4 comments about Chicago's Southeast Side Revisited (IL) (Images of America).

1. Anyone from the southeast side of Chicago will love this book. It's full of great pictures of the places we grew up with. It makes a great gift for someone who's hard to buy for. I bought one for my older brother and he is enjoying all the memories it brings to mind.



2. This book is chock full of pictures and descriptions of the neighborhood known as the Southeast Side of Chicago. A must for anyone who grew up in this area. What memories! A definite coffee table addition to any home. And a wonderful gift.



3. This is a great book for everyone to read. Its all pictures with captions below. Anybody who grew up on the Southeast side (like me)need to buy this book. It has a history of this side dating back to before the turn of the century. I think it desearves more than a 5 star rating.



4. I rec'd the wrong book and I never heard if it was rec'd back to
   you. When this is cleared up I want to try again

2 comments about Runes of the North (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book Series).

1. Olson's use of sensory description is a powerful tool in his writing, particularly Ghost Camps of the North (an essay in Ruins of the North). Olson takes the reader on a fantastic adventure in each and every one of his essays. Not only does he take the reader to various geographical locations, but he also takes the reader back to the days of the French/ Canadian Voyageurs, and trappers. Ruins of the North contains work that traces the path the voyagers took from Montreal to Grand Portage, and into the far North The careful description of the Hunting Moon rising has a majical quality about it. Olson is a master nature/ wilderness interpreter that has given the canoeist/ camper a wealth of stories to tell. Reading an essay from Ruins of the North just before one retires at night insures a night filled with vivid dreams, and sound sleep. This can best be illistrated by the Essay The Dream Net.



2. Olson's use of sensory description is a powerful tool in his writing, particularly Ghost Camps of the North (an essay in Ruins of the North). Olson takes the reader on a fantastic adventure in each and every one of his essays. Not only does he take the reader to various geographical locations, but he also takes the reader back to the days of the French/ Canadian Voyageurs, and trappers. Ruins of the North contains work that traces the path the voyagers took from Montreal to Grand Portage, and into the far North The careful description of the Hunting Moon rising has a majical quality about it. Olson is a master nature/ wilderness interpreter that has given the canoeist/ camper a wealth of stories to tell. Reading an essay from Ruins of the North just before one retires at night insures a night filled with vivid dreams, and sound sleep. This can best be illistrated by the Essay The Dream Net.

2 comments about The Gluten-Free Guide to New York: Everything You Need To Know About GF Dining, Shopping, and Cooking in the World's Greatest City (and Its Suburbs).

1. This is a great gluten-free restaurant guide for people living in or visiting the NY tri-state area. It not only highlights great places to eat gluten free, but also lists where to shop. The sample menus are also very helpful.



2. This is a great resource for people travelling to New York. It's in reference form, with titles, addresses and some menus of restaurants that are aware of the celiac diet, and in some cases specially prepare gluten-free food. I needed my book quickly and Maria did everything she could to get it to me. This book and its author are terrific.

5 comments about All Aboard! Revised 2nd Edition: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide (All Aboard).

1. Add another dimension to your travel adventures. Tried by air, by sea, by car, by motorcycle, by RV? How about by train? In this train travel guide Jim Loomis certainly makes the North American scenic route appealing. Panoramic views of the passing scenery, onboard activities, food, security for your belongings, sleeping accommodations, how to plan your trip, who to call, what to pack for yourself and the kids, how to read a timetable, when things go wrong who to turn to for emergency help, how it all works behind the Amtrak cross country system. California, Mexico, Quebec, Louisiana, New York, Ontario, Washington, Oregon are only a few of the destinations mentioned in this book which taps the innate wanderer in you, and calls you to a different kind of travel adventure. Mr Loomis has even included some suggested itineraries, with related tours and hotels and would you believe railway museums? Take lots of photographs and create your own travelogue for the folks back home. A welcome addition to the vacation experience. Very informative. One can almost hear that distinct plaintive train whistle and that familiar call. All ABOARD!



2. This is the latest edition of an earlier book written by an enthusiastic supporter of American rail travel. It includes changes in Amtrak's system within the last five years. If anyone is looking to travel by train for the first time or is a supporter of rail travel themselves, you should get this book. It explains everything from the duties of crewmembers, who to go to with questions while onboard, an excellent history of Amtrak from its formation by Congress in the early 70s and some sample itineraries. Coverage of the Canadian VIA system and Mexico's Copper Canyon is also included. His section on the Copper Canyon route will make you want to go, and he tells you how to do it. If you need help planning your itinerary, this book provides great advice and even lists some travel agencies who specialize in rail travel.

   Old rail veterans may consider this book a little trite, and there isn't a whole lot of detail about the trip descriptions in the book. However, the history of rail travel and the technical information about railroads is pretty interesting.




3. I was planning to take a train across the country on a sleeper.It is certainly nice to know what to expect before you embark unless you are a real adventurer. Author provides very detailed information about the life on board of the train, living quarters, conditions. This takes about half of the book. Than he describes each route. I found this part very short, for my purpose was to know what kind of cities or sceneries I would expecte to see or where to get off the train for a day or two. So for that reason I was a littel dissapointed.But the TV shows gives you some information anyway. So this book was more valuable for life in train.



4. The information is good -- plenty of background material on North American trains, etc. I'd recommend reading it if you're planning a vacation and are interested going by rail (or could be talked into it).

   But having read it, I can't help feeling that it would be more useful if it were organized and presented differently. Rather than a thick paperback with about 10 typically-sized chapters, maybe it would be more useful if the chapters were broken down into smaller, better delineated sections, with stronger cross-indexing. Maybe spiral bound. More maps?

   If you're planning a vacation in North America, it would be good to get this book and read it during the planning stage. But it wouldn't be very useful to throw into your backpack and take it with you, which is too bad because with a different organization I think it could be.




5. I hadn't taken an Amtrak crosscountry trip although I've ridden trains in NY area, in Europe, etc. So when we planned a crosscountry train trip, I got this book (there's a second edition published in 1998 too) and it was marvelous. We knew what to expect, this book explained it all. The book is honest and detailed in what it says, and it's easy to read. Plus it's self-contained, meaning you can read only one part and know all you need to about that part without having to go through the whole book. Well worth it for anyone taking an Amtrak trip of 2 hours or 2 days (done both now). Only point to add is that in the sleepers, he recommends against room A since it's a bit smaller, but the other rooms (B, C, D, E) have a door for connecting rooms together for parties of 4 instead of 2, and the door isn't as soundproof as the rest of the wall. So A is a bit smaller but quieter. Also, there is space in the ABCDE sleepers to stow two suitcases under the bed, as long as they aren't too big (9 or 10" x 19" x 23" fit OK) and thus they are out of the way, and I'm not sure he makes that clear--or maybe I was overzealous in figuring out how to get the suitcases out of the way. BTW, on 6 Amtrak trips in the midwest and west, we've never subsequently made up any time, so any delays that happen have stayed with us for the rest of the trip. A good book for a novice train traveller or for one who wonders how some of the stuff happens in the train world. And he's right, the coach seats compare favorably with business class/first class on planes.
   
   Chicago is a big hub. From there, we've taken trains to Seattle, New Orleans, San Antonio, Washington DC. A very useful book to explain what you'll encounter. A train trip is a lot more restful than a plane trip nowadays (yes, I fly a lot too).

3 comments about North American Indians (Penguin Classics).

1. George Catlin is certainly a man to admire, as is this book.Catlin lived amongst the Native Americans for many years and writes carefully of his experiences.This is an interesting read and provides another dimension to the subject of American Indians.The book is fascinating in as much as Catlin portrays himself as a wordly man and a friend of the Indians ( And he certainly was)but despite that you can still find evidence of his ignorance within the text.Nevertheless he was a fascinating man who had a fascinating life,his artwork allthough basic in my mind, is well worth a look.My only critiscm of this book is that quite some time is spent describing the scenery whereas I would have prefered even more writing on the Indians themselves,that is my personal viewpoint, others may find that intruiging.The book is full of facts and personal experiences and that in itself adds to the validity of this book as musthave for your collection



2. This takes place some 30 years after Lewis and Clark... Excellent documentary of the North American culture just before the BIG change. Its evident Catlin realizes this change and through his travels, he meticulously describes the native civilizations from an eyewitness account. In the final chapter, he makes a bold hypothesis concerning the origins of a particular tribe: the Madans. Fascinating!



3. I have always been extremely interested in North American Indians and own many books on the subject. I rate this one at the very top! George Catlin traveled among the tribes before their way of life was ruined by civilization. This book contains some of his journals, illustrations, and drawings. I wish there were Volume II!

1 comments about Crossing the Darien Gap: A Daring Journey Through a Forbidding and Enchanting and Roadless Jungle That Is the Only Link by Land Between North America and South America.

1. Pros: enjoyable read
   Cons: wish I would have known this adventure took place many years ago before. Was disappointed at the end of the book to read how many years ago this actually took place (roughly 20 yrs). I plan to enter the Darien in the next few years and was hoping for something fairly recent.

1 comments about Streetwise Florida Map - Laminated State Road Map of Florida - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise) (Streetwise (Streetwise Maps)).

1. I like this map. It is more than what I imagined before buying.
   It pictures well to the details, and it is strong by laminated process.
   Beautiful and not so big for taking for trip.
   Whenever I take a look at the map, I feel as if I were still traveling Florida.

1 comments about Leocha's Ski Snowboard America 2008: Top Winter Resorts in USA and Canada (Ski Snowboard America and Canada) (Ski Snowboard America and Canada).

1. I was looking for a good ski guide and after much research I narrowed my choice down to two: this one and The Great Skiing & Snowboarding Guide 2007. After having purchased and used both guides I can recommend both. But if you are only buying one, then your choice should be around WHERE you are planning to ski.
   
   This guide has no information on resorts outside North America (obviously), but it does provide richer information and insights than the Great guide. It provides better insights on food and accommodation as well as some views on the best runs - which I found to be very helpful and accurate. It doesn't have the glossy trail maps - although these days they can be found on-line for most resorts.
   
   The Great guide has reviews of all the major resorts in North America and Europe (although it has very little on other countries such as NZ, Chile, Japan etc). A bonus is glossy colour trail maps of all the resorts they cover in detail. It also has lots of ad's and details for travel agents, hotels and the like if you are looking for that information.
   
   In Summary: if you are "going global" or want the glossy trail maps - go with the Great guide. If you are sticking to North America then I found Leocha's to be more insightful. [Review repeated under Great Guide]

2 comments about Topographic Recreational Map of New Mexico: Detailed Travel Map.

1. THE MAP IS WHAT I WANTED BUT I FEEL ALL THE ITEMS I ORDERED ON THE SAME DATE WHICH WAS 4-7-08 COULD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN MAILED TOGETHER TO SAVE ME SHIPPING. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW. JENNIFER



2. These are great reference maps for generalized recreational activities. Not as detailed as a topo map, but still packed full of outstanding information. I have one for every state and I don't leave home with out them. An improvement over simple highway maps.

5 comments about Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic.

1. Barren Lands is one of the great adventure reads. A bit slower and less gripping than Krakauer, but a great read.



2. A really well crafted book with some flowing prose but... there is an element of 'faction' about this book. The author takes literary license to the extreme by describing in detail events he never witnessed and although it might make for great fiction, it made me wonder just how much of the book's narrative is at best exaggeration, at worse pure fabrication.
   
   But I thought the geological details in the book were well explained and the one lasting impression that I was left with was just how boringly methodical, time consuming and repetitive prospecting for diamonds really is, no matter how colorful and larger than life you make the people doing it.



3. It has been a number of years since I bought and read Barren Lands. Although I greatly enjoyed the book while I read it, I appreciate it even more now because it has left me with many vivid memories of tales told in the book and with knowledge about diamonds and geology that I would not have known otherwise. The book is more multi-dimensional, and works on more levels than almost any other book touching on Geology that I have read. In this multi-dim respect, I think it actually exceeds John McPhee's Rising from the Plains - which is quite a feat. What do I mean by multi-dimensional? Here are some examples that are still bouncing around in my mind years after reading Barren Lands:
   1.) The impression that is left of the Australian Mining Company BHP Billiton: I am left impressed by the way they kept their feelers out in this fringe community of explorers, and nutured a relationship with Fipke and Blusson until they found the first paydirt. (Way to go Hugo!) If one bought stock in BHP soon after this book came out, one would have probably recovered hundreds of times the books price in appreciation.
   2.) Fipke: I suspect that if he were growing up today in USA public schools, he would be first diagnosed with some kind of attention-deficit disorder, pumped full of Ritalin and then finally jailed when he would inevitably fail to be successfully hammered into servile, abject mediocrity. I think there is a huge lesson here for academia: STOP measuring people with standardized tests, and figure out a way to help each person find his or her own, particular intellectual fire the way Fipke did.
   3.) The endgame just before the discovery of the first pipe under the frozen lake. The cash is gone, winter is closing in, competitors with megabucks are catching on, and Canadian laws require you to divulge your secret the moment you make your discovery.... Such unlikely reality and so wonderfully told.
   4.) Death in the wilderness: lightning bolts and helo crashes. If it were fiction, people would criticise it for being unbelievable.
   5.) Black flies.
   6.) Shooting stars and prophecies.
   
   Much more. What a great and memorable book.



4. Very well written and informative. I learned alot about both the diamond business and the great Canadian North by reading this book. Very entertaning.



5. This is a true story, but reads like a novel. It is about the search for diamonds in northern Canada on a low budget. They follow one lead, that doesn't work, they follow another lead. They spy on the competition, the competition spies on them. They play tricks to mislead the competition, and eventually succeed in their quest. Parts of the book are hilarious.