1 comments about The Colorado Plateau: A Complete Gude to the National Parks and Monuments of Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, Western Colorado, and Northwestern New Mexico.

1. The description of The Colorado Plateau was appealing as I enjoy visiting our nations National Parks. This book met the minimum criteria described on the cover of the book. It was a fairly complete guide to the National Parks. I was hoping to gain and develop my own impressions from the impressions and experience of the author and thus develop a sense of those places I'd like to visit most. The book also provides historical information for many of the areas, which is interesting. The author is also very opinionated concerning land use which to me are political issues. I found this very distracting, having to skip paragraphs to get back to the information this book advertised it was all about. Also, the book could have done a better job of providing maps that showed the locations and routes into the Parks it was discussing. I found myself having to keep a map close by of each of the States that were discussed, something that could have easily been presented better in each section of the book. Otherwise, the organization of the content of the book was very good.

1 comments about Mexican Spanish (Traveltalk).

1. I have seen the book-ONLY edition of this book before at a bookstore.
   
   I liked it very much and I'd have to say it's the closest to Mexican Spanish than any other phrasebook available in the market these days...
   
   But now I'd like to purchase this edition with an audio CD.
   
   I know the CD doesn't repeat ALL the phrases in the phrasebook, obviously, and I'm aware that what's recorded on the CD is NOT relative at all to what's on the book but rather an audio CD of a short list of phrases + basic words slided in the CD jewel case...
   
   DOES ANYONE HAVE THIS BOOK???
   
   But does ANYONE know if this accent is truly Mexican Spanish accent?
   
   Because often times what publishers do is they record (Spanish) stuff in neutral Latin American accent (known as "acento neutro") which I've been fed up throughout all my High School Spanish classes...
   
   Neutral accent and Mexican Spanish accent don't vary greatly in terms of pronunciation but as an advanced learner with an ear for languages, one can detect and distinguish the two accents - due to intonation, different voices, etc.
   
   
   Does ANYONE know if it's recorded by a native "Mexican Spanish" speaker?
   
   
   Please...
   
   (My sister who lives overseas really wants this book and she and I want to make sure it's "Mexican Spanish" - nothing else...)

2 comments about Bicycling Mexico.

1. This book was written in the late 80's. Since then, a bunch of things have changed in Mexico (2001). Where there were dirt tracks now are highways, bus services have improved a lot and what is described as tiny-rough towns (in some cases only) are small "full-serviced" cities now. The maps contained in the book, as well as the road descriptions, should be used as a reference only. Check local web pages of the places you are interested visiting. MTB is becoming very popular (and growing fast) in Mexico and you will easily get information and tips from other "ciclyng fans" within the country. That will expand and give you info up to date of what is described in the book.



2. It needs to be updated, but can be helpful in planning a trip in Mexico. I used it for planning my bike trip from Merida to Punta Allen. There were a couple places where the route suggested was not as good as possible short cuts because of new roads. Hotel and restaurant list is no longer valid.

No comments about The West Indies in 1837; Being the Journal of a Visit to Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Jamaica.

1 comments about The Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean: The Yucatan Coast of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Bay Islands.

1. Used this book extensively when we cruised the Caribbean and never had a reason to criticize any information. Entry and exit instructions were explict and correct. We did exactly as he recommended and had no problems. Direction for sailding from Cuba to Mexico were right on and tips about sailing down the Mexican coast were helpful. Belize info was great as was the info about Guatemala!

1 comments about Mexican Homes of Today.

1. If you are an architect or if you are building a mexican style house, you should buy this book. I built my house in Mexico City back in 1995 and took many ideas from this book. This is real mexican colonial architecture.

1 comments about The Mexican War Correspondence of Richard Smith Elliott (American Exploration and Travel Series).

1. The Mexican War Correspondence of Richard Smith Elliott, edited and annotated by Mark L. Gardner and Marc Simmons, University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, xi + 292 pgs. The book consists of what the title says it does, plus some useful material written later by Elliott but appropriately inserted by the editors. Elliott was an elected Lieutenant in the Laclede Rangers which was a unit from St. Louis and a part of the Missouri Volunteers, in turn a part of Kearny1s Army of the West during the Mexican War. Irregularly, from May 1846 to July of the next year, Elliott sent dispatches back to the St. Louis Daily Reveille, writing as John Brown. In brief, Lt. Elliott with his outfit went from his home to Santa Fe, where with few exceptions, he remained throughout his term of enlistment. Compared to many other soldiers of that time, he led an easy life. (After all, many of us pay to live in Santa Fe, although arguably the amenities may be somewhat better than they were 150 years ago.) However, Elliott's descriptions of the marches, Bent's Fort, Santa Fe and its inhabitants including the native ladies, are most interesting, as are his opinions of some of his associates and high-ranking commanders. The Introduction is helpful and the notes, we think, are the main achievement of the editors: erudite, expansive as need be, and interesting on their own ‹ as you might expect from those two well-known historians. Notes are what turns diaries or dispatches into histories; in this case a valuable piece of New Mexico history and an excellent view of a minuscule part of the Mexican War.

1 comments about Beachcomber's Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, & Texas.

1. I have mixed emotions about this book, it is very informative on many levels but falls short on many more. I was thinking that it would be about things frequently seen from the beach but it includes a lot of info the layman will probably never need. This includes info (I personally appreciated) about planktonic animals, mieofauna and epifauna, in general a bunch of small animals most people will never notice. Not to say that they shouldn't have been included! They are very important to understanding the ecology of the areas discussed. See what I mean about mixed emotions? I like the way that the book grouped things by community; oyster reef, seagrass bed, mud bottom, etc. A hearty appendix that linked things by taxonomic group would have been nice though. Illustrations where copious but a tad bit simple. In the price range the line drawings could have been better, or supplemented by black and white illustrations. Also curious was the listing of only invertebrates until the end, then the authors jumped over everything and threw in a chapter on sea turtles??? What about the rest of the marine vertebrates? Why include the turtles without the fish and marine mammals? Kind of lopsided.

   If you see this book lying around it is certainly worth having. I'm still using it to flip back and explore certain areas. I wouldn't get to hung up on finding a copy, unless you're really trying to own everything on gulf coast marine life.

No comments about Western Public Campgrounds Desert Southwest: Arizona New Mexico Utah.

2 comments about Taos Pueblo: A Walk Through Time, Third Edition (Look West).

1. Although John Bodine's work makes for a fine tour of the Pueblo, there are several instances where the author is quite insulting to anyone with an open mind. After correcting some common myths, particularly about language links, he harangues the reader as though the reader would argue with his point.



2. This is a packed pamphlet. This is not only a map of time but a map of the pueblo. There are a few black and white photographs and the book is divided in to tow parts one for the tour and the other for the history.
   Items covered in the walk though include:

   The Mountains
   The north side pueblo
   Outside ovens and drying racks
   The Kivas
   The pueblo wall
   The river or Pueblo Creek
   The south side pueblo
   The mission of St. Jerome
   The ruined church and cemetery

   As you can see this is useful even if you never visit but is indispensable for visitors.