No comments about Watertown (MA) (Images of America).

3 comments about The Maine Woods: (Writings of Henry D. Thoreau).

1. Most people are familiar with Thoreau through his Walden. Few know perhaps that he didn't stay put in Concord but journeyed to the Maine Woods and elsewhere, and that these travels were formative of his philosophy and ideas. Thoreau believed the Maine wilderness north of Bangor was every bit as wild as the west and other far flung corners of the continent in the 1850s, and here he shows us an incredible panorama of beauty and wonder. You will gain insight into how Native Americans hunted Moose in the mid-19th Century and why Thoreau, a vegetarian, disdained the killing of animals for meat. One of the most sriking passages is his description of the sound of a huge tree falling in the forest in the distance at night.
   
   In Ktaadn, Thoreau defines the essence of wilderness:
   
   "Nature was here something savage and awful, though beautiful. I looked with awe at the ground I trod on, to see what the Powers had made there, the form and fashion and material of their work. This was that Earth of which we have heard, made out of Chaos and Old Night. Here was no man's garden, but the unhandselled globe. It was not lawn, nor pasture, nor mead, nor woodland, nor lea, nor arable, nor wast-land. It was the fresh and natural surface of the planet Earth as it was made forever and ever."
   
   You do not need to read The Maine Woods on a wooded island in Maine (as I did) to be captivated and transported by it to a higher and greater sense of wilderness than you may ever have imagined.



2. This book chronicles the adventures of Thoreau as he encounters wilderness in the guise of backwoods Maine. The book covers 3 separate expeditions that Thoreau made in 1846, 1853 and 1857. On each trip, Thoreau was accompanied by one or more companions, as well as an Indian guide.
   
   Of all of Thoreau's books, this one sticks most closely to nature and travel writing, with little explicit philosophizing. Although Thoreau was accustomed to taking long walks off the beaten track in Massachusetts, it was in Maine where he first encountered genuine wilderness. He found the wild surroundings quite inspiring, and far from being overwhelmed by them, he seemed to want even more. In this book, he presents detailed accounts of the flora and fauna that observed on his Maine journeys. In addition to his observations of the natural world, Thoreau also describes many of the people and tiny communities that he found on his trips through Maine. While he follows his custom of never naming his traveling companions or providing personal information about them, he seems to feel no similar compunction about the privacy of his Indian guides, and describes them and their behavior in detail as if they were suitable subjects of his travel studies rather than co-travelers. One aspect that makes this book timeless is the fact that so much of the natural world that Thoreau describes has remained unchanged in the 150 years since his journeys.



3. In 1848, 1853,and 1857, Henry David Thoreau travelled to the wilderness -- forests, lakes, rivers, and mountains in the northwest part of Maine. He wrote three lengthy essays describing each of his journeys, and they were gathered together, as Thoreau had wished, and published after his death, together with an appendix, as "The Maine Woods." It is a moving book, a classic work of American literature, and the founder of a genre of descriptive travel writing.
   
   Readers coming to "The Maine Woods" after "Walden" or "A Walk on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" may be in for a surprise. These earlier books do include extensive descriptions of nature and of plants and animals, but their focus is much more internalized and philosophical. Both books are full of discussions of themes that have little direct connection with nature. They show Thoreau as a Transcendentalist, an American philosopher akin to Emerson and others.
   
   "The Maine Woods", in contrast, shows Thoreau as much more of a naturalist interested in describing the wilderness in great detail for its own sake. I think the book articulates a philosophical temperament akin to Thoreau's earlier books, but it is for the most part implicit rather than stated at length.
   
   The three essays describe Thoreau's journeys at widely separated times to Mount Ktaadn, the Chesuncook River, and the Allegash and East Branch Rivers, journeys that overlapped to some degree. Thoreau travelled with a companion and with Indian guides. He gives the reader pictures of what was still largely a pristine wilderness even though it was, at that early time, already being subject to logging, the growth of towns, and despoilation. We see Thoreau and his companions travelling in canoes or batteaus on the interconnected rivers and lakes of northwest Maine, carrying and portaging their vessels around falls, camping in the woods, observing the vegetation and animals, getting lost, finding shelter from the rain, visiting lumber camps and the hardy residents of the woods, gathering berries, hunting, and much else. The narrative is filled with detail of Thoreau's experiences and thoughts.
   
   I found the most moving part of the book was Thoreau's description of his climb up Mount Ktaadn in the first essay. We see this journey in detail, described with ancient Greek and American Indian symbolism. It concludes with a long peroration of the value of wilderness -- of land not controlled or under the disposition of people. Thoreau observes that "the country is virtually unmapped and unexplored, and there still waves the virgin forest of the New World." The "Chesuncook" essay includes a vivid description of the stalking and killing of a moose and Thoreau's resultant sense of discomfort. It closes with a call for the creation of national preserves for wilderness. The final essay describes a broad spectrum of adventures and places on a day-to-day basis. There are many passages that describe Thoreau's Indian guide, Joe Polis. Although Thoreau was deeply fascinated with the Indian heritage of Maine, some of his treatment of Polis will sound stereotyped to modern readers.
   
   Thoreau's book was the first in a long line of American works devoted to nature. But I was reminded most of the Beat writers in some of their moments, of Jack Kerouac, (a native of Lowell, Massachusetts) in "The Dharma Bums" describing rucksacking and the climbing of a mountain and of the poetry of Gary Snyder.
   
   This book is about the need to leave the beaten path and follow one's star. There are some fine websites in which the interested reader can get more information about the places Thoreau visited. [...]
   
   Robin Friedman

No comments about The Hotel: Backstairs at the World's Most Exclusive Hotel.

No comments about New England Backroads.

5 comments about THE PENGUIN LONDON MAPGUIDE (PENGUIN HANDBOOKS S.).

1. I have used this mapguide since 1990 -- it is my "bible" in London. Far more portable and much less overwhelming than "London A-Z," this mapguide contains everything a traveller in London will need. If I could only take one book to London, this would be the one.



2. I am a frequent traveler to London, and have worn out more than one copy of this excellent map! Among its best features are locations of prominent buildings and numbers of bus routes. Don't leave home without it!



3. The subways (tubes) are cleverly color coded and it's easy to decide where to make your connections. Bus numbers are confusing but only rode bus one time since tube system is so clean, quick and efficient.



4. Print is large enough to easily read, but overall size of book is small enough to fold and place in most jacket pockets, purses and shoulder bags. Informative enough to be the only reference material you need when leaving your hotel room for your daily excursions through the city.



5. We were returning from Greenwich tired and footsore. The LONDON MAPGUIDE indicated we could transfer to another bus to Paddington right on Russell Square. When we alighted, there were no layover stops for the elusive Bus #7. After tromping for ages around Bloomsbury, we gave up and hiked back past the British Museum to Oxford Street, where we knew we could get a bus.

   The flaw of this and all other map guides to London are the bus routes. The Underground is fun, but sometimes a bus is more convenient, and, as G. K. Chesterton wrote, the best way to see London is from the top of a double-decker bus.

   Even London Transport's "Travelling in London" folder doesn't do justice to the bus system. Granted, it is diabolically difficult to keep up with route changes, but if someone were to undertake it and do a more thorough job, the result would be a truly useful map guide.

   But don't let one complaint detract from the value of this otherwise outstanding guide. Because of the lack of bus information, most travellers take to the Underground and are quite satisfied with it. I still recommend THE LONDON MAPGUIDE and still would use it myself, if only for lack of anything better.

1 comments about Maine Birds.

1. These fold out bird guides are great bec you can spill juice or coffee or soda on them and just wipe them off, and they don't get torn up in purses, backpacks, etc. They also don't take up much space. They aren't really paperbacks -they are laminated fold outs.

5 comments about Discover Acadia National Park: A Guide to the Best Hiking, Biking, and Paddling.

1. This book does offer lots of informative descriptions of many hiking trails, bike rides, and paddling trips in Acadia. It describes not only selected carriage roads, but also some often-overlooked fire roads and other dirt roads. And the map which comes with it is, like all AMC maps, outstanding; it is even printed on waterproof, tear-proof tyvek. However, I would like to point out quite a few flaws of this book:

   1) The book is overly large to carry with you on a hike
   2) Confusing verbal descriptions of trail locations can be difficult to locate on the included map. Ideally, each trip should contain a thumbnail map, or at least be coded to the central map.
   3) Long verbal descriptions should be condensed into a cue sheet for each trip. Although the park is well marked, presumably the point of buying the book is to follow a route suggested by the author.
   4) A little more subjectivity wouldn't hurt. The book has lots of information but could use some more opinion. Again, the point of buying a book is to get a viewpoint from an "expert."
   5) The book is by no means "comprehensive". "Comprehensive" means "every trail in the park." This book is selective, not comprehensive.




2. I love this book and refer to it often when I feel the need to take an outdoor adventure in Acadia. While it aptly describes every trail in the park and comes with an impressive 4 color map , what sets this guide apart is its descriptive narrative of park features. It's sidebars and little factoids about the area's history, flora, and fauna give the reader a deeper understanding of the place he or she is hiking, biking, or paddling through. It makes for much more interesting reading than the typical "turn left at the trail junction." Visitors new to the area will also appreciate the book's listings of campgrounds, museums, gardens, whale and puffin watching tours, etc. Tons of great info packed into a reasonable size!



3. This book gives you all you need to know about travelling to Acadia. It covers biking, hiking, kayaking, and just about any other "-ing" you might be interested in.

   The maps help out anyone not familiar to the area, too.

   I think it's a great, well-written book that will aid anyone planning to visit this part of Maine.




4. Discover Acadia National Park: A Guide To The Best Hiking, Biking, And Paddling by nature photographers and outdoor enthusiasts Jerry and Marcy Monkman is a comprehensive, informative guide to the scenery, wildlife, trails, trip-times as it showcases the resources and sights of the beautiful Acadia National Park of Maine. Difficulty gradings, maps, and straightforward information make Discover Acadia National Park the perfect guide to learn which hiking trails are best for the interests of every reader. A fold-out hiking and biking map is included in this book enthusiastically recommended for anyone planning an outdoors expedition to this splendor-filled preserve. If you are planning an outdoor adventure in the Acadia National Park, beginning planning your trip by browsing through the pages of Jim and Marcy Monkman's Discover Acadia National Park!



5. I've used this book on a couple of trips to Acadia. It's best feature is the detailed pull-out map in the back which shows all the major hiking trails. This is a great book to study BEFORE your trip. It has very detailed descriptions of hiking and biking trails and paddling and sea kayaking trips. It's great to pick out the activities you want to do, but this detailed nature makes it less useful on the trail though. It's too wordy and too bulky. (Take the map with you though!) It would be better if it had more pictures of the different areas. It's also missing mini-maps of each hiking or biking trail. Instead, you're left to pull out the map and try to follow along based on their descriptions. It would be great if this book were split into two, one for hiking and biking and one for paddling and sea kayaking, each in color with more pictures and terrain maps. Until then, there's still a lot of great info in this edition.

No comments about Guide to the Coastal Towns of New England.

No comments about Montana on the Fly: An Angler's Guide.

5 comments about Time Out London (Time Out London Guide).

1. We just got back from a fantastic trip to London. We brought several guide books with us but Time Out London proved to be the only one we needed -- except for the fact that the type size in the index is microscopic -- and therefore completely unusable.
   
   I mention this because anyone over the age of 30 will have great difficulty using this index without a magnifying device.
   
   It's too bad they do this to save a couple pages, because the index is crucial to getting the most out of this guide book.



2. Time Out guides are awesome, always. They are the best city guides. Unfortunately, this guide wasn't that well organized. Other Time Out guides are organized by area and within the section about the area there is a map, what to do, where to shop and where to eat. This guide is organized by sightseeing, entertainment and food, so you constantly have to flip back and forth through the book to find info....It is still better then any other guide, though, and if you supplement it with the weekly Time Out in London, you will have a great time



3. I really like the look and how compact this book is for travel. You don't need another book. It's packed with information and you almost don't need to buy the Time Out London Mazagine if you plan ahead.



4. TimeOut is the most informative time and again for those who want a local's version of the city. Rough guide to London is also good. Accurate information, honest opinions, and neat tid-bits that you might not find on your own.



5. This review is going to be a very short one.
   
   The Time Out guides are almost invariably a great source of valuable information. The London guide is one of the oldest, if not the oldest of the Time Out series, and the amount of expertise and, more importantly, to my mind, off-beat suggestions, e.g., where to find a restaurant specializing in Mongolian Hot Pot, makes it invaluable.
   
   There is only a minor problem with the guide; it is revised each year, so that Time Out London from 2005, when it was perfectly good, may have a bit too much outdated information