5 comments about Hatteras Blues: A Story from the Edge of America.

1. This is a very well researched book about the history of charter fishing off Hatteras Island. The author combines archive research with annecdotes collected from his repeated trips to the island. The reader also has a feeling of sadness as the author's wife slowly succumbs to MS while he is doing his research.
   
   Well worth the time to read.



2. I have been visiting the North Carolina outer banks since 1970. I did not think anyone had as much love or reverence of this special place as I, but I was wrong. Tom Carlson in Hatteras Blues has established himself as a true devotee of these narrow islands off the Carolina coast. He captures the lure of isolated and wind-worn beaches and ever-changing off shore waters where fishermen (and women) from the smallest North Carolina towns to the largest international cities have searched for prize bill fish, bull drum, cobia and a host of other species for several decades. The reader is absorbed in the story of the Fosters and others who fought the harshness of life on the outer banks to create a thriving charter fishing industry that today is being challenged by corporations and those uncaring of the outerbanks special culture. Carlson is a waterman by birth and a "Banker" by choice. Hatteras Blues is a heartfelt story of great loss, love, spirit, transformation and hope set in one of the most magical places on planet Earth. Rates with Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea for bringing to life the conflicts, the turmoil and the serenity of what it means to be a part of the sea and the coast. Highly recommended.



3. Great book. I love to hear the stories of the people in this book, of course the fishing is always good. The weather and the constant movement of the cape was and is totally intriguing.



4. HATTERAS BLUES: A STORY FROM THE EDGE OF AMERICA is part biography and part regional history: it uses the experiences of one long-time fisherman on North Carolina's outer banks to reveal the issues of a fading industry and the development of Hatteras Village in the heart of Hurricane Alley. Tom Carlson's involvement with his subject leads him to the heart of a family and a town's struggles and faith in a warm first-person survey which at times reads with the quiet drama of fiction.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. A compelling storyline full of facinating bits and pieces about North Carolina's coastal heritage. It's a must read for NC fishermen.

No comments about Myrtle Beach (Tourist Town Guides).

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Argentina 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. The Rough Guide to Argentina (2nd edition published in January of 2005) is the best guide available for the entire country. I phrased it this way because Time Out Buenos Aires (published July 2006) is by far and away the best guide for the city of Buenos Aires.
   
   If you are a little leery of purchasing a guidebook printed almost two years ago I would recommend purchasing Time Out Buenos Aires as well because it seemed that only in Buenos Aires have things changed so rapidly that a newer guide would be necessary.
   Having said that you certainly can get away with just having The Rough Guide (just know that prices have gone up - which happens with all guide books).
   
   When comparing The Rough Guide to Argentina to Lonely Planet Argentina (the only real competition since Fodors, Frommers, and Bradt just don't compete) I can easily recommend Rough guide over Lonely Planet. The Rough Guide simply has more information (it has 372 MORE pages than Lonely Planet has). A few times I found that I'd read about a very intriguing and little known attraction in the Rough Guide only to find it missing altogether in Lonely Planet. I know that most guides are striving to also highlight the off the beaten track activities as well as the major ones and The Rough Guide achieves this in a much better way than Lonely Planet.
   
   I don't fault Lonely Planet for this because they produce good travel guides (especially in Europe), but it seems that they made the decision to not go as in depth as The Rough Guide has in South America (since I also found the same to be true with the Chile and Peru guides).
   
   The maps are very easy to use and more intuitive than Lonely Planet's, but it would be nice for Rough Guide to copy LP in printing the elevation and population of cities and towns.
   
   All areas of the country are represented well in the guide. Some are a bit more heavily detailed but it does not come at the expense of others.
   
   The "Basics" section is very detailed in highlighting entry requirements, transportation, health and safety issues, etc. There is also a lengthy discussion on the history of Argentina, it's peoples, culture, political system, food, etc.
   
   You will definitely not be disappointed after purchasing this guidebook.



2. I agree with pretty much with what has been said in the reviews below. The Rough Guide is a better value from the Lonely Planet, if nothing else for the additional number of pages (a third) that allow the authors to get into more detail on the history, politics and minutiae of places to stay and see.
   
   There are a few problems or personal recommendations I would make, or emphasize. The Guide is absolutely on target by recommending not to bring travellers checks. Not only are the banks loth to take them (only a minority actually do, the maximum is $100 per day) but there is an extraordinary amount of paperwork and they charge enormous fees. I brought most of the checks back home. There is a problem with Argentinian ATMs not listed in the Guide. Most ATMs use a 4 letter code and do not recognize 4+ codes from the USA or European debit/credit cards. You will quickly recognize and love the small minority that do (such as the Columbia Bank).
   
   The maps were very helpful to me.
   
   Some of the places described in the book were apparently never visited by the Guide's researchers, who must have relied on second-hand info from tour operators or Information agencies. A case in point is the Baritu National Park and its launching pad, the village Los Toldos, which are described from a standpoint of someone who has never been there.
   
   In general, I would say that the country is best experienced if one avoids organized tours. Argentines are a warm, interesting and interested people. It is one thing to sit in the bus with a bunch of Europeans and gringos and another to sit together with the locals... indigenous ladies returning from the market, old men in old hats, groups of seductive young women... you will see more of the land and experience more of the people. If you visit Iruya (which I thoroughly recommend), don't just stay for a couple of hours before returning to Humahuaca; i suggest renting a room in the village (for ridiculously low proces) and staying for a couple of days.
   
   There is very little about other countries and potential issues involved in crossing the borders. This goes for Brasil, Bolivia and Chile.
   
   Still, this is the guide to get. Enjoy the travels.



3. book arrived much earlier than other I'd ordered at same time, great condition, but extra box packaging is not necessary. Books like that only need padded envelopes.



4. I liked this better than the Frommer's guides, but I think the Lonely Planet guide does a better job. As a traveler on a student's budget, I didn't find this particular guide to be that useful or user-friendly. It IS informative and can be useful (language section, brief culture/history section, health section, etc.) but as I said, it wasn't right for me.
   
   I suggest the Lonely Planet guide to Argentina.



5. Three things:
   1. I have not yet been to Argentina so I have not verified my conclusion.
   2. I have not seen other Argentina guide books.
   3. I have a shelf full of other guide books for other countries and this is quite simply the best and most comprehensive travel guide I have ever seen. In the future I will consider Rough Guides first above all others, then evaluate.

No comments about Aventura De Miguel Littin, La.

No comments about Cicerone Aconcagua: Highest Trek in the World : Practical Information, Preparation and Trekking Routes in the Southern Andes (Cicerone British Mountains).

2 comments about "Civilizing" Rio: Reform and Resistance in a Brazilian City, 1889-1930.

1. This a major addition to the social history of urban life in Brazil, and Latin America generally. By shifting the emphasis from workplace struggles to conflict over urban space, Meade allows us to rethink dramatic and sometimes puzzling episodes of popular protest in turn-of-the-century Rio de Janeiro (such as the revolt against compulsory smallpox vaccination). Her argument that these protests should be seen as part of the contest over capitalist modernization, and are no less "modern" than workplace struggles in nearby Sao Paulo, adds to the ongoing discussion of political consciousness as forming in struggles both within and beyond the point of production. Meade also explores the implications of "urban beautification" for the popular classes in a way that connects processes in Rio with broader global tendencies during the Age of Imperialism. Finally, the book is highly readable and accessible to the non-specialist, and can be used in courses ranging from introductory undergraduate surveys to graduate seminars.



2. This book provides both a useful overview of urban social history in turn-of-the-century Rio de Janeiro and a unique and convincing analysis of how poor urban and suburban residents responded to urban renewal projects. The author places her analysis in an engaging, accessible, and accurate narrative of the city's broader history, weaving together the findings of a broad array of specialized secondary works. Her own primary research on popular protests provides a crucial part of this history, and her conclusions are suggestive of how popular movements might be understood elsewhere as well. The book shows that the effects of undemocratic urban administration can be disasterous for the least powerful sectors of the population. Yet is also shows that the urban poor were by no means "marginalized," nor did they decline to participate in orderly, legal forms of protest. Riots and violence exploded in Rio only after poor residents had tolerated arbitrary and violent government implementation of urban policies, and after they had found other avenues of appeal to government officials closed. This book is effective in undergraduate and graduate courses alike. In addition to providing an excellent overview of Rio's early twentieth-century history, the book stimulates students to think critically about urbanization, class conflict, forms of protest, and the peculiar concerns of non-industrial nations to create images of order and civilization in the early twentieth century.

No comments about Aztecs and Incas: A Guide to the Pre-Colonized Americas in 1504 (Sightseers).

5 comments about Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. I was quite disappointed when I went to the Index to look up the Gamboa Rainforest Resort where we will be staying in December. To my surprise this large resort in Panama is not even listed in this guide! One criticism of this guide says the author does not list budget resorts due to safety reasons. What could possibly be the reason this author omits this resort - could it be she does not wish to inform the reader of the existence of this new resort for political or economic reasons. Reader Beware!!
   
   Also, I went to look up Pipeline Road ( a famous spot for birding) and the index says "See also Parque Nacional Soberania and birding" I then went to Parque Nacional Soberania and it Unbelievably says ""See also National Parks." When the reader goes to National Parks there are many pages listed with NO identifying descriptions!
   
   There is possibly good information in this guide. For me it is too hard to find and not what I want. I do not like to give bad reviews but I feel that I wasted my money on this guide.



2. I feel suitably qualified to judge this guide on accuracy as I live full-time in Panama and know it well. Of course, no printed material can ever be 100% accurate - things change too fast, but this is the best on the market by far. For me, the Bocas del Toro and San BLas sections in particular are both way above average. I was also pleased to spot plenty of great bits of local insight in every chapter - plus stacks of info on birding, camping and truly discovering Panama's great outdoors.
   
   I should add that I've just read the last review posted and in the interest of fair play, I'd like to point out that the Gamboa Rainforest Resort IS listed. Find it on page 121 under Panama Province - the correct location, as it is NOT located in Panama City itself. This is also clearly listed in the Index on page 339. Pipeline Road is listed in the index on the same page and is on page 119 of the guide - and is (as the last reviewer correctly mentioned) a spectacular spot to watch birds.
   
   In my opinion money well spent for an excellent all round guide to the country.



3. Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide is a superb in-depth travel guide, packed cover to cover with everything from where to view more than 350 species of bird to fishing, rafting and hiking opportunities, prime beaches and watersport locations, top-rated locations to stay or eat, the history of the Panama Canal, an extensive focus on Bocas del Toro, and much more. On a less lighthearted note, Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide also covers "need-to-know" information concerning common diseases, what to bring in a first aid kit, natural hazards, and locations that are particular hotbeds of crime or danger. Maps, charts, graphs, and a handful of photographs round out this practical-minded, "user friendly" and informative guide ideal for the casual tourist and the dedicated business traveler alike.



4. I have read all the books out on Panama for travel guides and with out question find this the most informative yet. She is very presise about her travels and not biased as so many other writers have been. She worked very hard to give detales I have never seen in other travel guides to Panama.
   Great job Sarah!
   Looking forward to your next addition, Kevin



5. Too---- much small detail and not enough maps, pictures and history. The print could of been a little bigger. This book would of been fine if you were going to move there. For a short visit, way to much information.

1 comments about Body & Soul Escapes (Footprint - Lifestyle Guides).

1. If you want to just 'get away' for a while, and wonder where's a great spot, perfect to clear out your head, to breath lovely fresh air, swim, eat delicious food, and not always need to pay luxurious prices (although there are such choices), then here's a superb selection from which you can begin to make your choices. This time, should you take off to Tuscany, or Greece, or the desert in Jordan, to Thailand, or to an island off the coast of Africa? A lot of the best places all over the world, for yoga, for pilates, or tai chi or ayurveda, even where to go for a cleansing detox are here. Beautifully written. Informative (without the greatest index but it's not a big problem). And if your friends hadn't recommended a perfect place for you, now you'll be able to recommend at least one perfect place for them to go to. Once in a while it's also possible it could cost you less than ten dollars a day, yes, (if our dollar doesn't continue dropping in value quicker than it's been doing). This lady already checked out where you can go -- and then she wrote the book she wished she herself had before her departures. Buy it. Then, have a great trip.

4 comments about Explore the Inca Trail (Rucksack Readers).

1. When I was young, I wanted to do all sorts of mad things - trek across the Sahara desert, climb in the Himalayas, go gliding, and so on - and if I'd heard of the Inca Trail at that time, happily hike along it. Now I am older and wiser, and realise that I shall never be able to do any of this. And I am older and wiser enough to realise that anybody else who tries to do this kind of thing is fairly foolish.

   A couple of years ago, my wife and I, taking a grand holiday from Britain, spent part of the time - ten days - in the Inca peaks of Peru. Each day this involved ridiculously strenuous activities - spending hours in the hot sun, climbing hundreds of metres almost vertically along nearly invisible goat tracks, and realising how foolish we were by seeing nobody but our guide the whole time. And then we would burst up into some splendid Inca edifice, towering above the terraces - and find that we were not alone: in every Inca ruin are two or three urchins running gaily around in the thin atmosphere, never panting at all, and taking time off only to try to sell us cold drinks and souvenirs.

   We learned our lesson. We made our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu the easy way: first on the tourist train (yes, the one with a necessary oxygen supply by each seat) and then on the bus up the hair pin hillside to the settlement itself. And there, what did we find? Two or three dozen tourists scrambling gaily around in the thin atmosphere while wearing great heavy kit bags, never panting at all, and looking far fresher than us, although they had arrived along the Inca trail. Mad, all mad - and some of them were older than us!

   Books like this are absolutely wonderful for armchair trail-blazers like me. On the first level, I am able to see what I missed. (Actually all I missed was the aching joints; we were able to enjoy pretty well all the rest - "there is nowhere on earth where you will experience such a gratifying combination of stunning scenery, physical challenge and spectacular plant life... arguably the most photogenic ruins on the planet.") On a higher level, an hour or two with this book would allow me to be able to sparkle at any dinner party by describing my adventures on the Inca trail. Higher still, with little more study, I am sure I could persuade a real Inca trail hiker that I had followed any of the three main walking routes to those splendid ruins.

   All that's because this is no mere guide book: sure, it provides plenty of well written text and many superb illustrations (frightening mountain scenes, many Inca structures, and loads of wildlife - from condors and guanacos to marvellous tiny plants) to describe so much of that wonderful Andean wilderness. But it does a great deal more: here you find full details of every kilometre of each of those three routes, a wealth of health and safety information, even Spanish and local vocabulary. Arguably this is an encouraging book: "This stiff climb will provide the most serious test of your fitness and acclimatisation so far." "Just plod on steadily and you will make good progress." "The campsite here tends to be busy, and once it had a bad reputation for theft."
   Without doubt, you have to be mad to set out on such walks as these - but it would be truly insane to do them without this excellent book in your bag.




2. Again the Ruc Sack reader team comes up with another quality guide to a magnificent area of the world. For anyone planning to visit the Inca Trails then this guide should be your first purchase. It contains all you need to know about preparing for the trail, getting there, any equipment needed, recommended tour operators, detailed maps, useful websites plus day-by-day information on the 3 main routes (short, medium and long). In short, an essential guide to read when looking for information on the Inca Trails.



3. EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL is an experience in itself. This is a spiral bound book with foldout maps and charts, stunning photography, medical advice, altitude profiles, and even a bit of Inca history. I'm not sure if I will ever make it to Machu Picchu, but Rucksack Readers' EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL is certainly the next best thing. (Did you know that no one really knows the true name of these ruins? "Machu Picchu" is Quechua for "old peak." Did you know that Quechua is spoken by over 10 million Peruvians, making it the largest living indigenous language in the Americas? I didn't know this until I read it in EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL.) I enjoyed this book so much that I took it to work with me one day and showed it to a co-worker who is from Peru. He said this book made him homesick. Eventually, EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL even made it into my boss's hands, who borrowed it overnight. This was one well-loved, popular book that made for a great conversation piece!

   As I hint at in the beginning of this review, what I found most interesting about EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL is the respect it pays to the indigenous group who still speaks the official Incan language of Quechua. I have always been fascinated by the topic of South America's relationship with its indigenous cultures and how these cultures fused with the Hispanic culture imposed from Spain. My main focus of study in this theme has been the life of Eva Peron ("Evita"), the former first lady of Argentina. Some scholars say that one reason Evita was so popular with Argentina's poor masses was because she had a degree of indigenous Argentine blood. Robert D. Crassweller writes in PERON AND THE ENIGMAS OF ARGENTINA that Evita's brief career was so successful because "she was so profoundly of the ethos.... Like Peron, she was wholly indigenous in origin and formation [page 248]." EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL describes the fall of the Inca Empire, and describes how the Inca king Atahualpa was betrayed and deceived by the Spaniards. I learned in this book that Atahualpa was murdered on July 26, 1533; eerily, Eva Peron would die of cancer exactly 419 years later, on July 26, 1952. After sharing this bit of information with my co-worker from Peru, I learned something more unusual: he celebrates his birthday on July 26th.

   Needless to say, I highly recommend EXPLORE THE INCA TRAIL.




4. Explore the Inca Trail is a guide detailing two interconnected long distance walking trails (the Mollepata Trail and the Classic Trail) leading to Machu Picchu. This guide is set out so that walkers may join these trails at various stops along the usual train route. This aspect of the book enables participants to walk the trail and still adhere to their time and ability requirements.
   
   The Inca Civilization was an advanced civilization that thrived in what is now modern Peru until it was conquered by the Spaniards in the late 1500s. This amazing civilization was responsible for some of the most amazing sculptures, textiles, metalwork, and architecture that the world has ever seen.
   
   Machu Picchu is the remnants of a breathtaking Inca site hidden in the Andean Mountains. This former royal estate contains over 200 residences, shops, and temples and probably housed between 750 and 1250 people. These buildings feature unique trapezoidal windows and earthquake proof stone building foundations.
   
   The Mollepata Trail leads from Mollepata to Wayllabamba following the existing Inca trail. This trail features three access points along the main road to Wayllabamba. If this trail is completed as a whole, the journey takes the walker three days. Highlights along this trail include gorgeous mountain views and ample wildlife.
   
   The Classic Trails leads from Chilca through Wayllabamba to Machu Picchu. Those participants that walk the Mollepata Trail will connect with the Classic Trail at Wayllabamba. The Classic Trial contains three access points along the train route. This journey takes the walker three or four days depending upon his or her access point. The Classic Trial features many archaeological sites including the Sayaqmarka ruins, the Runkuraqay ruins, the Winaywayna ruins, and the remnants of Machi Picchu.
   
   For those wanting a short walk, there is a Short Trail leading from Chachabamba to Machu Picchu. This journey takes about 4-6 hours to traverse.
   
   Explore the Inca Trail outlines not only the background of Inca and the various stops along the various parts of the walking trails (including full color maps) but also details various long walking and high altitude hiking fundamentals. These details include what types of equipment the participant should bring to complete the walk and how long the various sections of the journey will take. There are also helpful tips especially for novices about daily mileage, feet, weight, and the right gear.