2 comments about Chile: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. (Planeta.com Journal) -- The most comprehensive guide to Chile. Burford explores the length and (very narrow) breadth of Chile to capture the mind-boggling diversity of a country that encompasses the world's driest desert, towering snow-capped mountains and the lush coastal rainforest of Patagonia.



2. I got this info from Bradt-travelguides website: typical of the entire line, it's 688 pages · 8 colour photos · 79 maps.
   So be aware that this is no "Insight" guide, with plenty of photos to help you decide what to see.
   I wish AMAZON would include info like this on all travel books. Require the publisher to provide an outline of book.

5 comments about Obsessions Die Hard: Motorcycling the Pan American Highway's Jungle Gap.

1. This book definitely is not for the average reader, or traveler. It is an account of one man's life-long obsession to ride a motorcycle through the most impenetrable land mass on the face of the planet. If you have no interest in what endurance motorcycle riders call "adventure touring," skip Mr. Culberson's book. But if you ride, and sometimes ride hard and long, or off-road, and have wondered what it might be like to ride where no man has gone before, you will find this both a riveting adventure story and a practical guide to this exotic and dangerous sport. I myself am a motorcycle adventurer (though definitely not of Ed's stature), author, editor and former friend of Ed Culberson. Ed passed away recently, and the bike he made this monumental journey on, a BMW GS he named "Amigo," now sits in a place of honor in the museum at the BMW manufacturing plant in Greenville, South Carolina. His account of his two-wheeled adventures have inspired many other motorcyclists to follow their dreams, and a national award for the betterment of the sport of motorcycling has been renamed the Ed Culberson Memorial Award in his honor.



2. I think this is a story that an adventurist will find gripping, he showed that life is about taking risks and living it to the fullest!



3. For me the story really bogged down when he got into the jungle. Got tired of reading about winching the bike up the hill then winching it down the next one, getting caught in bushes, slipping and sliding, etc. If you are into extreme physical effort you might enjoy this.



4. I'll read anything about motorcycle travel but I would skip this if that doesn't sound like you. Culberson writes like you might expect a military man to. Fairly dry, straightforward and lacking in stylistic prose. It's not really a bad thing since you probably don't care if what you want to hear is the story of motorcycle adventure.
   
   Personally I ended up a bit disappointed in the actual way in which the trip was done - it almost felt like cheating to me. Being towed halfway through the 80 mile Gap and then going home to rest and repair the bike only to return the following year to complete towing the bike seems like saying you ran a marathon 26 one mile runs a day. He did do it though so hat's off to him. I think the time the book was written was the beginning of the whole "adventure traveler" thing so you'll read this now wondering why the hell he didn't take a bike 200lbs lighter. Oh well.



5. He is the Tom Sawer of Motorcycling!!! pulling and riding a bike thru the Jungle! What a man! Great Adventure

1 comments about Mesoamerica's Ancient Cities.

1. Good points:
   - Lot's of color photographs showing not just architecture, but art as well.
   - Many different sites presented.
   - Enough text (about 10-15%), but not too much.
   
   Disappointments:
   - Thoroughness is sacrificed in favor of including more sites - I would prefer more pictures of each site.
   - Pictures quality is only fair to good. I was very disappointed that colors are washed out (low color saturation) even though the book is printed on heavy matte stock.
   - A majority of the pictures are not aerial, though that doesn't detract much for me.
   - Only recent photos - would have liked to have seen early photos of sites prior to excavation.
   - Some pictures are mislabeled.
   
   Overall, worth checking out of the library or buying used, but probably not worth purchasing new.

1 comments about Virginia & the Capital Region Smithsonian Guides (Smithsonian Guides to Historic America).

1. A friend from Massachusetts was coming to visit us in Virginia and borrowed this book from her local library. It is wonderful. It is clearly written and full of accurate information. We used it a lot both to decide where to go and for reference as questions came up as we travelled. As soon as she left I went immediately to Amazon.com to get a copy of my own. The photographs are beautiful but the information is the best ever. There is a lot to cover in Virginia and this book does it well.

No comments about North Carolina.

No comments about Tampa Bay's Gulf Beaches (FL) (Images of America).

1 comments about The History of the Incas.

1. This translation of the work of Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa is both riveting and detailed. As an account of the history of the Incas it is unsurpassed in its accuracy, presenting evidence gained from the Incas themselves circa 1570AD. Events and occurrences are vividly portrayed although the reader is always left with a sense of myth being mixed with fact. Also the annoying use of Italics to mark out the obvious and often contradictory statements forced to be included in the book by the Spanish Viceroy of the time is somewhat demeaning.

   Despite this the translation serves as a fascinating read and as a lucid and detailed account of the history of the Incas. The translator has also included an invaluable lexicon of Quechua words and useful maps of the areas in question that add a realism to the book that would be otherwise unachievable.

   A stunning and informative read this work is equally capable of being a book of general interest or an accurate academic source. However the prime benefit of this book is not its authenticity but its rich detail that illustrates the lifestyle of the ancient Incas in a truly vivid manner. It is also interesting to note the strong religious superiority that is portrayed by the author and the attitudes of the Spanish conquistadors towards the Incas that were apparent during this period of history and to observe how these factors shaped the type of history that was recorded during this period, a fact that is all to easy to overlook.

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

1 comments about Toronto: A Pictorial Celebration.

1. We were fortunate enough to take one of Bruce's tours when visiting Toronto. In person he's knowledgeable, charming and loads of fun to spend time with. This book is the next best thing to actually walking around Toronto with Bruce. He knows the city inside and out and the book if full of interesting information and stunning pictures. It's great for anyone who's ever visited Toronto - or would like to.

No comments about Fort Myers (FL) (Images of America).