us the next penicillin?: blood-pressure-reducing cocoa promises sweet health benefits)
Author: Cynthia G. Wagner
Publication: The Futurist (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Page: 11(1)

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Study: dark chocolate can improve blood vessel function: eating dark chocolate in moderation can be beneficial to your arterial health, but experts warn ... An article from: Food & Fitness Advisor

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Study: dark chocolate can improve blood vessel function: eating dark chocolate in moderation can be beneficial to your arterial health, but experts warn ... An article from: Food & Fitness Advisor
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000VSW66M
Release Date: 2007-09-06

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Food & Fitness Advisor, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2007. The length of the article is 485 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Study: dark chocolate can improve blood vessel function: eating dark chocolate in moderation can be beneficial to your arterial health, but experts warn against overindulging.(NUTRITION)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Food & Fitness Advisor (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 10 Issue: 6 Page: 9(1)

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