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

3 comments about Miami and the Keys (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide).

1. We love other DK "Eyewitness Guides," but this one didn't cut the mustard. It worked well as an travel overview of the region, but failed to mention several important points such as days and hours of operation and entrance fees to attractions, which we were stung by several times. A specific example was their recommendation of snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The book lists it as one of the best snorkeling spots in the U.S., but failed to mention that in order to see anything other than sea grass and the occassional crab, you are required to make reservations on a guided snorkeling boat. The guide also lacked directions. The maps that were included were insufficient. The restaurant recommendations we tried were fine, though, and we appreciated, as usual, the fine photos and "streetsmart" section.



2. Nice! Excellent! You may need to get Lonely Planet's 'Miami & the Keys' for such a metropolis as Miami & the Keys. But still one of the simple books on travel for this region.



3. This book was updated in 2005 and 2007 -- but those editions don't seem to be available through Amazon. Why is that?

4 comments about Barbados a World Apart.

1. Having travelled to Barbados many times over the past twenty years (and I lived there for a time as well), I have to say this is the finest and most complete "coffee-table" book on the island that I have ever seen. It is large-format, filled with superb color photographs (including a number of aerial shots, as well as some archival photographs of Barbados in the mid-20th century). The text gives you a concise, intelligent overview of the island's history. I've given a number of copies to friends who love the island. The jacket blurb says the author was once a Peace Corps Volunteer, and it shows ... this is a real in-depth portrait, not just "post-cardy" superficial coverage. I have several other books on Barbados, but this one is in a class by itself.



2. Extraordinary photography, combined with intelligent, concise, even poetic text. I am English, but I have lived in Boston for many years. Barbados is perhaps my favorite island in the Caribbean--"Little England" as it is known. This book captures Barbados as I have seen no other book do ... perhaps because it focuses on the small things: flowers, the black-belly sheep, the young schoolgirl gazing deep into the camera ... The picture captions are concise, but packed with information; the author chooses and rations his words carefully! There's also, for those who want it, a complete text which conveys the history of the island. A small quibble: there's no information about hotels, restaurants, etc. However, this is not a guidebook, but rather a coffee-table "documentary" book, and in that department it is to my mind incomparable.



3. The photography in this book is beautiful, and the text is well written. Rather than buing this before your next trip to Barbados, I'd recommend a simple travel guide instead. You may want to buy this book later for your coffee table for when you are feeling nostalgic for the warm air and white beaches.



4. This is an excellent text and touching text which adequately captures the essence of Barbados past present and its future in the global economy. As a Bajan I was impressed that in the choice of topics as opposed to the usual postcard presentation. Well and tastefully done.

4 comments about Lighthouses of the Carolinas: A Short History and Guide.

1. I love the book! It has tons of never before seen historical images of Carolinas beacons, plus eight pages of color images. It is factual, but not dry. The author has presented the history and current condition of each of the mentioned beacons in an informative and interesting way. I live along North Carolina's coast and I never knew about a couple of our beacons. I like the maps and directions that show right where each beacon can be found. I also like the Points of Interest section at the end of each chapter that reveal other historic sites and tours that are near to the lighthouses.



2. I really enjoyed this book. The content was well-researched and presented in an organized manner. I found the subject matter very interesting without being boring. It also made me want to take a few weeks off of work to explore the coastline. I had no idea that there were so many historical lighthouses in this one area. It was also obvious that the author loves her work. The details as welll as added points of interest make this a very well rounded book. I highly recommend it! I am also looking forward to her next release.



3. This is a good, concise, accurate book. I took it with my on my travels to see the lighthouses in North Carolina. As I traveled, it was helpful in finding each lighthouse and reading about the history. It was also helpful in finding one particular lighthouse which was in a very remote location. Thanks. I recommend it highly.



4. My family is planning a trip to the North Carolina coast to visit the various lighthouses. We find this book very helpful in planning that trip. Gives lot of details on each of the lighthouses listed.

2 comments about Cruising America's Waterways: The Erie Canal (Cruising America's Waterways).

1. This book is filled with color photographs that capture the beauty and historic charm of this waterway. The text is comprehensive -- touching on everything from history to Canal utilization. It let's you see what all of New York's canals have to offer - as a boater, cruise ship tourist, or automotive traveller. The Canals are fully functional and waiting for tourists. This book let's you understand the "New York State Canal System" and all that it has to offer. As the text points out... (rough quote)...if we had not inherited this legacy resource; costs, environmental concerns, and political considerations would not allow its construction today. This is a superior book on the world's most famous canal.



2. A companion book to the award-winning PBS series "Cruising American Waterways," The Erie Canal by Debbie Daino Stack (PBS Project Coordinator for the "Cruising American Waterways" television series) and Captain Ronald S. Marquisee (Producer of "Cruising America's Waterways"), is a quality travelogue showcasing the history and beauty of the famous Erie Canal, a still active waterway used for recreation, flood control, irrigation, and power generation. Lavish color photographs of this historic canal fill The Erie Canal from cover to cover, and the insightful text offers a wealth of cultural lore. A superbly gorgeous coffee-table book and enhanced with a foreword by Andrew Cuomo, The Erie Canal is a true pleasure to read and enjoy and highly recommended for armchair travelers and community library American History collections.

3 comments about American Waters: Fly-Fishing Journeys of a Native Son.

1. Treat yourself or someone you know who likes to relax and thumb through a fine fly-flishing book. Since this comes from a big publisher, our little anti-catalog didn't get sent a review copy. But when we did get our hands on the book we were awe-struck. It rivals some of the $50-60 books out there this holiday season, but with a much smaller price tag. The book begins with the birth of a fisherman on his home waters in the famed New York area-Catskills, Adirondacks, Delaware-and travels the country from the west to midwest and southeast to Montauk. Each fly-fisher will find waters he's fished and his dream waters described in pictorial photos and entertaining editorial prose.
   
   The author, Peter Kaminsky, grew up in New Jersey, graduated from Princeton University in the early 1970s, and moved to New York, where he promptly became a cabbie. He left hackwork, went to graduate school and began writing for National Lampoon. Then, he discovered fishing: "Fishing was the greatest thing I ever did and it took over my life".
   
   Between television projects largely in the comedy field, he has worked with Jerry Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, and John Candy. Kaminsky currently contributes to the New York Times and outdoor magazines such as Outdoor Life and Sports Afield, writing about his fishing experiences. He also likes to write about food and you'll find many tantalizing recipes scattered throughout the book.
   
   The publisher has been perfecting their art of quality gift books for decades. They publish the traditional home building, cooking, and gardening books to books for the Natural History Association and Smithsonian. They've also done highly-illustrated children's tales; photo books from puppies to grandmothers; and the life's work of musical greats, John Lennon and Sinatra. It is apparent that they pride themselves on creating masterpiece books on a wide variety of subject matter. They don't disappoint us now. Make sure to take a peek underneath the dust-jacket. I have seen very few with a book cover imprint as beautiful.



2. The book is both graphically and verbally exciting as the author conveys the art of fishing and experiencing life on the water. One gets the feel of fish as well as the taste, with the recipes as part of the adventure. Many of the locations are part of my dreams as a fisherman to experience, and many of the experiences, especially in salt water mirror my own excitement. The photos are spectacular. Coupled with the design of the book, the writing places you in the adventure with real people experiences, visually giving the sense of the water, the fish, the aesthetic of nature. The same tone of the excitement of fishing off Montauk, or Montana continues throughout the book, allowing envy on the reader's part to sharing the adventure.



3. Real life stories matched with stunning photography and mouth watering recipes makes me want take a few months off and live this book just the way Peter did it. I've ordered a few of these books as they make terrific presents even for the non-fishermen amongst us.

3 comments about California (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. I am never the type of hard working traveller who would dig into lengthy travel books to find out everything. I found this book very useful for me. It's all in color (so, it's a pleasure to read, though that makes it heavy), and it has great maps which highlights all attractions in addition to detailed maps in the end of the book. That keeps me focus on what I want in a very easy way, instead of searching for where that particular attraction is.

   I went to San Francisco, and places as far as 3 hours driving to north, and 4 hours driving to south. For San Francisco part, this book even included different architecture style, which greatly enhanced my experience. As for others, most of the places they describe, they include pictures also. This helps me to know what to expect.

   Though I don't like it to be so heavy, it's my favorite among my collection.




2. I like Eyewitness travel guides, even if I usually complement them with other, more "wordy" ones. This one, like all the other ones I own, is a good, relatively short (but heavy!) guide very helpful to give you good hints about what to see over an area as large as California. The nice pictures are always a big plus.
   
   On the minus side, you will find only a few words about 95% of the locations described in this guide, so if you are looking for something deeper, of if you like historical anecdotes about the places you visit, this guide is not ideal. Another minus is the relatively scant number of hotels and restaurants listed in the guide, surely a result of the large area covered. Also, the information you are given on restaurants is almost invariably composed of 20 words or so. So, if good food is important on your trips, this guide is again not ideal. From the perspective of both real content and good food advice, I think the "Moon" handbooks are vastly superior to the Eyewitness guides. However, the few and B&W pictures in the Moon series will sometimes make even great places sound or look dull.
   
   Again on the plus side, the maps are useful.
   
   Overall, this a good guide to use as a starting point to plan a trip, but if you really care about what you see, you will probably have to buy other material too, and I would suggest looking for a Moon guide to have an ideal combination.



3. Visiting California with one book is no easy task but Eyewitness does a very good job of creating a book that can be used easily. With so much to do the regionalization of California in this book is one of its most useful aspects. Although I wish they would break it into northern and southern California if you are going to be visiting the state this is a great place to start looking.

No comments about Passages of a Stream: A Chronicle of the Meramec.

5 comments about Moon Handbooks Cuba.

1. Christopher Baker has written an absolutely fabulous guide book to Cuba. It's clearly written, with wit and charm, and it's very obvious that he spent a lot of time in the country exploring the things he talks about. Few things are mentioned in passing - if he's put it in here, you can be sure he's included a fair amount of detail. A good buy.



2. This is the most extensive and best written travel guide for Cuba. It covers everything you can see there. If it doesn't list some places, that means it's nothing to do there. The guide is a bit outdated, especially the restaurant sections. In such cases we consulted the Rough Guide to Cuba, which is more up-to-date, but covers much less than a Moon Handbook. I hope it will be updated soon.



3. I've never gone on an overseas adventure without a guide book, and usually they are good for a few phone numbers and museum hours, but mostly end up being dead weight in your pack. This book on Cuba was like a lifeline during my adventure in Fidel's homeland. Anyone who has been to this pearl of the caribbean know's the social, political and economical ocean that is the Cuba of today is 100,000 leagues deep, and as a foreigner you feel as though you are caught, tumbling, in a wave not knowing which way is up. This book helps to make sense of Cubas past, while helping you to understand the nuances that hint to its uncertain future. A true pleasure to explore, with my Moon's book in hand!



4. Chris Baker knows Cuba intimately. This guidebook is hands down better than the others (in fact, forget Lonely Planet on Cuba - trust me). It contains a brief history of culture and politics (the two entwined in this country) as well as in-depth coverage of the sites you want to see.
   
   Cuba is not a country where information is readily obtained. This writer shows he's knows his stuff, and has done years of homework. Read it closely.
   
   What you will need to supplement this guide are three things:
   
   1. A list of "casa particulars" or private rooms in private homes. The ones listed in Moon are already too popular and nearly impossible to get a reservation. (There are websites that will help you with this, or just ask a cab driver in Cuba to show you a few homes.)
   
   2. Restaurants. Moon does not include many of the the newer, better, private restaurants. No one goes to Cuba for the food, but nothing is worse than overpaying for a mediocre meal. Ask around for the good places, or do a search on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree web postings.
   
   3. Clubs and bars. Some of the ones listed are institutions, but in Cuba the nightlife venues changes constantly. Ask locals, don't waste your money at some of the tourist traps mentioned in Moon.
   
   Have a good time!



5. This is an excellent thoroughly researched, detailed book as stated in other reviews.
   
   However, in the very lengthy and informative history and pre-reading section, the author's bias against Castro permeates his writing.
   Thus he presents a biased viewpoint; he discusses more the inefficiencies of the revolution rather than the advantages.
   He does warn us subtly of his bias however.
   
   The best thing would just be to go to cuba and see for yourself.

No comments about The Oregon Trail (Airmont Classics).