1 comments about Exploring Old Cape Cod.

1. Doris Doane draws on years of experience as a Park Ranger and historian to create this brilliant book which allows outsiders into a world that she got to know (and love) so well.

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. This book is a good version to read to kids. The language is basic enough for kids to follow the plot. I plan on using it as a lesson on legends around Halloween time for my fourth grade students.

No comments about Hadrian's Wall: History & Guide.

5 comments about England For All Seasons.

1. "Cloudy with outbreaks of rain at times. However, there will be drier interludes."

   Thus might an English weathercaster ambiguously predict the day's weather, as noted in the first chapter of ENGLAND FOR ALL SEASONS, the third book in a series by travel essayist Susan Allen Toth on her ongoing romance with England and all things English. (The other two books in the series are MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ENGLAND and ENGLAND AS YOU LIKE IT.)

   Granted, for someone residing where the climate is livable year round, say Los Angeles, CA, such a weather prediction might not offer much inducement to make the eleven-hour trip across The Pond. However, if living in a place with beastly humid, hot summers and teeth-chatteringly frigid, snowy winters, say Downer's Grove, IL, there's a lot to be said for England's temperate climate, however uncertain its application.

   ENGLAND FOR ALL SEASONS is chock full of so many of Susan's reminiscences and recommendations, all presented in her usual humorous and relaxed style, that it's hard to summarize the book without writing a review of similar length. The twenty-five chapters cover a multitude of topics. The art of garden visiting, and the temptations of the "sweet trolley", a.k.a. the restaurant dessert cart. Buying books in England, and the exploration of literary landscapes, i.e. the exploration of those locales in which the country's legion of authors lived and wrote about. "Lolloping" around London, perhaps best translated as a relaxed peregrination to the city's numerous attractions, including some of the major museums (Transport Museum, Imperial War Museum, Theatre Museum, National Portrait Gallery) and grand historic houses. Then there are those quirky depositories outside the capital devoted to the oddest of interests: bagpipes, thimbles, ceramics, plasterwork, waterways, oast houses, lawn tennis, stained glass, and (!) lawnmowers. Susan whisks us away on a tour of the Thames as it meanders its way through London. Then it's off to the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, the Scottish island of Mull (popular Skye's "shy sister"), and the Welsh island of Anglesey. If you're a creature lover, you'll be delighted on field trips to various animal sanctuaries for donkeys, otters, seals (near the village of Gweek), and owls.

   It's apparent that the author escorts the armchair traveler well beyond England's boundaries deep into Wales and Scotland. This is not because England is wanting in things to do or see, but rather in recognition of the fact that many, if not most, of her fellow Americans are woefully insensitive to the distinction between England and Great Britain. Bloody Yanks.

   I can conclude with no better than Susan's very words, because my several trips to the United Kingdom would cause me to advise the same:

   "But, when I finish a book, I'm a little sad, too. Writing about my trips reminds me that they're over; I will never have exactly that experience again... Perhaps that touch of sadness has to do with my realization that places and people change. Travelers know this. Perhaps we take those snapshots because we know that even if we return to this precise spot, it will never be exactly the same... I want to urge everyone who dreams of going to England, go NOW."




2. Ms. Toth is at it again -- making one long for a visit to the isle of book shops and tea rooms, great theatre and lovely gardens. This, the third volume in the series, has particularly good information on theatre-going, museums, and London transport.

   While I enjoyed the book, I do have some reservations about recommending it. Again there is a heavy emphasis on gardens, with a LOT of specific information about what flower species are present and where they're located in various gardens. I think the author writes very well on literary landscapes and I would like to have had more than one short chapter. I do wish the author and her husband would branch out a bit -- in the three books of the series they visit many of the same areas many times over -- Cornwall in particular -- but totally neglect others. My only other complaint, and it sounds silly, is that Ms. Toth seems a bit of a ninny in this book, though she was very charming in the other two volumes: she intrudes, rather rudely I thought, on a priest teaching a class; she does not know that European VHS tapes do not work in U.S. machines; she is several times 'unsettled' by images which turn out to be statues or sculptures; she is a bit more condescending toward people who don't share her philosophy of travel.

   While the author gives valuable contact information for various agencies, I do hope that future editions will include online resources as well.

   If you love England, and especially if you love English gardens, this book will delight you. While not as charming as the author's first book about visiting Great Britain, My Love Affair with England, it is still loaded with good information and fun anecdotes.

   No index.




3. a really great book on England. "England for All Seasons," describes mainly the writers trips to England mainliy London and the wonderful places to walk there. What athe transportations is like, the museums, and theatre district. It's about England and for anyone to read who has been there or would like to go. It really describes the author's impressions of it and her travels some of her experiences there. It's definitly not a guide book. It has a wonderful secion on English gardens too and much more. Its a great book.



4. Having read Susan Allen Toth's first two England books last spring before a trip to the UK, and her third, "England for All Seasons," shortly before a return trip to London last month, my reaction to this book was somewhat mixed.
   
   On the one hand, I already knew the author's tastes in travel and writing run to gardens and obscure coastlines and drives on narrow winding roads, and so I was prepared when the time came to skim over her lengthy descriptions of those three things. In "England for All Seasons," that accounted for about one-third of the book, and it felt very much like her earlier books. On the other hand, I was pleased to find a number of places to go and resources to check out that were new to me, and also to see that there was more about London in this title than I recall in the earlier two books.
   
   Having read all three books now, I think "England As You Like It" was probably my favorite, perhaps because it was also the most practical. Of course, since this book is ten years old now, much of the information can be replaced, as I said in an earlier review, with a red rubber stamp reading "Use the Internet!" A decade on, Susan Allen Toth's books are now travel literature more than they are how-tos, and if your tastes run to a personal view of England and affectionate descriptions of what keeps bringing her back, "England for All Seasons" deserves a place next to the other two volumes.



5. This is the second book by Susan Allen Toth that I have now read, having read England As You Like It first. Both are delightful, confortable reading with easy to follow instructions for the individual traveller and show a great love of the country, its gardens and its history and culture. Thank you Susan.

No comments about Compass American Guides: Massachusetts, 1st Edition (Compass American Guides).

No comments about Streetwise Southern New England Map - Laminated Area Road Map of Southern New England - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise (Streetwise Maps)).

No comments about Dining Out, Volume 3 (Dining Out).

1 comments about Explorations: Great Moments of Discovery from the Royal Geographical Society.

1. Explorations packs in hundreds of black and white and color illustrations as it captures great moments of discovery from the archives of the Royal Geographic Society. Any would-be explorer or geography and history fan will relish this gorgeous collection, packed with its visual documentation of some of the greatest moments in history.

5 comments about MapEasy's Guidemap to Boston.

1. Being new to solo business travel, it was either stay in a hotel room or get out and play! MapEasy maps are a walking tourist's dream. I can spot-check my location instantly vs. just by street. There are places listed on the map, simply because of their building by building reference, that standard guidebooks would never mention. Boston was my first map - I now get one for each city that I visit.



2. I have a MapEasy Map for each city I have ever visited. They are fun to look at, easy to follow and make excellent recommendations. This is a great map



3. This is the best map I've seen - unlike many other maps, it includes more than just a few of the main attractions. When I was in Boston on a trip, I suddenly needed to find a shoe store within walking distance of my hotel. To my surprise, I found one listed on my MapEasy map! The map is large so it's a little bit hard to use while you're walking around town, but for planning out your trip and finding the best places to visit, it's invaluable. Don't leave home without it!



4. I love these maps. It takes the fear factor out of exploring alone in a new city. Restaurant and store names are on the maps so you know exactly what is near by. I first purchased a Map Easy New York Mid town Manhattan and was pleased how easy it was for me to give cab drivers directions to where I needed to be. It is printed on some kind of soft plastic and paper combination, it will not rip. A ggood buy.Hope this helps you decide.



5. This series of maps are the greatest ever walking maps. It shows you the restaurants; shops and sites by name. You know exactly what's on every street and corner. I use them everywhere I go when traveling.

No comments about Welsh Castles: A Guide by Counties.