4 comments about River of Forgotten Days: A Journey Down the Mississippi in Search of La Salle.

1. This book is as much, or more, of a parental odyssey than a historical one. What information Spurr presents on LaSalle and current thinking and research about this fascinating French explorer is solid and intriguing. Far less engaging, at least to this reader, is Spurr's own family story. Long, dreary episodes tell us considerably more than we want to know about father, mother, and children (his wife mercifully escapes our scrutiny); he even quotes at length some of the clever little bedtime stories he makes up for his son. While all of this wordage is significant to him, no doubt -- and even mildly interesting, perhaps, to other daddies and mommies -- it provides a less than enchanting gift to the general reader. The book belongs on the parents' shelf of "what I did with my kids last summer" rather than with serious historical travelogs. One comes away with the impression that the relatively minor focus on LaSalle emerged as an incidental by-product of a family jaunt. Also, Spurr is not an especially gifted writer, making some of his too-frequent, ruminative, pretentiously insightful passages less than crystalline at best, murky and obscure at worst. Unfortunately, his prose comes alive only when he's discussing his boat or his kids. We learn precious little about the mighty river itself, its dwellers and endless permutations. Spurr's bankside activities mostly revolve around acquiring fuel for his boat. Still, Spurr's book is worth reading for its useful gleanings about current discoveries relating to LaSalle -- one must just tread a lot of water in order to find the good stuff.



2. I want to be sympathetic to an established writer, so John Eastman's review from Jan, 99 sums it up for me in every detail. I ate up the History in his book, which was my reason for reading, but the kid stuff drove me crazy (I've got some of my own), and the writing, exclusive of the historical part, was bad. I think all poor Dan Spurr needed was a good honest editor.



3. When I saw La Salle in the title, I was almost put off this book, but I am glad I took the time to look a bit further. Being a Mississippi River travelog buff, I hoped to find something of interst in this book and indeed I did. Skipping all the entries on La Salle and focusing only on Daniel Spurr's here and now story, I felt as if I were traveling along with him as "a fly on the wall" in the cramped quarters of Spurr's boat, Pearl. The author and his family seemed to be involved with the waters and the banks of this river as opposed to just skimming past to be getting somewhere. I empathized with the author over the myriad uncertainties, irritations and feelings of guilt that go hand-in-hand with parenting. I understood the deisre to introduce his young son to a world far removed from the two-dimensional-virtual-reality vortex Steve was fast becoming addicted to. Travel can be about getting away from or going toward, but I think this story was ultimately about going along WITH. And in this case, I think Mr. Spurr and his children were traveling in spirit with the son Peter, who died in a train accident. I felt a deep heartache coming through in Spurr's words, but also his hope of renewal and his sense of the circle of life. Pre-America barely exisits anymore within the 48 contiguous states, but along the banks of The Mississippi, this author came close to finding it, in spirit and in fact.

   i




4. What is this book? Is it a story of a man trying to impart some peace and maturity to his young son with a river journey, or is it that of an author tracking down new discoveries of an old explorer? It is both; it is neither; it is an experiment in organizing text that didn't fully work out.
   
   Overall, I found the narrative of this book too complicated to follow. He tries to weave together too many strands: the history of La Salle, his trip downriver with his children, visits to artifact-hunters, and stories invented for his son. This may have worked if it were organized in a geographically or chronologically coherent way, but I got dizzy trying to keep track of exactly where and when we were in all the different strands.
   
   I have to admit that going into this book I knew almost nothing about La Salle, and coming out I don't feel like I know much more. I think the historical parts of this book are written to an audience who is already familiar with and excited by La Salle. Near the climax of the historical portion the author expresses excitement at touching "something La Salle probably had touched", a statement that left me particularly cold, wishing he could have gotten some of his excitement across to me.
   
   The journey was better told, I thought, but still I felt let down at the end, since he doesn't offer much resolution as far as the stated purpose of the trip, shaping up his son. Still, the trip seemed fun and I wish he had used my interest here to help me understand La Salle's story.
   
   It feels like there are two books here, stuck together because each was afraid to stand on its own.

No comments about Travels Through the States of North America: And the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada During the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797.

4 comments about Fall Colors Across North America.

1. If you buy only one book of nature photography focused on the autumn season, this book would be a superb choice!

   If you are like me, you've always wanted to take several months off and follow fall as it begins in the northern tundra and creeps gently downward to the southern coasts of the United States. Mr. Anthony E. Cook has lived that trip for us, not once, but more than four times as he traveled with fall through 28 states in the U.S. and 7 Canadian provinces.

   When I opened this book, I expected mostly to see variations on the familiar scenes of New England (where I live now) and California (where I grew up). Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the ways that autumn touches the land, sky, and water covers an immense tapestry beyond my experience and imagination. The Louisiana bayous bring special perspectives that I had never considered. The stark rocks of the American southwest create fascinating interplays of light, shadow and rock.

   Mr. Cook sometimes takes nature, and dresses her up. He has a talent for letting motion speak for itself, whether by taking a long exposure in a whirlpool or by doing the same with colorful aspens trembling in the wind. Some of the work becomes totally abstract in the process. Other work simply takes color and blurs it with motion to make the leaves, rocks, and water look like an early Monet painting of the shore.

   With Zion, Mr. Cook becomes a surreal master, showing sides of nature that I would never have looked for in the fall season.

   From another perspective, he also honors nature with formal portraiture. The book is filled with stunning panoramas that bespeak carefully planned compositions and being there for just the right moment. He climbed Mt. Jo ten times before he got what he was looking for. The patience of Ansel Adams comes to mind. The panoramas are double the usual width and require a necessary division by the binding, which seems to have been planned for in the composition so that little impact is lost.

   Mr. Cook's talent for composition is best captured by his many simple still lifes with two or three contrasting elements. My favorite was a partially turned red maple leaf lying atop a variegated lily pad in the water.

   A nice surprise for me, as well, was to find a number of dignified images of animals that I seldom see during the fall such as beaver, moose, and a coyote.

   This work is also enhanced by a fine foreword by Mr. Art Wolfe, a wildlife photographer, who was trained as a painter, and by Ms. Ann Swinger who explains more about how the fall colors occur.

   To view this book is to see beauty, to understand new aspects of nature (especially the way that summer and winter can tug on autumn in between), and to experience transcendence. The experience was so intense for me that I could smell, hear, and touch the scenes with my mind as I viewed many of the images.

   After you have read this book several times, I suggest that you arrange to visit new places each year to enjoy the fall changes. You can get ideas from this book about places to go. For example, I had never thought about Denali in Alaska as an alternative but Fall Colors Across North America has captured my imagination in a way that no other photographs of that area have before.

   Open your mind to all the possibilities!




2. Purchased the book because could not get out to see folige this year. So I was very excited to receive the book, but after viewing the images, I feel a bit disappointed. His best image is cleary the cover image, which is spectacular. But inside the images are not biting sharp, probably due to the fact that he shot it in 35mm instead of say medium or/large format. There are too many images of animals. I want to see folige and color. He also include images of evergreens during fall season which are ...green, and rock formations in Zion National which are pretty but they are not folige. He also like to shoot water falls with a slow shutter and again...nice but I wanted more color.

   In fairness to the authors and photographer, the title is "Fall Colors Across North America" and not "Fall FOLIGE Colors Across North America".

   I will keep the book because I love fall folige and there are some very good images of that but I would have liked to see 1. A larger book in paper size. 2. Sharper images 3. More Folige and less animals and water falls.

   I cannot comment on the essays as of yet as I have not read any, that may change my opinion. Hope this review is helpful.




3. I had the opportunity of purchasing this book after viewing Mr. Cook's slide presentation. His compositions are fresh and inspiring, and he is a perfectionist when it comes to technical execution. I congratulate him on extracting the very most from the 35 mm Nikon / Velvia combo.



4. I went to see the photographer at a show and his work is just gorgeous. He uses intersting angles and if you like nature you will love it!

No comments about California Missions: A Guide to the State's Spanish Heritage (California Traveler).

No comments about The Innkeepers' Register.

5 comments about Sedona Hikes : 135 Day Hikes & 5 Vortex Sites around Sedona, Arizona (Revised 6th Edition).

1. This book is good you want to look up a specific trail by name. I am more interested in researching trails in a specific area and found the layout of this book VERY frustrating. This book NEEDS a trail map overview where one can see where a specific trail is in relationship to the other trails. If you purchase this book make sure to purchase a Sedona Trail Map as well.



2. I have read five books about the Sedona hikes, all written approximately across the same time period, and this is why Iknow what I am talking about.I have also been to Sedona twice and know about it in a general sence. Short and sweet...this is the best all around Sedona hiking book filled with lots of bits about popular and unheard of hikes. This book is good because it is created by a Husband and Wife writer and photographer team who have lived in the area for years. The book includes maps of how to get to the trail heads and where the trails go from there. Also, descriptions of weather related to time of year and level of exertion required to do the hikes. The hikes that include VORTEXES are clearly marked. The photography is great. The five other books are best described by one or several of the following phrases: sickening and homespun; the writer as spiritual guru who is grandiose; might as well not bother; information repeated elsewhere ad nauseum. GET THIS BOOK



3. This book was very helpful in deciding which hikes to do. We were not dissappointed by any of the hikes. It was good that we knew about the pink jeaps ahead of time.



4. I used this book for planning a 2 day visit to Sedona. I was extremely happy with the format. It has 2 pages per hike, with a high quality photo of what to expect for views, driving/hiking distance/time, as well as selections of their favorites. We didn't visit long enough to do a lot of the hikes, but we truly felt that we were able to select 3 hikes that were perfectly suited to our tastes and with nice variety. Overall, I don't think you could go wrong in Sedona, but I felt like this guide was well worth the price and only wish I could find similar guides for other locations. The Magnum's have done a great job, deserving of 5 stars.
   
   The only shortcoming you may find is that their maps are very general and mostly help you find the trailhead (which was flawless). But, I prefer to have a quality map as well and I purchased the Emmitt Barks Cartography - Sedona Trails Map (not sure if it was on Amazon), and was very happy with it. Personally, I don't think you can create a detailed map inside the book for each hike, so I don't consider this a flaw to the book - just a bit of advice if you are planning a trip.



5. This book seems to cover many great hiking areas in Sedona. It is quite explicit re: directions and information about the hiking trails. Great book for a person new to the area or even people who have been around awhile. Very informative!

4 comments about Stone Canyons of the Colorado Plateau.

1. An hymn to the nature and it's landscapes, whose pictures are superb in both the technical and artistic plans.



2. The number of photographic works exploring the nuances of the Colorado Plateau is seemingly endless. Many can be browsed once and left behind. This book is the scintillating exception.

   Jack Dykinga's photographic work is simply exceptional, and beyond the pale. Each color photograph appears as exquisitely crafted as a piece of fine crystal, beginning with very cover of the paperback edition. One can only envy his great patience and expertise in composing each work.

   Much of the photography comes from the Paria Wilderness, an area of the Plateau not usually treated to any degree in most works, and the novelty is refreshing. A particularly enjoyable facet of the book is that use of a telephoto lens has been largely eschewed, leaving a series of scenes that the enterprising tourist can find and view with his or her own eyes, just as depicted by the book.

   Charles Bowden's accompanying text is evocative and hearkens a wild diffusion of images and memories of the fascinating region.
   It is an apt companion to Dykinga's superb work.

   If you are limited to five or less books about the Colorado plateau, let this be one of them. I enjoy it more every time I read it.




3. In 1998 I'd seen a photo on a calendar of the Vermillion Cliffs in Utah, but had no idea where exactly it was located. I teach photography and my students and I had done some research to find it, but discovered it was a very large area. When I found Mr. Dykinga's book I was even more determined for my students to see and photograph the area. Needless to say, the book is truly inspirational thanks to Jack's remarkabe work.!
   If you know a photographer or a traveller - this is the book for them! Enjoy the treat yourself as well.

   Jeff Grimm
   Bedford, TX




4. The perfect combination of wonderful pictures and superb story-telling. After having seen and read more than 15 books of the Southwest/Glen Canyon area, this is definitely one of the best. Jack Dykinga and Charles Bowden have done a wonderful job. Also, in the end of the book the raise the very necessary topic of how to (better) preserve the Colorado Plateau.

No comments about Guide to Black Washington: Places and Events of Historic and Cultural Significance in the Nation's Capital.

No comments about Appalachian Trail Guide to Tennessee-North Carolina With Maps (Book and 3 Maps).

No comments about Luigi Castiglioni's Viaggio: Travels in the United States of North America, 1785-1787.