5 comments about The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.

1. The amazing deluge of tourism each summer truly ignores the elaborate history of some of New England's most beautiful coastline. For many of us who live or travel there when time and traffic allow there is this fine book to fill in the grey areas.

   Unfortunately, regional history is not as popular to most readers as a spy novel or biography. This book bounces between the author's journeys in Kayak along the islands and coastline and the chronological history of travellers and settlers to the coast. There are humorous accounts of indian encounters, misguided settlers and an all too unpleasant tale of life aboard the Mayflower. Not all as we had once been told in grammar school.

   The endnotes are substantial and the book can at times seem more academic than entertaining. However, I passed this on to two friends and we have laughed and shared our favorite stories over beverages. A good book and a nice read.




2. I thought that Schneider attacks this book with the best of intentions and scores on many points, specifically the history of the Naussets, Champlain's adventure on the Cape and early whaling ships (including the Essex). Where he failed was in the telling: too often he jumped from event to event in a disjointed history or re-related events in a clumsy narrative. Too skimpy to be history, too spotty to cover the entire Cape, I liked this book despite its problems because it gave me some great historical perspectives of the beaches and sea where I live.



3. This is an excellent book about the Cape and its history.
   There are lots of nuggets of interesting and original information. The book, however, suffers from its rambling and discursive format. It really is a ramble.



4. As a regular visitor to the Vinyard - I grabbed this book to get more depth in understanding the local history. I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that provides insights into early American history that would be of value to any one with interests in the topic.
   
   Undermining the "myth" of the "new" world's "virgin forests", Schneider's description of the impact of European explorers on the native populations and the profound consequences of these early interactions a good CENTURY BEFORE the Mayflower -- explodes the simplistic history still understood by many. His description of the robust, healthy natives whose populations were devastated long before the sickly, weak European's began settlements - will turn history on its head for many. It provides a great complement to anyone interested in books such as "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. I also found his descriptions of issues such as the early development of the whaling industry to be of interest to a far broader audience than one would assume for a "regional" history book.
   
   I found his writing style engaging and was frequently amused with his turns of phrase - which was a plus I did not anticipate from on local history book.
   
   Though others have been critical of how he weaved his personal, contemporary experiences with the historical narrative - I found it rather engaging -- though these parts of the book may be of more interest to local readers and less engaging for those with out a personal tie to the region.
   
   In short, I would highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in early American history - especially with an ecological/anthropological bent. Especially if one has never been exposed to ideas presented in books such as "Changes to the Land". If you are traveling or live anywhere near the southern/central New England coast or have an interest in colonial history of the northeast - this is a must read for you.



5. This is the perfect book to take with you on your Cape Cod vacation. It offers lots of interesting tales and stories about life on Cape Cod and the Islands from pre-Colonial times through the present, and also is one of the few books that actually treats the Native Americans in enough depth to provide the reader with an appreciation for how essential the natives' contributions were to the survival of the early European settlers. It also makes it quite clear that the natives no doubt regretted their helpfulness in short order, having been kidnapped, stolen from and otherwised abused by the newcomers very soon after they landed.
   
   I always enjoy reading books about the places I visit while I'm there, so The Enduring Shore was perfect for my vacation to the outer Cape earlier this month. Schneider's discussion of the geology of the Cape is fascinating, and I will look at its cliffs and sandy beaches in a more knowing, deeper way henceforth.
   
   I like to have two or more books going at once, usually one nonfiction and one fiction. A good complementary novel to read in conjunction with The Enduring Shore is William Martin's Cape Cod, which offers an abundance of useful and interesting facts about the Cape while delivering them in the context of a family saga that is perfect for beach reading.
   
   I reecommend The Enduring Shore for anyone who is interested in how the Cape got that way and why it matters to so many of us today.

2 comments about Take a Paddle: Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks (Take a Paddle).

1. Take A Paddle: Western New York Quiet Water For Canoes & Kayaks is a comprehensive, superbly presented, specialized guide for canoe and kayaking enthusiasts. Detailing multiple launch and take-out sites; identifying waterway difficulty levels; providing approximate times to paddle from one point to another; noting amenities and fun diversions suitable for families with children; showing where to camp; what the best season for paddling each waterway; even where to rent canoes or kayaks or find commercial shuttle services, Take A Paddle: Western new York Quite Water For Canoes Kayaks covers more than 250 miles of flat-water creeks and rivers, as well as 20 ponds and lakes. Included are Livingston, Monroe, Steuben, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, Chautauqua, Genesee, Orleans, and Niagara counties.



2. My wife and I bought this book and our canoe in the same week.
   Coincidence? I don't think so. This book overs families a great chance to get outside and share time together.
   The rating system is outstanding and the directions are great.
   This is the type of book that screams out for a second volumn I would gladly volunteer to be a guest contributor should the authors ever decide to do a second volumn.

No comments about AMC River Guide New Hampshire/Vermont, 4th (AMC River Guide Series).

5 comments about Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories (Penguin Classics).

1. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
   By: Washington Irving
   Review by Tristan
   Did you ever hear of the headless horseman? If you didn't, now you will.
   Ichabod Crane is a thin, odd-looking school teacher of Sleepy Hollow. He likes Katrina Van Tassel and also her father's farm. Katrina Van Tassel is a pretty, young flitter of sleepy hollow. Her father, Baltus Van Tassel, is a wealthy man who has a harvest feast. Ichabod borrows Gun Powder ,a horse, to get to the feast. Ichabod is competing for Katrina. His nemeses Brom Bones, the town's dare devil.
   So, one day when he just borrowed Gun Powder and he fell asleep in Sleepy Hollow's little valley. Some people say it was curse by a German doctor or by an Indian Chief the wizard of his tribe who held his Pow-Wows there. So he falls asleep and wakes up face to face with the HEADLESS HORSEMAN. Some people say he's a ghost of a cavalry revolutionary war officer and he got his head shot off. Does Ichabod live or die?
   If you like to read scary books this is for you, but if you like Elmo it's



2. I will keep this quick because it was already a waste of time to read this book. They used these horrible drawing for the book that look like my little brother did them. Basically they messed up the story and made it for kids. They made it a childrens book, if that is what your looking for then it is good.



3. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a fascinating story, but I purchased it for an eleven year old, and its original presentation, i.e., use of words, and small print are difficult for someone of that young age to read and comprehend.
   
   It is a classic story that I hope she will enjoy later on.



4. I give my neices and nephews storybooks each year for Christmas.
   Last year, I ordered all the books in September and Amazon filled most of the order, but kept delaying several of the books. Christmas came and went, and I had to give some of the kids candy and promises that their books would come later. It took 12 months, until September of this year, when Amazon admitted they could never fill the order. So, this year, I tried hard to find the books in other places, but unfortunately, I had to order a few from Amazon. Despite my low expectations, the books showed up on time.



5. The cover of this book is beautiful. Most books these days come with dust jackets and dull covers underneath. Sleepy Hollow comes with a clear dust jacket and beautiful art underneath. Totally worth the price of admission alone. The first story, Sleepy Hollow, follows very closely the Disney version. There are a few hints as to how the Johnny Depp version came about. After Sleepy Hollow follow other short stories. Mostly ghost stories some with very cleaver twists at the end. The twists make this book somewhat appropriate for younger children. Still recommend a once over from adult first before reading to youngster. Then the book turns to one story with about five sequels. These stories did not seem to match the quality of the previous stories. Actually on the boring side. That is why I rated this book four stars out of five.

2 comments about The Colors of Fall: A Celebration of New England's Foliage Season.

1. This is a book for people who love the fall season in New England. New Hampshire photographers Jerry and Marcy Monkman have masterfully used their cameras to capture the beauty of autumn in this region of the country in their book THE COLORS OF FALL. The two are authors of Appalachian Trail guides to the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Arcadia National Park (as a matter of fact, they love Arcadia National park so much, the even named their first child Arcadia). Their knowledge and love of the area is evident in the photos presented in the book. Some of the shots are of familiar places, others are less well known. Many of the photographs contained in this book are grand scenic shots of the mountains in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, or the raging rivers in New Hampshire. Yet they also include close ups of smaller detailed subjects that are often ignored when we make foliage trips. Many of these shots demonstrate the Monkmans mastery of the camera.

   Those who have not had the opportunity to visit New England in the fall can take a vicarious trip with this book. For those of us who live in New England, the book gives us the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of this place we call home.




2. Having been to see the New England autumn colors myself, and taken some (amateur) photos, I wanted a compilation of professional photos to remind me of the "oooh" and "aaah" feeling I had. This book had quite a few really nice photos, but I expected a more wide-view show of the variations of color. There were too many close-up photos of rivers & rocks with some colorful leaves; I would've preferred a grander panorama of colorful trees in different stages of the season. There was too few photos of lakes reflecting colors, for example. I wouldn't say I totally regretted buying this book - it was Okay, but it could've been better.

4 comments about Time and Tide: A Walk Through Nantucket (Crown Journeys).

1. I'm one of the author's three sons, so I won't pretend to be unbiased. But listen, this book is great, empirically speaking. Dad light-heartedly provides a fun and fascinating window into the small island so many of us love.



2. Frank Conroy speaks from the heart. Nantucket Island has gone through some dramatic changes in
   the last 30 years, most not for the better. For some of us that still live here, it`s wonderful to be able to read and remember those times when the Island felt like a place of sanctuary from all else. The stories give the reader the felling that the Grey Lady`s Skirt has been torn but her sole has not been touched.
   Thank you Mr. Conroy
   A Chef from the Rock



3. I just started this book this morning and am almost done. It made me nostalgic for my old home, the way it used to be, yes, but for those of us who have had to leave Nantucket for one reason or another, it will always be a wonderful place. Reading it I feel like I am on a wonderful visit home. It's one of those books you don't want to end but at the same time can't put down!



4. Quite coincidentally, the second consecutive book I've read by an author with the last name of Conroy, the first the overstuffed The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. This is one of a series of slim books on the micro-geography of famous places:
   
   Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg (Crown Journeys)
   Washington Schlepped Here: Walking in the Nation's Capital (Crown Journeys)
   
   that I've read and reviewed that are not exhaustive or encyclopedic, but instead personal and intimate.
   
   Conroy describes the small and shrinking (literally and figuratively) Nantucket Island on which he has spent some time as a near-native year-round resident, and where he still owns property.

2 comments about Walking Tours of Boston's Made Land.

1. Boston is a city with an extremely rich history; Baedeker's 1909 United States Guide called it "the city with the greatest amount of historical interest in North America." Almost one hundred years later, Nancy Seasholes has performed the city a tremendous service with her illuminating, entertaining, and informative guide to Boston's made land.
   
   Unique among American cities, Boston is a city with so much "made land" (i.e. landfill or artificial land) that a guide to made land essentially constitutes a guide to the city itself. Readers of Seasholes' book will find the history and buildings of familiar districts like the waterfront, Faneuil Hall, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay described as they have never been before- as constructed pieces of the Boston cityscape- as well as equally interesting (and beautiful) areas like Charlestown, the Leather District, and Bay Village that are a bit further from the tourist trail. The section on the South End, in particular, is rich in detail and provides an entirely new perspective on this urbane and diverse area of the city.
   
   Not since the AIA Guide to Boston, published in the 1980s, has the cityscape and urban design of Boston received such an informative and entertaining treatment. Those interested in the built history of Boston, and in the city's ever-changing relationship with its waterfront and rivers, will find no better guide than Seasholes' book. Best of all are the puzzled looks you will get from passers-by as you examine a seemingly innocuous rowhouse or section of wall that once absorbed the waves of Boston Harbor or the Charles River a hundred or more years ago.



2. I took the author's course on land making at Harvard Extension School and have read her book on the sane subject. This easily portable book is full of salient facts and diagrams which neatly summarize the history of the area in which the walk takes place and does so in a very easily understood way. For anyone interested in this suject or someone who enjoys walking and learning the history of the area in which they are walking I would highly recommend this guide. The book is well organized and is a bargain at the price

3 comments about Thoreau's Cape Cod.

1. This complete edition of Thoreau's Cape Cod is a positive change from the text-only version I'd owned in the past, due to the beautiful photographs. While Thoreau's writing is always engaging, and Cape Cod is arguably the lightest of his works, Tobyne's images provide a welcome visual break while reading. The photos punctuate and reinforce the writing, and are evocative of the text. Furthermore, the images are not what you usually see in what is arguably a regional travelogue, getting away from the typical lighthouse and well-known beach pictures and giving the reader/viewer a new perspective on Cape Cod. Even subjects that might otherwise seem "familiar" are captured in a unique and new way by the photographer.



2. I bought this book as a present-day souvenir of my childhood trips to the Cape, which took place more than 20 years ago. I think that the photography serves as an inspirational physical capture of Thoreau's words, while at the same time, gives me a vivid illustration of my own childhood memories of what are, in my opinion, the most stunning landscapes that America has to offer. As fond as I am of the Cape, I have a new-found appreciation for it, thanks to this book. I've since purchased two more copies, to be given as gifts.



3. Having first visited Cape Cod in the early 1970's, I've been sadden by so much of the beauty that's been lost over the last forty years. Thoreau's words have long captured that world, underscored by the striking images of Dan Tobyne's photographs. Here is a book that allows you to enter into the visually wonderful romance of 'ol Cape Cod no matter where you live. Dan's love for all things 'New England' clearly comes through his photographs in both his books.

3 comments about Massachusetts Trail Guide, 8th: AMC Guide to Hiking Trails in Massachusetts (AMC Hiking Guide Series).

1. I used this guide in its last incarnation, and was thrilled to see that the new edition includes maps. And not just any maps--they're in color and have contour lines and parking and trails. With these tools I have been able to plan and hike safer, and I seem to be doing more hiking too!



2. I own the 7th edition, which includes Rhode Island in the title, and have used the book primarily in Western MA. The guide is pretty good, but certainly not on the level of the AMC White Mountains Guide. Only one of the maps (for Mt. Greylock State Reservation) is of high quality; the rest look more like sketches. Only a portion of the trails described have any maps (or sketches) at all. Less than half of the Appalachian Trail in MA is shown. All of it is described in the book, but in rather laconic (and insufficient) terms. If not for the trail signs, the description would not be sufficient to follow the trail in Chestire or Dalton. Sometimes the description is somewhat inaccurate.
   
   For AT in MA, ATC's Appalachian Trail guide with its maps is probably the way to go. However, for trails in MA overall, the AMC guide is certainly the better choice, if not the best.



3. Having moved to Massachusetts relatively recently, I haven't found this guide to be very useful. The descriptions are very bare-bones, the maps are only of small areas and there is no overall "orientation" map showing where the hikes are in the state or region overall. Plus, the hikes listed are really short! With some engineering, you can string a few together to make a longer hike, but it'd be nice if the authors would just come out and do that for you.

No comments about Vermont Off the Beaten Path, 7th (Off the Beaten Path Series).