1 comments about The Best of Beautiful Cookbooks: France, Italy & Mexico [Gift Boxed Set].

1. This set is a very abbreviated version of the original. The hardcover books are about 8" by 6" and about 120 pages.

No comments about Touring New Mexico Hot Springs.

5 comments about Fodor's Pocket Los Cabos, 3rd Edition (Pocket Guides).

1. This book was a wonderful companion in Cabo San Lucas. The recommendations were right on target, the writing is enjoyable and entertaining, while providing useful information at the same time. I highly recommend this book as it made my vacation more enjoyable!



2. I gave this to my brother who is going on his Honeymoon to Cabo. A great resource to bring along, especially if you cannot access the internet.



3. We went to Cabo in February 2006 and found this guide very, very helpful. I don't know what other guides are available, but this one is packed with accurate info (if just slightly out of date as it is a year or two old). It omits a couple of new restaurants that have recently opened but is otherwise very accurate. The recommendations of activities, hotels, places to eat and things to see were spot-on. I think it's worth getting if, like us, you do not know the area. Also, it is small and lightweight and you can just stick it in your pocket or purse. We went to a few restaurants we never would have found but for this guide, and generally they were better than what our hotel had recommeded.



4. I took a hastily-arranged last minute trip to Cabos, not having had any vacations in 20 years -- and not having much money. I knew we needed expert advice fast, so, trusting Fodor's, we got this book. We ate exclusively at restaurants recommended by this book (we had a car rental.) We made sure we hit both the most expensive place recommended by the book and the least expensive joint that they recommended. Both were equally highlights of the trip. The rest of the time, we ate at recommended places that were towards the lower end of the price scale. We were never disappointed! At Macambo's and Ahorcado, I even took pictures of the food. These were the kinds of places that you would never find by wandering around the tourist area -- let's just say they were "out of the way" and a few a little out of the comfort zone of some tourists. Are we ever glad we took that book! A piece of advice -- take more cash, in small bills, than you think you'll need. If you need emergency medical care like I did (not Montezuma's Revenge, BTW) you'll have to pay hundreds in cash. Far fewer places take credit cards than do in the US. And by all means, take this book. They know what they're talking about.



5. I ordered this book because it was about the only book specifically devoted to Cabo. I was very disappointed. I carried the book to Cabo and back but didn't really use it. If you strip away the generic "travel" information and the history information, this book contains little that is useful. The restaurant reviews are good, but not all restaurants are covered. The reviewers below had more valuable suggestions than this book, such as -- don't rely on credit cards, bring cash, small bills.
   
   The book is woefully out of date. It doesn't even contain a decent map!

2 comments about Walks In Literary Sante Fe.

1. Barbara Harrelson has put together a wonderful way to explore the very interesting city of Santa Fe. More than just a guide book to Santa Fe, it is more like a knowledgible friend taking you by the hand and leading you on adventures both historical and modern.
   
   For example. How many of us know that the English writer D. H. Lawrence owned a ranch a few miles from Taos, New Mexico, and his wife Frieda lived out the rest of her life there after D. H. died. They are both buried on the ranch.
   
   Have this book in hand when you explore Santa Fe and the surrouning area, or when you just want to curl up in a comfortable chair in your home to learn something about the history of the Southwest.



2. Santa Fe is home to an amazing abundance of well-known and talented authors--literally dozens of them--and this little book is an amazing guide to the city's incredible literary history.
   
   The book is divided into two easy walking tours--one in the plaza area and one around Canyon Road--and using those two tours to give the book a structure, this very readable little volume gives a concise and clearly written crash course in the city's literary past. What's even cooler is that you can't really tell such a history without incorporating facts from the city's broader history, so by the time you reach the last page, you're guaranteed to know the City Different much better than you ever did. It'll make you see the place differently, for sure.
   
   This is one of three great books about literary Santa Fe (that I know of), and certainly the fastest read of the bunch. For anyone who lives in New Mexico, and especially for anyone who lives in or visits Santa Fe, I couldn't recommend it more highly.
   
   The author also gives actual walking tours of the city (which inspired this book), and if you ever get a chance to take one, you really should. They're as good as the book--except you'll need to find a place to park.

2 comments about Cities of Gold: A Journey Across the American Southwest in Pursuit of Coronado.

1. Douglas Preston wrote an engagingly funny but also historical account of his adventures and misadventures following Coronado's trail by horseback from the Mexican border in SE Arizona northeast to Pecos, NM. His anecdotes are entertaining and his historical accounts describe the region and peoples past and present accurately.It's a must read for people interested in southwestern history.



2. A thoroughly engrossing book summarizing Preston's journey following Coronado's route to the New World. I couldn't put it down! I fell in love with the people he met and the places he went. I had my map out beside me as I read the book. The history, geography,and geology were incredible. The accounts from Coronado and others of his time were engrossing. The fate of the Indians they encountered was troubling. Does it not foreshadow our own fate?

5 comments about Talking to the Ground: One Family's Journey on Horseback Across the Sacred Land of the Navajo.

1. This book and its predecessor, Cities of Gold, chronicle the amazing, arduous, foolhardy, inspired journeys of a "yankee" in search of the traces of cultures his own people have nearly annihilated. Unlike many memoirists, Preston doesn't shrink from chronicling his own failures and misjudgments, and that's what makes him so accessible to the people he meets along the way, and to the reader him or herself. Most of us will probably never have the guts to make these journeys or get to know all these people - that's what makes this book such a radical act of anti-tourism. Above all it's a poignant homage to "the people." (They know who they are!) If you're a horse person, a traveler to the southwest, or if you're just interested in the question "what is American?" you have to read these books now. And don't miss the great story about the skinwalkers - it's enough to keep you cold in July.



2. A wonderful read, both encouraging and disheartening, with some real family values thrown in. A graphic, first-hand description of the way things were and are, and might be. Mr. Preston provides many enduring messages about the sanctity of life and living that the Bilagaana have nearly completely lost in our rush of subservience to the technology god.



3. It's a pleasure to enjoy the author's background studies (dry) and then his reality (with large hail stones) on a search that leads to more respect... for everything.
   Reading this book caused me to yearn for some concrete search of my own, and that is the dream this book passes along. It was given to me as someone else's favorite book. I can see why. Thanks.



4. It helps immensely to have travelled to the Navajo Nation when reading this story. I found that I had minor interest in the developing family story, compared to the lore and myth of the SW Native Americans. If you've travelled to the SW and are familiar with horses, you'll love this book.



5. As a native of New Mexico I found this book wonderful. I live with a Navajo who was raised very traditionally and he found the book wonderful also. Douglas Preston is the best.

5 comments about Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel & the Yucatan 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. If you know any of Frommer's work, you know what to expect from this book as well. These travel guides are always thorough and as up-to-date as possible with a published book. Don't hesitate to pick this one if you are planning to travel to these areas of Mexico.



2. This guide was pretty good. I got it for the Cozumel information. Over half of the guide was for other areas of the Yukatan. The title clearly indicates that, but it would have been nice to see a Cozumel specific guide from Frommers that includes more of the resort/hotels in cozumel.



3. I have used Frommer's guides in the past and found them reliable. I knew nothing about what to expect in Cancun. The guide had useful general advice about travel in Mexico and currency issues, and it was very informative about cultural attractions. It was a bit light on the coverage of hotels.



4. I've traveled to about 8 different foreign countries, and always used Lonely Planet. I thought I'd give this a try. It was dull and boring. I'm sticking with Lonely Planet.



5. I would recommend this for going to the Cozumel-Cancun area. Has some nice tips, maps and other tid-bits of info.

No comments about Mexico Handbook (Footprint - Travel Guides).

No comments about A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque.

No comments about Woodall's North American Campground Directory with CD, 2009 (Woodall's North American Campground Directory).