No comments about San Antonio and Austin (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide).

No comments about Viva Mexico (Twelve Point).

3 comments about Rand McNally 2001 Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico).

1. Rand McNally has compiled, once again, the yardstick that any road atlas will be measured against. As an avid traveller, I can personally testify to the fantastic detail of this particular atlas in terms of detail and readability. The number of cities that have a separate page dedicated to them is staggering and much appreciated.



2. I have traveled using the Road Atlas almost every where in the US and the Atlas has turned out to be a perfect guide. It shows all the major Interstates, US Highways and a lot more. The discount coupons at the back also help a lot.

   In comparisn with the National Geographic Road Atlas, this Atlas comes on top because of the clarity of maps and the quality of paper. A definite 5 Star Purchase.




3. Hi I'm from Europe.And almost every year go to USA.And when I finde this ROAD ATLAS I was surprised whit fantastic detail of this particular atlas in terms of detail and readability.Also whit this major scenic roads,nationals parks and rec.area.
   A definite 5 Star Purchase.

No comments about Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket (Insight Compact Guide).

1 comments about New York State Road Atlas (State Road Atlases).

1. Very clear mapping, large print and easy to use, with additional tourist information. A good buy.

2 comments about The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Northern Plains: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America).

1. I bought this book for a weeklong driving tour through North and South Dakota, and found this book invaluable. If you are interesting in the natural resources and park systems in these places, it has lotsa info you won't get in maps (especially many beautiful color photos) altho the advice given wasn't always useful.



2. I've been to South Dakota a number of times and have had many questions about the landscape, etc. This book has the answers and the pictures to go with it. I especially appreciated the glossary and the further-reading list.

No comments about The Aspen Book: A Complete Guide (Aspen Book).

No comments about Canadian Sunset: A Farewell Look at North America's Last Great Train/Book and Video.

3 comments about Letters from Mexico.

1. The story begins with the planting of A Orange Tree and ends with the the conquest of Mexico. Cortes is a man driven by adventure and the lure of wealth in the new lands. It is however sad that he ends up in love with the place and culture that he finally destroys. The book gives a blow by blow description of the political intrigue of the church, the crown and of course Cortes men. At one point in the book the fighting is so brutal that Cortes is literally hacking the Aztec warroirs to death as steel meets wood in a no contest.Montezouma is perhaps the most tagic figure given that he is a child not a leader. The insights that Cortes rrecordrds give a fascinating account in a true historical sense. It is a book that destroys the idea that conquistidores like Cortes are bigger than life.The book reaffirms a tragic tale with its detail descriptions. A great read for enthusiasts of Mexican history Leigh Collins



2. Anthony Pagden, Harry C. Black Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, presents his readers with what he feels is the definitive edition of Hernan Cortes letters. Pagden states in his introduction that although his translation was not the first in English, the previous were, "more or less unsatisfactory" (page lxxix). Pagden sticks to the verisimilitude of the letters as much as possible, presenting Cortes' original spellings and place names. The main liberty Pagden admits to have taken, dividing the text into further paragraphs, does not distract the reader or destroy the intent of the work. By using the earliest available manuscripts, the original translations, and numerous primary sources as evidenced by an extensive bibliography, Pagden allows the reader to enter another world, and delve into the mind of the most talked about of all conquerors, Hernan (Hernando, Fernando) Cortes. Five letters are presented for synaptic digestion. However, the first letter presented is actually not written by Cortes. The unknown author speaks highly of Cortes, though. The other letters, penned by Cortes, describes the exact minutiae of what he paints as a perilous journey. What makes these letters so readable and enjoyable is the reader gains an intimate knowledge of the pageantry of the 16th century, and a first-hand account of what must have been clash of Spanish and New World cultures. The letters written by Cortes are revelatory. He must have had either a tremendous memory (the shortest letter is fifty-six pages long whereas the longest is 122 pages) or a fervent imagination. It is not inconceivable, then, and Cortes' prose intimates this, that he was an educated man. The letters also show that Cortes was very deferential - as he addresses his head of state, every few pages Cortes begins a new thought with phrases such as, "Most Powerful and Invincible Lord", "Your Majesty", and "Most Catholic Lord." For the contemporary reader this can be distracting. From the triumph of Conquest, the reader finds Cortes ends as a broken man, literally begging King Charles for monies to pay his increasing debts. Certainly these are not all the letters Cortes wrote to his monarch. What letters presented represent a unique opportunity. Herein lays the thinking of the man who led a handful conquerors and New World allies to bring down an empire. In this respect, the work succeeds brilliantly, for the mind of Cortes leaps out in his letters.
   I might have read a different edition than the one advertised, so the page numbers might not match up.



3. This book is an excellent new translation of five letters to Charles V, the HRE, four written by Cortes. The first letter, not written by Cortes, seems to have been written with Cortes leaning over the writer's shoulder, for it fits in perfectly with the four Cortes letters, both in sequence and in theme.

   The running theme of all five letters seems to be this: Cortes is a great man who works to bring wealth and glory to Charles V, while overcoming amazing obsticles presented by both Indian and Spanish sources.

   What can be learned from these letters? Not much that can be trusted, other than Cortes is good at "selling" Cortes to the royal court.

   The letters are full of obvious exagerations and vast silences.

No comments about Journey To The United States Of America/ Viaje A Los Estados Unidos Del Norte De America (Recovering the Us Hispanic Literary Heritage).