Travel Books

Very complete and interesting !
Well written , good recipes , nice pictures
Very good price deal

People should put aside any political thoughts about this book. It is a beautiful book and travelogue by the authors who have extensively travelled in the area and write the text portions based on their own experiences. I found no strong hints of any political agenda. What I found instead was an extremely interesting commentary on the wildly varied peoples of China - from all regions lesser known - including Tibetans. The photographs are stunning, showing the beauty of these people. The recipes are simple and easily followed even for those of us who don't always have access to exotic ingredients (alternatives are given). The book makes me want to visit these areas, meet these people and eat the food. What can be bad about that?

A coffee table book glimpse into multi-ethnic China and its varied cuisines little known in the West. It is rich with travel monologues, wonderful photography and authentic recipes.

Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China Another wonderful book from these authors. One I will turn to again and again. The instructions are clear and the results so far have been sooooo good!

I have the book it is gorgeous and recipes are very interesting - different that anything else I have in my 300+ cookbook collection

I have been having a debate with a Chinese American friend - which is relevant here:

Tibetan and other minorities are resentful of Han Chinese success. The Chinese are good business people and have been doing business all over Asia for centuries. I attribute this to cultural traits shared with other North Asians - Koreans and Japanese, and not by South Asians for the most part. As a result there has been resentment. The Filipinos did not like the Chinese because they dominated business. They also kept (or were kept) to themselves. In other areas like Indonesia and Vietnam there are many more Chinese - and that led to massacres in Indonesia and boat people - mostly ethnic Chinese - in Vietnam.

There is more:

"China consistently has pursued a policy of "taming" its far-flung western regions through economic and ethnic assimilation."
When the Communists came to power China was the "weak man of Asia" Not without reason China was paranoid about revisiting the foreign domination of the last century. When they looked around they found that most of their borders were inhabited by non-Han - and that concerned them. So they tried to assimilate them - probably in a pretty ham-handed, insensitive way. Even in the US cultural diversity is not always well respected although it has improved in our lifetimes. China has had a lot of trouble with its borders - there has been shooting with Russia, Vietnam, India.

"It may be the Tibetans' final chance to hold onto an ethnically, religiously and economically unique homeland before it is lost forever"
I do believe the Tibetan culture is unique and worth preserving - and it is not a given that it will be. That is not to say that to be a true Tibetan you cannot be educated and be financially successful. We saw a few years ago in New Mexico where Indians kept feet in both worlds at places like Acoma and Taos pueblos. American Indian culture and language in the US is in many cases gone forever and was not given any legal respect until quite recently. We heard this story again in Alaska last summer. And we see it in Oklahoma all the time which has a large Indian population - but a fragmented one because most were displaced from elsewhere. The Chinese government could use a good dose of cultural sensitivity - but I am not counting on it - the best comparison with China right now would be with the "Wild West" a hundred years ago - before environmental laws, unions, rule-of-law, an cultural tolerance.

This book is filled with pertinent info about Disneyworld. The problem for me is that each page is jampacked and not as easy to read as some other books I've read such as The Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld and Passporter's Walt Disney World.

When ever I go to WDW I have to buy at least 2-3 different "guidebooks" and stumbled on this book during my search and had not purchased in the past. I sometimes find that they put in way too much information and not enough photos, this book however has alot of colorful photos and I found that it had different information than other books that I have bought in the past and also for my current trip to WDW in December I also purchased the 2008 Birnbaum book (always have to have this one) and I currently have the 2007 unofficial guidebook which will do for this year as well and it is huge! I absolutely love The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008!!

I have to say I have many books on Disney but this has to be the most beautiful and informative. It has so many added features that others do not. A must buy for any disney guide book collector or anyone planning a trip to the World.

This book was helpful in planning our trip but was not as comprehensive as the Unoffical Guide also sold here. If you are looking to get only one book I would suggest the Unofficial Guide. This book did however have alot of great photos of things we would see so my children preferred this book!

I'm a long time Disney World visitor and I've read just about every Disney guide available. In fact I'm the author of a guide called Walt Disney World® with Disabilities. In my opinion, what makes The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World so unique (in addition to the photos) is the level of detail the authors go into for many of the attractions. They do an excellent job of giving you a sense of what the experience will be like, and they accomplish this with an obvious passion for Disney.

Throughout this book you'll find some great tips. For example they often share the best places to sit on rides, and best locations to view fireworks, parades and shows. The writing style is conversational, descriptive and fun to read. You'll find yourself getting excited about Disney while you plan!

Practical and informative, this will prepare you to implement structure and visibility of your process improvement transformation

I am trying to get it from amazon since two months ago.
It has not been in stock since the very begining.

It is very expensive book.
Only 165 pages. Not 184.
Got mine from Barnes and Noble, but arrived damaged. Amazon is much better than BN, but I wanted to save few dollars with BN, I'm now paying hte price.

Having begun a career as a engineer in the early 80's, everything I heard Deming talking about the PDCA Cycle made sense, but it was often hard to move it into action. Back then it was much harder (for many reasons) to find good reference resources (and leaders) with the focus and depth of knowledge about deployment that is presented in this book. This is a nice fast read that helps you think through the thinking process, provides the basic framework and guides you through examples.

I finally got my copy of this book in the mail last week. I guess it is sold out and hard to obtain at any site. I'm glad to finally have mine. Given some of the comments above I'm guessing there was either a delay at the publishers or they simply did not anticipate all the demand. I did finally get mine however...

Regardless I am please to note that this book is an excellent summary of A3 Thinking. I've had some exposure to the topic in the past and always been left wanting more. This finally gets at a lot of questions I had about the concept. If you have ever wanted to learn what an A3 report is and more importantly the thought process behind one then this is the best place to start that I know of. The print is a little small and the text is 164 pages I think the 184 page figure comes from including the other pages in the foreword, acknowledgements, and introduction sections etc. However there is no shortage of good information inside. I zipped through it over the weekend and got some great insights right away.

The contents of the book include the following eight chapters. Each is roughly about 20 pages in length.

1. A Basis for Managerial Effectiveness
2. A3 Thinking - the Seven Elements
3. The Problem Solving A3 Report
4. The Proposal A3 Report
5. The Status A3 Report
6. Notes on Form and Style
7. Supporting Structures
8. Conclusion

I thought the second chapter on the seven elements A3 Thinking was particularly insightful and appreciated the advice on the different types of examples as well. The book is both a good "what is" summary of the topic and contains some very practical advice about "how to" write different types. Equally importantly for me at least it included some insight on how to critique A3's as well. I give the work five stars as it fills a void in the lean literature in a very readable manner.

This is a fascinating look at how people all over the world live. My children have enjoyed thumbing through it, & our realtor gives it out as gifts to his clients! A unique project indeed.

This book was created from pictures taken in the early 90's, so it is s bit dated, especially in the more developed nations. Things like computers and other tech is obviously missing. I know that many destitute Africans now even have cell phones, not shown here. Otherwise, this is a great book and is very educational. After reading it, I got to wondering what my possesions on the street would look like...

I thoroughly have enjoyed this book, looking at the people from around the world and their possessions and realizing how different I live from another. It was amazing to see each family so proud, of either how little they have or how much they have, and to have all that they own on display (from in the dead of winter to floating on a boat!).

This book is absolutely a wake-up call for many people out there who think they don't have enough! Beautifully put together. Outstanding.

Material World by Peter Menzel is one of the most exciting and informative books I have come across in a long time . No other book I have ever read has given me such in depth knowledge of the lives and circumstances of people living in other countries around the globe. The photographs are breathtakingly beautiful and the statistics are fascinating. Ursula Michelson, author of Alzheimers Patients in the Nursing Home: How Well Do Caregivers Meet Their Needs?

Having spent many nights on the AT and the surrounding towns I found this book delightful. It's full of great snapshots of life under the canopy, trudging up and down the muddy trail, encountering people who seems equally strange to you as you do to them. Bryson brings his experience of living abroad and the subsequent well-honed observational skills to the simple act of walking and being part of nature. A fun, thoughtful and well done book.

I started out really enjoying this book, the first half is pretty funny. The second part, not so much. Bryson contradicts his words with his actions. He berates the forestry dept.(often with good reason) but writes about his friend Katz leaving a trail of trash as they walk the trail. The part where he gives up and drives a portion is boring and negative. The second and last parts seem to be filler, making a longish short story in a book. The author didn't seem interested in finishing the book and frankly neither was I. Borrow it from the library and skim the first part.

There are 2 parts to this book. Part 1 is awesome! It is a great story of 2 men hiking part of the Appalachian Trail and the ups and downs they had doing it. It's funny, witty and well written. Part 2 however lags a bit. The author drives part of the trail and walk parts of it in day trips, not nearly as exciting as part 1. The only thing in my opinion that save part 2 is the history and facts the author talks about. Especially about Pennsylvania and the Delaware Water Gap. Overall I gave it 4 stars. It could have been so much better if he hiked the whole thing, but overall was still a very good read.

This book is hilarious!

Bryson's sense of humor and his sense of adventure is very funny. Even a couch potato would love this book.

My husband and I plan to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2010, and I bought this book as research for our hike. I couldn't put the book down!

I had a long history as a streetwalker. Yes, a streetwalker. But, I never had even spent the night outdoors. However, when I read Bill Bryson's book I immediately decided I wanted to thru-hike the entire 2,175 mile trail.

There is a lot of criticism on the AT about Bryson's book, but one thing is undeniable. With his mass following and inimitable humor, he inspired legions of previous hiking virgins to attempt the AT. And that can only be good, as this mountainous wilderness trail holds wonders that your average American can only dream about. I definitely rate it as one of the top experiences in my life.

Better yet, it inspired me to write a book myself, called Skywalker. There is only one Bill Bryson when it comes to writing. However, it was easy to dissect his success. He wrote a book that appealed to the non-hiker, as much as the hiker. Further, he avoided the plague of so many trail narratives that get trapped in the day-to-day diary format, written by experts, for other experts, in a narrow "hikerese." Rather, he told a tale that is at once earthy, serious, lighthearted, but informative.

It may not be a classic, but it has increased the population of hikers on the AT, and in this day and age of anxiety and hyper-materialism that can only be to the good.

Skywalker '05 author Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail billwalker52@hotmail.com

Great audio CD, perfect for traveling or just before bed to help windown. The level of the stories would interest kindergarteners and first graders. My second grader, although he attends an immersion spanish school, thought the the pace was a little too slow. Reading the books is more appropriate for advanced firstgraders and secondgraders.

Continued stories in the series. Read by the author. Very good stories, kids love listening to it in the car!

My son has been listening to Magic Tree House for a year, and will listen over and over in the car. I got the second box set for his 5th birthday, which is today, so he hasn't listened to them yet, but I KNOW he will love the whole set. All his (boy) friends love MTH and they talk about the stories (we also have some of the books which we have read a lot too). The books are recommended for 2nd and 3rd graders, but my now 5 year old concentrates and listens to the stories, asking questions about some of the words or events that he doesn't know. Even my 2 year old will ask for Annie in the car!
A few friends with girls have tried the books, and the girls just weren't that into them.

The service was exceptional as always and, the CD's are a great hit for my children as they follow along with the books. Ages 5-7

just loves these stories. They really are fun to listen to, and now he can hear them when ever... no waiting for mom!

Our boys, 5 and 7 love the book series. It is informative on various
subjects and creates their curiosity to know more about for example the Civil War.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

Revolutionary War On Wednesday (Magic Tree House 22, paper)This book was a great way to introduce our daughter to the American Revolution. While she completed it within a few hours, I would highly recommend it along with American Revolution: A Companion to the Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))To start studies for homeschoolers, or to have a great set of books that help explain Why the American Revolution began. The resource guide has the true facts of the Revolution and is something we returned to several times throughout our studies.
And at the price it definitely was an added bonus!

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

COME ON PEOPLE! First of all this book and the entire series is meant for KIDS NOT ADULTS so go with the flow. Imagine you are a boy or girl who is 5 or 6 and is just starting to enjoy stories and reading. You will love it! The whole point of a book is to have children begging for more. This book and the series does just that! ENOUGH SAID! My 5 yr old loves this book and as a result he has become interested in American History. This appetite he has led us to purchase many more books on history. In my opinion, the book has accomplished what I wanted. AN INTEREST IN LEARNING! AN INTEREST IN HISTORY! AND AN INTEREST IN READING! The text should be simple! The text should be silly at times! Thank you to Mary Pope Osborne for creating a wonderful series which I believe has turned my child into a history buff eager to learn everything about America!

My son loved the book; Jack and Annie's adventures are amazing. You have to have read the series from the beginning to understand everything is going on. I am an adult and i still enjoy these stories, great books.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

I am not sure what else my 6 yrs old son has stayed with for so long! We read a chapter every night at bedtime. He looks forward to it every night. He has enjoyed very book and he gets excited for the next one. We are up to #26 now and he shows no sign of losing interest!

He has learned about earthquakes, Roman empire, Shakespeare, Indians, American Revolutionary war, etc.

Excellent series...entertaining and educational.

This whole series is absolutely "the best" ! In our family, children under eight have loved listening to each of them as read-alouds, and as they get older, they've devoured them again while reading on their own. Each one is a guaranteed hit as a birthday or holiday gift too.

Good Morning gorillas
Good Morning Gorillas is by Mary Pope Osborne. In this magic tree house book, the main Characters are Jack and Annie is in the rain forest. This book is about jack and Annie meeting a little gorilla who leads them to his family and becoming close friends. What I think the author is saying is you can become friends with animals. I can't tell my favorite part because it's the end and I don't want to give away the ending. But even though it was sad I loved it. I think it would be a good book for people who love animals.
-Michelle, 9

I loved this so much I bought one for a gift. It's a wonderful look at EVERY country in the world.... amazing!

This book is excellent for anyone who has a good sense of wanderlust. It gives a good snippit for each country and the pictures are beautiful. You will be planning trips in no time!

High-fives and congrats to the smart people at Lonely Planet Publications. This beautifully photographed book is a treasure that you must see for yourself. The somewhat plain cover hides the wonder you'll find inside. Every country is included with multiple photographs and brief, but relevant (and sometimes humorous) information. This is not a detailed book to use when planning a trip. It is a starting place for travelers and armchair dreamers. There is beauty in every country in the world and the proof is within these pages. Buy multiple copies. You'll want one to keep and several to give away as gifts to anyone interested in travel or photography.

My family and I are avid travelers. I bought this book for my dad for Christmas.I just had to have a copy, too. It's nice to have a resource for planning new adventures!

I bought this book and find it absolutely useless. If you expect to learn something about a country this is not the book for you. It is a big waste of money. A huge heavy book that will gather dust on your coffee table. Very little information about the countries. I found it absolutely uselss and rather typical of the out-of-date information that Lonely Planet turns out today. If you are a traveler and want to learn something about the countries of the world, find another book. Very sorry that I bought it.

Hungry Planet is a moving look at what families of the world live on...it combines incredible photography, well chosen statistics and outstanding commentary to clearly portray the diversity and real life economic situations of our fellows on planet earth. I love this book for the way it influences my children to see compassionately and with greater gratitude (and me too!)

An through and interesting way to present the food of different cultures. The book not only shows a picture of what a week's worth of food looks like across the globe, but puts how much it costs and in USD. The book also elaborates on the eating habits, culture, and daily life of the people. There are also recipes! A great book with an eye opening perspective of people all over the world.

Everyone I have shown this book to has been fascinated. The photos are stunning.

I couldn't put this book down! I was drawn to it because it mixed my loves of both food and culture into one superb read.The photography is stunning,the cultural facts immersing and the reading about different families addictive.

this book is facinating if you are at all interested in how the rest of the world lives