2 comments about Beyond the Golden Gate: California's North Coast.

1. Having recently re-located to the Northcoast of California, we became captivated by this great collection of photographs. All of our family and friends received copies to celebrate the beauty of the Northcoast. This collection is a great way to share what we see every day.



2. I grew up in Fort Bragg (along the Mendocino Coast) and got my Bachelor's degree at Humboldt State University (just north of Eureka), and I now live in Lansing, Michigan. I love Michigan, but I miss the majestic, rugged scenery of the North Coast of California. This book brought me back to the sights of my memory with such excellent quality photographs, I am tempted to buy it for all of my friends who've moved away from California. Thank you to the authors for choosing the places I love (Fern Canyon, Trinidad Head, Russian Gulch) and for including some of the creatures not found in the Midwest (salamanders, banana slugs!)

2 comments about MapEasy's Guidemap to Lower Manhattan (City Guidemaps North America).

1. MapEasy are fantastic, and beautiful maps suitable for framing, really. Each map is entirely hand-drawn, annotated with small illustrations of landmarks, historical tidbits, and filled with color-coded listings of many neighborhood shops that a resident, not just a visitor would find useful. There is one main map, and in the back, a series of mini-maps focusing on various areas of interest along with driving directions, suggested itineraries, and more. The maps are printed on tear resistant, and water resistant material for long lasting quality. The only downside is MapEasy's definition of "Lower Manhattan" being the area below Chambers Street. Also, for the "lower manhattan" map, although printed in early 2002, the shows the World Trade Center, and a few other places that are no longer there.



2. The lower Manhattan map by Mapeasy has everything you need to know about the city. Where to eat, what to see, hints, routes etc. in a plastic easy-to-carry form.
   Buy also the Midtown and Upper editions.

1 comments about Castles and Cottages: River Retreats of the Thousand Islands.

1. One of the most outrageously beautiful places on Planet Earth is the Thousand Island Region that straddles the U.S. and Canadian border along the northern edge of New York State. This book helps to show why the wealthy in the late 19th century flocked there. The homes and the "cottages" are sumptuous, as is the terrain. This book is no substitute for the real thing, but it sure does bring back lovely memories of a wonderful place.

2 comments about Guide to Hawk Watching in North America (Birding Series).

1. Reprinted from my review in Wildlife Activist, Number 49.
   Guide to Hawk Watching in North America by Donald S. Heintzelman. 2004. Paper. Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT. $16.95.
   In 1979, Don Heintzelman published his first edition of A Guide to Hawk Watching in North America. This pioneering guide (based on his previous guides to eastern hawk watching) provided the hawkwatcher with the two major essentials of hawk watching: information on raptor identification, especially migrating (i.e. flying) raptors, and places and times to observe migrating hawks. A quarter century has passed, hawk watching has become one of the most popular branches of birding, and much has been learned about hawk migration and identification, leading to the need for this 2004 FalconGuide edition. Little is changed in the format from the first edition except that the section of raptor photo plates of the 1979 guide has been deleted. (This makes sense in light of the fact that several excellent raptor ID guides now exist and are referenced here, while none existed in 1979.) Although the format is unchanged, the text has been updated, especially with respect to raptor watch sites, with the number of sites nearly doubled (to 460) in the current guide. Each site account includes a description of the site, how to find it, and a rating for spring and autumn flights based on a unique rating system developed by the author. In addition to raptor migration sites, there are also sections of Bald Eagle observation sites and of other raptor viewing sites. The species accounts include wingspan and length, field recognition, flight style, voice, nest, eggs, longevity (this is new and quite interesting), food, habits, and range in North America.
   For the novice hawk watcher, here is all you need to get started or improve your skill. For the veteran, the guide is a good refresher on hawk migration and gives you an endless supply of sites to visit in North America. So whether you are a relative newcomer or a seasoned veteran with a dog-eared copy of the 1979 book, it is well worth the affordable price to invest in this FalconGuide edition of Guide to Hawk Watching in North America. DRK



2. 
   This review by Ron Pittaway was published in OFO News 22(3):2 October 2004, newsletter of the Ontario Field Ornithologists.
   
   Guide to Hawk Watching in North America. 2003. Second Edition. Donald S. Heintzelman. The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Connecticut. ISBN 0-7627-2670-9. Softcover, 425 pages. US$16.95.
   
   This guide gives descriptions and directions to 460 spring and fall hawkwatching sites in North America. It rates them as poor, fair, good, excellent. Fourteen sites are described for Ontario. Amherst Island is listed under other viewing areas. The Fisherville area for winter viewing should be listed in the next edition. Bald Eagle watching etiquette and viewing areas are described.
   
   Every North American diurnal raptor is described under these heading: field recognition, wingspread, length, flight style, voice, nest and eggs, longevity, food, habitat, and range in North America.
   
   Included is information on watching hawks such as judging size and shape, flight style and behaviour, distance from observer and viewing angle, light conditions, habitat, field equipment, owl decoys, etc. The chapter on migration seasons has excellent visual bar graphs showing the spring and fall migration periods for eastern North America and a fall bar graph for western North America. The chapter on mechanics of hawk flights discusses weather conditions, deflective updrafts, lee waves, thermals, thermal streets, squall lines, and leading-lines.
   
   I highly recommend this informative and useful book. It is the hawkwatcher's companion.

No comments about National Geographic Guide to America's Outdoors: New England (National Geographic Guide to America's Outdoors).

2 comments about Park Profiles: Blue Ridge Range (Park Profiles).

1. I am from the Blue Ridge Mountains and I think this magazine was great. It has alot of information about the people, parks and places of the Blue Ridge. There are tons of pictures and suggestions of places to visit. READ IT!



2. Ron Fisher wrote this "bookazine" in a very plain, homespun style which causes one to learn tons of information about people and places of the Blue Ridge without realizing it. There was too-scant mention of the region's physiography and natural history; however, once I got far enough inside to notice that, I was already sufficiently captivated by the tales of human history and folklore that the book was well worth finishing. Like Fisher, I cruised the Blue Ridge Parkway on a cool, misty weekday; and he captured the peaceful mood perfectly in his description of that jaunt. Whether from watching a Salem Buccaneers minor league game, interviewing Foxfire writers, or recording the tales of an elderly wood whittler, the hundreds of micro-stories of Blue Ridge folk life come out well done. Of course, as is the Geographic's gold standard, the photography is splendid. Any high school or college student writing about the Appalachian way of life must have this work in his reference list. And I strongly recommend this book for anyone planning a driving trip (off the interstates!) through western Virginia, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee or far northern Georgia.

No comments about Streetwise Pennsylvania Map - Laminated State Road Map of Pennsylvania - Folding pocket size travel map (Streetwise).

5 comments about The Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America.

1. "Waiting on Petite Sirah hoping for elegance is like marrying a stripper in the hope of witty conversation in old age."

   This is the wonderful kind of wit that you find throughout this book. Bruce Cass, Jancis Robinson and the other fine wine writers who are responsible for the book's substance all appear to have a tremendous love of wine but don't need to deify it. I laughed out loud several times as I read descriptions of wines and wine characters.

   The Wisdom is even more amazing. There is a wealth of factual information and interpretation. Just open up the book to any page and start to read. Within 45 seconds, you will utter, "Wow, I didn't know that."

   This is the best book on wines written in a long time.




2. The Oxford Companion To The Wines Of North America is the definitive guide for wine connoisseurs, weaving the knowledge of 21 wine academics and writers from all over American into a set of compelling introductory essays. The comprehensive 302-page compendium includes an A-to-Z survey of North American vineyards and wine terminology. The informative, "reader friendly" text is further enhanced with superb color photography, twenty maps, and an exhaustive index. The Oxford Companion To The Wines Of North America is an invaluable, fundamental reference for all wine enthusiasts and would make an excellent Memorial Fund acquisition selection for community library collections.



3. I bought this book for our public library's reference collection. Reviews indicated that this book would be an excellent source of information about wine. It falls far short of that. One example: I needed it for a definition of "syrah" (which they refer to in an article) - neither the alphabetical arrangement of the book nor the index yielded anything. This is a coffee table book and nothing more.



4. The "Oxford Companion to Wine", edited by Jancis Robinson, is the definitive modern reference on wine. Not intended to be read as a book, the entries nevertheless make compelling reading and following the cross-referenced entries can easily consume a pleasurable evening. This "supplement" doesn't live up to the original in terms of quality, comprehensiveness or value. If you were expecting a version of the companion tuned to American wines, you'll be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if you can't get enough of the original and long for more information on California growers, this isn't a bad start. We can always hope for a revised, expanded, second edition.

   For the North American supplement, Jancis Robinson served only as a "consulting editor". She apparently corrected the editor's English usage (see the preface), but she didn't write any of the entries. She did write two throwaway pieces in the beginning of the book on "How Good are North American Wines?" and "Commentators and the Wine Media". There are roughly 60 pages worth of introduction to North American Wine, most of which I did not find deep enough to be particularly informative.

   Almost all of the cross-references on vinification, wine-making, cellaring, tasting, defects, grapes, etc. are in the "Oxford Companion", making it essentially impossible to use the North American guide alone.

   Compared to the "Oxford Companion", the entries are relatively breezy. The font is larger, the margins are wider, and the book is much shorter. Like the "Oxford Companion", the maps are truly horrendous; you'll remember them from coloring assignments in grade school. Invest in Hugh Johnson's and Jancis Robinson's wonderful new "World Atlas of Wine" for maps. The Atlas's coverage of North American wine styles, grapes and regions isn't half bad, either.




5. Given some of the less than stellar reviews of this book, I was expecting far less. This is a collection of excellent information specific to North American winemaking, wineries, producers, etc., that can't - to my knowledge at least - be found anywhere else "under the same roof". There are also some good introductory articles that are educational, especially for the neophyte.
   
   True, the maps in the back of the book are fairly useless. They display towns, highways, mountain ranges, elevation, but no AVAs. That left me dumbfounded. I now know that Hwy 101 can take you from LA to Ventura and further north into Washington State, but - so what? I already knew that, and I live in Illinois. If you're going to include maps in a book like this, they need to be specific and informative.
   
   Still, as I said, the fact that there is excellent information in the A-Z section, and that in the text of that section references are directly made to the Oxford Companion to Wine if the reader wants more information, makes this a very good reference.

1 comments about Fodor's The Old West, 1st Edition: Relive America's Frontier Days---Explore Ghost Towns, Pioneer Trails, Spanish Missions, and More (Travel Historic America).

1. I enjoy history and especially the old West. Visiting ghost towns really recreates it and makes it come alive. This book helps to find those old ghost towns and gives you an idea of what to expect. Very good.

4 comments about Compass American Guides: South Dakota, 3rd Edition (Compass American Guides).

1. An ideal book for those intending to visit South Dakota. As well as giving places to visit and stay it provides an interesting insight into the history of the state. A few more photographs would be even better.



2. I am planning to visit South Dakota this summer and since I manage to turn everything I do into an educational project I have been reading up and writing chambers of commerce for information. This book is written in the neutral public relations politically correct style of a guidebook. (Heaven forbid we ever say anything critical about the Indians or why we're still paying $1.5 billion a year for Indian health care.)In fact I believe the author has a PR background. He conveys a lot of information but he could have made the book much more interesting. For example, the story of the trapper Hugh Glass is one of the best stories ever. Glass was mauled by a grizzly and left for dead by his companions. He vowed revenge on those who left him and literally crawls back to civilization to kill the men who left him. However, the author here really does not get into the revenge theme. I had to get that from a Chamber publication. The pictures in the book are great and I would rate the pictures five stars. However, there just aren't that many books about South Dakota. So if you are going to South Dakota it probably is worth picking up. For an interesting book about the entire Great Plains which includes South Dakota read Great Plains by Ian Frazier, which is a five star book.



3. At first , I didn't think this book was of much help in planning my trip but the more I read it, the more great information I found. I would advise you to read it like a novel and not just skim through it looking for specific information.



4. Those factoids and stats you're going to bore your friends with when you get home ... you can find them here. What I didn't find was answers to questions, such as: Where are good places to camp? What do I do to enjoy my trip to the reservation, or a powwow? Where are the best places to eat in Hot Springs? That is, things I wanted to know to enjoy the trip.