Travel Books

Listen it is actually a good manual to pick up before you open a restaurant for the third or fourth time.

I only bought this book for my Restaurant Management class homework. I was suprised to find out that there was no question and answers at the end of each chapters, like most of my text books for class. Overall the book was very informative. I especially liked that it did have a lot of photos. Some of my books are all text reading, borrrring.At Your Service: A Hands-On Guide to the Professional Dining Room

This book is the best book on the subject from the authority. A must have.

I attended the Culinary Institute of America and was trained by Mr. Fischer. I cannot imagine a single resource that does so much to demistify the key essentials of successful service than this reference. I recommend it to anyone in the industry or interested in the industry. The old standard (the bible until now) for front of the house reference has been remarkable service. An information filled text-book but a remarkably boring and mundane read. Entertaining, Original, Insightful, and Educational this is your one stop reading for front of the house.

I was trained by the author John Fischer at the CIA. He is an excellent teacher of the FoH Art. It is truely an art to wait on people and give the guest every thing they could possibly want or need. John is a great and excellent teacher that dove into the realms of the ways and hows and whats to do and when to do it sequences. I got to see him in action behind a bar one afternoon serving up as the bartender that did not show that day. He was knowledgable about wines and bar drinks showing some razzle dazzle! He was "the man" when I had him. Thanks John and for even signing my book...guy

Marco Polo purportedly spent 17 years travelling to the courts of Kublai Khan and, as an emissary for Kublai Khan, then throughout the Far East. Whether it actually happened or not is up for debate. I went into this text with an open mindset and have accepted that Marco Polo did indeed go on this trip with his father and uncle, but not to the extent as surmised. Instead he travelled and added stories he collected from traders and others to fill in gaps or points of interest to him. The book is broken into four sections now. Part One is his trip to the Great Khan's courts in Cathay (China). Part Two is his travels throughout the provinces of Cathay. Part Three concerns going to Japan, Southern India, and the Islands of the Indian Sea (Java, etc). Part Four is travelling into the 'northern countries' (Russia, etc).

In general, Polo gives very brief descriptions of most regions, accounting for their religious beliefs, money used, fealty to the Great Khan Kublai. There's some intriguing customs (visitors will be taken into a home and the man of the house leaves until they are gone but the visitor has full access to the household including the wives, daughters, sisters, nieces), talks of cannibalism, dress, unfamiliar animals they encountered, and contributes to the whole messy history of Prestor John. It does get repetitive and dry after a while. Polo's talk of Kublai Khan is almost obsessive and he was obviously completely enamoured of this new culture. Overall, it was fascinating to read although I had to push myself through some parts due to repetitive descriptions. Any history buff should read this story about one of the purported most well-travelled explorers ever, not to mention he was possibly the biggest best-selling authors before the printing press was invented.

Imagine a very boring person went through something fascinating. This person came up to you, started to talk about this incredible journey of theirs, but talking in this monotonous voice without changing pitch or showing excitement at any moment.

That's essentially what "Travels of Marco Polo" is. It's an INCREDIBLY interesting book and a fascinating tale, but can it possible be said in a more dry and flat way? There is no energetic spark that makes this adventure jump off the page. Perhaps this is due to the times, but I suspect the translation is a bit literal and bland as well. The writing never changes tone, even in parts that are clearly exciting and amazing. All the facts are there, but the reader is forced to put too much energy just to make it interesting.

Marco Polo had a most fascinating journey. Any history buff should snatch this book off the shelves (unless they decide to read the even longer, more annoying records that I'm sure can be found floating around), and anyone interesting in Marco Polo should as well. It may be dull at times, but it's still incredible, fascinating, and a riveting tale.

Recommended to heavier, more able readers.

A very remarkable book written in the 13th century. Many secrets were reviled when Marco returned. And may interesting explanations of things like the origin of cinnamon.

Marco writes well enough of his travels and you feel that you are there. You can actually follow the trail if you have a map. He describes the flora and fauna of each region and describes the economics and industry of the region.

Example: "The women of the superior class are in like manner free from superfluous hairs; their skins are fare, and they are well formed."

It is interesting to see how little has changed from Marco Polo's 13th century and now.

I believe I got what I paid for. There were much better books of great detail, but they cost much more. I would suggest saving your money until you can buy a much more comprehensive book. The reading and information provided in the book was light and was gone over very fast. I question some of the facts contained there in.

It has been a pleasure to revisit the travels of Marco Polo. I was transfixed by these stories of travel and adventure when I was a child, and never questioned the veracity of the narrative. I know today that the narrative has been corrupted over the centuries, that "The Travels" can scarcely be used as an historical reference, and that a more tantalizing and complete manuscript has probably been lost to the ages. Still, there are glimpses and insights within the narrative that could only have come from first-hand experience, and these describe an enormous, exotic world that titillates even today, while readers in the 13th and 14th centuries must have been enthralled.

I was most keen this time around to Polo's descriptions of the cultures and wildlife he encountered, of the whales and lions and leopards and bears--he even describes a white bear, and the people who hunted it were surely of the group often called Eskimos. He describes dog-sledding in the far north and the cannibalistic practices of the people of Java far to the south, both of which are extant in our current era. There are also the fascinating observations of the Mongol Empire, of that group of nomadic people who somehow rose up, like an event in an Isaac Asimov novel, to conquer much of the known world.

Somewhat depressingly, though, are Polo's observations of the tensions that existed between the Islamic and Christian worlds, tensions rooted in the competition for hegemony over trade in the Far East. Seven hundred years later, these tensions are still acting themselves out.

This translation by Ronald Latham from 1958 includes an introduction that puts Marco Polo's life in context with events and includes footnotes to help the reader make sense of the myriad manuscripts that make up the travels of Marco Polo. This is a somewhat dry read; even Latham comments on the paucity of skill employed by Polo's chronicler. Once I put my mind in context with the narrative, however, I was able to roll with the repetition and sycophancy and enjoy the text.

My wife and I are in our 30s, and took our first trip to Alaska to cruise and see the beauty of the coast and its wildlife. In preparation for the trip, we bought 3 books: (1) Frommers Alaska, (2) Lonely Planet - Alaska, and (3) Fodor's Ports of Call. If you are taking a cruise, and are buying less than 3 books (or if you don't want to check a 2 pound book in your luggage) - then you should not buy Frommer's Alaska.

Frommers Alaska is the largest / thickest of the books discussed above, but much of the information is irrelevant to a cruise ship passenger (cities in the deep interior, hotels, suggested 2 week-long itineraries, etc). There is one 20 page chapter, not written by the author, devoted to choosing a cruise-line, which can be helpful. However, better information can be found in a cruise-specific "ports of call" book.

One of the irritating aspects of the Frommers Alaska book, is the author's negativity towards cruise vacationers. Every chapter that discusses a port, includes a backhand remark regarding cruisers / tourists. It is much more pleasant to plan the vacation using a book that is more cruiser-friendly (or at least neutral, such as Lonely Planet).

Frommers Alaska is geared towards the land-traveler, and cruise passengers are better served with a cruise-specific book.

This will be my first visit to Alaska and I purchased the book to help me make the most of the trip.

Frommer's Alaska 2008 proved to be as complete a vacation guide as we'd expected from previous worldwide books purchased under this name previously.

This is an must for the tourist who wants to know something about the area they will be visiting. It is full of good info for a person going on a cruise. It has helped us to plan our days in the different ports we will visit. We highly recommend this book.

This book is in fact a logical and photographical study of the Great Chinese Wall (restored parts as well as all other parts). The restored parts nearby Bejing will probably be known by many tourists, but this book opens the way to all the other and lesser known parts of this world heritage monument. After reading this book I intend to pay a visity to some of these lesser known parts together with a visit to the Longmen caves.
This book is certainly to be recommended .

This book is as complete as anyone could want. It combines excellent photography and known history of the construction with commentary on the current area and the people of the regions it traverses. Highly recommended.

A Lion to Guard us Review


The Book, A Lion to Guard us is by Clyde Robert Bulla and illustrated by Michele Chessare. I think the book was good to me because it has a lot of sad moments and a lot of adventurous moments. And when there is a suspenseful part of the story they might end the chapter. Jemmy takes care of the door knocker their father gave them. Meg was the youngest she stayed by Amanda's side She was to quiet to step up and help much.

The main characters are Amanda, Jemmy, and Meg and their father.

Amanda, Jemmy , and Meg's Father gave them a lion door knocker before he lift for Jamestown for three years. They didn't see him since.
Amanda is the oldest of the group. She has to take more responsibility for Jemmy and Meg. [..]. He keeps care of the lion

I won't tell much more or I will ruin the story!!!

Lion to guard us review




I would read lion to guard us if you like not to fast and not to slow books. Lion to guard us is a somewhat sad story a slow and some might put a little dull adventure.
There are three main characters. One is Meg the youngest girl, jimmy is in the middle for the ages. Amanda is the oldest and looks after them. Lion to guard us is a middle problem. Like when people steal oh wait I don't want to give the book away if you want to know read this book. Meg Jimmy and Amanda are going to Virginia for a reason and if you want to know the reason READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Lion to Guard us
Hello. My name is Ryan Adams. I will tell you about my story. The plot is that Jemmy, Amanda, and Meg will reach their dad in Jamestown. He is building houses for the colonists. At the beginning, their dad left them with the cook, mistress tippet, Sir Randolph. When he was about to leave he gave them the lion doorknocker head. He said, "This is the lion to guard you." Then they tried to look for him. Well, I can't tell you the whole story, so I will tell you why the story was great!
I really couldn't put it down because it was so tempting to find out if they find it or not. You should read it to find out too. The style of the author is sort of old fashioned.

See ya later!
Ryan Adams

LION TO GUARD US

This book is very good I really loved it. Amanda, Jemmy ,and Meg Freebold are all alone their mother is dead and their father is in Jamestown. Later Dr. Crider brings them to his house . The next day he took them to the boat heading for Jamestown. The writer tells the story in 1609. I really liked this book. I give this book five stars.

This story is about a girl named Amanda freebold and her 2 younger siblings, Jemmy and Meg. At the beginning the 3 children and their mother live with a rich old lady named mistress trippet In London, England. She makes them work for money, except Meg and Jemmy. Their father went to Virginia to seek fortune. One day their mother got sick and eventually dies, so they run away from mistress trippet. They run into their mother's doctor Dr. Crider who takes them in. the next month they get on a ship to go to Virginia, it shipwrecks in Bermuda, they make a small town and leave on 2 makeshift boats to Virginia.... My favorite part is when Dr. Crider finds the children running away.
By: Patrick

DK's "Eyewitness Travel Guide Great Britain" is another in a terrific series of regularly-revised, comprehensive travel books. This guide is a colorful, well-arranged, and fascinating source of just the kind of detailed infromation needed to plan to a good vacation or business trip to Great Britain.

"Great Britain" opens up with maps and a short history lesson, then proceeds to cover the country by region, beginning with London, the UK's great city and most frequently visited location. The guide then works its way around England, Wales, and Scotland before closing out with some practical general information on arriving in and traveling around Britain, along with suggestions for places to stay and eat.

Each regional section offers a survey of the geography and suggested routes for touring. The short descriptions of the principal tourist attractions, whether castles, historic homes, museums, parks, cathedrals, or outside recreation sites, are accompanied by photographs, area or street maps, and in some cases, detailed cutaway diagrams of prominent buildings. The descriptions typically include useful details on hours of operation and telephone numbers. A visitor armed with this guide and perhaps a motoring atlas would be very adequately equipped to travel around Britain, and have no excuse for being bored.

Great Britain offers an astonishing array of historic sites and beautiful landscapes. Those looking for world-class shopping and culture can surely find it in London. Those seeking outdoor recreation will find it in the Highlands of Scotland, the Peaks and Lakes Districts in England, and in mountainous Wales. Most of the country can be reached by public transportation, for those uneasy about driving on the left on Britain's extensive motorways.

This guide is very highly recommended to travelors planning a trip to the British Isles. Great Britain itself is also highly recommended as a fascinating destination.

This book is great if you're interested in touring Great Britain. It leaves nothing out that you could possibly have a question about & there are web sights for everything! Our son & daughter-in-law gave us this book for Christmas 2006 so we could familiarize oueselves with the history of the country & then decide what sights we wanted to visit. The book was invaluable to us as we toured London, & its outlaying cities, villages & countryside. It book was our constant companion. Now, other family members are planning their trip to Great Britain using the Great Britain book that we gave them as a gift! The book is also loaded with beautiful pictures & very useful maps!

I purchased this guide for a Christmas guest who dreams of a trip to the British Isles. He spent most of his time with us pouring over the pictures and information, lost in travel dreams. It was a perfect gift.

Great to look at, read, fantasize over. (Um...) No, these are a terrific concept in travel writing, and I love the entire series. Through this I was able to see sites other books just described, and I chose some places to visit in Britain strictly because after this book's angle of coverage I found them more enthralling than I'd thought I would, and so re-arranged my itinerary. And that's what the Eyewitness books are all about!

I recently spent 8.5 weeks in Great Britain, and I bought this book to help me plan out my trip... places I wanted to visit, particular sights I wanted to see, etc. It was perfect! The pages are filled with pictures and valuable information, making it very appealing to read - unlike many other tour books that are simply filled with text. This book also includes maps of many cities and city centres, which I found extremely helpful in the places I visited. A great guide all around!

This book has been used for our group discussion at work and I really love this book. I'm big on reading and talking about books that are easy to understand. This book is funny, realistic and very imformative.

Wanna open a food service business? Read several books including this one, subscribe to the Restuarant owner email news letter and then search for any other material you can read about the subject. Lots of people try and many fail, or just give up. Be educated in your decisions. You will gain enough from the school of hard knocks, so you should have enough education to realize when a "lesson" comes your way.

Very good book. Full of details. Could go a little further into the kitchen matter. You will need another book on food cost calculation, once this one does not cover it all the way.

I realize this is a great book. But it is all lies!!! If you truly believe that owning or working in a restaurant is fun..... Wow please think of another profession. And if you ever worked for Mike Garvey.... God Help You!!!! The man is the anti-christ

When my wife and I decided three months ago to open our own restaurant, this book was our very first purchase. If you're thinking of opening one, it should be yours, too.

"Running A Restaurant For Dummies" is packed with useful tips on starting and running a restaurant: things like choosing your "concept", creating a menu, selecting the right staff and building a loyal clientelle. It's an easy read, with everything broken down into easily digested chunks and plenty of funny anecdotes along the way. The authors do a good job of getting across the glamour and the drudgery of the restaurant business, and most important, they get across the message that the restaurant business is just that, a business. Cashflow, inventory, marketing, hiring and firing -- take it from me, you'll spend at least as much time worrying about this stuff as you will about the food.

I must have bought a dozen books on the restaurant business before we opened. This was the only one I read cover to cover. Five weeks after opening, we're doing great business and getting great reviews. We regularly have to turn people away on Friday and Saturday nights. At least part of that success we owe to this book. Thinking of starting a restaurant? Buy this book. It's the best fifteen bucks you'll ever invest.

I used this book during a July trip to Paris and I'll take it with me again when I go next month. I always try and visit flea markets when I travel, and the Longs' descriptions of the Paris markets that I went to were spot on. I also love the way it's written--through the clear prose and various anecdotes, you can really sense their love for the city, and for its culture and people. And the photos are great, too.

"Marketing" is one of the most enjoyable pastimes for a visitor in France. This book unlocks the secrets of Paris's many an varied markets in a well organized and helpful manner. The format is discreet; (You don't look like a dork walking around with a big guide book). The descriptions are candid and intelligent and the images evocative of the treasures that await. I particularly enjoyed having restaurant recommendations for each of the neighborhoods covered.
We used the Longs' previous book on the markets of Provence during our trips there and were delighted to find a similar guide for Paris.

A fascinating book; the market and related stories are wonderful, charming reading. I can almost feel the City unfolding before me.

Markets of Paris is an insiders view of the great variety of treasures available to parisians and also to knowledgeable travelers of the French capatol! Here you will find information on where to shop for food, pets, antiques, furniture, military collectables, designer fashons all sorts of things that will become your ultimate souvienor of the city of light! And you will have shoped, just as the citizens of the City have done for hundreds of years, in the markets of Paris.

The information provided is very descriptive, accurate and has pretty pictures. However, the yellow typeset is amazingly annoying and furthers the difficulty in finding facts easily when you are walking or finding your way via the transits.

This small bulky book reads like an accumutlation of short stories about the varied food and flea markets, boutiques, restaurnats as well as book and antique finds of the authors.

I couldn't disagree more with the culinary student. Having been a hospitality manager for 15+ years plus a college instructor for 6 years, I found that Miller's advise is dead-on. The cases presented are real world too. Don't be deceived by the readability of this text. It is solid as a rock. He gives practical advise that you can refer to year after year. If you want empty theory, read someone else. If you want to learn from a master, buy this book. Miller is right when he says that management is an art. Whenever you are dealing with people, you can't turn to a formula. If you want science, go study chemistry. This book is about developing practical organizational and supervisory skills. There's nothing fluffy about it.

You can be the most organized person in the world and you will still run into difficulties when trying to communicate in an effective manner, recruit, train, evaluate performance, discipline, and delegate all at the same time. For anyone, it's a lot to have on your plate. This book makes it seem simple. It offers way to alleviate some of the frustration that comes with the job.

This textbook package contained "Supervision in the Hospitality Industry" 3rd Edition hard cover (ISBN# 0-471-19420-0) and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation-NRAEF ProMGMT Student Workbook (ISBN# 0471-41305-4). Chapter 9 on performance evaluation was the greatest insight. A great learning tool to help focus my job development within the huge vacation/hospitality employer I work for here in Orlando, Florida.

As a culinary student in a reputable institute, I was presented this book to use as a textbook for my business management course. The structure was sufficient, focusing almost exclusively on the hospitality industry, but the content was not. The majority of the book deals with self-evident truths and situations that can best be solved by common sense, but instead Miller voices his opinion that when experience fails you, revert back to the management theories, most of which he denigrates, others that he blatantly misinterprets.

Miller also pens that "management at any level in an art", a statement that many would disagree with and should give some insights as to what the 10th grade, babble-filled prose is all about. For a management book, especially one for $..., I was expecting a more technical approach to managing - theories and illustrations also combined with charts and math, two aspects that are completely vacant in the textbook.

There is a general sense of the grim reality of the hospitality industry that I was relieved to see (two stars). There's mention of the low pay, hard work, and long hours that will inevitably come with the job, and the book maintains that thought throughout. Overall however, it's too much money, and too much time, for reading what I already know.