No comments about People of the Moonshell: A Western River Journal.

No comments about New Mexico Guide, 2nd Edition (Open Road Travel Guides New Mexico Guide).

3 comments about Old Rockaway, New York, in Early Photographs.

1. Simply the only printed information available about the Rockaways of yesterday. It seems that everyone has roots in this once grand seaside community and this book gives you hundred of old postcard views of the towns along the beach. There's not much left there from the old days and even fewer people left in the NYC slum who know how to read or right. So we'll bet that most of the sales of this book will be outside of Rockaway. But if you're heart's at the seashore, then Vincent and William's book should be in your library...

   EKG, (escaped to Long Beach, NY)




2. Old Rockaway, New York in Early Photographs, exceeded my expectations! I thought it would provide a photographic history of perhaps the 1930's and 1940's. I was pleasantly surprised to find nineteenth century photographs of the peninsula in its true heyday. Having lived in Arverne during the 1960's and 70's, I was amazed to see that the rich and famous visited this area very similar to the way the rich and famous today visit the Hamptons on the east end of Long Island. As you view the postcards from this early era, you can actually see the unspoiled landscape of sand dunes and bay marshes that no longer exist. And the magnificent hotels and homes that graced this once popular resort prove to me that the City of New York truly mis-managed the development since the 1930's.



3. I would probably have given this book 5 stars if the Belle Harbor section (where I grew up in the 60's and 70's) had been better represented, but still, it was great to see the neighborhood I left as a teenager in 1976!

   For those that live --or lived-- there, especially if you spent any amount of time in Far Rock, you must get this book.

   To the authors: issue a revised edition with a more emphasis on everything West of Beach 116th Street... and I'll go 5 and a half stars in my next review!

No comments about Vancouver: A Pictorial Celebration Including Vancouver Island, Victoria, and Whistler.

No comments about Passport's Guide to Ethnic New York: A Complete Guide to the Many Faces & Cultures of New York (Travel).

2 comments about Knopf MapGuide: Hawaii (Knopf Mapguides).

1. I am very pleased with this book for a number of reasons. Many other books are just too big to carry around with you and take up too much space in your luggage. This book is very compact, which makes it highly portable. in addition it is more than just another travel guide, as it is jammed packed with map after map after map. These maps fold out and cover almost every part of the Hawaiian Islands. Also this guide has listings for such things, as restaurants, museums, and shopping. Out of the three travel guides that I have boughten or received on Hawaii this is one that most likely will accompany me on my upcoming trip to Hawaii.



2. We were only going to one island (Maui), but this is a great, quick overview of all the islands. I was surprised at the hidden "gems" the guide found (for example, it mentioned Sam Sato's for lunch). It doesn't go into great detail, or offer "suggested itineraries" like other guides, but it's a good starting point.

5 comments about Moon Handbooks: Costa Rica 4 Ed.

1. EVERYONE has LP Costa Rica. In the month I was in Costa Rica I saw only one other person with this book--if you want to know where to stay, avoid the LP places and stay in the tiny places this book rec's.
   
   The prices are a bit out of date because of the book's publication date, but this book is fantastic if you're on ANY budget.



2. Very helpful book! It was 1 of 6 books I bought to help me decide whether I wanted to live in Costa Rica for retirement. It was very comprehensive and 1 of my favorites with up to date information.



3. (4/06) This book divides Costa Rica up into areas, and is very easy to follow and read. I have bought several other Moon handbooks, and have always been quite happy with their accuracy when I've gone on my trip. We won't be going to Costa Rica until June, but I am sure I'll be ready.
   (12/06) I traveled to Costa Rica in June, with a group of 32 people that included 15 eighth graders. This book was very helpful, and has since been used by four coworkers who decided to travel there after seeing my pictures. One coworker is buying retirement property there!



4. I have purchased at least a half dozen travel books published by
   Moon Publishing and always they are 5 star. I have found the information
   in them to be accurate and directions easy to follow. An added bonus is
   that some are written with a note of humor which makes the book more pleasurable to read. I recommend them to anyone who is travelling with the suggestion that they read the book before beginning a trip and then
   take the book along during the trip. Also, the size of the books are
   easy to hold in a plane, train or car and they pack easily into suitcases
   or totes.



5. My wife and I love Costa Rica and have a shelf full of books and maps about this great country. We own property there. We visit every chance we get. My wife lived in CR for 7 years (in the 70's) and is fluent in Spanish. That said, we both LOVE this book for both its completeness and its insight.
   
   If you want a super book to guide you to the great spots of CR, then this is it.
   
   The maps aren't good enough for general navigation but this isn't a map book. Just get a copy of the International Travel Maps (ITMP Publishing) and get this book to make your vacation plans.

No comments about The Four Voyages of Columbus (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure).

3 comments about Wild Snow: A Historical Guide to North American Ski Mountaineering : With 54 Selected Classic Routes, 214 Photographs, and 10 Maps (American Alpine Book Series).

1. lou dawson's book fills an important need in north american ski mountaineering, in that it both inspires the novice and tantalizes the seasoned outdoor buff. the trail guides in this volume are enough to keep anyone busy for a lifetime of off-piste adventure. we need more books like this.



2. Wild Snow is the most inspirational, well written, complete book on backcountry skiing I've seen. Each chapter has concise and interesting details on some of the greatest ski descents in North American.



3. The combination of compelling anecdotes, history, and practical information will make this classic book stick around a long time. What really got me, is how someone could put so much information and photographs and readable narrative between two covers. Like 50 Classic Climbs, the book is a must have for all riders, skiers and mountaineers, and made the perfect gift for my husband.
   
   Just talking about the beautifully reproduced photographs alone, without the text, this would be an awesome coffee table book. But we like to ride too, and now that we've enjoyed all of the routes in Colorado, we're looking at Mt. Shasta and Alaska.

No comments about Adventure in the Wilderness: The American Journals of Louis Antoine De Bougainville, 1756-1760 (American Exploration and Travel Series).