1 comments about Mini Metro Manhattan Bus-Subway.

1. We expected a more detailed version of the transit [subway and bus] maps included in Streetwise Manhattan. It is an exact duplicate. It is alright to have it separate, I suppose, but I think it was misleading and dishonest for Amazon to list them as a bargain to purchase together without saying it was an exact duplicate!!!

4 comments about Boston: A Topographical History, Third Enlarged Edition.

1. This book is ideal for anyone looking for a general account of Boston history. It acquants one with many of the important stages in the development of the city; covering the period from the colonial to approximately 1970. The information regarding the colonial period is excellent, as is the book itself. It is not specific, but provides an introduction to many great way points for further study.



2. This is very good book about the City of Boston, as it was developed in stages. The Book explains the development and expansion of the city in time and according to location. It is very vivid and especially if you have been a pedestrian offen on the streets of Boston, It starts to make sense and starts to give joy. As I read the book I started to appreciate more and more the efforts of BRA and Back Bay Society.unfortunately before they acted quite a number of beautiful structures has gone.Book has very extensive history from 1700 to 1970's and than it is summary or may be it is a living history for you. There are numerous pictures but the number of pictures is not as much as those you may find in other types of books, like Boston in Pictures, etc. After all it is a narrative book but there is sufficient amount of pictures to help you visulize. I wish a more comprehensive book were to be produces to show in same pages all the developments, similar to "Boston, Than and Now" but with more older pictures and more story as this book has. Read this book and sit across the Charles on Cambridge Side than you start to see Trimont, Mill Dam, Neck. It is great book.



3. This book is a fascinating account of how Boston grew and developed. It stays on the point, is concise, and really improves the understanding of this city. A must read for a Bostonian.



4. I first read this book when I moved to Boston in the mid-1980's. Only after reading this book did I understand why I always got lost driving around the city. The old cowpath myth is far too banal compared to the real cause of the city's twisting mysteries: the perpetual reshaping of the city's landmass begun during the Mass Bay colony and continuing today. There's a reason the Big Dig happened here.
   
   I love this book. This is history told from a unique perspective and by a real pro. Whitehill's reputation as a distinguished historian is what initially drew me to this book. His skill as a storyteller and his dry New England wit kept me thoroughly engaged. I have re-read this book many times. It is at the top of my books-to-read-about-Boston list. I always recommend it to any new Bostonian I meet.
   
   I wish the old man had lived to see the Big Dig in all its engineering glory. His history of this grand project would have been a true delight.

5 comments about Tough Trip Through Paradise, 1878-1879.

1. this is a great story from one who lived with the indians during the time before their decline. this book is hard to put down.



2. A Spanish-Texan quits his job wrangling for the Army in Montana to set out trapping and trading with the Indians. His stories - full of grandeur, intrigue, death and romance - never cease to have a ring of truth.
   In Garcia's accounts he is never the hero, but rather the hapless greenhorn who escapes by the skin of his teeth and a generous apportionment of luck.
   Written in true trapper/trader/rancher dialect, this book is a joy to read and a pity to finish. I love his insights and Tom Sawyer wisdom, self deprecation, and observations about life with the Indians (and life with whites).



3. Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
   This book's handwritten manuscript was found in a dynamite box in its author's Montana cabin after his death at age 88. Garcia was an original Western settler, arriving in Montana in 1878, one year after the famous Nez Perce Chief Joseph's surrender. If you want authentic Old West, here it is. Garcia tells it like he saw it, favoring neither Native Americans or Europeans. He marries three Indian women (sequentially) and leaves his past world behind. This book has romance, beauty, humor, deadly adventure. Danger. Thrillers come nowhere near this true story. Most of all, Andrew Garcia's soul shines through his writing. What a dear, good man. I wish I could have met him.



4. I purchased this book for my husband. He enjoyed it and passed it on to other readers.



5. I read this book many years ago and then lost my copy of it, so I ordered another one on Amazon. This is the most moving book I have ever read. If you're into non-fiction westerns, this is the book for you. I found the first half a tad slow but the second half was fantastic. To this day, when I think about it, it almost brings tears to my eyes. The story was written from the memoirs of Andrew Garcia, a scout for Custer and tells of his adventures traveling through the west with his native american wives. I loaned this book to a friend and he shares my enthusiasm for it.

5 comments about The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz.

1. Almost 40 years ago Juan Quesada from the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua singlehandedly revived Casa Grande style pottery. This book is a beautifully illustrated account of his success, along with the other artists of the village who learned from him. Becoming familiar with these artists should lay to rest the notion held by many Americans that Mexican imports are second class. These paper-thin pots are as beautiful as any you will ever see. This book has color photographs of many of the potters from Mata Ortiz as well as pictures of their pots. There is information on how the pots are made-- they are all built by hand from native materials, painted with brushes made from the artists' children's hair and fired over cow dung.

   The book has a lot of interesting details-- for instance, when the Pope visited Mexico a few years ago, he was given three of these magnificent pots. Another fascinating tidbit is that one of every seven citizens of this village makes these pots. They have gone from doing manual labor to creating works of art.

   Owning this book is the next best thing to owning a Mata Ortiz pot.




2. A wonderful collection of photographs combined with dialoge about this remote village in Mexico. It describes the journey to get there, then details the lives of the talented people who live there. The photogtaphy is outstanding. A must for any person collecting or thinking of collecting pottery from this village.



3. This is a great book for all that are curious about Mata Ortiz pottery and the people who make it. If you want to start collecting, it's a great book to have for a reference source. All artists mentioned in this book are of high caliber, as good, some even better than the Native American potters of the Southwest. At this time, these wares are also less expensive and affordable to most people. Hopefully they will be a good investment for the future.
   
   Susan Moesch



4. "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" is a treasure trove of information about the treasures that are the Mata Ortiz people and pottery. It is well laid-out, well written, and well...wonderful!! The only thing that would make my copy better are autographs by Juan Quezada himself and every other potter in the book.
   
   Unfortunately for whatever reason, Juan's son Alvaro is not featured in the book. He is indeed an exceptional artist.
   
   I was able to meet Alvaro and Juan Quezada in Nov 2006 in their family gallery in Mata Ortiz and found them and their entire family to be humble friendly and genuinely thrilled that people love their wonderful creations.
   
   If you have not had the opportunity to visit Mata Ortiz, "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" will inspire you to go. If you have, it will make you pine for it and it's people.



5. We just visited Mata Ortiz, and it is great to be able to connect all the faces and stories with the beautiful objects these humble artists create.

1 comments about Streetwise Houston Map - Laminated Center City Street Map of Houston, Texas - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated metro light rail lines & stations (Streetwise).

1. I really like these simple easy to use maps. They are well put together and highly functional. I am very familiar with Houston, but i still carry this map, because sometimes frankly you just what to be sure where something is located. The only draw back to these streetwise maps is that they only highly light the central city, which is fine if that's the only place you'll be driving, but if you need a map of the entire city then this may not be your best bet, but they are great for the most traveled areas of town. Overall, I am a huge fan of these maps.

5 comments about A Field Guide to the Grand Canyon 2nd Edition.

1. I agree with everything the previous reviewer said, except that I really like the overviews of Canyon geology and so on, and don't feel that those make to book too heavy to be useful as a field guide. This is probably the best and most informative guide for a hiker or visitor to the Grand Canyon to take along.



2. Handy easy-to-use guide to birds, flowers, cacti, wildflowers, reptiles, mammals, geology of the grand canyon. Nothing like it anywhere.



3. This book was a nice introduction to the geology, plant and animal life of the grand canyon. It is small enough to take in your pack and is fun to read once you've arrived at camp and try to identify the plants, animals and strata you saw. Not too much specific information about any one species, strata, etc., but good general intros to flora, cacti, etc. I'd recommend it if it's your first hike in the canyon and you're just looking for a simple book to become familiar with the names of thing. You can find it in the gift shops on both rims too.



4. Useful guide for visitors who are hiking, but limited use for river runners.



5. Loads of detail. Really liked this book.
   - River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon by Kristin Huisinga, Lori Makarick and Kate Watters published 2006 by Mountain Press Publishing Company Missoula, Montana PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806 (406) 728-1900 Great book!
   - "Guidebook to the Colorado River Part 1 Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon National Park (and Part 2 Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon National Park to Lake Mead Arizona-Nevada) Two BYU Geology Professors W. Kenneth Hamblin and J. Keith Rigby. Indepth mile by mile with some pictures etc. They are only $5 a piece. A publication of the Department of Geology, Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 84602.

No comments about Traveling Michigan's Thumb: Exploring a Shoreline of Small Pleasures and Unexpected Treasures.

5 comments about A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest.

1. I needed an excellent source book for primitive petroglyphs for some art work. This book proved to be an excellent resource



2. Patterson's created one of the best resources available on ancient rock art. As a means of understanding ancient rock art in North America the book probably occupies an unchallenged place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in these 'artifacts'. Unfortunately, as a field guide the book has some serious organizational snags. The specific types of subject matter are arranged in ways to cause a person in a field setting to create some rock-art of his own with his fingernails. Even though my copy of this book is tattered through long use I continue to have difficulties relocating what I'm searching for in the text. I usually carry a simpler and better organized field guide for quick and dirty work and leave the Patterson book for a time when I'm sitting on a rock somewhere catching my breath after the fact.

   All this said, I believe this book is a great one and I'd recommend it for home study. There's not a better one available.




3. This field guide is a must for Rock Art enthusiasts! You can take this book with you on your hunts or simply photograph your rock art and then take home to research the meanings in this book. It doesn't matter where you are in the Southwest, this book will explain any pictographs or petroglyphs you find. It is filled with photos, drawings and explanations which are simple and precise to decipher.
   Whether you are a beginner or a true artifact hunter, this book is for you!



4. My instinct was to refer to this as a dictionary of rock art symbols, but that's not quite right--The book isn't quite that precise. The book lists a number of categories of rock art symbols, with postage-stamp sized illustrations, and brief passages, mostly cited from other authors, explaining what that author thought might be the importance or meaning of that symbol. There is a very brief list (perhaps three pages) of the most important rock art sites, with EXTREMELY cryptic directions ("Exit at I-40, ask for directions at park visitor center", for example). As a result, this book will help you before a visit by preparing you for what sort of things you might see and what they meant, and it will help you afterwards, in figuring out what you saw, but it won't help you plan the visit or be a guide during the visit.
   
   Worthwhile if you really want to try to understand what you are seeing at these sites, but not one-book coverage of the subject--And probably more than you want to know if a single book on rock art is all you want.



5. This must-have field guide was designed to provide a key to the symbols observed on indigenous (Native American) rock art found in the Southwest United States. The book brings together 600 commentaries on the different symbols, and includes a valuable pictorial key, organized by tentative meaning or description. 500 illustrations. The geographical range of the book encompasses Northern Mexico, Utah, California and Colorado.

4 comments about Castaway: The Narrative of Alvar Núñez Cageza de Vaca.

1. Hard to follow at times, you get confused as to how many people are actually following him! It is sometimes slow reading. Yet, the informantion in the book is good.



2. To read so much live detail about the way of life of the original inhabitants of parts of Texas and the Southwest is to have one's very conceptions about these places changed. It's an amazing, short read and the editor helps with notes in critical places. I think this is basic reading for anyone even part-way interested in the history of Texas and neighboring states. Cabeza de Vaca's account covers hair-raising events which occurred in the 1530s right here on Galveston Island, so it gives a longer sense of post-Columbian history than one usually gets as a lay reader of Texas and Southwest history. I too don't know why more folks aren't talking about this book. I'm buying copies to give away.



3. Cabeza de Vaca's first hand narrative of his experiences in the New World is one of the most gripping true life adventure stories that you can find.
   
   The story is almost five hundred years old. It begins with his selection as treasurer for a Spanish invasion force of six hundred that was intended to conquer Florida (then thought to be an island), sieze the natives' gold and add their bodies to the Spanish crown while their souls would be dedicated the the Christian God.
   
   Everything went wrong. A hurricane hit. The expeditionary force was separated from their ships and ended up marooned on the Florida Gulf Coast, surrounded by hostile, deadly Indians. Eventually, the survivors slaughtered their horses for food, then melted down their armor to make nails and built boats in the hope of finding their way to Mexico.
   
   Many more men were lost before they made their way to what is now known as Galveston. The survivors experienced starvation, the cowardice of their leader, slavery and even cannibalism. Out of six hundred conquistadores, only four men survived.
   
   Those four men walked across the rest of Texas, wandering almost aimlessly in a search for the Spanish colony of Mexico. By the time they finally arrived in Mexico, after years of privation, they were no longer the same self-sure conquerors who had sailed from Spain. They had developed a following of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Indians who hailed them as "Children of the Sun". Cabeza de Vaca, who had emerged as their leader, fit the description of an Old Testament prophet. His hair had not seen a comb or scissors for several years, while his feet had not seen shoes for almost as long.
   
   Here's an extended quote from Chapter 19:
   
   "A few days after these four Spaniards had departed there came a time of cold and storms so severe that ... five Christians who were encamped on the beach came to such straits that they ate one another until only one was left, who survived because there was no one left to eat him.... The Indians were so indignant about this, and there was so much outrage among them, that undoubtedly if they had seen this when it began to happen they would have killed the men, and all of us would have been in dire peril: in a word, within a very short time only fifteen of the eighty men from both parties who had reached the island were left alive; and after the death of these men, a stomach ailment afflicted the Indians of the land from which half of them died, and they believed it was we who were killing them; and as they were wholly convinced of this, they agreed among themselves to kill those of us who were left."
   
   How's that for action? It's true that the narrative style itself is archaic and stilted at times. But this translation emphasizes simple modern English and cuts through a lot of the difficulty of reading a story that's half a millenium old.
   
   I've read the story of Cabeza de Vaca two or three times over the years. In it, I see an almost mirror image many of the other explorers like De Soto or Cortez: a man who learned to view the New World in a different way, and who became a different man by the experience. His story has action, sure: hurricanes, starvation, slavery, faith healing, a stupid, greedy leader, and a cast of thousands. But at the heart of this journey is the journey of one man's heart.



4. I have learned to dispise the Spanish colonizers for their actions in the New World. I have read enough of their sharpening their swords and practicing on the Native Americans and slaying the men, women and children of native settlements if they didn't convert to Christianity or produce enough gold. So this is a new perspective. This is a story of the Spanish colonizers failing and suffering through unimaginable hardship in a challenging hostile wilderness along the coast that is now, 500 years later, our destination of choice for retirement.
   
   This is a nearly fantastic book, only nearly so because it is true (unless De Vaca embelished his story). If you are intrigued with pre-settlement America and the cultures of Native Americans you will appreciate this read in addition to the survival story. This is a look at Florida and Texas in a different era. This is a story about the ambitions of Spain and the privations men could endure for their religion and their country. Even the style of the writing adds to the true insight into the time and perspective on their outlook on the new world. The chapter titles such as "Of What Befell Lope de Oviedo with Some Indians" and "How We Departed After Eating the Dogs" give you the idea of how the book is structured in addition to how they suffered.
   
   In many historical accounts the Spanish are said to have believed that the New World was the dominion of the devil and all its' people,lands, forests and creatures were works of the devil. It is in accounts like this that you can start to gain some perspective on this and understand their reasoning and belief despite how wrong it is today.

3 comments about Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest Coast: From Northern Oregon to British Columbia's North Coast (Kayak Routes of the Pacific Northwest Coast).

1. Good information basically summarized. Most regions described are generalized but it gives you good information to start from. Maps could have been much better though.



2. Invaluable guide. This book does not just tell the reader where to park and where to camp, also includes history, low impact camping tips, advice on ethics and hygiene and manners.

   The chapters on various island groups are described by different authors, with uneven quality. We have been to areas covered in three chapters, The Discovery Islands, The Clayoquot Sound, and the Gulf Islands. The details of the two of the chapters were precise, the hazards were as described (as we discovered when we did not take them seriously enough - I was almost run over by a whale watching boat in the fog off Vargus Island, a hazard that we had not taken seriously even though it was clearly described in the chapter).

   The chapter on the Discovery Islands in some cases offered vague or incorrect details as to the location of camp sites.

   For some reason, we did not find this book on the Amazon web site by using searches that should have found it, for example kayaking British Columbia. But our local Kayak store carried it.




3. A really nice book for people who are new in sea kayaking. Have lots of information like outfitters, transportation, maps, etc. It's a good book to read for info. and to pick the best place to kayak in the NW if you have only a few days in the region.