Travel Books

As a biologist I found this pamphlet good but very basic and limited.

I would recommend it for children as it is durable, easily handled and does cover some of the more common species in Costa Rica.

If you really want to identify more species in Costa Rica than I suggest that you try another source.

When I bought this, I was expecting something a bit more substantial. It is literally a small laminated pamphlet. However, I think it is useful to have (in addition to a more extensive field guide-type wildlife book). It's much more convenient to use for quick identification than trying to whip out a big book on a hike. I also like that it's durable and laminated. I do plan to use this on my trip, but this would also be a good resource for kids to use also.

Pros: waterproof, highlights the most often seen wildlife, nice to have a basic guide to refer to, lightweight
Cons: Not comprehensive enough.

We used this guide on our recent trip with an organized tour group to Costa Rica. We didn't want anything too heavy to carry and wanted something we could easily slip in a day pack. It is somewhat useful; we saw wildlife that wasn't included in the guide, but we saw a lot of wildlife that was included.

The guide is intended to be a quick reference guide to some of the more common and most interesting creatures of Costa Rica, as indicated on the back summary above the UPC symbol. This waterproof pamplet accomplishes this goal just fine. Pamphlet is VERY sturdy (no worries in ALL weather) and pictures 1 inch square. Captions list Latin name, size in inches and centimeters and, for some, a short phrase describing an interesting feature. Opens to be 8 1/4 inches by 24 inches, double-sided.

I can only think of a couple minor things it doesn't list but should:
1. Region where animal is found
2. Indicator to mark rare species (so you won't expect to see them)

This fold-out pamphlet offers tiny pictures, scant details and more birds than anything else. It also emphasizes what tourists want to see (including very rare species) at the expense of what they are likely to see, so calling it a guide to "familiar species" is rather optimistic. This publication is not really very useful. Better to have separate guides: one for birds (there's one available in this same series, but I'd recommend a proper field guide to Costa Rica's 900+ species of birds) and one or more higher-quality, expanded guides covering other wildlife (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects).

If you want to know how a city of 26 million people and 600 square miles functions and how the people deal with all the excitment and craziness this is the book for you. Mr. Lida makes no apologies for and tells it like it is for a city that cannot be ignored.

Then you'll want to read this book

Mr. Lida describes the traditional tourist spots but he also shows us a Mexico City that few of us will ever visit. He introduces us to some intersting people we would never meet otherwise.

He describes different sections of the city, and in doing so took me back to some of the wonderful times I have spent there in the past.

And for those of us who are planning to visit this amazing city soon, Lida provides us with plenty of places to visit. I am looking forward to seeing the bakery first.

He may not be the first person to move to a different country, but I applaud his courage to live in such a complicated city and show us all, with great style and respect, what it is really like.

The book is a must read for anyone interested in Mexico City. There are indeed a number of great articles which not only present colorful vignettes of Mexico City but also provide a context that presents them in their historical and cultural place. (e.g. the Moneda street markets in the context of the tianguis tradition and how it's succumb to he mega stores). But there are also quite a few chapters that seem half-written and aimless. The book is good but it could have used an editor, a few more good articles, or both.

Like other reviewers I love Mexico City and I am constantly asked, by friends trembling in fear, why I am going to the DF "again" and why I'm not terrified to go there.

From now on, I'm going to make them buy Lida's book and read it. He can say it better than I ever will. Then if they want to talk to me about Mexico City, we'll have some reality to talk about. Reading this book, I was deliriously happy. Lida gets it about Mexico City. His writing is clear, straight-ahead, and evocative. He offers a sense that rings true of life in the great, enlivening and fabulously weird and wonderful metropolis and especially the citizens of a city where you can find pyramids in someone's yard, and where my neighbors greet my xoloitzcuintli dog and then whisper to me (so the dog can't hear) "We used to eat them."

There is so much bad writing about Mexico, way too many misconceptions, and far too much narrow reporting of events and people who are at the extremes - movie stars, assassins, cartels, and Mexicans crossing the line into the lost (stolen?) provinces of California and Arizona. Lida tells us what the vast majority of defeños do and think and say. And eat.

Get this book, read it and join Lida in the 21st century.

As a person who spent some teenage years living there. The sights and smells of a much smaller Mexico city of the 1950's returned to me.
Any one who gives this book a one star rating is totally out of touch
with reality. Mexico city has remained the same in just about all
aspects except that it is chaos on a greatly magnified scale.
This book goes where no run of the mill travel book will take you.
It will rub your nose into the filth as well as the lives of middle and upper class of the humans that reside there. A no holds barred adventure
I highly recomend it as a true taste of the Mexico city experience.

If you are going to do The White Mountains, here's your book. Useful, hold that, extremely useful trail maps... If you want to do the 48 4000 footers in NH, this is a great tool to plan your travels!

"THe White Mountain Guide" is the Appalachian Mountain Club's 28th and Centennial edition of its popular and indispensible hiking guide to New England's top outdoor recreational area. The guide itself, once past a few introductory chapters on safety and geography, has descriptions of each of the established trails in the region. Each description tells how to get to the appropriate trailhead, a narrative of the trail itself, and a breakdown by distance and elevation change of the major segments of the trail. These trail descriptions, updated for each edition of the guide, are invaluable in planning anything from a day hike to a multi-day trip in the beautiful White Mountains.

The guide comes in a small cardboard box with three double-sided color maps that provide coverage of all the trail routes. The maps are detailed, easy to read, and at a usable scale for the White Mountains. Inexplicably, the maps included with the guide are paper and unlikely to stand up to repeated field use in the conditions often found in New Hampshire. Dedicated hikers are recommended to invest in the waterproof and tear-resistant versions of these maps, also published by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

This guide is very highly recommended to hikers and walkers planning an outing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

This is a great set of maps and trail descriptions, though its not much for planning or suggesting anything in the white mountains. The trail maps are very well detailed, complete, and having the mileage on them directly is a nice addition. The book is a hard to use for planning, though it works for simply looking up a particular hike and reading some about the difficulty and anything you need to know to not get lost.

This is the first edition of the WMG that I have owned, but owners of previous editions have pointed out that the maps in this edition are superior to theirs because the new maps include mileage on every single trail in the White Mountains. It is too bad that they are paper and not Tyvek or some other waterproof material, because they are already falling apart. If you are an avid hiker in the Whites, I suggest getting the Tyvek ones sold seperately.

The guidebook itself is exhaustive and lists every detail of every trail, which is useful if you already have a route picked out but not if you are trying to find a good hike and aren't sure where to go. For that, I recommend Michael Lanza's New England Hiking or New Hampshire Hiking from Foghorn Outdoors.

This 100th anniversary edition of WMG comes in a box that came unglued fairly quickly and then again after I reglued it. I would get rid of the box altogether except that the book doesn't have a pocket in the back for the maps like other AMC guidebooks do and I don't want to lose them. I hope that future editions of this guide will do away with the box and go back to the pocket.

If you do not have your own copy of WMG and are looking to purchase one, this is definitely the product to buy. If, however, you already have an older edition of this book, I would suggest buying the Tyvek maps seperately and wait for a few more editions to be published before replacing your book.

Just what I was looking for, a guide with all kind of details about the routes of the beautiful white mountains. This is a very complete guide and it is well complemented with the maps that come with it. Some visuals could be a good add to the book but the excellent descriptions are enough and clear.

Good buy for those seeking adventure at the whites.

A really good trip that gets blown by putting this adventure in
the hands of an amateur writer.
While this is an overall good story with some great adventure, I found
myself at times having to figure out what was going on because of a lack
in the writers ability. I don't know if this is a result of poorly kept journals or the inability of the writer to fully take on the opportunity to embellish on this tale and turn it into the truly great adventure that I'm sure that it was.As a result, I feel that at least half the adventure gets lost by what is not written. Furthermore,to sum up the entire North American continent in the course of about 30 pages was an extreme disappointment. Either they chose not to find any adventure in the this region ( I believe this to be the case as they seemed quite anxious to just get it over with by this point ) or they felt more compelled to focus on the more exotic,lesser known countries.
All in all I will say that it is a good read, at times fun, but it does
lack the overall quality that would make this a great book. I hope that
their next undertaking includes a better written tale to capture and convey to the reader their whole experience.

I enjoyed Ewan and Charley's first trip, and was excited to see that they were on another adventure. Having been to Africa myself, I was especially interested to see how the boys fared. I was very disappointed in the amount of time that the boys and the crew spent bickering with each other. Here are these two rich guys, on the trip of a lifetime, and they are complaining constantly! While their side trips to introduce us to various charities were moving, the amount of time spent complaining about the roads (did you think the roads in Africa would be pristine?), the amount of time on the bikes (should have planned better!) each day and about each other (this isn't your first trip, so you should know about everyone's little quirks) made the book a bit unenjoyable. I would have loved to read more about the places visited, the people met along the way and the sights, smells, sounds and tastes. Get over yourselves and RIDE!

Great book that should be a companion to the DVD set. I do recommend that instead of this book you buy the illustrated edition. MOre pictures and the same verbage. But, buy at least one of them.

I only watched one episode of the TV series as it was yet another "adventure TV" with full supporting cast. Spotted the book in local library so decided to give it a go, BIG MISTAKE. Why oh why are not books clasified for content as are movies? Where do these two apparently well educated authers get off with their constant use of four letter expletives? They will no doubt say it is a reflection of the real world, I find it insulting and uncalled for. I gave up half way through what was in fact a good read as I could not put up with the filth that they presumably believe to be clever.

Roger
Spokane, Washington

This was an amazing book. Both men tell compelling stories and convey their sense of wonder about what they see and hear.

This book has helped me a lot. I did know some things, but it was extremely helpful to me.

I knew a little about football to begin with so the first part of the book was helpful, but the rest of the book got too technical, completely lost me. If you know nothing of the game the first part might even be a challenge.

I'm a Chinese girl and never watched any American football games in Hong Kong until I married to an American and moved to United States one and half years ago. He is a football fan and he keeps track his team every day, not to mention especially during the regular season every Sunday.

I started to watch football games with him, and I liked it a lot. Now, I understand why so many American like football. I asked many questions while I was watching the game, because I wanted to understand it more. Therefore, I read this book last year and it gave me a lot of basic information in an easy way. More interesting is the book gives many statistics and facts that I was impressed by the football business. Anyone has no idea about football, this book can help.

Now, my husband was surprised that I knew football so well and we discussed football a lot during the regular season this year. This book helps us to have more conversation topics.

I like the straightforwardness of the writing, and the insight into the appeal of the game. Alas, if you're an outsider hoping to learn the game from scratch, you're going to have a lot of trouble--after teaching you rudimentary terms, the writers start describing the game as if you've been watching it all your life, tossing barely-introduced jargon around all over the place. I was really disappointed that the one aspect of the game I was most interested in (the actual GAME) was so poorly rendered.

I love football and i know some things about this sport, but this guide gives you a complete step by step explanation.
Great for all fans

Honus and me was an exhalent by Dan Gutman. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 because it was an exalent book that tought me that anything is possible and to never get your self down and do what your heart desires. I recommend this book for people who like sports or if you like Honus Wagner. This book is historical fiction. Honus and me is about a boy who finds a baseball card that is worth over a half of a million dollers and travels Honus Wagner back in time and gets to talk to him about his career.

My 2nd grader has recently started reading this series. HONUS AND ME was quite the pageturner for him; my son really enjoyed it and learned baseball facts along the way.

Joey Stoshack, a thirteen year old boy, has the power to travel back in time by using old baseball cards. While he is time traveling, he is trying to meet famous baseball players from the past such as Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, and Jackie Robinson. I can relate to this character because Joey has dreams of meeting famous baseball players. The character also has a perfectly normal teenage life, just like me, except for the traveling through time part. Joey is an excellent baseball player, and plays shortstop. Just like Joey, I practice baseball at least ten hours a week.

This author, Dan Gutman, also writes a ton of other books. He writes Jackie and Me, Shoeless Joe and Me, and Honus and Me. He generally writes his books based on sports. If you like sports, I would definitely recommend this author. He writes his baseball books with a little bit of science fiction in them, which I really enjoy. Dan makes the reader get interested in the book right away. The author has convinced me to want to go back in time and become a teammate of Shoeless Joe Jackson.

I recommend this book to anybody that has a dream of meeting a famous baseball player from the past. I enjoyed this book and I think that anybody that reads it will like it as well.

Joey Stoshack, a thirteen year old boy, has the power to travel back in time by using old baseball cards. While he is time traveling, he is trying to meet famous baseball players from the past such as Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, and Jackie Robinson. I can relate to this character because Joey has dreams of meeting famous baseball players. The character also has a perfectly normal teenage life, just like me, except for the traveling through time part. Joey is an excellent baseball player, and plays shortstop. Just like Joey, I practice baseball at least ten hours a week.

This author, Dan Gutman, also writes a ton of other books. He writes Jackie and Me, Shoeless Joe and Me, and Honus and Me. He generally writes his books based on sports. If you like sports, I would definitely recommend this author. He writes his baseball books with a little bit of science fiction in them, which I really enjoy. Dan makes the reader get interested in the book right away. The author has convinced me to want to go back in time and become a teammate of Shoeless Joe Jackson.

I recommend this book to anybody that has a dream of meeting a famous baseball player from the past. I enjoyed this book and I think that anybody that reads it will like it as well.

This is a nice fiction story not as good but up in the ranks with "Field of Dreams." A boys travels back in time to see the greats from the early years of baseball. Great nostalgia and fantasy esoecially if you like stories involving time travel. The cover is the famous rare Honus Wagner card worth more than any other baseball card because of its rarity. The book includes some very interesting non-fiction about how the card came about and why it is so rare.

I had never heard of Benchmark Maps before but I thought I'd give their Colorado Atlas a try. After a three week hiking adventure in Colorado, I was very impressed with Benchmark. Their maps do a great job in depicting the campgrounds, trailheads, trails, elevations, and ,of course, the roads in the mountains of Colorado. The Benchmark Atlas was far superior to the competition. On my next hiking trip, probably to New Mexico, I will definitely buy another Benchmark Atlas.

The Benchmark Atlas series are the most accurate, detailed and attractive maps available. They put all the other atlases of this type to shame. You won't be disappointed with any of these.

If you drive anywhere off the main highways in Colorado, this is the book of maps you need. Best map detail unless you use the USGS maps, that are cumbersome while driving.

This map book is the best! Better than all the others I have seen which cover a state in a book format. I can only wish the mapmakers covered more states.

Since moving to Colorado from the UK in 06 I've been looking for a detailed enough map of Colorado - and I think I've found it. I've worked with maps and GIS back in the UK and have always appreciated the level of detail provided by the Ordnance Suvey, but struggled to find a comparable line of products for the US.

I do a great deal of hiking, mountain biking, 4 wheeling and general exploring of the State, and wanted a comprehensive map which would show me trails, roads and interesting features/places.

The atlas is separated into 5 sections.

Section 1 shows regional maps: Entire US (1:9600000), western mountains (1:4500000) from Dallas in the SE to Bend (Oregon) in the NW, and Colorado (1:650000).
Section 2 shows recreational maps and separates the whole of Colorado into 13 areas. Each one goes into great detail about the recreational facilities of each area, lists climate info and gives addresses and phone numbers for all kinds of services, camp grounds etc. Scale is 1:500000, except for the eastern plains area which is at 1:1350000. The final map shows locations of all the 14ers, major ski areas and 22 popular off road trails.
Section 3 shows landscape maps at 1:200000. These are fantastic and show all the trails I've ever hiked, biked or wheeled.
Section 4 shows the metro areas of Denver, Colorado Springs and the Boulder area at 1:125000.
Section 5 has a comprehensive index.

Overall this is an invaluable resource and miles better than any other Atlas I've looked at (and I've looked at them all!). A great all in one buy and a bargain at the moment on Amazon.

Other products to consider: Latitude 40 produce some great, detailed maps at a smaller scale, but they cover selected areas and some sections are about 15 years out of date. National Geographic maps are best for hiking in the wilderness, but are only available for limited areas.

This is one of a very short list of outstanding books for cruisers. Anyone thinking of cruising should read it, study it, and keep it on board. It's all about what makes a cruising boat run, how to avoid problems, and how to trouble shoot and fix them when they inevitably occur. Read and study it first, then don't leave the dock without it.

This a great book for "go now and cheap" or "lots of toys" cruisers. It covers all the skills you need as a beginner, buying a boat, weather, everything! The only book you need for simple cruising like I did. www.sailingfreespiirit.com

Skip the rest. Read the best. After purchasing several hundred pounds of boating publications I can definitively say, "Save yourself the trouble and buy this first."

I took this book out of the library, then renewed it for a second two weeks and still decided it had so much information I just NEEDED a copy of my own on board. Don't sail without it. An encyclopedia of information.

My husband and I currently own a CS30 that we race and cruise on the Chesapeake Bay. We have been seriously considering moving up to a 37-40 ft cruiser. We bought this book (among several others) to prepare for cruising. It is fantastic. He covers every topic imaginable in an easy to digest format. It is a resource you don't want to be without!

We used this book on our travels to the coast of THailand and stayed at Koi Samui. I wished that the book had revealed more about Koi Samui and hope that future editions would add more than two pages of coverage. Regardless, DK always is first rate in pictures and explaining the life of Thailand which is a beautiful country.

this is one of the best travel books and series of travel books. it is complete and offers all the detail the savvy traveler could want.

Love these Eyewitness Guides and received the item in perfect condition, just in time for the weekend, a fire in the fireplace, a warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and away I went to Thailand! Thanks for making an Ohio winter almost bearable!

This is a good quality book, something you could open and open again.
Highly recommended!

I found Eyewitness Travel Guide for Thailand very informative, and easy to read. It had tons of pictures, facts, FYIs, and did I mention pictures? Like Eyewitness I agree that a picture is worth a thousand words. I also bought Lonely Planet's Travel Guide for Thailand, but liked Eyewitness' much better. Lonely Planet's Travel Guide had a more standard layout for the abundant amount of facts, but was limited on the pictures. The phrase at the bottom of Eyewitness' book holds true, "The Guides That Show You What Others Only Tell You."