Travel Books

My favorite movie of all time. The book is not as good as the movie.

Out of Africa is Karen Blixen's memoir about her years in Africa, writing as Isak Dinesen. She recounts the world of Africa, specifically Kenya. It is, like the England of her friend Denys Finch-Hatton, "a world that no longer existed" even then and certainly as she left it. The memoir is a slow read, yet a book with prose in which you can luxuriate, or languish perhaps as it seems to mirror the mammoth African landscape. Reading like a pastoral novel, the narrator interested me with her myriad experiences. It presents people, cultures, landscape, and wildlife through her eyes, sometimes noble, sometimes paternal. The culture of the various tribes and religions with whom she had contact on her coffee farm became almost real, so that as I read certain moments became funny or sad or wistful. The reader comes to view animals differently, the fecundity of life struck me particularly. The different forces at work are both natural and foreign; the paradoxical nature of the presence of two churches (Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland) is sometimes presented as working for good yet other times it is in conflict. Blixen's memoir is truly literate and the importance of books and writing is evident throughout. Early in the memoir she tries to explain her wirting a book to a native. Near the end of her stay as she is selling off the furniture and other estate provisions their is a poignant moment when, as she sits on her remaining books, she comments:
"Books in a colony play a different part in your existence from what they do in Europe; there is a whole side of your life which they alone take charge of ... you feel more grateful to them, or more indignant with them, than you will ever do in civilized countries." (p.373)
Blixen's memoir of this "uncivilised" land is both memorable and effective in sweeping the reader away into a very different world. Definitely a worthwhile read.

The two-cassette abridgment was way too limiting for such a magnificent book. Also disappointing was the fact that the product was a rejected one from a public library, and the second tape was stretched and half of the second tape was not able to be heard. This product should never have been sold in this condition.

This was the first of many books I've read about Africa. At the time, I had a romanticized view of The Dark Continent, a naieve view.
After doing some more research, I realize Karen Blixen's view was VERY romanticized....to the extent that many of her contemporaries thought her somewhat odd and out of touch with reality.
If you want a lyrically told story colored with emotion...this is for you.
If you're interested in Africa as it really was, read the many accounts extant by settlers who spent far more time, and ranged over a wider area.

The book, "Out of Africa," is a memoir of the Danish Baroness Karen Blixen's habitation near Nairobi in Kenya from 1914 to 1931 on a fertile 6000-acre coffee plantation, "at the foot of the Ngong Hills" (1992: 3). Blixen writes under the pen-name Isak Dinesen. Karen Blixen went to British East Africa (in a location in present-day, Kenya) to join her German husband (Baron Bror Blixen), and upon separation she stayed in Kenya to manage the farm by herself. The extent of her adventures in Africa, and to what extent she is a feminist is borne out by the book, as well as the film "Out of Africa," that is based on the book. This piece will examine such, as well as comparisons between the book and the film.

Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) presents geographical detail, oftentimes comparisons and contrasts within this fertile land of the Kikuyu people that would several decades later be the crux of the Mau-Mau rebellion over whites' displacement and dispossession of natives from their land. Dinesen also compares features with those of her native Europe. Dinesen writes of the equatorial habitat, "Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequaled nobility...Up in this high air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart: Here I am where I ought to be" (1992: 4). Dinesen writes of "heavy-scented lilies," of "long-rains," "ever-changing clouds," of "hills from the farm [that} changed their character many times in the course of the day, and sometimes looked quite close and at times very far away" (1992: 4). Dinesen, in precise and elegant language displays love and fascination for the geography, the clean air, the animals, the beauty of this African environment; she becomes possessed by the place.The movie captures the large, picturesque, mysterious, and varied eastern equatorial Africa where the eland, the buffalo, and the rhino are quite common sights; the movie impressively and unanimously earned, Oscar, "Best Picture of the Year."

In the end Dinesen is forced to give up her plantation, this scenario elicits a heartache and sadness. Dinesen's memoirs, years after she had left Africa could be a reflection of her nostalgic dealing with her loss of the farm as well as overall experiences in Africa. Dinesen stands out as a courageous and strong woman, one who is in the feminist direction. She lost her philandering husband, but stayed on bravely, for nearly 20 years in a foreign harsh environment, one with languages and cultures far-fetched from her own. Dinesen worked well at being appreciative of an environment that was new to her, during an era of colonialism in Africa, a time when Darwinian relegation of black Africans to the lowest of human species and elevation of whites to the upper rung was very strong. Dinesen cuts through the female traditional roles, she tries flying in planes, the goes on safari, she learns how to shoot and even shoots and kills game. She is open and welcomes countless visitors from all over the world to her home and farm. This was an age of exploration and acquisition of "Dark Africa," by Europeans and Asians. Dinesen is quite aware of her feminine strength. She rescues and adopts a wounded antelope she names Lulu; Lulu becomes a celebrity on the farm; Dinesen searches, discovers and celebrates the feminist strength in Lulu: "But Lulu was not really gentle, she had the so-called devil in her. She had, to the highest degree, the feminine trait of appearing to be exclusively on the defensive, concentrating on guarding the integrity of her being, when she was really, with the force in her, bent upon and defensive" (1992: 74). Also, "Lulu of the woods was a superior, independent being...she was in possession. If I had happened to have known a young princess in exile, and while she was still a pretender to the throne, and had met her again in her full queenly estate after she had come into her rights, our meeting would have had the same character" (1992: 78).

The book displays that Karen Blixen exemplified the Europeans with the upper hand in colonial world conquest and politics. It is to be recalled that the three weapons used by Europeans to subjugate Africans were the gun, the Bible, and the anthropologist. Karen used guns to protect herself. Catholic (mostly Belgian and French), Protestant (mostly British), and Muslim (mostly Arabic) agencies vied for power in Africa. The Germans were in present-day neighboring Tanzania (German East Africa) to the south. They would be ousted during this significant, "Scramble for Africa." The book illustrates how Karen Blixen took great interest in which religious group the young natives (some of whom served her) adhered to. Many native followers, taught to kneel and pray to an invisible white Almighty god, became converted to the political/ religious groups, as they became dispossessed of their land resources. The anthropology aspect, as mentioned, involved relegation of black Africans to the lowest rungs of evolutionary mankind...the white was relegated as the superior, the master, the savior, the benevolent, the genius. The movie is great at casting Meryl Streep as the beautiful, rosy-cheeked clean, statuesque woman amidst muddy, black African paradise! The real Karen Blixen likely had more rugged looks and likely often got "down-and-dirty," than is depicted in the movie. An equatorial Africa of long and heavy rainy seasons, of continuous tropical sun, and of limited running water would not leave the Danish heroine so clean and collected.

It is to be recalled that Dinesen is writing from an overly European point of view, hence, negative criticism of her will not be short. Her attitude to black Africans is racist and condescending. In the movie, Denys Finch-Hatton (Robert Redford) rebukes her for instructing native porters to get off her belongings by "shooing," them off!. Finch-Hatton, in shock, remarks to her, "Shoo?" as if telling her, "I do not believe you addressed these people that way!" Finch-Hatton (who became Dinesen's lover) knows the native languages (Kiswahili and Kikuyu), and goes on to communicate her instructions to the porters. Black Africans are prevalently depicted in the movie as poverty-stricken servants, laborers and porters, as helpless people close to animal nature. In tune with the movie, here Dinesen writes, "They were poor people, small and underfed; they looked like a pair of badgers on my lawn...I could hardly distinguish them against the grass. They were sank in deep grief; their bereavement and their economic loss melted into one overwhelming distress" (1992: 108). Dinesen is surprised that the, "Natives," are strikingly open, adapting, welcoming and unprejudiced. Yet, as prevalent in the colonial fashion, she does not attribute this to the inner traditions and workings of indigenous African society, but from influence from foreigners including slavers! "The lack of prejudice in the Natives is a striking thing, for you expect to find dark taboos in the primitive people. It is due...to their acquaintance with a variety of races and tribes, and to the lively human intercourse that was brought upon East Africa, first by the old traders of ivory and slaves...and...by the settlers and big-game hunters" (1992: 54).

Dinesen wishes the natives would understand and appreciate her more. It is always presumptuous to be confident of having fully understood a foreign culture and people; she does not seem to believe she is prejudiced and why the natives to a good extent regard her as a foreigner far different from them, and difficult to comprehend. She writes, "If I know a song of Africa,---I thought,---of the Giraffe, and the African new moon lying on her back, of the ploughs in the field, and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me?" (1992: 83). At the same time, Dinesen quite often acknowledges that newcomers from Africa are from a noisy and rushed world, they do not have the patience and connectedness of native Africans. European colonialists imposed on the natives an alien system of forced dispossession and displacement and of monopoly. So much of this colonial intrusion was quite new to the prevalently communalist and family-oriented, egalitarian way of native African subsistence.

Karen Blixen's marriage starts out as more of a convenience than of romance. She left Denmark to marry the German Baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and start a dairy in Kenya. Bror is actually the brother of her lover. Karen is offering her fortune for companionship and adventure (and for the title of, "Baroness") much more than for enjoying the security of a man. So, from the outset, Karen's feminist inclinations are strong. The husband changes his mind about the diary, and instead invests her money in a risky venture of growing coffee. The husband is unfaithful, philandering, gives her syphilis that will disable her from having children; the marriage breaks up. Karen is left to manage the farm, she has to battle with floods and fire. Hardly anything of British big game hunter Denys Finch-Hatton's romance with Dinesen (Karen Blixen), is mentioned in the book; the movie likely borrows from other sources depicting the life of Karen Blixen. Unfortunately the English accent of Denys Finch-Hatton is not conveyed by Redford, compared to Karen's excellent outflow of a Scandinavian accent. Yet, the movie depicts their chemistry, Denys is impressed by her strength and independence, Karen's ability to tell and weave stories, they kiss, and in one scene have sex. Karen does seem to desire long-term companionship and commitment from Denys, desire for a man who will sacrifice to be with her. She stands against having a man like Denys who wants to be "free-wheeling," one who will come and go depending on need and desire, he loves the African outdoors. Finch-Hatton is mysterious, elusive and emotionally distant, but he is miscast in that in the movie: he seems to represent an all-American jock that waywardly found his way into Africa. Karen was wounded before, and this encounter with Denys is only a brief moment of ecstasy, but she bravely soldiers on, appreciating more of what is around her. Karen is indeed confident, stoic and creative in face of the odds. She did resist going on safari with Denys, but she eventually succumbed to his quite undeniable invitation. Eventually, they got closer, she broadened her horizons, she better adapted to and better accepted foreigners and their ways.

In conclusion, the movie emphasizes the romantic issues and episodes in Karen Blixen's life in Africa (romance and sex sells in Hollywood), much more than the book does. The book seems to be constructed from a breadth of notes of what Blixen put together while in Africa, and weaved them into a good fairy tale. The truth is that Blixen dealt with aspects like fluctuating coffee prices, sometimes drought and heavy rains, discontented dispossessed natives, scrambles for Africa amongst several European agencies, African diseases and sometimes unsanitary conditions, wildlife from untamed neighborhoods. The movie does display the exquisite beauty of tropical Africa which Blixen did dwell on, but not on the colonial wranglings. There is lyrical beauty in Blixen's writing, and the movie does elicit an African peaceful mood through the excellent music. Blixen, in both the movie and the book is a strong and opinionated woman, yet flexible and open to ideas, people, and adventure. She is a significant precursor of modern-day feminism.

Can be enjoyed by the kids and adults alike. I would suggest that the kids be 5-6 years old or older. Some of the stories contain "scary" parts.

At 3 1/2, my son fell in love with these stories -- and six months later he's still listening to them again and again. He prefers them to videos. He learned more from them than picture books. They make long drives in the car peaceful and interesting for all of us. As an adult might listen to the radio while working, he listens to these audio books when he's building with blocks, drawing, playing with vehicles or even just resting after playing outside. This particular set, stories 33-36, are longer stories than some of the previous sets, and contain some of his favorites. Night of the New Magician, for instance, introduced him to the great inventors Thomas (Alva) Edison, Louis Pasteur, Gustave Eiffel, and Alexander Graham Bell. I overhead him explaining to his grandmother recently how the Eiffel Tower was made (fairly accurately) and I suspect before long he'll be teaching all of us about electricity and then medical research.

This is actually not a book although the title is Magic Tree House Books 33-36. You need to read until the last wood that tells you it it an audiobook. I was misled and purchased it by mistake. My kids don't like the audios at all.

I read this book just a few days before I departed on a trip to China that was to include a cruise of the Yangtze. The book is a bit dated, but nonetheless I found it to be extremely useful. I especially appreciated the historical side trips that the author associates with stops along the way. The writing is excellent, and reading the book is a pleasure.

Simon Winchester's books are all excellent reading with lots of facts, even on related matters. This one is no exception. Although I am only one-quarter through with this book, I am learning a lot.

I had never read Winchester before. On our recent trip down the Yangtze a fellow traveler was reading this book and recommended it. After reading it I would consider it a rich cultural experience through the history of this river.

I agree with some of the previous reviews that it would have been an asset to the book to include more images of the trip (especially the Three Gorges Area), and to have more content on the people of the areas he visits. The book is still excellent. To cover every interest for a region like this would make it a three volume, 2,000 page edition. China is a rich subject and this is a one person of a billion view.

The author has done his work and achieved permits to travel the entire length of the River from the China Sea to Tibet. I am grateful to be able to read an account of a journey that is probably impossible for most of us. I read the book last summer and I still find myself thinking of it from the impression of the 21st. century city of Shanghai to the horrific history of the city of Nanking, the ledge walks above the Three River Gorges, and the remote, cold, snowy heights of the headwaters.

If you are not upset about a Brit-centrict view of the history of China and long for an impossible journey through lands beyond reach you will feel that this book is a very worthwhile read.

This travel essay from the author of "The Professor and the Madman" is subtitled, "A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time". Here, the author uses all his journalistic and investigative skills to tell the story of his 1996 journey through China. He is an Englishman who has lived for many years in Hong Kong and had taken several trips to China at the time of the writing. His desire, however, was to explore areas where westerners were few and far between as well as learn more about this 3,900 mile river which runs through the entire land mass of China and begins in Tibet. As he is a trained geologist, he includes all the interesting details of the natural wonders of this river, as well as discussing the cultural history and introducing us to the varied ethnic groups who consider themselves Chinese.

Most of the area he explored is off-limits to foreigners because there is just too much red tape involved. But he planned his trip carefully, enrolled a Chinese companion and, starting in Shanghai, used whatever means available to take this journey. He was a passenger on several different kinds of boats and there were also some legs of the trip that included motor vehicles. The result is a lesson in history, geography and culture that is unique in its perspective.

The outside world connected through China through trade in its waterways and the history of this trade is fascinating. I learned about the tea industry and the opium wars and the agreements with the United Kingdom that changed the face of China forever. I also learned about the cultural revolution from a different prospective and started to understand the kind of man Mao was who was able to bring about a change from imperial rule to a communist country in just one generation. Mostly though, I learned about the environmental disasters that China is now bringing on itself, especially in the construction of the Three Gorges Dam project. As the book was written in 1996 I was curious about what was going on with this project my internet research found out it is scheduled for completion in 2009 and cost more than 25 billion dollars.

Simon Winchester is a fine writer. His descriptions made his journey come alive for me. There's a big map in the front of the book and a smaller map at the beginning of every chapter. The big map did not include every place name he talked about and so I had to look at the little maps. This made it a little confusing to follow but I was determined and so I had to put some effort into following these maps.

Armchair traveler that I am, I definitely recommend this book. I especially liked it because it piqued my interest in learning even more.

Servsafe forces people to purchase the book new in order to get the answer sheet for their class. It is unfortunate because it eliminates a market for the used book and forces persons who need to take this exam for their jobs to purchase it new. Just another way to rip off the American People.

"I like Waldo. I like the book Where's Waldo. I like all the pictures. There are all these little people running around and you have to find Waldo in all of the pictures. It's hard, but that's good. That's it."
-Adele, Age 5 (who thiks it might be good for 5 to 9 year olds.)

Sent this to my twin grandsons - haven't seen them with it yet but I hoped it would be good for getting them to focus and concentrate - they are well below the recommended age but I don't see why this should be a problem, and I am told they have certainly enjoyed trying to beat each other to find the figure. Some pages are very difficult but they will keep going back to the book too.

My kids are 3,7,10 and 11. This is one of the few books that I can sit down and have fun with any one of them.

Este es un libro muy bueno para el entretenimiento de todos los ninos de cualquier edad, se los recomiendo.

I first got turned onto Waldo books while in college. I was working at a small bookstore, and spied a paperback of Where's Waldo? in Hollywood. I've had it all these years, but recently brought it out of the basement for my 7 year old son. He was thrilled with that book, so I got him Where's Waldo?: The Wonder Book in hardback for Christmas.

While the Hollywood book is difficult, The Wonder Book also has some difficult scenes! In one, I STILL haven't found Wizard Whitebeard. Arggh!

Martin Handford is the creator of the Where's Waldo? books, which features elaborately detailed scenes, hidden objects, and visual puns. The reclusive, bespectaled author works fervently for EIGHT WEEKS for EACH of the 2-page spreads on these books. This means that the Where's Waldo Wonder Book took him 1.8 years to create! Amazing!

My son and I love to pore over the pages--not only looking for Waldo, Wenda, Wizard Whitebeard, Odlaw, and Woof--but also other clues. For example, Wenda always loses a camera, Woof a bone, the Wizard a scroll, and so on. BUT, at the end of the book, there are TWO pages of checklists for other things to find in EACH of the visual puzzles! Some are quite hard to find. For example, a clown follows Waldo and his friends all through the end of the book. One of the challenges is to find the scene in the book where the clown changes the color of his hat band.

The creative scenes you'll find in the Wonder Book include:

*Once Upon a Page
*Clown Town
*The Fantastic Flower Garden
*The Odlaw Swamp
*The Might Fruit Fright
*The Corridors of Time
*The Game of Games
*The Battle of the Bands
*Toys! Toys! Toys!
*Bright Lights and Night Frights
*The Cake Factory
*The Land of Woofs

Odlaw Swamp and Land of Woofs are *especially* tricky, because all the characters look the same...except for one defining element.

As with all the Waldo books, there's also some great visual puns that will tickle adult funny bones. Make no mistake...the Where's Waldo? series isn't just for kids! I love searching for the characters and items as a way of relaxing and enjoying my son's company.

Highly recommended!

I read this book because I enjoyed another book, Whoredom in Kimmage, by the same author. This one, though very different, is every bit as excellent. I have done business in several developing countries, including Egypt, and I found Mahoney extremely well informed. Her descriptions are surprisingly on the mark for a person who only spent a total of three months in the country. The book is full of history, detail, and fascinating information about the Egyptians and their culture. The writing is beautiful. It's also very colorful and funny. But for me, the most moving part of the book is the story that lies at its heart: the tender and mutually respectful friendship the author finds with a Nubian man who accepted her desire to row on the river and helped her realize it. The story is just beautiful. Mahoney's affection and interest for him--and his for her-- is a model for the way we all should treat people from other cultures.

Mahoney makes no pretensions to being an Egypt expert, just a curious traveller. She also doesn't pretend to have had a "grand" adventure. She makes it clear that the part of the Nile she wanted to row was just a fraction of that river. She prepared carefully for her trip and followed it through with guts, persistence, and patience. The book is obviously not about rowing but about all the things that happened on her way to fulfilling a dream and the lessons she learned, which is what it makes it so human and interesting. She finds Egypt beautiful, complex, and compelling and describes it in a vivid and intelligent style.
Mahoney went all over Egypt alone, striking up conversations with strangers, visiting their houses with curiosity, openness, and an attitude of acceptance that is rare. She was sensitive and thoughtful and talked with nearly every person she met, many of whom were men who followed her down the street drilling her with intimate questions, telling her that all foreign women are prostitutes, and making lewd comments. This a common occurrence in Luxor and Aswan. But Mahoney is very perceptive, even-handed, and forgiving about it. Just read this passage about a felucca captain who tricked and mocked her:
"Hussein . . . had tricked me, I knew, as much in bitterness as in fun. More than one felucca captain in Egypt resented the foreigners they served. It was understandable: they earned a marginal living facilitating the leisure of privileged individuals who came to bask in the exotic scenery and mysterious history of Aswan; people who stayed in five-star hotels that the languishing locals in their dusty flip-flops were not allowed to enter; people, pale and plump, who had enough money to bask in a false superiority yet haggled ferociously over pennies with their malnourished hosts . . . the condescension Hussein showed me was likely an echo of the condescension he received."
I could quote many passages like this one.
I read a lot of travel literature. The best travel books are always comprehensive, colorful, and balanced. I'm sure you won't find a more intelligent, informative, self-aware, or sympathetic travel narrative about Egypt than this one.

What a beautiful and thoughtful book. Rosemary Mahoney sees and describes clearly using unique combinations of words that illuminate an alien landscape and culture. A literate voice with an honest eye.
I enjoyed the adventures she shared with us and admire the courage she showed in undertaking them.

Rosemary Mahoney has a rare sense of clear-eyed wonder that -- combined with great writing -- makes this book a rare delight.

As someone who has lived in the Middle East, I found her descriptions realistic, honest and always engaging. I wanted to pull out an especially great passage as an example and I ended up feeling like a kid in a toy store -- this one, no, this one. There is rarely a word that doesn't hit the mark, a description that doesn't ring with wonder. This is travel writing at its best.

I won't give you the basic plotline; I'm sure that's in a dozen other reviews. I will just leave you with this excerpt from the book: "Aswan's desert air seems to caress the town with warm promise, lending vividness and meaning to manifestions of poverty and and human struggle that would elsewhere be considered ugly. The piles of garbage, the heaps of smoldering ashes, the scatterings of broken glass, the architectural rubble, the human excrement, the sun-bleached plastic shopping bags and rusted tin cans that seem to ring all Egyptian villages and besmirch every empty plane between them are, in Aswan, softened by the sheer volume of sun and water, color and air. Here, fishermens's houses cobbled together out of mud bricks and rusted tin cans appear somehow more ingenious than slovenly, more fascinating than dispiriting."

I read Mahoney's book before my trip to Egypt and again upon returning to the U.S. It was great to have seen the places she writes about; Abu Simbel, Aswan, Elephantine Island, etc. And the way she writes about the people she encounters is endearing. I've also read "A Likely Story" and look forward to enjoying more of her tales.

I recently returned from a tour of Egypt and a 5 day cruise down the Nile, and I've got to say that Ms. Mahoney has written one great story about this charming and mysterious country. Myself being a single woman and traveling alone in this strange land, I must say that this author is spot on with her descriptions and characterizations of everything Egyptian and there aren't enough words to say how much I enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Egypt, especially single women traveling alone.

I'm sure I'll see Las Vegas in a different light after reading this book. You can't help but be fascinated by these larger-than-life characters. Steve Wynn is without a doubt the most interesting character in the book, but viewing the city as a competition between titans is something I've never really comprehended on trips to the Strip before. It's a great easy read, with lots of interesting facts. I agree with some reviewers who had problems following the (hazy) timeline, but it didn't diminish from the overall enjoyment.

I just visited Las Vegas and loved it, it was much better than I expected it to be after having toured all around Europe! I bought this book at the airport book store in Vegas as the assistant said that was the book everyone had been asking after. It was a fascinating and entertaining read, with particularly inside information on how Steve Wynn approaches business and also how it contrasts with that of Kirk Kerkorian and Gary Loveman at Harrahs.

I couldn't put it down and recommend it to anyone who has visited Las Vegas and is wondering how it go to be the town that it is today.

Binkley presents an insightful and lively account of some of the players who operate in a world where nothing succeeds like excess. It is a world that the author knows well from her years of having covered the industry as a Wall Street Journal reporter, but, despite being granted unprecedented access to Las Vegas' movers and shakers, she remains a detached observer. From backroom deal-making to outsized egos to glitzy spectaculars, Binkley covers it all with a sprightly writing style, providing insights into what makes men like Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, and Gary Loveman tick.

It was a world I knew nothing about other than a few business trips to Las Vegas, but I found the book highly entertaining and learned a lot about how about how three very different visionaries plotted a path to success. I will enjoy my next business trip to Sin City much more having read this book. I recommend it highly.

A great summation of the last 15 years of Las Vegas, the influences that made it what it is, and the big personalities that rule the land. One negative comment I have is the movie is really two stories in one, Wynn/Kerkorian their deal and influence, and how Loveman/Harrahs elbowed its way from a smalltime operator to major player.

The majority of the book is about Wynn and his influence in Las Vegas and how it developed from the Mirage to the Bellagio to the Wynn. And of course the big occurrence is the buyout of Wynn's operation by Kerkorian when he senses the stock weakness caused by Wynn's lack of management skills. A very fascinating story!

After completing the acquisition the book slows down somewhat as it tells the tale of middle market Harrah's and how it busts into the big time by acquiring Ceasar's. This book explores the mathematical focus at Harrah's and how it increases profitablity. While it's interesting reading how a glorified math professor rises to casino president while retaining his old lifestyle, this section is the least interesting at least for me.

In summary this is a fascinating read of a fascinating city. Just a walk down the strip let's anyone see every part of American culture good and bad as Las Vegas is the mecca of most Americans at some point in their lives.

The Wall Street Journal reporter Christina Binkley was that paper's lead reporter in Las Vegas for 10 years. In "Winner Takes All" she pulls together that experience - both the knowledge and her contacts - and delivers a compelling, enthralling narrative of Vegas' transformation over that period.

The book's sub-title says "Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman and the Race to Own Las Vegas." Binkley posits that a series of mega-deals have apportioned Vegas into three controlling companies: MGM Mirage (headed by Kirkorian); Wynn (Steve Wynn's eponymous new post-Mirage venture); and Harrah's (helmed by ex-Harvard prof Loveman). Binkley appears to have had little access to Kerkorian, (no one does, but read Bill Vlasic's classic Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler for a better peek at him) but ample access to his lieutenants. She obviously had developed a cordial relationship with Loveman. What stands out is her relationship with Wynn and wife Elaine. It's extensive, to say the least. She's clearly enchanted with the guy.

In fact, that relationship leads me to my major problem with the book - it simply lacks credibility to leave Sheldon Adelson - Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sand Corporation (Venetian, Sands Convention Center, Palazzo) - out of the story. He, as much as anyone, set the pace for Vegas during Binkley's years of coverage. And, he made the leap to Macao ahead of any of his Vegas peers. It's blatantly obvious from the text that Ms. Binkley has a history with Adelson. Yes, he's famously dyspeptic and probably has little use for her. But Adelson has also feuded publicly and nastily with Steve Wynn. Wynn uses Binkley here quite transparently to take a number of gratuitous slams at Adelson. She's little more than a water-carrier in that regard. That's sad because it detracts from the overall excellence of the book in a very distracting way.

A tale of the tape:

p. 89 - Adelson described as a "would-be mogul" who "irked Wynn"

p. 93 - Adelson is "warring with Wynn"

p. 209 - Adelson described as Wynn's "nemesis and neighbor"

p. 250 - The "eccentric" Adelson takes Sands public and is "catapulted from obscurity to number 19 on the Forbes 400" (Hello?? COMDEX, anyone? This guy was hardly obscure pre-Sands; his success was far from the luck and accident implied here).

p. 271 - 272 - Wynn takes a moment to "pity" Adelson...'It's too bad he's not in better health and able to enjoy it more. He's in a wheelchair.' That's cold, man.

p. 276 - "Loveman lost the Singapore bid to Sheldon Adelson." Adelson didn't win it, right? Loveman lost it. It's like Adelson and team had no role and won by default. Hardly.

I've not cherry-picked the negative references - those are the ONLY references! Juvenile stuff. What a shame.

I got this for my son-in-law who is a Tolken fan. I ordered this from Amazon, but it was damaged. They did replace it. Thanks to them my son-in-law's Christmas was saved and he really likes it. Kudos to Amazon.com.

This book was required for a college class; however, I have greatly enjoyed it and find this book is a great read on its own. If you are a fan of such books as "The Hobbit," you will greatly enjoy this book. It's a wonderful companion book for your other Middle-Earth reads and helps you to understand some pieces of the stories that you may have earlier ignored.

The book did not arrive in my postbox surely because of old address.

This atlas really helped me see where I was at as I read the Lord of the Rings. I could see how long it took to get from one place to another and how long they were at a single place without having to look it up again.

The reason I only gave it four stars is because it was the work of a fan, and not the actual maps of J.R.R. Tolkien. I was kind of looking for that.

Other than that it was great :P

omg~for any tolkien fan out there, this is a must have! Especially for anyone who is fascinated with the maps already included in the Hobbit, LOTR, and the Silmarillion.
Extensive maps (all based on Tolkien's writings, maps, and illustrations) - for everything from the Spring of Arda and Valinor to the Battle of Helm's Deep. There are maps following everystep of LOTR and the Hobbit - plus a large section on Beleriand and the 1st age~which makes it an indespensible companion to the Silmarillion.
There are a few grey areas here and there - there are bound to be in a world so complex as Tolkien's - which leaves some things to the interpretation and imagination of the reader. I think that's good. (Dr?) Fonstad is wise to leave out those things that are truly dubious, but is intuitive and brilliant in the way she interprets the world of Tolkien. She points out the process she used to come to the conclusions that in the book, which is very helpful.
All in all-this gets 5 1/2 stars-you gotta get this if you like any of Tolkien's works.

I've always liked the Eyewitness Travel Guides for their great photos, maps, narrative and tidbits. This one lives up to the series' standard. And these books make a great keepsake after your trip.

We had one week in Geneva and this guide pretty much explained everything there was to see. Well written, easy to use, very well organized, it was possible to get a handle on any large Swiss city in about 30 minutes.

I had purchased a similar book for my son about France to help him with his French language courses in high school. I ended up spending more time with it than he did, and when I saw the other country titles, I decided to purchase a few more. The Switzerland book is excellent in that it condenses a lot of information into a very portable volume. The photos and illustrations are fabulous and the background historical and cultural information is superb. The listing of accomodations and restaurants also appears to be very well researched and provides a starting point for further Internet research. My favorite part of Switzerland is the Bernese Oberland, and this book provides a genuine sense of what it is really like. I can definitely benefit from this book on future travel to Switzerland. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about the country, as well as for experienced travellers. Well done to the authors, editors, and publisher!

I'm not a seasoned or jaded traveler ... yet! So a comprehensive travel guide is critical to my preparation for a trip and a great way of post-filling information and details into some of the holes or places that I might have missed or had to rush through when I was actually on the trip. Along with photographs and trip journals, they're also a wonderful way to resurrect detailed memories of a trip long after you've returned home.

Eyewitness Travel Guides seem to have the market beat by a long margin! That's not to say that Lonely Planet, Frommer, Michelin or the Blue and Green Guides miss the mark entirely but the Eyewitness series, in general, seems to be more informative. The photographs and illustrations instill a higher degree of keen anticipation and provide a better means of choosing in advance between a world of competing destinations and alternative tourist attractions.

Their guide to Switzerland, in particular, was astonishingly accurate and complete - history, food, travel, hotels, geography, destinations, estimated costs, highlights, outdoor activities - every last one of them spot on and accurately described from the perspective of an actual trip through St Moritz, Lucerne, the Bernina Pass to Tirano, Italy and Interlaken. Even now the photographs of Swiss cuisine and cheese can set my mouth to watering!

One noteworthy omission that my traveling companion and I discovered by accident - Switzerland offers a museum pass for 30 Swiss francs that will give admission for one month to virtually every museum in the country. That's a remarkable offer given that the countryside is positively littered with a host of attractive museums, castles and attractions most of which charge a 5 to 10 franc admission. We learned that little tidbit from the concierge of the Palace Lucerne Hotel - kudos to the hotel for over the top service and a great piece of advice!

With that one small suggestion for addition to future editions, the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Switzerland easily earns a five-star review. And Switzerland, by the bye, is certainly a delicious five-star travel destination!

Paul Weiss

Pros: this guidebook has lots of pictures and gives lots of information region by region, detailed cut-outs of major historical buildings. I also found the pictures in the survival guide section useful, where they describe the various Swiss dishes and food/drink products.

Cons: no information on how to get to different places by train (e.g. from Interlaken to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch). I understand the guide cannot list train numbers and times, but at least it could have described how to, for example, get from Luzern to Mt. Titlis by train. Train travel is a big part of the Switzerland experience so this seems like a big omission. There's also not much information on hiking, even though this is a very popular country with hikers. An overview map of hiking trails would have been useful. However, there are other guides that cover hiking so this is a minor omission by comparison.

During our recent, 1st trip to Paris, we relied heavily on the Michelin guide to ensure the style of food and service was appropriate. We were not disappointed. The reviews were accurate and up to date. Since the guide coevers France as a whole, there is a gap in Paris coverage. There are many more great restaurants not listed, so we recommend getting a second book to supplement their coverage.

The big call for the new version is that it is now available in English -- Kind Of! Most of the content of the reviews of restaurants and hotels is about their menu items -- which are listed in their original French. Still, even a little bit of English proves indispensible to help us Anglophiles figure out what hotel to stay at and what restaurant to eat at, even though I'm still not sure what deep fried part of the pig I ate one night! Wish I had bought a French Menu Reader too! Eating & Drinking in Paris: French Menu Reader and Restaurant Guide 4th edition (Open Road Travel Guides) Marling Menu-Master for France (Marling Menu Masters Series)

An invaluable guide to good accommodation in France
Reliable also for the best resyaurants in the country a useful purchase