3 comments about Knopf Guide: London (Knopf City Guides London).

1. During my recent visit to London, this book guided me through all the historical and modern architectural sites with accurate detailed information. I wish the author published a millennium issue of it.



2. First off: I have never been to London, at least not yet. I am a tremendous fan of these Knopf Guides, first buying them for some classes I took in travel school. My collection numbers 10.However, London is special. I dream of going there every day--this particular guide transported me there more than my own dreams could. The sections on architecture through the ages, "London Through the eyes of writers", and various other sections are finger-printed and thumbed and dog-eared. That just shows a person how I value the given information within. A MUST BUY!



3. I recently purchased this guide before a trip to London and found the information about the city, its history, and the sights to be excellent. I really enjoyed reading about the historical sites as I was visiting them. I would note that the guides suggestions of places to eat and pubs should be only taken as suggestions as they are not the top spots to eat and drink in London.

No comments about Hikes & Walks in the Berkshire Hills, Third Edition (A Berkshire Outdoors Series Guide).

No comments about Mountain Biking Northern New England.

2 comments about Lake Champlain: Key to Liberty.

1. How many Americans Know that the birth of the American Navy really began on a lake. That the sea monster inhabiting lake champlain,was recorded by samuel champlain and native Americans as early as the 1600's, centuries before pt barnum offered a reward for it's body so he could display it with his travelling show. Lake Champlain is rich with beauty and history and this is a definative history of the region. It makes a great read too!



2. We all know about Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, and Yorktown, but few know of the battles between the British and the Americans in the great North Woods Country which were Eastern New York and Vermont. It was there that Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys took Fort Ticonderoga "In the name of Jehova and The Continental Congress!" from a sleepy garrison of British Regulars. It was there that Benedict Arnold built his little fleet of lake warships and whipped the British at the Battle of Valcour Island. Only later did Arnold turn on his country.

   The American War of Independence is only one episode in Ralph Nading Hill's sweeping review of the history of Lake Champlain, the critical gateway from Quebec to Lower New York. His retelling of the history of steam navigation on the Lake, and the Corporations which were founded to further its development, are at times hilarious, and are reminiscent of the story of the development of the railroads.

   He also details the development of the Champlain Canal, which provided a direct water link between Quebec, Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, and thence to New York City, in the early 1800s. He shows the importance of the Canal, and later the railroads, in opening the markets of the Eastern Seaboard to Vermont lumber, milled from timber felled in Quebec and floated to saw mills in Vermont. Few realize that a substantial part of the housing in Boston and New York during the mid to late 19th Century, including the famous New York Brownstones, were built with Vermont lumber.

   This is an easy, engrossing, and informative read by a master storyteller who made the telling of the North Woods History his life's work.

No comments about Padre Island National Seashore.

2 comments about Haunted Inns of New England.

1. Being from a town in New England with a large number of the featured haunted inns, I was excited to read this book. I was even married at one and my grandmother worked at another in the 1930s. I did learn a few things about the history of the inns, which was great. Unfortunately, the writing was... off. I laughed out loud at several bits (one innkeeper had a "never-ending seven year dispute" with a zoning board) and cringed at others, especially the parts that seemed to kowtow to every inns' staff. It read like a school project rather than an actual professional finished glossy product. The book really could have done with an editing overhaul to make the stories more easily appreciated.



2. If you enjoy New England history and like a good bone-chilling fright in the dark, you will enjoy this book. Mark invites you along on his journey of open-minded discovery, and his detailed descriptions of the locations will make you feel as though you are walking through the front door along with him.
   
   The stories highlight the history and hauntings of many New England Inns, most not widely known and off the beaten path (although the well-worn Lizzie Borden surfaces yet again; perhaps interesting to those not from New England). The first-hand interviews are with contemporary people at real locations, and in almost all cases the Inn's name, town, and telephone number are included. Many photographs are included as well.
   
   I picked this up while staying at the Daniel Webster Inn, not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. I believe you will find this an easy, delightful read. Mark's prose is a bit sugary, but to his credit the stories are told totally without embellishment, allowing the readers to judge the validity of the stories for themselves.
   
   Be sure to read this one on a dark, stormy night, curled up in front of a roaring fire!

No comments about Insight Guide New England (Insight Guides New England).

No comments about Cathedrals & Abbeys of England (Pitkin Cathedral Guide).

No comments about The Daily Telegraph Castle & Ancient Monuments of England: The County-By-County Guide to More than 350 Historic Sites.

1 comments about Long Strider: How Thomas Coryate Walked from England to India in the Year 1613.

1. i had been trying to get this book from various other places, but once again i realized that it is best to deal with amazon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanx once again.