No comments about American Map New England Road Atlas.

No comments about Forever England.

No comments about National Geographic Traveler: Boston and Environs (National Geographic Traveler).

No comments about Northern Forest Canoe Trail Adirondack North Country (East), New York: Saranac River to Lake Champlain (Northern Forest Canoe Trail).

5 comments about Maine Mountain Guide, 8th: The hiking trails of Maine featuring Baxter State Park.

1. This book is an exellent guide to anyone hiking in Maine. It details many trails, from long backpacking trips to short nature walks. Included with the guide are maps that are a valuable resource when hiking in the Maine wilderness. The only downside to the bguide is that it is only published every few years, and trails on private land sometimes change over time. Other than that it is a very detailed, complete guide to hiking in Maine



2. Like other AMC hiking guides in this series (AMC White Mountain Guide, for example), the book includes detailed trail descriptions and top-notch maps. However, be aware that although this guide claims to include "nearly 200 peaks," it does not include every little mountain in Maine (a very big state). Most notably, Acadia National Park is omitted from this book.

   Finally, the maps, although excellent, are paper, not tyvek.




3. This book provides accurate technical information about many Maine trails -- distance, difficulty, altitude, location of water, etc. I successfully used the guide to plan several hikes in Baxter State Park. The fold-out maps provided in the pocket-part are worth the price of the book. My complaints are these: (1) the book needs to be updated more frequently, and (2) it really needs a few well-placed photographs of the more challenging trails. For example, although I inferred the Dudley Trail up Mt. Katahdin was steep (based on the altitude and distance information provided), the book does nothing to convey the visceral impact of the view from Pamola Peak down to Chimney Pond Lake. It's dizzying in a way that makes you want to use your entrails for rope. And, that's something you don't want to discover from the summit.



4. This book is necessary if one is going to plan a trip into the mountains of Maine, especially if these plans include Katahdin, or Baxter Peak.
   
   That being said, the one shortcoming which could prove dangerous is the description of Knife Edge. The book mentions how very narrow the ridge is in some places, and the obvious points such as do not attempt in windy or wet conditions. But these are the obvious details one will see posted on the signout board before even entering the trail. However, one point which is not mentioned is the fact that Knife Edge necessitates a series of handholds and footholds across it, especially near the Pamola side, with little to no room for error or else serious injury or death may be the result. I have trekked extensively in Peru and Nepal so did not really have a problem with the ridge (though admittedly it was very difficult), but found myself taking alot of time looking for footholds and handholds much more often than I thought I ever would. The book should describe in painstaking detail this dangerous aspect of probably the most difficult ridge in Maine. Quite honestly, I was surprised it didn't after I got down and reread the part covering Knife Edge. Because of this I am dropping my rating from five stars to three, as this omission could be hazardous to someone's health in the future.
   
   Even with this being said, I would like to do Knife Edge again someday......it was an amazing experience. But the rock climbing aspect of this ridge should be spelled out in the book. This is why most people buy the book in the first place- to get a very good idea of what they will see on the trail.



5. this book does exactly what it intends to do - accurately describe hikes in the mountains of Maine in a compact manner. The description I needed for the mountain I was climbing was right on, and the book is nice and easy to carry along for reference or for interesting technical reading. If you like Maine and you like climbing, this book is perfect.

3 comments about Walking Boston.

1. Boston is a great city, and Walking Boston was a great book to accompany my fiancé and I on our trip. We completed several of the suggested walks, and found some quant cafes and historic buildings. Good maps too.



2. Boston is a great city, and Walking Boston was a great book to accompany my fiancé and I on our trip. We completed several of the suggested walks, and found some quant cafes and historic buildings. Good maps too.



3. This is a great booklet for seeing parts of Boston that are famous as well as more quiet areas. The maps help lots and the size is convenient to stow away as you do the walks. The photos spruce up the book.
   It is endorsed by the ava which has a web site to list more walks

   [...]

   AJ

No comments about Suffolk County, New York Atlas.

4 comments about Longstreet Highroad Guide to the New York Adirondacks (Longstreet Highroad Series).

1. It is obvious that Phil Brown, despite his workmanlike description of nearly every square inch of New York's Adirondack Park, has a passion for the region unmatched by any other expert. His descriptions of trails, waterways and other attractions of the Adirondacks expose his intimate relationship with America's most beautiful environment. This book is all you need to guide your exploration. It is an instant classic.



2. Even though I spent my summers as a kid in the Adirondacks this book was a tremendous help in planning a trip back to there after being gone for 20 years. I couldn't believe the things we did that I had never seen within 20 miles over our old summer home! In addition to the help in planning a trip we brought it with us everwhere we went and it helped us get some great ideas on things to do once we got to our initial destinations. Wish they had one for the mountains in VA.



3. We make frequent trips to the Adirondacks for family vacations; on the last three, we've had this book in hand and have had a variety of disappointing experiences. Here are some of our complaints:
   
   1) the organization of this book is really confusing. Although the book includes lots of maps, there isn't a great overview of the entire Adirondack region. For example, information on attractions, trails, etc in the Lake Placid area is scattered over several discrete sections. This makes it difficult to plan a day out if you know where you're going to be basing yourself. This book also does a poor job of cross-referencing between the maps and the text.
   
   2) Trail information is to be taken with a grain of salt. One set of directions was so confusing that we ended up giving up, and once we were unable to locate a trailhead at all. The directions given in the guide tend to look very precise (indicating, for example, tenths of a mile), but in the field are not very useful. The descriptions of trails are also not especially useful. The Heart Lake loop at Adirondack Loj, for example, is described as "easy", implying a walk that is friendly for kids, etc. In terms of length (1 mile) this is accurate, but in terms of terrain (lots of root knots in the trail, low lying areas that stay muddy for many days after the rail, some steep inclines/declines) it's not "easy". Although we haven't tried any of the longer trails listed in this book, based on our experience I would be very very wary of using this guide alone to plan an all-day hike anywhere in the Adirondacks.
   
   3) Fees. Although the guide indicates where fees are collected, it does not indicate what specific prices are. The Adirondacks are expensive -- the parking fee at Adirondack Loj (advertised as a good starting point for several walks) is $8 or $9, High Falls Gorge costs almost $10 per adult and $7 per child, etc. -- and the book doesn't do a good job of indicating this to people unfamiliar with the area.
   
   I guess this book is useful as an overview or for someone trying to identify what they might like to see in the Adirondacks. As far as a practical field guide to the area, however, this is only marginally useful. Interested travelers would be advised to do some homework -- especially on trails, even the so-called easy family hikes -- outside of this guide.



4. Thankfully my husband and I live in the Adirondacks and have been somewhat familiar with the areas we have hiked. Out of 5 of the places we have hiked from the book, 3 have had wrong directions. The directions for Lyon Mountain say to go 9.3 miles Northwest when it is actually Northeast which brought us in a totally different direction. The campsite to go through at Lake Meachem to get to DeBar Mountain is wrong. The list goes on. It is a confusing book since many maps show mountains to hike, but don't tell how to get to them and some tell how to get to them but don't show them on a map. I will agree that it has given us a lot of ideas on where to hike around us that we didn't know existed. But, I wonder if the author actually hiked to these places.

1 comments about Discovering Old Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park: An Unconventional History and Guide.

1. I've never been one to enjoy reading historical writings very much, but I loved this book. Ruth searched and found many great writings, along with photos to go with them, that tell the stories of early settlers, the "cottagers" and the year round residents of Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor/Acadia is my favorite spot in New England and we will return their again this summer. I will have a better appreciation of the life these people lived in the late 1800s and will better appreciate how fortunate we are to have Acadia as protected natural lands.

5 comments about The Iron Bridge.

1. If you like excellent writing and an intriguing plot with a socially conscious (NOT BORING) message, please read this book. Don't just read it -- buy it if you can and help support and encourage this author. This first novel should be on the mainstream bestseller list. This is history, science fiction, fantasy, social commentary and ecology all bundled into one.

   In 2043, an American woman makes a one way trip into the Shopshire, England of the 1700's, to alter the building of a bridge. Doing so may save us all. The story gives several views. There is that of the woman, Maggie Foster, as she lands naked in the middle of an earthquake, then must find a place to live and learn the culture of the times. There is the viewpoint of John Wilkerson, swordsmaker and local entrepreneur who is trying to enforce the building of the bridge in iron, to further his own profits. The person Maggie must persuade to alter his construction of the bridge is a Quaker, Abraham Darby, who is torn between a wish to do what is right or what he'd like.

   There is a lot of detail about iron and bridge building that some may find interesting -- we skipped over that to read about life in the 1700's, to follow Maggie's romances, to see her struggle to persuade the gentlemen of that period that her opinions count, and to watch her try NOT to make any changes in people's lives -- for if you change one thing in the past, no matter how small, you can alter the future in strange ways.

   More of a romance and period piece than science fiction, it is well-written and fascinating to read. Some Friends should be advised that John Wilkerson's lifestyle is less than pure, and given in some detail, and that some of Maggie's experiences are less than conventional, and given in some detail, including her romance with Darby's sister.

   Will she be able to alter history without changing people's lives in 1790? Will that be enough to delay the Industrial Revolution? And if so, will a delay really make a difference in saving the environment for the future?

   Read and find out. Quaker author David Morse has crafted a beautiful story.




2. Wow, this book drove home the idea of everyone's place in history. Maggie Foster a young woman from the not so distant future is chosen by her fellow Ecosophians, because of her sympathetic abilities to go back in time to change history. The Ecosophians have determined that a single bridge an Iron Bridge's success propelled man into the industrial age, and caused the economic and social disasters that befell their world.

   Maggie was transported into the world of 1773, with nothing but her wits, with the task to change the building of this bridge, so that the future would be altered. Along the way the reader is transported to that time, of ironmakers and Quakers. You are given glimpses into the poverty and the manipulations of politics that shaped that time. If you think about it, continue to shape our time. You also get a sense of what shapes each character and why they do what they do.You get into the skin not only of Maggie Foster, but of that of Abraham Darby III and John Wilkinson. You are shocked by the character of all.

   Getting into the character's skin brings you into the sense of how you would fit into the that time, the practices, the home life. You really begin to understand how different some things were then. Ironically, you can also see how similar some were, when it comes to family relationships and the manipulations that go into building the bridge.

   The entire book is a surprise, there are some elements, I was unprepared for of a sexual nature, but provide an interesting counterpoint given the sensabilities of the day. The more violent acts would have been accepted in that day and age because of the genders involved,and the ones based in affection would have been reason for an uproar also because of the genders involved. The counterpoint of these two, was not lost on me. All in all, this is the first science fiction book I have read, that was truly set in the past.

   I'm sure our salvation as a species is not in our technology, but what we do with it in good conscience. This book drives this idea home.

   Great job!




3. I enjoyed this book and it engaged my interest from beginning to end.
   
   First off, anyone with a special interest in industrial history, civil engineering, or Quakerism will LOVE it. Know any engineering students? Now you know what to give them for their next birthday gift...
   
   Now come the quibbles, but before I start, let me just say that I gave the writer a break and went along for the ride and wasn't disappointed.
   
   Whatever happened to illustrations in novels? Yes, I know they haven't done them since around World War I, but why not? I had hoped Jack Finney's "Time and Again" would change that, but no. The lack of illustrations is the biggest single flaw in this novel. Pictures of the historical Iron Bridge are easy to find on the Web, and the author, has a nice collection of them on his Web site. But we really need a picture, and a good one, of Samuel's alternate design.So much of the plot turns on Samuel's bridge:
   
   "The arch was heightened !from a semicircle to a parabolic curve; and instead of making the tress members straight, as in timber constructions, Samuel had curved them fancifully, calling attention to the uniquess of cast iron as a building material. The arch rose from either side of the roadway like wings. 'It looks like a butterfly!' Maggie exclaimed."
   
   The story depends on our believing that this design is aeshetically brilliant, and also that it contains an engineering flaw that Maggie is aware of. For those of us with inadequate visual imaginations, it is frustrating not to be able to see Samuel's design.
   
   Now for the real nitpicks. The novel is full of small awkwardnesses. David E. Morse has not completely succeeded in immersing himself in the eighteenth century, and one has a mental image of him visiting historical sites, doing library research, and making notes (ah... the servant lived under the stairway, I can USE that...). At times I was reminded of "The Keeper of the Gelded Unicor!n," Ira Wallach's parody of bodice-ripping historical novels: "Two public letter-writers whispered in a corner. Outside, the cry of the fishwives could be heard over the shouts of the children laughing and clapping as the dancing bear performed in the streets thick with cutpurses."
   
   I thought there was some gratuitous sex ("See, we Quakers are not prudes"), and Maggie is too busy with a complex role in a complicated plot--like an actor still trying to learn her lines--to come alive for me as a real character.
   
   
   There are the usual problems with time-travel novels. There were two, however, which I thought were handled quite well. Dropped four centuries into the past, Maggie is constantly encountering language and cultural problems, and passes them off by saying she is from the United States. I thought this was all handled convincingly, without descending into situation comedy or passing the bounds of belief.
   
   Second, the plot is based on the idea of attempt!ing to change history--to redirect the Industrial Revolution into less destructive channels--by interfering with a single, critical event. Will she succeed? Will she fail? That's all a little stale and tedious, but the way he finally resolves this question is nice--even if the story has a Moral.



4. If a butterfly flaps it's wings in china, and a hurricane rages in the Caribean, then an iron bridge built in 1700's Shropshire may cause the downfall of society in the 2100's. If only the past can be altered, just a little bit, then maybe the future disaster can be prevented. Maggie Foster, a woman of the future, travels to the past where she attempts to influence the world's destiny by changing a bridge and hence the course of history. Maggie becomes embroiled in the lives of the Darbys, a wealthy Quaker family, ironmakers destined to shape the future. Although she comes to love the individual members of the Darbys, her motives around the bridge are ultimately at odds with theirs. As she carefully endears herself to the family while ensuring that the bridge will be a failure, she finds herself coming to care as much about the Darbys as she does about the future.

   I enjoyed "The Iron Bridge" as a glimpse into history, particularly Quakerism. I think that I learned something about historic attitudes toward sex and came to appreciate the role of iron in the formation of our present society. I highly recommend "The Iron Bridge."




5. It was a great idea. A woman living in a future devoid of hope, full of environmental degradation, the offspring of humanity: she turns to the past, to find hope there, going to live with a Quaker family in 18th century England, at a place her group in the future has identified as a turning point in time. If they can stop the bridge from being built, the Industrial Revolution will have a far kinder, gentler path. Through the medium of flashbacks we learn of the evil of that future world and how they came to turn to this idea for hope. A great idea, for which I give it two stars.
   
   It's the enfleshment of the idea that disappoints. Frankly, very little happens. You expect some major results from this idea. It's okay that the author kind of brushes over the mechanism for time travel, making it slightly new-agey- as long as he really pursues the philosophical and scientific ramifications of his ideas. But he doesn't. We don't get really the full breadth of possiblities. What do we get instead? A lot of graphically desscribed aberrant sexual scenes- both homosexual and heterosexual. And the author would have us believe this was normative for the time. To be clear- these scenes in no way help to advance the plot. Even the refence to the actions would not only not help advance the plot, but positively detract from it. I'm sitting there racking my brain to try to figure out what the relevance of the scenes were- other than to titillate and sell more books.
   
   These faults could perhaps be forgiven if the author takes the opportunity to show us the benefits of a group seldom described and little understood. But he takes the stereotypes of Quakers and uses them to represent the worst in humanity. I get the impression that he knew very little of actual Quakers, but did do some sound research on us, and so for instance knows about the Quiestist Period. He uses the pacifism and consensus decision making styles of Quakers and portrays these as positive. But in the same breath he discounts their Christianity. These are Quakers without Christ. They are all hypocrisy, and no love of Jesus. While there are Quakers who are not Christian today, such were few and far between at the time the author describes. What we see described in the family is definitely not attractive, but represeantive of the worst of Quakerism and Christians. That's the easy way out- the way almost every author takes, especially science-fiction authors. Morse can do better.
   
   Worst of all is the ending. Which of course I'm not going to tell you. Let me just say you'll be totally disappointed- and if that's what you're looking for in a book, this is the one to read.