1 comments about The Reader's Companion to Ireland.

1. I read this book in preparation for a trip to Ireland and am writing this review in Galway, near the end of my trip. This is pertinent since the area around Galway is the focus of several essays in the book. This book is a compilation of essays from 19 different authors. The essays are arranged by time periods, starting with Arthur Symons' impression of the Aran Islands in 1896. Later a follow-up essay on the Aran Islands is by Tim Ryan in 1972. Similarly there are three essays about Galway/Connemara areas by Harold Speakman (1924), H.V. Morton (1930), and Robert Gibbings (1940s), with follow-up essays by Joyne Coyne (1980) and David McFadden (1990s). The value of this collection of essays is to show how Ireland has changed or not changed over time. The last essay in the 1990s leaves a large gap to the present 2000 because of so many changes that have taken place in the last 10 years in globalization and increased prosperity in Ireland. The book is also a good introduction to several great travel writers, whose books may be worthwhile reading in their entirety, if you find you like their style. Especially enjoyable to me were H.V. Morton's description of Galway, Chiang Lee's view of O'Connell Street in Dublin (1948), Heinrich Boll's closely-focussed view of Irish life (1954), Elizabeth Shannon's recounting of her experience as the wife of the American Ambassador (1977), and David Wilson's hilarious description of Irish music. I recommend the book, but it does not help with daily travel details.

1 comments about Buy the Best of Ireland: A Shopping and Learning Guide to Irish Goods and Crafts.

1. This a unique and most helpful book for the traveller to Ireland who is interested in coming home with more than the usual Aran sweater or piece of Waterford. Ireland is teeming with wonderful crafters making pottery, jewelry, linens, lace, leather goods, silver, and more - in addition to the familiar woolens and crystal. The authors show you how to find the small family workshops that are not on the tourist maps, as well as the major craft centers and shops. Some crafters will even give you a discount if you show them the book, making it a real bargain! Web site addresses are included for armchair shoppers, and there is a comprehensive list of Irish shops in the US (though no URLs for these). The authors' love of Ireland and its handicrafts comes through on every page. More photos would have been helpful, but this is really a one-of-a-kind book for the visitor to Ireland.

2 comments about Vienna Voices: A Traveler Listens to the City of Dreams (Writing Travel).

1. Weinberger's glimpse into Vienna's rich cultural and historical life serves as a launching point for researching her in-laws' past. Though well-off and industrious throughout the late thirties, the onset of World War II forced them to flee, uprooting their lives and sense of identity like thousands of other Jews in the city.
   
   Weinberger's smooth writing style makes it easy to envision sitting in one of the city's countless coffeehouses on a mild spring day. Yet simultaneously, it is impossible to ignore its undercurrent of war-related anxiety, a constant reminder that a war continues to ravage its victims' lives long after its end.
   
   Although Weinberger's work might be classified as travel writing by some, she encompasses aspects of many other genres -- history, memoir, nonfiction, humor -- creating a memorable read.



2. This is a beautifully and sensitively written collection of personal impressions of Vienna intertwined with flashbacks of personal history of a Viennese Jewish family in the years before and after the Anschluss.
   A very delicate treatment of a highly emotional topic.

1 comments about A Day in the Life of Ireland: Photographed by 75 of the World's Leading Photojournalists on One Day, May 17, 1991 (Day in the Life).

1. If you like anything and everything about Ireland, this book is an excellant addition to your collection. In the tradition of "Day in the Life of ...." books, this book is is a beautiful photographic montage of a culture and a people that has fascinated the world for centuries. You open the book to dawn of May 17, 1991 and enter the daily world of the lives of rural and city people throughout Ireland. Of parents getting ready for the workday, trying to get their kids off to school and the day off to a good start. The book travels through the day from dawn to dusk, unfolding the world of the Irish people and showing the Universal common thread of people around the world trying to live their lives and do an honest day's work. This book is a beautiful montage of color, humor and life and makes a excellant addition to the "Day in the Life..." books that been published in the past decade. Also a side note: The same time the publishers were organizing and executing the book, they also documented the work with a filmed documentary of the "Day in the Life of Ireland" for PBS. If you find a copy of this video, it will make a great companion to the book. You will take a great voyage as you journey through the book. Bon Voyage and Slainte!

1 comments about Art & History of Paris and Versailles (Bonechi Art & History Collection).

1. I purchased two of these books while in Paris to bring back as gifts. While looking through the book on the way home I was very excited to see so many of the places I had traveled to. I wanted to share it with more friends and was glad to be able to purchase more copies from Amazon.com.

No comments about Great Britain and Ireland 2008 (Michelin National Maps).

1 comments about The Way That I Went: An Irishman in Ireland.

1. I'm ordering an extra copy of this book for my Irish house; it walks away with visitors, I think. It's a wonderful wander through a colorful land which, in a way, persists behind the modern clutter, the wide roads and narrow minds that have replaced the old ways. I'll carry it with me as I drive down to Roundstone, up to Sligo, amethyst mining on Achill ... the stones, plants, birds and other charms of Ireland are merrily visited, and it gives another dimension to one's explorations.

2 comments about Greece: An Illustrated History (Illustrated Histories).

1. Hands down, the best compact history of Greece out there!



2. A small, concise book that informs and entertains in addition to becoming a reference book for further reading. It covers the pinnacles of Greek history from prehistoric times to the fulfillment of the dream of hosting the Olympic Games in 2004. Highly recommended! - Gene Chronopoulos, President, Greek-Americans in the Arts and Entertainment

No comments about Collins Clans Map Of Scotland (Collins British Isles and Ireland Maps).

No comments about Hotel Guide 2008 (AA Lifestyle Guides).