No comments about Romantic Days and Nights In Seattle.

No comments about The Ancient Mayas: Adventures in the Jungles of Yucatan 1934.

3 comments about Frommer's Virginia (Frommer's Virginia, 5th ed).

1. Concise, up-to-date and useful descriptions of attractions, hotels and restaurants around Virginia. Not a tremendous amount of depth of information on any one spot, but if you're traveling around the state, this is a good guide.



2. A very comprehensive guide for the state of Virginia. Even though I am a frequent visitor to Virginia, I found many new interesting places to add to future itineraries.



3. in it that you'll never find all in one place. I used it and was pleased with it

No comments about Amazing North Carolina: Fascinating Facts, Entertaining Tales, Bizarre Happenings, and Historical Oddities about the Tarheel State (Amazing America).

No comments about Ancient Treasures of the Southwest: A Guide to Archeological Sites and Museums in Arizona, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

2 comments about A Journal of Travels into the Arkansas Territory During the Year 1819 (Arkansas Classics).

1. Thomas Nuttall traveled through Arkansas on the White river and described what he saw in great detail. He actually named many of the plants that he found on the trip. The drawings in the book depict landscapes that anyone from Arkansas would recognize yet devoid of all the manmade features.



2. This is the journal of Thomas Nuttall who, in 1819, with $200 and a residual case of malaria,traveled from Philadelphia down the Ohio and the Mississippi to the Arkansas River and various of its tributaries. His journey extended as far west as the current site of Oklahoma City. His account of the plant and animal life, the geology and the streams of Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma are accurate, jargon-free and, in many cases, still definitive. His portrayals of the European and Native Americans he met are objective, unsentimental and unprejudiced. Througout the considerable dangers and difficulties he faced, he maintained, and conveyed, a refreshing sense of wonder at the natural world he explored, an attitude of realistic compassion for the people he encountered and a sense of the historical significance of what he witnessed. The journals are well-edited by Prof. Lottinville whose notes identify sites described by Mr. Nuttall with their current names and provide historical context for various events discussed in the book. This book is a great find for anyone interested in the land, history and people of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

3 comments about Kansas: Off the Beaten Path (3rd Edition).

1. The book is interesting, but seems to have a number of inaccuracies. i.e., the location of the Branding Iron Restaurant (p. 45), the military bridge, "...one of only two remaining structures..."(p. 43)[the bridge was dismantled many years ago (maybe 20 years); "Wealthy old Marblecrest Street .." (p. 42), [I guess this is Marblecrest Drive; I would not call Marblecrest Drive wealthy or old]; the Battle of Mine Creek, "...fought near Trading Post..."(p. 42) [Mine Creek Battlefield is several miles from Trading Post; it is about two miles from Pleasanton.]

   I find the book interesting, but with these inaccuracies in the areas with which I am familiar would cause me to be afraid to trust the book for areas in which I am not familiar.




2. I find "Kansas Off the Beaten Path" (5th edition) to be an interesting guide to Kansas sights and attractions, but it seems to be loaded with inaccuracies.

   Page 4 - "The term Huron is not really the name of a Native American Tribe..." Wrong - there is a Huron tribe.

   Page 7 - "The Great Mall of the Great Plains - Kansas City" This is in Olathe - not Kansas City.

   Page 38 - "Wealthy old Marblecrest Street has a panoramic view of the Marmaton River valley..." Marblecrest is neither wealthy nor old, and very little of it overlooks the river valley.

   Page 38 - "The Good Ol' Days...is a celebration of life from the 1840s through today...." It is the recreation of an 1899 Street Fair.

   Page 39 - "The Bourbon County Fair takes place the fourth week in July..." If you come then, you will miss it.

   Page 41 - "Hollister Wildlife Area, 8 miles southwest of Fort Scott on Highway 69...." It's several miles off Highway 69.

   Page 42 - "...Darnaby's Berry Farm and Country House...." It has been closed for several years.

   Page 51 - The account of the Civil War battle: "...a total massacre of the Fort Scott troops." This is incorrect.

   Page 130 - The account of Squaw's Den Battleground: "Their escape took them through eastern Kansas...." their route was in western Kansas.

   This could be a really good guide to out-of-the-way attractions in Kansas, but I could not trust its accuracy. If there are as many mistakes in the rest of the book as in the portion with which I am familiar, I question its value. A book in its 5th edition should have those inaccuracies corrected. The authors need to recheck some of their information.




3. I've found a number of really great places by using this book. To name a few, there's the chalk pyramids (the directions weren't great, but once I saw the roads I understood why), the Kauffman Museum, and Coronado Heights north of Lindsborg, Kansas, aka "Little Sweeden." This is a travelers guide, and as such, will do a good job of showing people who are unfamiliar with Kansas around the state and to some places that they might not otherwise know are there. I am a transplant from Pennsylvania, and have shown myself around my new state using this book. There are scores of places, events, and landmarks that are quirky, interesting, or astonishing in this book. Had I never gotten this volume, I'd still think Kansas was as boring as I did before I moved here. And now I actually know more about it than most of the people with whom I work who have lived here their whole lives! This book, like all in the series, is worth having, or at least checking out, if you're headed out to the Sunflower State.

1 comments about Ancient Land, Sacred Whale: The Inuit Hunt, Its Rituals and Poetry.

1. This is a great book about the Inuit culture, specifically the whale hunts (obviously). The author covers the traditions, the rituals of the whale hunt itself, as well as the myths and legends of the people. Very well researched and written, it's a great look into the culture.

1 comments about Frommer's New Orleans by Night (Frommer's By-Night New Orleans).

1. I've been visiting New Orleans for over thirty years and these two guys found some joints I've never even heard of.

1 comments about Walked to Alaska, Clawed by a Bear: The Stupendous 4000 Mile Trek.

1. Robert J. Kennedy's walk to Alaska is one of the most exciting adventures of all time. His humor, honesty, humility and courage will touch the reader deeply. The book's style is uniquely cryptic, but enjoyable once you get used to it.

   No matter what goes wrong, Kennedy maintains an upbeat attitude at all times. His conversations with his buddy Ty, who came to visit Kennedy three times during the walk, are truly delightful and insightful. Several times in the book I was moved to tears. And many more times I found myself laughing out loud.

   Kennedy strikingly lacks the crudeness often found in other adventurers. His ineptness is also unique among adventurers, but that only endears him further.

   I strongly recommend this book for readers of all ages. Kennedy's story proclaims loudly that chivalry still lives; and it also has a sense of humor.

   That so many things could go wrong during a 5-month walk is almost incredible. But the book documents the events with great detail. The reader often feels he or she is right there walking alongside. Or crawling alongside, in some cases.

   The bear encounter is truly gripping, due mainly to its remote and dark setting.

   Buy this book, but don't expect it to be anything like any other adventure book you have ever read. This is a spiritual journey as well as a physical and romantic one.

   I cannot recommend any book more highly.