No comments about As Others See Chicago: Impressions of Visitors, 1673-1933.

5 comments about Ski North America: The Ultimate Travel Guide.

1. David Holyoak's Ski North America Guide is first class. Nothing like this has been published before. This stocky, well-illustrated guide to all the significant North American ski resorts contains intelligent, un-flowery text and good practical advice. A must for any skier or snowboarder seeking the reality behind the American dream, I wish I'd written it myself.

   Arnie Wilson, ski author and editor, Financial Times ski correspondent for 18 years who, in 1994, became the first person to ski for 365 consecutive days (Guinness Book of Records), including more than 100 resorts in North America




2. Being new to the States as well as a crazy skier I spent hours on the net trying to collect information about different resorts. This book is the first, and so far the only book, that gives very detailed, professional overview while providing non-biased information about resorts. I visited many resorts in the States in the last 2 years and compared my impressions with the reviews in the book - you can relay on the book! Great advantage of this edition is a an amount of illustrations such as aerial photos, maps of the area, etc. I wish there will be similar book about skiing in Europe.
   On the down side I would expect more info about resorts on the NE (for example, my favorite Whiteface is not included).



3. Very informative but dated. The lift ticket prices listed are significantly below the actual rate in some cases (i.e. Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Moutain). They should be updated.



4. This book by far surpasses excellent. If you are planning a ski trip and are interested in going somewhere new this book seems to have it all. It lists every major ski area in the United States. Every ski resort mentioned is chronicaled by state and gives you area and mountain facts and most have their trail map pictured as well. It also lists local airports, directions from most areas to the ski resort as well as lodging suggestions. I could go on and on about the other little tidbits within the publication but you'll just have to read it yourself.



5. I really enjoy this book. I've checked it out at least five times. Each resort section has alot of helpful information. It makes planning a trip a breeze. David Holyoak really nailed it.

1 comments about National Geographic Atlas of Natural America.

1. This book is great if you're looking for 1-2 page descriptions of plants, animals, trees, lakes, wildflowers, glaciers, canyons, mammals, fish, and deserts of parks in North America. The pictures are wonderful. And there are many national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges listed in the book. The map at the beginning of the book clearly pinpoints where each of the parks are located.

No comments about Seattle (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide).

3 comments about Traveling Literary America: A Complete Guide to Literary Landmarks.

1. I'm sure I'll be using this book as a reference for many years to come. If you do any kind of book-related traveling, you'll be glad you picked up a copy.
   
   Welborn crossed the U.S. several times while researching the book, and her diligence shows. The guide is loaded with excellent facts and useful tips, and it couldn't be easier to navigate.
   
   The book lists over 200 homes, museums, exhibits, memorials, etc., and it's divided into sections by region of the country. It includes historical information about each author and his or her work, as well as little-known tidbits that will make your journeys infinitely more interesting.
   
   If you're looking for a thorough reference on author homes and other literary landmarks, this is the book for you.



2. Anyone who loves books-which presumeably includes anyone reading this review website, will love Traveling Literary America. It is a hefty (more than 500 pages) and features more than 200 literary sites in nearly all 50 states, including author homes, memorials, poetry walks, exhibits and museums. What's more, author B.J. Welborn offers descriptions of towns associated with a particular writer (Jack Kerouac's Lowell, Mass; Willa Cathers "Catherland" in red Clouod, Neb); unusual literary treasures (Yiddish Center in Amherst, Mass); art colonies (MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire); hiking trails (Edna St. Vincent Millay Poetry Trail in New York), and sidebars on literary movements (Romanticism, the Beat Generation). There is a lot of fascinating stuff in here.



3. Ever since I visited Cross Creek (Rawling's home), I've been on the look out for more author's homes or related sites to visit. It was such a great experience to see her place after reading her books.
   Now with Traveling Literary America, readers can visit places associated with Dr. Seuss, Mark Twain, Jack London, Edgar Allan Poe and other admired authors. Besides such well known authors, he includes more offbeat literary figures such as poet Joyce Kilmer's home (New Brunswick, NJ) and songwriter Woody Guthrie's birthplace (Okemah, Okla).
   I can't wait to see some of these places and having the book on hand allows me to fit them in wherever I travel in the US.

5 comments about Greenwich Village: A Guide To America's Legendary Left Bank (New York Bound Books).

1. I am giving it to everyone I know as a Christmas present. Since I grew up in the village, it is a joy to be able to share the rich history of my hometown.



2. Having planned a trip to NYC for the first time, I wanted to use a different guidebook that would give me a historical perspective with walking tours. I found it in this beautiful book. It made my trip to NYC a most memorable one. I highly recommend this book to anyone travelling to NY who wishes to learn more about this great city's history.



3. This book is a beautiful and well written guide to my favorite area of New York. An excellent read for anyone who enjoys the village.



4. I couldn't stop reading this book! It's funny, smart, full of surprises and as beautiful as any book I've seen this year. It's like a box of candy -- almost impossible to put down, easy to pick up again, and delicious wherever your fingers happen to land.



5. Originally, Greenwich Village was settled by the rich and merchant class of lower Manhattan as an escape from the recurring ravages of yellow fever and cholera. For this reason Greenwich Village was, essentially, never really mapped out; never really settled in accordance to any public plan. Perhaps this haphazard beginning is what gave the area its combined refined yet anarchic flavor that exists until this day.

   And this was also the reason for the area becoming attractive to free-thinkers and artists, which is the focus of the valuable book, "Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank" by Judith Stonehill. Complete with maps, illustrations and a walking tour of the four sections which make up Greenwich Village, the guide reveals the extraordinary number of famous artists, writers, performers, etc who made the place their homes. Artist Edward Hopper, poet Walt Whitman, playwright Eugene O'Neill, and novelist Willa Cather, are just a few of the famous names who lived and created work here. But more important, as the subtitle to this guide suggests, they created something uniquely American.

   "Greenwich Village: A Guide to America's Legendary Left Bank" is a great book for people who will visit the village, and is great for New Yorkers, themselves, to learn about this neighborhood that they thought they knew so well.

   Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

5 comments about Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: Including Indian Peaks.

1. Kent Dannen's book is great for the avid RMNP hiker. He provides in-depth descriptions of a great list of trails and destinations, though you may have trouble finding what you are looking for. His trail descriptions contain a great many "rabbit trails" (which provide the hiker numerous options in and around his chosen hike area) but a great deal of page-flipping is required to find what you need. I recommend The Complete RMNP Hiking Guide by Lisa Foster as a companion to this book. Foster's book is better organized and contains numerous alternative routes for serious explorers, as well as descriptions of more technical routes, but Dannen's book will provide the hiker with a more complete description of flora and fauna, interesting terrain features, and noteworthy facts.



2. I own 22 Falcon hiking guides. This thing is horrible. First few pages talks about how it is not designed to make it easier to hike in the Rocky Mountains NP. And it doesn't. It's obviously written by one of those guys who wanted to get paid for writing the book, but doesn't want you on his trail. You know what I am talking about if you have read a dozen or so hiking guides. This dreadful thing is a 320 page continuous paragraph. I can't even tell where the new hike ends and where a new one begins. Don't know how long the trail is or what the elevation gain/loss. There is no chart describing the mileage/elevation throughout the trail that I have found in every other Falcon guide I ever purchased. I see now that if I had read the reviews first, I would not have made this selection. Since the return postage is probably more than the book costs, I am going to just burn it, stomp on it and make sure it is dead.



3. I agree with what others have said about this book being disorganized & not up to Falcon's standards. Additionally, the book is poorly written and reads as if it were written by a high schooler. Nolan's comment below nicely sums up the book. Too bad, because I usually enjoy the Falcon hiking books.
   
   By contrast, Lisa Foster's book, "Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide," ISBN # 1565795504, is great. Foster's book was the one I actually used.



4. The couple has written a very good guide to trails in the park. Not the best book in my library on the topic, but in the top 2 or 3
   
   Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park, 9th



5. I purchased this book to plan an outing with my hiking group and it was totally useless. The trail descriptions are painstakingly detailed yet the book lacks something as simple as the ability level for each trail. Maps are few and difficult to orient in the overall park. The book is difficult to use and not up to the standards of other Falcon Guides I have purchased.

3 comments about Adventure Guide to New Hampshire.

1. "Dugger gives interesting factoids, tells what equipment you'll need, and is clear on the difficulty of each adventure. She shares the most romantic hike to Dome Rock and also reviews what to do in cities and towns." Chicago Daily Herald



2. "... an excellent and comprehensive guide to adventure.... The book is logically organized and well indexed, and directions and maps are clear and easy to follow. Highly recommended."



3. Beth Dugger finds the roads less traveled in this popular New England state. The book is broken down into six regions: White Mountains, the Lakes Region, Dartmouth and Lake Sunapee, the Monadnock Region, Merrimack Valley and the Coastal Region, each offering full details on fun things to do. Hiking, fishing, skiing and canoeing are but a few of the activities covered, with the best outfitters listed for each, along with contact numbers. Dugger says, "This book is for people who see themselves doing things, not just going places."

   The New Hampshire Adventure Guide also explores the best dining options (usually off the beaten track), including small town bakeries where the steaming hot bread is to die for! Lodging choices are also profiled. 40 detailed maps plus photos throughout

No comments about Discover! America's Great River Road: Saint Paul to Dubuque.

No comments about Mirror of America: Literary Encounters With the National Parks.