3 comments about Postcards from the Basque Country.

1. The publisher's review is misleading as there is only very limited information on the topics listed. The many illustrations promised,which attracted me to buy the book (unseen), are for the most part uninteresting since many are old photos (like a rowing team from many years ago!), or typical "travel scraps", or a page from a dictionary, etc. This is best described as a whimsical scrapbook of her present and her past memories of the area. However, she is indeed an artist; every page is artistically composed.



2. This book is chock full of cool pics and quotes that leave you dreaming about the basque for days and nights! This book helps your imagination run wild on visions of travelling to spain or france. The incerpts are wonderfully written and the drawings are beautiful. Las fotos estan muy muy bonito!



3. I bought this book thinking it would give me a feel for Basque Spain. Having traveled extensively in Spain I am always looking for accounts of the experiences of others. This "book" (and I guess your have to call it a book due to the number of pages)is nothing more than a multi-page greeting card. There is nothing here but the author's incoherant ramblings and her idea of "art".
   Don't waste your time - or money. Why do publishers print this stuff? I would give zero stars if I could.

No comments about Moorish culture in Spain.

No comments about Festivals & Rituals of Spain.

1 comments about Atlantic Islanders of the Azores and Madeiras.

1. The author is very well versed in Azorean history, but as usual attempts to grasp at the Anglo connection with the Azoreans. Mr. "Rogers" wrote this at a time when the Azores were in a revolutionary mode, and made not attempt to describe the injustices that were placed upon these peoples. One sided as usual.
   pv

2 comments about Winter in Majorca.

1. I found this book disappointing, because I expected it to be about the relationship between George Sand and Frederic Chopin while in Majorca. However, this book has absolutely nothing to do with either Sand or Chopin. This book is entirely made up of George Sand describing the scenery, people, and foods of Majorca, and just complaining about how she hated it there. And to make it worse, there are footnotes on every page saying that Sand was totally wrong about everything she was saying. I would not recommend this book to anyone, unless they wanted to read up on what Majorca was like during the 1800's.



2. Sand's chronicle of a wretched season spent on the Balearic island of Mallorca is the archetype for the "bad-trip" school of travel writing. Caustic, spiteful and utterly devoid of sentimentality or remorse, Sand (who was visiting with her beastly young daughter, Solange, and an ailing Frederic Chopin) trashes everything Mallorcan, from the olive oil, to the weather, to the landscape, to the moral character of the islanders. (If only the British and German package tourists who have colonized and defaced Mallorca in the 20th century had read Sand beforehand!)

   An added pleasure in this edition is the sniping and meticulous footnoting by Mallorcan expat Robert Graves. He gainsays and qualifies nearly every contentious little gripe of Sand's, providing the reader with an interesting cross-generational literary (and personal) cat/dog-fight.

   My guess is, if you enjoy the withering observations of Paul Theroux and his disciples, you will enjoy Sand's nasty little book. If, however, you like your travel books in soft-focus and heavy on the ambience and schmaltz, look elsewhere.

No comments about Michelin Barcelona Mini-Spiral Atlas No. 2040 (Michelin Maps & Atlases).

2 comments about Art-Sites Spain: Contemporary Art + Architecture Handbook (Art - Sites).

1. In Spain: Contemporary Art + Architecture Handbook, Sidra Stich provides the visitor with a fascinating guide to what the diverse and rich heritage of the country has to offer. Such art and architectural resources as museums, alternative spaces, galleries, public art exhibitions, urban projects, film centers, sculpture parks, bookstores, and art fairs are identified and surveyed. Readers will note where to find work by internationally acclaimed artists, as well as those newly emerging into prominence. The informative and engaging text is enhanced with 150 illustrations, detailed maps and city tour routes, as well as addresses, phone numbers, websites, access hours, and miscellaneous helpful hints. Spain is a welcome and highly recommended addition to any traveler's reference shelf and an ideal resource for crafting that very special art and architecture oriented itinerary.



2. Third in an indispensable series from an indefatigable culture hound with edgy taste and a gift for succinctly mixing facts and opinions. Here's what to do after you have seen Gaudi in Barcelona, Calatrava in Valencia, and the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

No comments about Portugal: the Algarve, 2nd.

No comments about Where Barcelona CityGuide (Where Cityguides).

3 comments about Northern Spain: The Collected Traveler (An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource).

1. As in my (rave) review for Ms. Kerper's PARIS book, I cannot say too much how much I love this series, and this title, in particular, is spectacular, in that it makes a region that is off-the-beaten-path so entirely enticing. I am planning an upcoming trip to Northern Spain, and unlike other the other (standard) travel guides for this area that I've seen, this book has TRULY helped shape how I wish to spend my time, all the while introducing me to a culture and history I am unfamiliar with (e.g. the long history of pilgrimage in Santiago di Compostela, and the endless seafood offerings of La Coruna and culinary indulgences to be found in San Sebastian). This is not the Spain of arid plains and bullfight arenas. Its a whole new world...to me!

   I feel this book is the PERFECT starting point for travellers, ESPECIALLY those who enjoy planning, for it leads one in so many interesting directions. The different voices of the varied collected authors (along with Ms. Kerper's insights) offer a much richer perspective than most typical travel books, by virtue of the diversity (and careful choosing). The excellent bibliography will have you running to the library or bookstore to explore more, all in a much more focussed way.

   Thia book is truly a resource (as titled) and a guide and companion in the fullests sense of these words. You are the beneficiary of insider knowledge from an avid traveller, and it all seems so personalized.

   Without hesitation I say BUY THIS BOOK, and while you're at it check out the others in this series...honestly PARIS was indispensible to my last trip, and I can't wait to get my hands on VENICE!




2. I loved this book!!! Having travelled to Spain several times and being interested in learning as much as I about this wonderful country, I found this book to be an extremely valuable resource. I loved the format, it was easy to pick up and put down with the short story format. I found the nature of the stories to be so personal that I felt I was actually travelling with the authors. A highly recommended travel guide!



3. This isn't a travel guide, per se, but an excellent descriptive collection of the regions, landscape, and culture of Northern Spain. While it does include some good practical info and some (limited) lodging and restaurant recommendations, what it does best is paint a picture of the region that isn't overly promotional. Just tells it like it is....you feel like you get a good idea of what it would like to be there. And the picture it paints will make you want to travel to Northern Spain -- it worked for us!