No comments about The Zoo: The Story of London Zoo.

1 comments about Safe Harbor.

1. Safe Harbor: Exploring Maine's Sheltered Bays, Coves, And Anchorages is an eye-catching photographic showcase by William Hubbell highlighting Maine's many islands, inlets, harbors, boats, lighthouses, and much more. Each superbly presented, full-color picture is accompanied by a descriptive and insightful caption. A visual treasure for nautical buffs, Safe Harbor is a superbly presented and highly recommended example of specialized regional photography.

5 comments about A Tramp Abroad.

1. A Tramp Abroad, Mark Twain's tongue-in-cheek, semi-fictionalized account of his second European trek, is, despite it's 600+ pages, a lightning quick read. Twain's singular wit is on full display engaging the reader to such an extent that pages swiftly fly by. Though not his best piece of travel writing (see Innocents Abroad), I devoured this book in large chunks eager to see where Twain wandered next. When he arrives in the Alps, A Tramp Abroad vaults from an amusing piece of travel writing to a supremely satisfying form of entertainment.
   
   If there was any disappointment it occured with Twain's unexpected exit from the stage. A Tramp Abroad covers Twain's travels in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, but concludes quite suddenly with mere mention that the Netherlands are next on the docket. Yet, wishing a book to continue confers no blackmark on an author. It is further confirmation that A Tramp Abroad easily merits 5 stars.



2. A Tramp Abroad is the third and least successful of the travel books written by the pen of Mark Twain.
   In this book we follow Twain as he tours Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland. I found the early chapters chronicling his visit to Heidelburg University; hilarious visits to opera houses and tale tales such as the Blue Jay yarn to be well done.
   The longest section of the book deals with Twain's alpine climbing adventures in Switzerland. This material is interesting but goes on a bit too long for the modern reader.
   This is a fine book and deserves to be read and enjoyed by a wider readership that better known but lesser Twain novels and
   travel writing,
   I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys listening to a great author recount his peregrinations through Europe in a leisurely and informative manner.



3. It's fascinating to compare my own experiences, having lived now 3 years in Germany, to those of an American from 125 years earlier. I've been learning to speak German, and his Appendix on the "awful" German language was hilarious. In poking fun at German grammar (e.g., long sentences), he purposely commits the same errors in his own writing. The scene "riding" the glacier down the Alps was so funny I had tears running down my face. It's amazing to think that it was written in 1879, when America was barely a century old, and the insights and perceptions then can be incredibly, eerily similar to either my or "typical" American's attitudes today.
   
   I'd recommend it to anyone, but particularly to anyone visiting or living in Europe. It's way funnier than his "Innocents Abroad", which is also a good read on travel in Europe.



4. This is a single book, not the whole set and the book is in less then usable quality. The seller was to send return address materials and has not as of 12/19.



5. I listened to the audio version of both books, and will admit up front that the narrator for this one is not one of my favorites, but I got past that after a while.
   Twain seemed to be "padding" the narrative with an awful lot of folktales and legend, rather than his own experience. There's a lengthy (and highly annoying) "fantasy" sequence - I suppose he was trying for parody - as well. I found myself fast-forwarding through almost a full cassette of a gory description of two deuls (near the beginning); he delights in recounting grisly mountaineering stories later on during the novel. The storyline ended abruptly at the end of cassette 11 of 13; the last two were the appendix, which I skipped.
   I really liked "Innocents" and am planning on purchasing "Following the Equator" (I looked through it at a bookstore and it seemed pretty interesting), but I wish I'd skipped this one. Three stars for the humor when he actually describes his own experiences.

2 comments about A Duck's Eye View of Boston.

1. This book was given to me by a friend as a gift. I have to say it's fantastic. You just don't see pictures like this in normal photography books. It covers every inch of the city from such unique perspectives. The size and texture are a definite plus as well...it's a very heavy duty book w/ thick pages, and isn't so clunky that it takes up your entire coffee table...it's about the size of a magazine.
   
   Great book by local photographers!



2. This is a great book. It is the only photography book out there about the city of Boston which captures all the uniqueness and history of the city from a different perspective. It's a great guide book of Boston through the art of photography and it's small enough, yet durable enough to carry with you or keep at home. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a different pictoral take on the city and apparently the authors are local Bostonians too!!

2 comments about AIA Guide to Boston, 2nd.

1. As a handbook with information about Boston buildings, the AIA guide is useful. And its treatment of older buildings is reasonable. But this book is most interesting as a historical memoir, a reminder that architectural critics were once smitten by poured concrete and vast, empty plazas.

   Ever wonder how disasters like St. Louis's Pruitt-Igoe managed to win AIA awards? Read Susan & Michael Southworth's guide to Boston, and you'll understand.

   The Southworths heap praise on the most unlikely monstrosities in the city. The execrable State HEW building is "a tour de force demonstrating the structural possibilities of concrete." The horrific Boston Architectural Center is "an admirable piece of contemporary architecture."

   The Southworths absolutely fawn over modernist heroes, irrespective of their work. They have nothing but kind words for I.M. Pei - making them perhaps the only persons in Boston capable of defending Harbor Towers or the MIT buildings. They are positively giddy about Le Corbusier's Carpenter Center, a monstrous bunker. In their eyes, 'the spatial drama is stunning, as are the bold concrete forms ... it is the work of a master."

   Now that architects have moved beyond blocky and dingy concrete boxes, the Southworths have very little favorable to say about them. They sniff at the varied facades, rooflines, and materials conceived for buildings like 75 State, 222 Berkeley, 500 Boylston and 99 Summer - if dingy concrete was good enough for Le Corbusier, why isn't it good for contemporary architects? Why can't we have more anonymous boxes like the "elegant" and "sleek" 28 State Street?

   The Southworths bemoan the fact that downtown buildings of the '80s frequently destroyed little alleyways. Of course, when I.M. Pei wiped out entire streets and blocks of lovely townhouses in the '60s, as at Government Center and the Christian Science complex, that was perfectly OK, producing "dramatic forms."

   Thankfully, the Southworths' era has long past. Their views would be more irritating if they weren't so absurd, and if anyone still had the audacity to build the concrete mausoleums they so passionately love.




2. This is a good guide book for walking around Boston and trying to understand some history behind the buildings. Too many buildings are covered, old and new buildings together. The general information about the construction date, architectural style is provided but not in detail. It is so grouped that it makes it easy to walk around the town and see good number of buildings in the neighbourhood. Information is not very detailed, State Haouse is described in two pages or so, other buildings in one short paragraph, just to give general idea about the architecture and history of the city. I found it more handy than other available books for it covers a lot and it has walker friendly sequencing.

2 comments about Rand McNally Dist-O-Map: Travel Distance Finder.

1. This thing is a wonderful idea. But reading the discription and seeing the item are two different things. First, although it computes the distance between "11,000" locations, it does it with many maps, broken down by region on many different pages. also, its incredibly fimsly, and for the price, feels like it will fall apart on the first road trip.



2. We had a distance finder for years and misplaced it the new one is just as nice as the old great product.

1 comments about Discover the White Mountains of New Hampshire: A Guide to the Best Hiking, Biking and Paddling.

1. Discover the White Mountains of New hampsheris is an excellent introduction to the many wonderful outdoor activities in the area. The narrative and descriptions are a joy to read and the activity suggestions are very easy to follow. This book offers excellent suggestions on hikes and bikes and padles in the area. If you are new to the area this book is a must have. If you are an old pro in the White Mountains you will like the easy style author uses to delicately describe the various trails and adventure you will undertake. Even someone very familliar with the area may discover some new and exciting places to hike, bike and paddle. I've read many booka on hiking in the Whites and Discove the White Mountians is amoung the best I've found. The book is a real page turner or just put into the library for easy referance when you are in the area. Excellent!

5 comments about At Home with Beatrix Potter: The Creator of Peter Rabbit.

1. Being the big fan of Beatrox Potter, the woman and not just the author I was overjoyed to get this as a gift recently and the book is a treat for the eyes. While it has pages and pages of stunning photographs as well as her own water colours, it is the text and complete history of her farms that is awesome.

   That and reading and seeing photographs of her as well as her farms and reading why she bought each property and the breeds of sheep she raised was of special interest to me. I loved seeing the inside of her farms, although I had seen the inside of a few, via the National Land Trust to whom she left her properties.

   I loved the photographs of Beatrix and how she was so eccentric, kind yet firm and a woman ahead of her time. And it was nice to read that she was a true homestead style woman who had the waste not want not mentality, as well as a deep appreciation for quality and hated to see old bridges torn down for modern ones, although she was quick to make sure the stones and plants, wood and other things being discarded by some, didn't end up in some dump area but were recycled into new walls and buildings and plantings on her property.

   This is a book a cottage gardener, keeper of sheep. painters, stone masons and anyone who loves working with their hands will love. As well as sincere environmentalists and organic gardeners and farmers.




2. What a beautiful book. Clear, inviting photos, and interesting information. A book you will enjoy reading and sharing.



3. A gorgeous collection of photos and information
   about one of my most favorite children story writers.



4. This book was a real pleasure to read very slowly. It is a room by room description of Beatrix Potter's Hill Top farm house and includes the gardens. Beatrix started journaling about what she loved in a home from the time she was nine years old and this house is the cummulation of a life long interest in interior and exterior design theory. She fit in with the whole Arts and Crafts movement of the time. The house was deliberatly her largest artistic creation, she didn't actually live there very much. Again, it is a beautiful book and has many fasinating details about Beatrix Potter, her family and her times.



5. you can feel the love that went into the research for this beautiful book; the stories and pictures flow so easily; i could almost see ms potter and her mr hellis puttering in a garden or floating in a boat across some breathtaking bit of water. well done.

No comments about Nature Walks In Eastern Massachusetts, 2nd: Nature-rich Walks within and Hour of Boston, features the Bay Circuit.

1 comments about Maine Amphibians and Reptiles.

1. This is an excellent book on the amphibians, turtles, and reptiles of Maine. Great text, detailed maps, good photographs, up-to-date taxonomy, and adheres to standardized common names. An authoritative and easily-used guide that will serve well both North American herpetologists and the citizens of Maine. Highly recommended.