2 comments about Pueblo People: Ancient Traditions, Modern Lives.

1. Marcia Keegan captures the respect, love and compassion that are the foundation of the Pueblo villages. The sense of family and continuity clearly shines through in all of the photographs and writings.

   This book is a beautiful piece of art of the traditions, people and villages of the Pueblos. The many photographs are sharp, colorful and soulful. She not only takes wonderful pictures of indivdual Pueblos but terrific shots of the villages and different ceremonies.

   The foreword by Regis Pecos has just the right amount of information and heart.

   Truly a book to treasure and display!




2. Pueblo People: Ancient Traditions, Modern Lives is a compilation of 417 color photographs taken by renowned photographer Marcia Keegan of all 19 of New Mexico's Pueblos over the past thirty years. All photographs were of people who readily consented to the portrait, done with the full understanding that photography is a joint undertaking between the photographer and the subject; Marcia Keegan is acutely aware of the Pueblo people's rules against unauthorized photographs or sketches, and honors them not only as laws, but as the dear wishes of friends and fellow human beings. The images of people, homes, and cities present a vivid picture of Pueblo daily life and customs, and the brief text passages throughout the book will help the reader better understand Pueblo communities and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Highly recommended.

1 comments about The 25 Best Civil War Sites: The Ultimate Traveler's Guide to Battlefields, Monument & Museums (Greenline Historic Travel).

1. This guide really helped us sort out how to plan our trip this summer. With maps, detailed information on the best ways to get around, and good tips on historic inns, we managed to pull off our tour of the Virginia/Maryland area really seamlessly. The book also provided a good amount of background so that everyone in our family--both the serious history buffs and the less knowledgeable among us--could understand the relevance of what we were looking at. Really made the war accessible. While there are obviously countless Civil War history books out there, this one stood out for us because of its focus on making touring easy for visitors from outside the area.

3 comments about Travels in a Stone Canoe: The Return to the Wisdomkeepers.

1. A wonderful account of two men, a writer and a photographer, who become enveloped in a new consciousness; or more accurately an old one. I was up until the wee hours every night until I finished it. And each morning I found myself more aware of the Creator's presence in every stone,tree and being - an awareness and an awakeining that they are all following God's instructions. Thus, I was gently brought to the question: am I following the Creator's instruction? The "Origional Instructions" Harvey and Steve have passed on to me in this volume have helped me answer that question.



2. These tweo white men are chosen to take a journy in life. This is not a come on along along and pack you bags. This is an inner and spiritual journey for these two men as much as it is a journey for the elders of different nations to accept and trust these men to some of the their most private thoughts and lives. a book well written and appericated that it shows The People as the caretakers that they are to the world.



3. This book is a must read for anyone who has read any of the works by Harvey Arden and/or Steve Wall! Extremely well-written and the chapters are in the first person of both authors. It is, I think, their best work that I have read so far. This is an honest, unpretentious, examination by the authors of their own journey connecting with the elders and the insights they offer. You will not be able to put it down; I read it in one afternoon without a break. I intend to re-read; it is that good.

1 comments about The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake: The Story of a Soldier, Adventurer, and Emissary to the Cherokees, 1756-1765.

1. I was amazed at the life of Mr. Timblake. If you wished to get insight into the Pre Revolution Era life, then Read this Book.

1 comments about North Carolina State Parks: A Niche Guide.

1. North Carolina has well over fifty natural and recreational areas, and "North Carolina State Parks: A Niche Guide" is here to guide readers through its expansive wilderness to get the most out of their visits - there may even be something here for native North Carolinians that they haven't seen before. Covering every activity it can - hiking, camping, birding, boating, and more - "North Carolina State Parks: A Niche Guide" is a highly recommended guide with over one hundred full color pages, filled cover to cover with invaluable information. It's a pick for armchair travelers and real world travelers a like, and an essential addition to community library travel & nature collections.

1 comments about The Untamed Coast: Pictures and Words About Rare People and Rare Places Along the Edge of America.

1. I enjoyed this book very much. I learned some new things about life in parts of my home state of Louisiana with which I was not familiar. Although Jenkins' love of nature and people is very apparent, I was somewhat disappointed that his vignettes of the people he interviewed and sometimes lived with, were not more in depth.

5 comments about St. John Off The Beaten Track.

1. Mr. Singer does a terrific job of detailing St. John's numerous hiking trails. He even gives concise, clear directions on how to get to each one. Thanks to him, we found our way to the America Hill trail with ease, and I must say the view from that vantage point was certainly worth the arduous hike up that mountain! He even gives advice on the best snorkeling spots as well as snippets of St. John history. After perusing this book, you feel as if you've been to St. John even if you never have! An absolute must for properly and thoroughly exploring the island. The only drawback is the lack of color photographs of the vegetation he describes. Also, the maps are very helpful.



2. As marine aquariasts and avid snorkelers, this book led us to the greatest snorkeling spots and some beautiful secluded beaches. Our favorite was Yawzi Point and Little Lameshur Bay. We arrived at 10:30 and were among 4 people on the beach. The waters were turquiose and the beach beautfully sandy like Trunk Bay but without the crowd. We enjoyed the right side of Yawzi Point accessible from Little Lameshur as the waters were calmer than the left hand side with similar reef to explore. Leinster Bay/Waterlemon Cay was another great find. The thing the book didn't mention was to hang your bag as Mongooses can unzip and will eat your lunch! The best, most useful book out of the three we bought. The maps are terrific as well.



3. I thought I had seen it all. Then I found St John Off the Beaten Track. Gerald Singer has chosen to share the hidden treasures of St John. St John is full of history, plantation ruins, nature walks. They will make your trip special.



4. I could not get past the lack of photographs which would have depicted what the author was discussing. The book is filled with drawings, some look like the refrigerator art we all collect when our children are in elementary school. It was like reading an article discussing colors and all the pictures were in black and white. The book discusses plants and there is no photograph of the plant. There is one section in the middle with approximately 6 to 8 photographs. I wanted to see photographs of the stinging wasps and the poisonous plants. I didn't find them.



5. We have spent many years sailing in the Virgin Islands, and St. John has always been a favorite. This book is a great guide to where the good snorkeling is, where the good beaches are and to the St. John Trail system. It is also an excellent guide to information on this island that I have not found anywhere else nor in our somewhat *extensive* Virgin Islands library we have accumulated over the years.
   
   That all said, this is not a book for the timid. If you want to really see this island, it takes some sweat and some work. Many of the beaches and snorkels described in this book require some work you the reader's part to do the hike, scramble along the shoreline or get to the spots described. On St. John, this in many cases is not a simple task. You will need to your own transportation if you are staying on the island and you will need to be prepared for a serious hike up steep hills carrying your gear to get to many of these places. If you are coming by boat you will need to be able to plan a bit of an expedition to get to the bays and beaches listed. In many cases, it will entail a hike from the most popular anchorages to the spots listed.
   
   We like it like that. The snorkels are worth it - and would describe most of them to be non beginner-cruise-shipper-with-life-preserver sorts of snorkels. You should be prepared for a bit of exertion but the results will be well worth it. You should also not do these alone (of course, never snorkel alone).
   
   All in all, great background on the island and good information on the stuff that most tourists never see. This is not a book for tourists, but a book for travelers - if you get the distinction. If you do, this book is highly recommended.

5 comments about USA by Rail, Fifth Edition (Bradt Rail Guides).

1. The guide is very informative. It covers the Canadian rail systems, also.



2. Everything you need to plan (or dream about) a vacation across the USA by train!



3. I strongly recommend this guide for those who expect to take any substantial Aamtrak trip. We have taken a number of them and I throughly believe this is one of the best guides that is out. Not only does it provide information you can use as the trip progresses, but helps with distances so you can pick the right stop or what train to take while planning your trip. Some of the trains have small, specific brochures that provide similar information, but by the time you have boarded its a little late for the planning advantages. Even then, this book provides more detail than the pamphlets. The route maps alone are worth the price.



4. 
   In planning a trip for 2008 I have found USA by Rail to be very helpful in deciding routes to criss cross the USA and Canada. Covers a multitude of important subjects in easy armchair reading or to use as a guide in route.



5. Having looked at several other books on train travel, I believe that this is the one you need to have when embarking on a journey with Amtrak. With the price of gas having gone up as much as it has, there is still a whole land to see, so I highly recommend this book. We used it extensively on a 28-state, almost 9,000-mile trip. The book gives plenty of things to look for and helped us to better understand the geography (and landmarks) we were seeing. Each route is specifically detailed, including the stops. There are also sections with important information that should be read before embarking. I notice that the 7th edition is due this fall, so there were a few errors (scheduling, stopping, etc) that I'm sure will be corrected. So if you are not leaving until next year, you may want to wait for the newest edition. But again, don't leave home for Amtrak without this important guide.

1 comments about Insiders' Guide to Philadelphia (Insiders' Guide Series).

1. I threw this guide away after the first skimming. Definitely pales in comparison with the Eyewitness Travel Guide.
   This guide seemed to cater to the wealthy traveler and was a bland book with not much illustrations or good organization.
   The Eyewitness Books are always the better buy. They are easy to follow, cater to all levels of travel with good maps and suggestions as well.
   This was the last Insider's Guide I will buy.

2 comments about North Carolina Hiking Trails, 3rd.

1. If there's a walkway, path, or trail in North Carolina, it's probably in this book. Perhaps more remarkably, the author has hiked every one and measured almost all of them. The descriptions are from his personal journals, augmented by some researched background information on many parks, forests, and important trails.

   To convey this huge quantity of information in a relatively compact book, the author has adopted a shorthand style that's reminiscent of telegrams and classified ads. The only maps are two large foldouts that show the general locations of the trailheads. However, the lack of trail maps and the terse style make it difficult to understand how various trails interconnect (until you buy the topos). If that bothers you, try Randy Johnson's "Hiking North Carolina."




2. Very effective book- presents Hiking Trails in a very descriptive and accurate manner as far as I can tell. Easy to read material.