No comments about Ducks: A Field Guide to Familiar North American Species (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press).

No comments about Romantic California Getaways (Romantic Getaways).

2 comments about Where to Wear Los Angeles 2006: Fashion Shopping from A-Z (Where to Wear: Los Angeles).

1. This is the second book of theirs that I've bought. They are great because they are up to date, and so helpful. With each store, it has the address, phone number, opening hours and everything else about it that can be of use. They give good descriptions of what the store carrys and a tid bit of info about the owners etc. At the back of the book there is a few restaurant picks as well. Another great thing about this book is that it caters to anyone of any financial status. There are high end stores and stores geared to people with a budget in mind. The only possible bonus they could maybe include next issue would be a few photos here and there, but really, in general, this guide is great for helping you choose the best spots to go to and you can narrow down what is and what isn't of interest to you. Although I know Los Angeles very well, there are a few stores in here that I may not otherwise have known about and for that, I'm happy to buy a copy every couple of years or so.



2. This is a great little book to get you around LA if you are a shopaholic and even if you are not. It inludes even the most obscure shops and has very honest critiques and good directions - plus lots more!

1 comments about Seeing Seattle.

1. My wife and I really enjoyed using this book. Walks on Capital Hill to Magnolia to Pioneer Square revealed many things that we did not take the time to notice before.

   Our favorite was probably Capital Hill, it tooks us about 3.5 hours to complete and we've done it many times since.

No comments about Long Lance: The True Story of an Impostor (Bison Book).

1 comments about Rock Art Along the Way.

1. I thought this book was very interesting and informative. I would recommend this to anyone interested in native american art.

1 comments about Scats and Tracks of the Great Lakes: A Field Guide to the Signs of Seventy Wildlife Species (Scats and Tracks Series).

1. What I like best about this book is that it is simple enough for my 3 year old to put into use. He loves hiking and even going in our backyard and trying to match the pictures in the book with the tracks in the snow and mud. Very useful, filled with great information for myself.

1 comments about Lake Michigan : A guide to small towns, rural areas and natural attractions.

1. We purchased this for a trip around Lake Michigan, and used it far more than the other resources we had. We found wonderful places to stay based primarily on her recommendations, and felt we had a much more thorough sense of each town in order to help us make good choices about where to spend our time. The only disadvantage is that some of the restaurants she had inspired us to visit were now under new ownership. As she provides contact info, I'd recommend reconfirming your plans before driving out of your way. However, still a thorough and very helpful book for a great road trip.

No comments about National Geographic Driving Guide to America, The Heartland.

5 comments about Exploring Lewis and Clark: Reflections on Men and Wilderness (Lewis & Clark Expedition).

1. Anyone expecting to learn about Lewis and Clark from Professor Slaughter's book will be sorely disappointed. This tome on the supposed "sins" committed by the leaders of the Corps of Discovery has more in common with a fictional account of the 28-month expedition than that which actually occurred. The following episode will serve to illustrate the level of distortion and disingenuous and unsupported interpretation of the original journals to which the author sinks.

   In Chapter 1 titled, Dreams, Professor Slaughter describes a hiking side trip to a location called Spirit Hill, a site that the local Indians believe is the "residence of Deavels". The entries in the Clark's journal on August 24th and 25th, 1804 also describe this hike. According to Professor Slaughter "...there is also a certain whistling-in-the dark quality to the entries, suggesting that the journal writers boyishly tried to hide how spooked they could sometime be in a place feared only by "savages"...as Clark explained, the force of the prairie wind was enough to make the hill; there was no cause to jump to superstitious conclusions based on this thoroughly explicable outcropping. We might suspect Lewis's voice in the explanation. We should also suspect that the confidence came only in retrospect, after they left this eerie place." Then following a direct quotation of a portion of the actual Journal on August 25th, we find the following from Professor Slaughter, "As they climbed, Lewis's dog "gave out" and returned to camp. A small detail, but worth reporting for some reason. Perhaps it was an omen; animals often sense trouble before humans can see it. In the context of Clarks's feelings during the ascent this detail took on meaning that it otherwise would have lacked."

   What is described in the journals is a far cry from the description and interpretation of the author. The August 24th Journal entry is a totally factual, no non-sense description of the Indians feelings about the "mound" on the prairie. There is no sense of foreboding, no sense of the superstition on the explorers part, just a straightforward enumeration of the fact that the local tribes, "Maha, Soues, Ottoes and other neighboring nations believe this fable, that no consideration is Sufficient to induce them to approach the hill." (The last quote from the Journal.) More than likely the entry in the journal was made after the return to the river since the journey was over night but on the other hand there is no evidence that it wasn't made in "real time". There is absolutely no reading of the journal, not a solitary word that can support the use of the word "eerie" or that they were "whistling-in-the dark", a concern that the superstitions held by the Indians would turn out to be real demons and devils.

   The description of why Lewis's dog "gave out" on the hike to Spirit Hill is totally absent and his ruminations on the reasons would appear to be completely fabricated. Clarks's August 25th entry in its entirety regarding Lewis's dog reads, "...at 4 miles we Crossed the Creek 23 yard wide in an extensive Valley and Continued on at two miles further our dog was so Heeted and fatigued we was obliged (to) Send him back to the Creek, at 12 o'Clock we arrived at the Hill Capt. Lewis much fatigued from heat the day it being verry hot & he being in a debilitated State...Several of the men complaining of Great thirst, determined us to make for the first water...". No special omen, no special animal intuition that trouble was just over the next hill or around the next bend. Clearly it was a very hot day and all, humans and animals, were suffering. The dog, a large Newfoundland named Seman, had the good fortune to be sent back while the humans struggled forward to accomplish their mission.

   Near the end of the book, the author disparages their map making and navigation despite the fact that modern geographers denote that after a journey of 4140 miles, Clark's estimates using dead reckoning and the navigation tools of the day had errors that totaled to less than 40 miles. They had in fact filled in the great gap in the pre 1806 maps of North America. And finally in his summary, Slaughter argues that Lewis failed Jefferson, his country, and himself. One only has to read Jefferson's instructions to Lewis and then to render this argument utterly false and nothing the author presents in 231 pages supports his conclusion.

   One could go on for 231 pages pointing out the silly errors and 21st Century judgments on 18th Century explorers but it would ruin a good day. Some books on the Lewis & Clark journey have amounted to some level of heroic cheerleading but this book goes off the cliff in the opposite direction. It adds nothing to the history of the era, the men, and several women, involved in the enterprise. If you feel compelled to purchase and read this book, do yourself a favor, first read Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. Then obtain a copy of the Journals of the Corps of Discovery so you can "deconstruct" the ramblings of Professor Slaughter. If you are a Lewis & Clark scholar, go to the library and pursue this book before you buy. Most likely you will reach the conclusion that investing in some other volume will be a better and more fulfilling course of action.




2. This book is just bizzare. I hesitate to label it a revisionist history, because this book is far more radical than that. The book is a series of essays where Slaughter's re-interprets events to a point where they have no basis in historical fact or in scholarship and takes cheaps shots at those who disagree with him. For example, in Chapter 5, Slaughter discusses the fate of Sacagawea, specifically whether she died in 1812 or lived until 1884. Slaughter believes that she lived until 1884, while most scholars believe that she died in 1812. God forbid if you are a historian that doesn't agree with Slaughter, because he appears to be incapable of making a reasoned academic argument and frequently resorts to invective and name calling. He refers to historians as "reliable" white men (his quotes, not mine)and implies that "cultural cleaning" was responsible for the creation of the 1812 death story. He takes several cheap shots at Gary Moulton (a well-respected Lewis and Clasrk historian), accusing him of making "a bold mistatment of fact" and attempting "to shut down the debate" on the subject. What exactly did Moulton do to receive this abuse? He wrote an essay expressing his opinion on the issue. I am not kidding! By the way, since Moulton spent the last 20 years of his life editing the definitive edition of the complete Lewis and Clark journals, I think he deserves to be treated better than this. I could go on and on, but why bother. I spent $24 for this nonsense. I would have been just as well off flushing my money down the drain.



3. If you think Lewis and Clark would have been better off on a voyage of discovery via peyote buttons, to their inner selves in the Mandan spirit world, rather than heading for the Pacific Ocean, this is the book for you.
   
   If you think they were just racist, sexist, homophobic, Christian, Euro-centric males out to take credit for the discoveries of the minority groups they were exploiting, you've hit the mother lode here.
   
   If you are searching for an example of the sorry state of American history as it is presented in academia (the author is a professor at Notre Dame), you need look no further.
   
   Some might call it an embarassing attempt to cash it on the popularity of Ambrose's UNDAUNTED COURAGE. Others might call it a pathetic attempt to exploit that book's popularity. I find both viewpoints to be useful -- EXPLORING LEWIS AND CLARK is embarassing AND pathetic.



4. Slaughter's book is, by far, one of the least enjoyable and befuddling 'history' books that I have ever read. The book is not a historical hack-job, for Slaughter knows his subject and has created a well-documented and researched work. The problem, though, is his flagrant revisionist bias, barely concealed throughout the book both in tone and content. I would strongly recommend more straightforward history tomes rather than this speculative retelling that places Slaughter in the shoes of Lewis & Clark... as though he knew their very thoughts. In fact, only Lews & Clark were themselves, and knew their thoughts.



5. Author is a jealous cry baby. I guess he upset that L&C went on one of the last great adventures and he didn't get to go along. Don't waste your money. You will soon find this book in the "8 for a dollar" bin at your local book exchange. I think I might send this one back to the author, I sure don't have any extra room on my shelves for garbage like this.