4 comments about Croatia: Travels in Undiscovered Country.

1. A terrific book. I have found no other book on Croatia that offers such insight into the country's current way of life and historical emblems, without becoming trite or resorting solely to political fact listing. Reveals the fragile beauty of a an undiscovered country in the midst of economic and cultural change. A wonderful travel book. Accessible and imaginative writing. Very well done.



2. Croatia: Travels In Undiscovered Country by Tony Fabijancic is a superbly written, personal memoir and eye-witness travelogue of what it was like to experience the land and people of Croatia as both an ancestral home and an undiscovered country. Transporting the reader on one man's journey into a rich and varied landscape, Croatia: Travels In Undiscovered Country is a vividly written, deftly informative, and memorably presented experience of a land steeped in centuries of tradition and lore. Croatia: Travels In Undiscovered Country is especially recommended reading for armchair travelogue adventure enthusiasts and anyone thinking of a trip to Croatia for themselves.



3. This is an account of its author's travels in what for him was "undiscovered country" but for the reader, save for this book, would be forever undiscoverable. Mr. Fabiancic, a Canadian born in Croatia, fluent in the language and connected with the culture, combines a native's access with a foreigner's perspective; he thus engages deeply on our behalf with places and people that otherwise, if we encountered them at all, would be no more than two-dimensional snapshots, real or remembered.
   
   Indeed, much of what Mr. Fabiancic saw and experienced just ten or so years ago may well already have been swept away by the riptide of progress that has swept over the newly independent nation since the disintegration of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. His observations are keen and his descriptions immediate.
   
   Mr. Fabiancic also shares his inner travels with his audience. That aspect of the book is not especially to the taste of this reader, for whom Mr. Fabiancic's reports of personal epiphanies and developmental milestones ("My youth is over") get in the way of his descriptions of the often striking landscape and its often colorful and, it seems, always engaging inhabitants. At times, too, his striving for literary effect can be a bit labored: in places the similes are so thickly spread as to obscure the nouns they are meant to illuminate, and more than one perfectly effective account is blunted by a last-minute effort to give it Meaning.
   
   Should such distractions tempt you to put the book down, don't. If you find a chapter heavy going, try another; they vary in style, as in subject matter, and little is lost by reading them out of order. Later, returning to a passage that had seemed a little overblown, you may experience it more sympathetically. Especially if you have in mind to visit Croatia, the author's vivid insight into what the country and its people are and have been will make coping with the book's less successful qualities more than worth your while.



4. I recently returned from three weeks in Croatia and came across this book. I would say Tony's writing is fair to good, and I enjoyed his insights into how the country felt and looked in 1996 post war. Because most of my time was spent along the Dalmatian Coastline his stories have inspired me to spend time on my upcoming return to Croatia in the rurual areas. Speaking Hrvatska is going to help and for anyone contemplating travel to Croatia he does a good job of articulating the lifestyle of 10 years ago. It is changing drmatically now that it is poised to join the EU. His stories are off the beaten tourist path and defininitely reflect the flavor of a very diverse country that remains in denial about its history and its future.

2 comments about Irish Family Names Map (Collins British Isles and Ireland Maps).

1. Our Irish heritage group searched high and low for this item for years and years. The single mounted copy that we had was a source of endless fascination for members and for visitors when we set up at the local highland games and other festivals. It is also a good, basic map of Ireland and its counties. We bought two.
   Note to the Scottish: Collins publishes a similar map for Scotland with clan crests instead of coats of arms. A must buy for any convener or clan commissioner.



2. The map is a must for anyone who is tring to put together a family tree. It is well laid out and clear. Gives one a solid grasp on where the family lived/originated. I found it very helpful

4 comments about The Town Below the Ground: Edinburgh's Legendary Underground City.

1. I only gave this book 4 stars because I felt that it was too short and abbreviated. Then again, I'm the type of person who likes rich historical details. The author doesn't bore you with dates or technical details, the story of the origins of Edinburgh's underground city are told with a marvelous gift of oratory, making you feel like you're hearing a story told in front of a fire, a story that grows more and more chilling.

   The story is simple, due to overpopulation, numerous underground chambers and vaults were built to accommodate the fast growth of Edinburgh's Old Town. The poorest of the poor lived in these dark cramped vaults and more often than not died there too, having never known anything but poverty and misery. You are told of the kinds of people who lived there: villians and widows, families and loners. You hear of how they lived, from the people too sickly to work to the poor children forced to climb inside chimneys to clean them. Full of misery, disease and hoplessness, it's no wonder the underground city has gained a reputation for being haunted.

   Tales of the supernatural happenings are also found in this book, tales of a mischeivious yet harmless ghost who haunts a pub to the frightening stories of tourists and tour guides alike being assaulted by unseen hands and claws.

   Whether a history buff or a fan of ghosts stories, you're sure to enjoy this book. It's easy reading, educational AND entertaining.




2. ...those readers who don't come from Edinburgh found the book entertaining, but those who do found it disappointing, and I must add my name to the latter category.

   As a lifelong Edinburgh resident I've heard stories of the underground city all my life, and the emergence of this book offered the promise of a full and final explanation of what's really there and what isn't. However, aside from a reasonably interesting general history of old Edinburgh, the book is astonishingly lacking in facts of any kind. It's all conjecture, rumour and myth. At least fifty percent of the book is merely a series of fables and ghost stories with absolutely no descernable facts or evidence to either back them up or dismiss them.

   If someone's going to bother writing a book on the underground city, wouldn't you expect them to have something to TELL? Not so Jan-Andrew Henderson. For him the gathering together of a few myths and legends was enough. No solid research, maps, plans or diagrams, descriptions of exactly what remains of the underground city; No reports of excavations, eyewitness accounts; no rummaging through old property plans or title deeds to discover reports of mysterious doorways in lost cellars that seem to lead nowhere. None of this.

   If you're really interested in learning about the underground city you'd be better off saving your money, and instead paying a visit to one of Edinburgh's many pubs in the old town, where you'll encounter characters who can tell you much more about it than anything in this book




3. I must start by saying that I haven't actually read this book. I did, however, visit Edinburgh a week ago and embark upon a tour of the old city that focused sites of murder and mayhem. On that tour, my guide was Jan-Andrew Henderson. He brought an overlarge group of American teenagers to silent, rapt attention with his description of the old city of Edinburgh inside the Floyden wall. We ended at Greyfriar's churchyard, home to 400 monuments and approximately 800,000 bodies. He was a charismatic and knowledgable story-teller, and if he writes at all in the manner in which he speaks, anything he could put on paper would be worth reading. ~ Interested in History

   P.S. On this tour Henderson made no mention of his name or plug for his book. I found out his identity later from my overall holiday tour guide (completely independent from Henderson's tour) who had accompanied my school group for the experience.




4. I found this book to be very entertaining and interesting! I don't usually like "ghost stories", and do not believe in ghosts (though I don't want to go looking for them in case I'm wrong...ha, ha); however, having been in Edinburgh 5 months ago, the underground city fascinated me. Though the book can often only reference "stories" and can not be factual, since most of the items in this book are impossible to verify, the author includes a lot of accurate historical information too. I took a tour of South Bridge when I was visiting Edinburgh, and fortunately, did not encounter any ghosts or strange occurences. After reading the section on South Bridge, I was even more glad that I didn't encounter any strange incidences (ha, ha). The author does not try to sell you anything and doesn't use his book as a publicity plug, which is nice. I recommend this book for its entertaining and interesting information!

5 comments about The Road To Kosovo: A Balkan Diary.

1. I felt like I was there with Campbell as he tried to sort out the good guys from the bad guys without getting shot by either. His analysis of the Balkan quagmire, while presented in clear, logical language, does not give me much hope for a happy ending anytime soon over there. I understand Campbell is going back over there shortly. I look forward to reading what his take is on the changes that have occured since his last visit.



2. I have never read a more cynical writer than Campbell. He shows no restraint in his description of Kosovo,in his opinion,nothing more than ugly brown hills with "ragged" natives. He spends much of his time ridiculing albanians and where they live.I used to live in Kosovo,and i can assure you it wasn't that bad. As for the serbs,they get treated a bit differently. Apparently,the serbs aren't really bad people,just led by manipulative leaders. Utter nonsense. Serbs might not agree with Milosevic on most things,but they agreed with him on Kosovo. Blaming evil leaders is far too convenient.



3. The Road to Kosovo A Balkan Diary was a good fast read. I found his experiences similar to a "road trip" I had taken through the R.S. and Croatia with Bosniak License Plates while on vacation during my year working for the U.N. The book gives you a good feel for a foreigner's impression of the area.



4. Well,first of all I must admit that I'm halfway the book now but I'm already able to recommend this book. I had a library copy at home when I bought this book and to be honest I was sorry I did that because I could read the book for free BUT in the very first pages thanks to the writing of Mr.Campbell I have congratulated this book for getting a place in the bookshelf of mine called "Only the best books I've ever read in my life". This book is so good as it tells things as they were.Mr.Campbell tells the truth and doesnt sympathise anybody except the justice. His writing is amazing and you wouldn't be surprise when you get transfered so easily into a strange world full of mysteries. I try to buy every single book about my country and I have plenty of those but "The Road to Kosovo" is the best one. I'll finish by saying -Even if you read 100 books in this subject you wont be able to find as much true information as in this one. And YOU'LL GET TO KNOW THE BOSNIA,KOSOVA AS YOU KNOW YOUR OWN COUNTRY - AND THAT'S ALL THANKS TO GREG CAMPBELL



5. I think this book details why politicians and large political / military organizations like NATO have such a difficulty in successfully performing low level military conflicts like the peacekeeping effort in the Yugoslavia region. This book details by representing the destruction and ongoing fighting, just how ineffective the peacekeeping process was at the start due to a half-hearted commitment by the political leaders. The military in the conventional sense, is not a police force or social working group, the purpose of the military is to destroy the enemy. When asking this force to go about a job they are not designed for with one hand tied behind their back and the constant fear of every decision being second-guessed, is there any surprise that the effort did not work for some time.

   I think this book provides one with a good start to understanding the civil war in Kosovo. I think one would need more details to have a better understanding of what will need to take place for this area to live in peace. A good follow up would be to read Waging Modern War by Wesley Clark.

No comments about Living Abroad in Ireland (Living Abroad).

3 comments about Ireland's Professional Amateurs: A Sports Season At Its Purest.

1. What John Grisham does for American football in Italy in They Play for Pizza, Andy Mendlowitz does for Ireland's national sports, except that Andy's Ireland's Professional Amateurs is non-fiction.
   
   This book is an account of the author's eight months in Ireland following the Gaelic football and hurling seasons. He traveled to a dozen cities, lived in players' family's homes, shared successes and losses, and soaked up the nationalistic feelings the games brought to the teammates, their county and the many enjoying enduring fans.
   
   Irelans's Professional Amateurs is more than a sports book - it is also a travel log of Ireland's rich culture, and a history book of the great country.
   
   Andy tells a story of the pride and joy of the fans in watching the distinctively special Irish sports and how it transcends the sports playing field to the pride in their local county and their Gaelic background.
   
   The players are all amateurs practicing hard and heavy after work so they could win the Sunday game for their county. And then they are back at work on Monday at their jobs as teachers, accountants, lawyers, civil servants and factory workers. No time to recover from their injuries which seem more plentiful than they should be for an amateur sport, to back to their planning and practices for the next weekend's game.
   
   The book is written in a fast paced journalistic style that grabs your attention from the first page to the last. It draws out individual stories of many players and the pride and sacrifices they make to play the game.



2. Reviewed by Richard Blake for Reader Views (2/08)
   
   To get background information and interviews for his "Ireland's Professional Amateurs," award-winning journalist, Andy Mendlowitz toured Ireland for eight months to observe and record the story of a sport season at it its purest.
   
   This is a behind-the-scenes story of The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), of Gaelic Football, a combination of the elements of soccer and rugby, and the game Hurling. Hurling is an Irish sport played with a stick similar to ice hockey. Andy described the game this way: Gaelic football was physical and with the players not wearing pads, trouble followed. Hard shoulder-to-shoulder contact led to violent collisions. Heads banged and bodies got slammed to the ground.
   
   These games often attract crowds as large as 80,000. The athletes train as professionals but maintain full-time jobs outside of the sports arena to pay support their families. According to Andy, GAA both created and reflected community. GAA fans had two loyalties-- to the club team and to the inter-county squad. Mendlowitz provides several enlightening references within the various chapters of the financial underwriting of the GAA organization and their investments.
   
   From the early playoffs in February through April to the finals in September and October, Andy followed the teams from Clare, Mayo, Leitrim, Kerry, and Galway Counties to Derry in Northern Ireland and the cities of Cork and Dublin.
   
   I personally enjoyed Andy's word pictures and colorful detailed descriptions of the Irish countryside as he traveled from the rural parishes to the large cities of Belfast, Dublin, and Cork. I was fascinated as he gave me a new appreciation of Ireland's culture, folklore, superstitions, history, and economics. He also gave me a new understanding of the difficulties being faced in Northern Ireland.
   
   To provide the background information Mendlowitz wanted for his story he stayed with players and their families. He became involved in their personal lives and identified with the loyalty they feel for their teammates, their fans, and their country.
   
   Mendlowitz writes in a fast-moving, journalistic style that reveals his own passion for sports, his fascination with the sports, the games themselves, with the individual team members, their coaches, and their fans. His love for travel, new adventures in learning and a love for life all come through in "Ireland's Professional Amateurs." This is sports writing at its finest.



3. good book. the author takes in the romantic side of the GAA but also sees the faults and future hurdles that the GAA will face in coming years. worth a read.

5 comments about Playing the Moldovans at Tennis.

1. I really enjoy Tony's humor, the way he writes and the fact that he actually goes through with his totally wild bets. A fun read!



2. As a die-harder on CIS traveling, I do my best in ready every travelouge written on the former Soviet republics - some works, some do not work and some are great. Tony Hawks book is - against all odds - in the 2nd category.
   
   The reason why Hawks has the odds against him for writing a travelouge that works (and under no circumstances is capable of writing a great travelouge) is that is simply doesn't have a clue about Moldova. As anyone that succedes with making a living out of something he doesn't have a clue about, he does not try to behave like he is an expert, he chooses a subject most other people don't have a clue about either and of course it does not hurt that he has a great humour and a lot of good spirit.
   
   As a consequence of his approach though, the book is probably more interesting AFTER you have visited Moldova (or as entertainment for you that have no intention what so ever to go there - a marketsegment I suspect to be much bigger) than as preperation before you go.
   
   2 other CIS travelogues come to my mind after reading Playing the Moldovans at tennis. Hennighan's Lost Province and Bissel's Chasing the Sea. Hennighan does not work, Bissel has written a great travelouge. The reason why Hennighan's book does not work is that as he as Hawks does not have a clue about Moldova nad the CIS, totally lacks the humour and - more important - the self irony and conciousnes about his own ignorance that it takes to write a good travelogue from this startingpoint. It should be stated that if you can live with the anoyments this creates, Hennighans book is quite worthwhile as the period of time he spends in Moldova, the fact that he speaks the language and the fact that he works there, give insights that Hawk's book can not provide. The reason why his travelouge is not great as Bissel's, is exactly because he does not even try to get a clue about the subject before he started writing. One can very well argue though that Hawk never intended to write a travelouge in this tradidtional sense.
   
   Funny book - good observations!



3. As someone who takes a great interest in the former Soviet Republics, I'm always interested in personal travelogues throughout the area. This book didn't disappoint. His perspective is great for a country so rarely visited. And he shows respect and deference to Moldavians and the progress they've been working towards. The pictures are great as are the descriptions of each soccer player.



4. Highly amusing sports journalism, if you want to call it that, not to mention a travelogue.
   
   A writer, who also happens to be your A-grade pennant sort of standard type of tennis player thought it would be interesting to see if he could get one of the worst national football team's players to each play him in a short tennis match.
   
   Not being the most open or easy to get by in country this presents some challenges, and some bemused players, although most are pretty good sports.
   
   Some eye-opening local stuff about the country he comes across, especially with some of the less athletically skilled inhabitants.
   
   A good read, especially given nobody knows anything about the place.
   
   
   3.5 out of 5



5. If the Moldovan football team may not reach notoriety on the playing field, it certainly reaches notoriety on the tennis court. After watching a football match, Tony Hawks---not the skateboarder---makes a bet with his friend that he can defeat the entire Moldovan football team ... in tennis.
   
   Masterfully done by a leading British comedian, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is a perceptive novel about the struggle, bureaucracy, kindness and hospitality in Moldova. Describing the good and the bad of a country so remote from the private eyes, Hawks' insights reveal a beautiful land with its share of problems - tensions in Transnistria, ethnic relations with the Roma community in Soroca, and the corruptive measures of a green organized crime. Yes, there are those references of which a Moldovan may not be proud. But in the heartiest of lights, the book opens a window into the intrinsic splendor of a country that even its people choose to ignore in today's daily struggles.
   
   Filled with laughter, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is the best comedic piece to emerge in the West about transitional economies. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Ireland by Bike: 21 Tours Geared for Discovery (By Bike).

1. I bought a number of books before a recent bicycle trip to Ireland to help me plan routes and I found that this book was the most useful. It is very well laid out and enjoyable to read. If I did the trip again, this is the book I would rely on. I recommend it highly.



2. As a tourist, this book was helpful, but as a cyclist it was not. The maps were very difficult to follow and didn't include street information--they were basically a map of Ireland with a line going from city to city, sometimes including road names but not always. Ireland is roughly the size of New England so at a street level, the map was fairly useless.

   For example, the tour from Dublin to Wicklow (the first tour in the book) began with from the center of town, "follow the signs to Dun Logherie. Once in Dun Logherie..." Now you would think that Dublin was packed full of signs pointing the way, but it isn't; in fact it is very easy to get lost (which is how I spent most of my time on the first day).

   4/5ths of the chapter on this first bike tour was about things to do in Dublin and Wicklow and not how to find your way around. This wouldn't be so bad if finding my way around was easy but it's not (Ireland is notorious for this) and the reason I bought this book was so that I *could* find my way around. Instead, I had to buy street maps, regional maps and spent a fair amount of time packing and unpacking things.

   In some places the book was misleading. It mentioned that you cannot take bicycles on the Motorways but it didn't mention that most of the National Roads have pedestrian-free bike lanes. It mentioned that you can't take a bike on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit), but it didn't mention that you can take a bike on Irish Rail.

   Well it may have mentioned these things, but I didn't see them because after spending the first day lost, I abandoned this book and just used the maps.

   Again, the book was full of useful information about what to do when you get to these places, but it was light on the things that mattered most to me as a cyclist. And frankly, if you're looking for a book on what to do in Ireland, you'll do better with a Frommer's guide or somthing more substantial.




3. My friend from Canada wanted to tour Ireland based on a picture he saw on a co-worker's desk. His co-worker had toured Ireland and had nothing but good things to say. He asked me and of course, I said YES! Even though I biked recreationally, I had no idea what I was in for. I bought this book and we used it for all 3 trips (1998, 1999, 2000). In all 3 years, we cycling the last two weeks of September. I feel like writing my own cycling book as we've learned a lot in the three tours to date. Anyway, back to the review. Reason for end of September, The kids are back in school, the tourist trade is widing down, the B&B's are still open & there's less cars on the road! I would do this for any country.

   I find a lot of the bike book reviews complain about map detail in the books, not finding their way according to the book or not according. You should buy a bike book as a reference only and a good Michelin-like map. Keep an open mind with the book, use a good map & yeah, if you get lost, it's another adventure awaiting you.

   I liked the author's write up on the history of Ireland, always good to know a little about the country you're touring. We looked at the book's routes and then transposed them to the Michelin map for actual riding. I had a handlebar bag with an enclosed topside map bag so you can read your route without stopping. The Ireland by Bike book was always at hand. In 3 years, it's a little weathered but will always stay in my collection of books.

   The authors mileage was accurate, the tips along the way, the scenery spots that are off the beaten path. An example would be to stop at the signpost 2 miles out of a town, find the lane, walk up the lane 1/2 mile and your see this round fort. We saw things we would never have if it weren't for this book. Excellent examples of things like this thruout. Music pubs, B&Bs, just an excellent book.

   I thought all the .... By Bike books would have a common standard but is not the case. Beware before you buy, they are not all like Ireland By Bike as far as detail.

   If you want to ride 30 - 50 miles a day, stop to see the sights and enjoy the country, the people, the Guiness, this is the book for Ireland.

   Does not cover Northern Ireland. The author never rode into.

   Now we're looking for another country to tour now that we've done all of ireland.




4. I bought this book before my first bike trip in Ireland, as a couple of the itineraries were similar to ones the group I was touring with would be taking. Plus, I planned on (and eventually did) further bike trips in Ireland.
   
   As itineraries go, these aren't bad. The directions aren't always perfect, but neither were the ones we were given by the tour company. As another reviewer mentioned, you should alway purchase good maps! Even then, you can still make a wrong turn and get lost. In that case, don't hesitate to stop and ask for directions on the best way to get back to your intended route!!
   
   The author himself says that you need another guide or resource for places to stay (i.e., Bed & Breakfasts). There are also better guides for the sites along the routes, once you know the route you're taking. And if you're really interested in reading up on Irish History before you go, get a different book--almost every other guide book I've ever read did a better job of doing a brief overview.
   
   Still in all, this is a good resource for starting to plan your trip; just remember not to depend on it alone!



5. This book does not have a single ride in Northern Ireland. I wound up buying an out-of-print copy of The Lonely Planet Guide to Cycling Ireland to plan my trip. Since I couldn't use it I do not have any criticism on the rest of the content. Safe riding!

1 comments about Moon Ireland (Moon Handbooks).

1. This was published in May 2007, and I consulted it during my stay in June and July. I can vouch for its accuracy. The strength of the book lies in the fact that as far as I can tell from the acknowledgements (worth reading for their charm), the whole was written by a young American ex-pat, Camille DeAngelis, and therefore has the consistency of a single p-o-v that reflects her encyclopedic knowledge, tempered enthusiasm, and evident stamina. While the guide is markedly less comprehensive on history, sightseeing, and local lore than competing guides, it is very thorough on practicalities such as civilized accomodation, decent eats, bus routes, and ATMs. I would use this to work out the nitty-gritty of planning the details of staying once you figure out in your itinerary where you are going and how long in each locale you'd be staying.
   
   That's where the prefaced itineraries geared to particular cultural, scenic, historic, or recreational interests come in, as well as a few paragraphs at the end of each county section telling you how long would be ideal to remain in a certain location if you want to partake of its attractions-- or flee their lack of appealing destinations. The book lacks the flashy graphics of other guides, and is geared more to the independent visitor, perhaps on their own, on a budget rather than a tour bus or expense account. DeAngelis succeeds in giving travellers a realistic expectation of the costs, hassles, rewards, and drawbacks of getting about the remoter and less-obviously touristed places in Ireland. She also takes care to note prices whenever possible; although inevitably these may rise, they do, due to the book's recent publication, reflect as closely as any print work can, the considerable expense of looking after yourself and getting around and staying put in this, one of the priciest nations now in the world-- especially given the weak dollar vs. the euro.
   
   I tested my own two-week stay in such a place in Donegal, off the beaten track a bit, with her coverage. She was accurate in her descriptions, noting such details as the mattresses in a hostel, how far said hostel was from the main road, what kind of road it was, how to find the place given its remoteness, the temperament of the caretaker, and prices for what she charged vs. what you got for the money. All this in about a hundred words. She tells that the nearest ATM is 27 kilometres away. She recommends of the three choices the pub (not the quieter one I favored...but the same one all the guides like!) with the best craic. She warns of the few shops, the difficulty without a car in seeing it all, and the scattered nature of the dramatically situated settlement. While her coverage of the archaeological and cultural sites there was for my tastes far too brief, such information can be obtained easily with other references.
   
   Like the Moon Handbook I remember using on a trip five years ago to the Big Island of Hawai'i, this series concentrates on the good place to grab a bite, the B&B that won't rip you off but which may not have t.v., the view from the window of the pricy hotel, the fare to the airport, the cost of the taxi, the options if you have a week vs. a day.
   
   The pictures she took, often in black-and-white, make it difficult to do justice to the places, but this does keep costs down for this affordable book, and you can always take your own snapshots or buy postcards! She took care with every feature here. The maps are a bit less detailed than those in a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, but easier to read and larger on the page. For those of you unsatisfied with other guidebooks' tiny maps and insets, the Moon Handbook provides bigger type both in the page layout and the graphics. Symbols often mark tourist attractions. The pages are easy to scan without being cluttered. The shops, pubs, attractions, and bus and rail stations are marked clearly in text and on maps. Streets actually have names on maps and are not only drawn blanks!
   
   A telling example of DeAngelis' thoroughness is the Irish-language section. Short as this portion is, she thought it through. She gives you actual words and everyday sentences and (not simply cute phrases about buying folks drinks and/or flirting with them) with phonetic equivalents, and encourages you (I studied Irish there on my recent trip in that locale for those two weeks) to use them when conversing with the locals in the Gaeltacht-- or, I might add, outside of it! She is realistic about the chances of actually using much Irish (earnest outsiders tend to be in my experience regarded often with bemusement or suspicion by native speakers), but I encourage her inclusion of this material, often superficially treated in other guides.
   
   Finally, she wrote a lovely preface, that begins with the trope that (I paraphrase) ten years from now you will remember the trip that you are now planning, and from there goes into an evocative memory of the pub, the craic, the stranger who struck up a chat, the scenery as you walked to your temporary home away from home that evening. It's a powerful way to bring you into the power that Ireland still can hold, despite the rush to ugly bungalows, rampant consumerism, littered countrysides, urban gridlock, and suburban sprawl. She does not shy away from these realities, but urges you as a visitor to understand these marks of our society as the island's prosperity must contend with, in my clumsy metaphor, killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

No comments about The Amateur Historian's Guide to the Heart of England: Volume 3 - Nearly 200 Medieval & Tudor Sites Two Hours or Less from London (Capital Travels) (Capital Travels).