@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@
 	-- do not show recipes for items in these groups
 	exclude_groups = {
 	};
 	exclude_names = {
-		'_stairs';
-		'_slab';
-		'slope_';
+		'stairs';
+		'slab';
+		'slope';
 	};
 	-- do not show recipes from this namespace
 	blacklist_mods = {
 		'group'; -- WHY IS THIS NECESSARY
@@ -19,8 +19,22 @@
 		'moreblocks'; -- too much noise
 	};
 
 	recipes_per_cookbook_page = 3;
+
+	group_ids = {
+		wood   = { caption = 'Any Wood',   cnitem = 'default:wood'   };
+		tree   = { caption = 'Any Tree',   cnitem = 'default:tree'   };
+		leaves = { caption = 'Any Leaves', cnitem = 'default:leaves' };
+		stone  = { caption = 'Any Stone',  cnitem = 'default:stone'  };
+		dye    = { caption = 'Any Dye',    cnitem = 'dye:black'      };
+		bone   = { caption = 'Any Bone',   cnitem = 'bonemeal:bone'  };
+		vessel = { caption = 'Any Bottle', cnitem = 'vessels:glass_bottle' };
+		flower = { caption = 'Any Flower', cnitem = 'flowers:rose' };
+		mushroom = { caption = 'Any Mushroom', cnitem = 'flowers:mushroom_brown' };
+		water_bucket = { caption = 'Water Bucket', cnitem = 'bucket:bucket_water' };
+		sorcery_ley_cable = { caption = 'Cable', cnitem = 'sorcery:cable_vidrium' };
+	};
 }
 
 local slot3x3 = {
 	{0,0}, {1,0}, {2,0};
@@ -46,13 +60,13 @@
 		local rec = minetest.get_craft_recipe(k)
 		if rec.items ~= nil and (rec.method == kind or (rec.method == 'shapeless' and kind == 'normal')) then -- is this last bit necessary?
 			local excluded = false
 			for _,n in pairs(constants.exclude_names) do
-				if string.find(p,n) then
+				if string.find(k,n) ~= nil then
 					excluded = true break end
 			end
 			if not excluded then for _,g in pairs(constants.exclude_groups) do
-				if minetest.get_item_group(p, g) > 0 then
+				if minetest.get_item_group(k, g) > 0 then
 					excluded = true break end
 			end end
 			local props = minetest.registered_items[k]._sorcery
 			local module = modofname(k)
@@ -80,10 +94,33 @@
 		end
 	end
 	return rec
 end
-local desc_builtin = function(i)
-	local desc = minetest.registered_items[i].description
+local function group_eval(i)
+	if string.sub(i,1,6) == 'group:' then
+		local g = string.sub(i,7)
+		if constants.group_ids[g] then
+			return constants.group_ids[g].cnitem,
+			       constants.group_ids[g].caption
+		end
+		for i,v in pairs(minetest.registered_items) do
+			if minetest.get_item_group(i, g) > 0 then
+				return i, v.description
+			end
+		end
+		return i
+	end
+	return i
+end
+local function desc_builtin(i)
+	local desc
+	i, desc = group_eval(i)
+	-- print('describing ',i,dump(minetest.registered_items[i]))
+	if not minetest.registered_items[i] then
+		minetest.log('WARNING: unknown item in recipe ' .. i)
+		return 'Unknown Item'
+	end
+	if not desc then desc = minetest.registered_items[i].description end
 	if not desc then return 'Peculiar Item' end
 
 	local eol = string.find(desc,'\n')
 	if not eol then return desc else return string.sub(desc,1,eol-1) end
@@ -267,9 +304,9 @@
 			if k.indesc then tt = k.indesc(ingredients[i]) else tt = desc_builtin(ingredients[i]) end
 			t = t .. string.format([[
 				item_image[%f,%f;1,1;%s]
 				tooltip[%f,%f;1,1;%s]
-			]], x,y, minetest.formspec_escape(ingredients[i]),
+			]], x,y, minetest.formspec_escape(group_eval(ingredients[i])),
 			    x,y, minetest.formspec_escape(tt))
 		else
 			if k.drawslots == nil or k.drawslots then
 				t = string.format('box[%f,%f;0.1,0.1;#00000060]',x+0.45,y+0.45) .. t
@@ -339,17 +376,11 @@
 	chance = 0.9;
 	count = {1,7};
 }
 
-minetest.register_craft { type = 'fuel', recipe = 'sorcery:recipe', burntime = 3 }
-minetest.register_craft {
-	type = 'cooking';
-	recipe = 'sorcery:recipe';
-	output = 'sorcery:ash';
-	cooktime = 3;
-}
-
 default.register_craft_metadata_copy('default:paper','sorcery:recipe')
+-- this seems bugged; it doesn't like it when its item shows up in another
+-- recipe. so we'll do it manually :/
 -- default.register_craft_metadata_copy('default:book','sorcery:cookbook')
 
 for i=1,8 do
 	local rcp = {}
@@ -361,8 +392,16 @@
 		type = 'shapeless', recipe = rcp, output = 'sorcery:cookbook';
 	}
 end
 
+minetest.register_craft {
+	type = 'shapeless';
+	recipe = {
+		'sorcery:cookbook';
+		'default:book';
+	};
+	output = 'sorcery:cookbook';
+};
 
 local m = sorcery.lib.marshal
 local encbook, decbook = m.transcoder {
 	pages = m.g.array(8, m.g.struct {
@@ -462,17 +501,32 @@
 	bookform(stack,user)
 end)
 
 minetest.register_on_craft(function(stack,player,grid,inv)
+	-- god this is messy. i'm sorry. minetest made me do it
 	if stack:get_name() ~= 'sorcery:cookbook' then return nil end
 
 	local oldbook
 	local topic, onetopic = nil, true
 	local recipes = {}
-	for _,s in pairs(grid) do
+	local copybook = false
+	local obindex
+	for i,s in pairs(grid) do
 		if s:get_name() == 'sorcery:recipe' then
 			recipes[#recipes+1] = s
-		elseif s:get_name() == 'sorcery:cookbook' then oldbook = s end
+		elseif s:get_name() == 'default:book' then copybook = true
+		elseif s:get_name() == 'sorcery:cookbook' then oldbook = s obindex = i end
+	end
+
+	if #recipes == 0 and copybook and oldbook then
+		inv:set_stack('craft',obindex,oldbook)
+		local newmeta = stack:get_meta()
+		local copy = function(field)
+			newmeta:set_string(field,oldbook:get_meta():get_string(field))
+		end
+		copy('cookbook') copy('description')
+		newmeta:set_string('owner',player:get_player_name())
+		return stack
 	end
 
 	oldbook = oldbook or stack
 	local bookmeta = oldbook:get_meta()
@@ -497,13 +551,11 @@
 		bookmeta:set_string('description',namebook(topic,player:get_player_name()))
 		bookmeta:set_string('owner',player:get_player_name())
 	end
 
-	print('new book',bookmeta:get_string('description'))
-	print('new book',dump(book))
 	bookmeta:set_string('cookbook', sorcery.lib.str.meta_armor(encbook(book),true))
 	return oldbook
 end)
 
 if minetest.get_modpath('books') then
 	-- make our own placeable cookbook somehow
 end