5 comments about Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. I have nothing but praise for DeLorme. We have purchased and used 5 states now (Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and Arizona), and each has enabled us to really enjoy some spontaneous vacations. I plan to buy one for each state I visit.



2. Great Product! Nearly as good as having a seperate map for every county in the whole state.
   I like it best because I can read the text much easier than a state map, especially in low light. My bifocals are OK for reading but not the fine details of most maps.



3. I purchased the maps so I could see the elevation contours. I have a Tennessee maps and it gives the elevation changes by 100 foot. The map gives some elevation but not the contours.



4. These Delorme Atlas & Gazetters are wondeful. They show you many features not available through GPS, maps or other atlases. It is a great feature to have the BLM lands marked as well as the back roads. Good resources are also included in each states atlas. A good addition to anyone's travel tools.



5. We are snowbirds and we kept getting "misplaced" with the regular maps. This one is complete and accurate. Thanks

5 comments about Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea.

1. Amazing? Hardly! As hard as it was for Steven Callahan to survive 76 days asea in a rubber dingy, it doesn't make for a very interesting book. How much can happen in a setting of a dingy and an ocean of saltwater? Well, three things: fish, water and blisters. If you find any of those three things excitingly interesting, them jump on in to this book. If you're a sea-savvy sailor, unlike me, maybe you'll understand more of the seamen terminology, techology and boredom. How was this story worthy of 344 pages is beyond me. I'm not just uncompasionate, just uninterested. If you want to read a "lost at sea book" and don't care about fiction/non-fiction, then read Life of Pi.



2. The open ocean asked Steven how badly he wanted to live, and he answered by enduring over two months of loneliness, near starvation, constant thirst, and countless open sores from his unending saltwater bath. Through it all, he never knew if all his suffering would lead to redemption or death. This is indeed a story of courage and strength in the face of the natural adversity of thousands of square miles of open ocean. Compared to these 76 days, life for most of us is a cakewalk. Steven's story is compelling, memorable and inspiring.



3. "Adrift" is my favorite survival story, and that's saying something! I have read dozens of survival stories, and found this to be the most engaging narrative yet.
   
   Callahan mixes science content (including excellent illustrations) to explain how he managed various specific survival tasks -- like collecting water using solar stills, fixing a leak in the raft, and fishing techniques -- in addition to an engaging story of his emotional state as he survived alone in a rubber dinghy at sea.
   
   Fans of survival, science, adventure, pretty much anyone who wants an engaging narrative -- this is the book for you! It's a page-turner that will make you think about survival and appreciate the comforts of modern life.



4. If you sail, this book will save your life. It is the best book on staying alive at sea that has ever been written.



5. I couldn't put this book down and read it in a couple of sittings. An amazing tale of adventure and survival.

5 comments about Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation.

1. This book proved to be a big help in determining native plantings for my yard. The latin names helped eliminate "look alikes" in plant catalogs. It is worth the money



2. For anyone in the Northeastern part of the USA, this book will become a well thumbed reference. The developing of a web of life based upon the system of native flora and fauna is clearly and compellingly presented. In a world where native plants are often thought of as weeds, this book is a fresh look at what makes the Northeast its own special region.



3. I know how to garden in Kansas, Maryland, Australia, South Texas and Florida, but now I'm learning what plants work for New England. This book is a life saver with descriptions of ferns, grasses, wildflowers, vines, shrubs and trees suited to the region.
   The photos are good, full-color, but aren't always on the same page as the description. Each plant is listed with its scientific name, followed by its common names and family group. It gives the zones, soil requirements, and light needs plus a short description. There are propagation tips for each and notes for special information and an indication of the plant's natural range. It is really a pretty exhaustive book.
   Some helpful lists at the end includes:
   Plants that tolerate wet soil
   Plants that tolerate dry soil
   Plants that tolerate shade
   Plants with flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds
   Plants with fruits that attract birds
   Plants with fruits that attract mammals
   This can be used as a wildflower identification book or to select plants for special needs in your northeast garden.



4. The book is a good list of plants, shrubs and trees for the area. I find the text to be a little technical for the novice/intermediate gardener.



5. Very informative and chocked full of valuable material pertaining to specific types of plants you may desire for your garden. I have only one complaint - the pictures of shrubs and trees show only, in most instances, just the branch containing the leave or flower. I wanted to see pictures of the entire shrub or tree since I desired to observe the fullness or lack thereof of specific species for my garden. In other words, to get an idea how the plant would look when it is in place.

5 comments about Austria (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. I love this brand of travel books. The images really help you to identify attractions, as well as the birds eye view maps. I also enjoy the "must see attractions" call outs within each section. This book helped make our trip through Austria more well informed and helped us plan our major stops. We also got one for Budapest which was equally great.



2. My family loves these (Eye Witness brand) travel guides! They are VERY informative, very easy to follow, and include lots of good pictures. We've given them as gifts, and the recipients have always given us positive feedback. All of this, plus they are reasonably priced.



3. My daughter found this book to be engrossing, and loves it. All the color pictures really enhance the book, and make the reading a pleasure. As she stated to me - all the Eyewitness books are so good, it's hard to put them down, and they are educational too!



4. I had purchased a similar book for my son about France to help him with his French language courses in high school. I ended up spending more time with it than he did, and when I saw the other country titles, I decided to purchase a few more. The Austria book is excellent in that it condenses a lot of information into a very portable volume. The photos and illustrations are fabulous and the background historical and cultural information is superb. The listing of accomodations and restaurants also appears to be very well researched and provides a starting point for further Internet research. My favorite part of Austria is the Salzburg Region, and this book provides a genuine sense of what it is really like. I can definitely benefit from this book on future travel to Austria. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about the country, as well as for experienced travellers. Well done to the authors, editors, and publisher!



5. I love these books. I have Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand and France. The information is good and the pictures are great. I don't actually take these books travelling with me. I look at them before I go and plan what I want to do by the books. I highly recommend these books for anyone who wants a travelling guide or for people who just want to read up on a country. The books have a wide range of information.

3 comments about Fodor's Hawaii 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. EXCELLENT service. Book arrived in a very timely manner and in perfect condition - very well packaged.



2. Thise guide is very helpful to book good hotel without spend much money, you can visit many place only with Fodor's explanations.
   
   I suggest to buy thise guide to have a wonderful trip!!!
   Hawaii are a macic islands and only reading Fodor's you can imagine the places.
   
   Pamela - Italia



3. Two books that I recommend reading before going to Hawaii are Fodor's Hawaii 2008 and No Worries Hawaii. I read both cover to cover and really got alot out of them. Each provides what the other has left out.

5 comments about Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve (Places Rated series).

1. In the growing field of books offering suggested places to live or retire, RETIREMENT PLACES RATED is one of the few to base its findings entirely on statistics rather than opinion. David Savageau, the author, has authored prior editions of this book as well as the popular PLACES RATED ALMANAC. Feeding into the statistics here come metrics on each of 203 locations from six specific areas: Ambiance (by which the author means largely historic charm and outdoor recreation), Costs of Living, Climate, Personal Safety, Services (availability of medical services, for example) and The Economy. We're also given a useful Appendix with Chamber of Commerce addresses, income-tax information, and the like.
   
   My hunch is that people will find this book quite useful, but not conclusive. It's impossible to avoid opinion entirely, even in a statistics-gathering format like this one, because someone still has to decide what to count and how to weight it. Take the section on Climate: the very top performers are California coastal Mediterranean places like San Diego, which is not surprising. Then come snowless Pacific Northwest cliimates, desert climates, beach climates (mainly in Florida), and long-hot-summer climates (think central Texas). Although nearly half of the 203 locales rated here are not in the Sunbelt or on salt water, we have to move almost halfway down the list to get to them.
   
   The heat doesn't seem to matter much in this author's assessment of what constitutes "climatic mildness." That's why Yuma, Arizona, where it goes to triple-digit temperatures all summer, comes in at number 10, while relatively mild four-season Charlottesville, Virginia ranks 137. (Actually, if a place has any snowfall that sticks, it's doomed to a poor rating.) Interestingly, Charlottesville placed no. 1 among places to retire in a guide for general use that also came out in 2004 (Cities Ranked & Rated), which used only slightly different metrics. As for an overall score, in RETIREMENT PLACES RATED Charlottesville comes in number 35, edging out Yuma at number 37.
   
   A happy feature of the prior general-interest PLACES RATED ALMANAC was Savageau's use of screening or "filtering" devices to custom-tailor the rankings to people with differing tastes. There was, in fact, precisely a ranking of climatic mildness for people who nonetheless want to live in a four-season climate, not a winterless one, screening out San Diego and Sarasota and Yuma but including, say, Charlottesville. There should have been much more of that sort of thing here.
   
   But a person doesn't have to agree with all the rankings to benefit from the stats. Data on housing costs, crime, and the local economy are all welcome. Just don't think of RETIREMENT PLACES RATED as the only book of its kind you'll ever need.



2. This is an excellent resource however it is in grave need of an update.
   
   The cost of housing and the US economy have made some changes since publication date.



3. When the first edition of this book came out I was impressed. I am still impressed. This is one of the most extensive and detail books on locations for retirement. As I near that wonderful time in life I read, mark and digest all the information provided. WELL DONE!



4. Almost more information than you can assimilate, it's amazingly informative. It can really help you find the place you want to be.



5. You know exactly what's promised when you read the title of this book, and it delivers exactly that, and better than any other book on this topic that I have seen. This is a great companion book to read together with those that address finances and other aspects of preparing for this major life transition. But with relocation being part of so many Americans' retirement strategy, for financial or other reasons, it is really helpful to know in advance what you are getting into. David Savageau makes that task easy through his seven-category rating system. And I particularly liked the fact that the rating system is transparent, so you can make mental adjustments to the ratings based on what is important to you. While moving to another place may not solve all your problems, if you are contemplating a retirement relocation, this book can be very helpful, and can help you avoid mistakes.
   John Trauth, Author, "Your Retirement, Your Way."

5 comments about Prague (City Guide).

1. Lonely Planet Prague provided a great synopsis of the historical sites, with descriptions often better than those provided by our formal tour guides. The detailed information regarding transportation, costs, and hours were right on. Without the book we would have missed some off-the-beaten-path activities. Our only complaint was that some key restaurants were not included but this is the only area which I believe needs to be improved.



2. The Lonely Planet series was recommended to me, and the guide to Prague was the first one I purchased. The recommendation was right on, the guide's reputation is well deserved. Everything I needed to know is included, the places and restaurants were exactly as described, and the maps and walking tours were easy to follow.



3. Better than most books on Prague. In British dialect - so not always easy to understand.



4. I lived in Prague for a month and relied on this book if only for the maps. Of course, it was also quite helpful when it came to recommending English book stores! I've learned not to trust LP's judgment on food, but otherwise they're a handy source.



5. Great resource with great walking routes too (excellent directions!). When traveling I usually bring two, maybe three guide books. On this trip to Prague I brought two, and ended using this extensively, as the other book was found to be nothing more than extra weight to carry around the city.
   
   Highly recommend this book, plus one other (not fodor's). The only minus of this book was the metro map. But other than that this book is seriously dog eared, written in, and cherised as a great memoir of my trip to Prauge.

No comments about Merde Happens.

5 comments about Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft.

1. Heyerdahl was either extremely ignorant of the sea, completely sure of his hypothesis that ancient peoples traveled the sea in rafts, or both.
   
   I worked offshore, and couldn't imagine doing what Heyerdahl did. I've spent my life on the water and the sea just has never been so forgiving in my case. To build a raft for the first time without testing it first against the sea was just madness. But to put out, without the technology we have today, that was just ballsy.
   
   In the end, history proved him right, over and over again. Heyerdahl is a man who certainly knows how to put his money where his mouth is. If you want to know about the spirit of those who have the faith to really lean on their convictions, this is a great book.
   
   -H



2. I made some Mormons angry over my reviews of books that defend the Book of Mormon, and they have been slamming my reviews. Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks
   
   On Kon-Tiki: I absolutely got lost in this magnificent adventure. Nevertheless, Heyerdahl's theory that civilization was spread around the world by some lost white race is simply bogus racism. Still, I enjoyed all his books, including "The Ra Expeditions," and "Aku-Aku."
   
   It is sad to think that Heyerdahl's career as a fearless adventurer is marred by his zealous devotion to a dated idea. Yes, Peruvian Indians could have crossed the Pacific, but it is more likely that contact came from the other way. At any rate, Heyerdahl manufactured the archaeological evidence he found on Easter Island.
   
   In the July 2002 issue of the "Smithsonian Magazine," Richard Conniff demonstrated that Heyerdahl actually paid the natives to make reed-boats relics (Kon Artist?" was the title). "A good story," said Conniff, "can be so compelling that teller and subject become entrapped together in its charms...." (p. 28). This astute observation could apply to novels claimed to be actual history, and anyone interested in the Book of Mormon should give it long thought.
   
   Heyerdahl wrote about Pedro Pate, an Easter Islander and how Pate found a two-masted reed boat in a cave. Conniff wrote: "I showed Pate a two-page photograph of the reed boat from Heyerdahl's book, and he grinned. He'd carved the boat himself, he said. Dubious, I offered him $100 to carve such a boat now, 37 years later, and he accepted." "A few days later, he presented me with the 18-inch-long reed boat he had carved. It was as good as the one in the book" (p. 29).
   
   In "The Ancient American Civilizations," Friedrich Katz asked some very hard questions of Heyerdahl's theory.
   
   "If the Polynesians really do come from America, why do their chronicles record the exact opposite direction, naming South-East Asia as their place of origin? Why is their language first and foremost related to South-Asiatic and Malayan languages? Finally, as Trimborn remarked, 'Were not the Polynesian Vikings, rather than the Indians, not the sailors who crossed the high seas?'" (p. 18).
   
   Heyerdahl should also be criticized for playing word games, selecting a word here and there, but ignoring the whole language. Many linguists criticized this erroneous method of relating two ancient peoples. See Robert Wauchope's magnificent little book, "Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents: Myth and Method in the Study of the American Indians." See my review. Lost Tribes and Sunken Continents Myth Method in the
   
   Mormon writers frequently cite Heyerdahl because he proved that ancient voyages across the oceans were possible--an idea going back hundreds of years and not new with Heyerdahl. Very few scholars ever denied that such ancient voyages were possible.
   
   But ah, there's the rub, as Hamlet said. If they occurred, what would be the effect on an entrenched native culture? The Book of Mormon has ancient voyages (the Jaredites were supposed have crossed the ocean on a 344-day voyage in eight submarines in about 2,000 BC). It is primarily about the great civilizations the Jaredites and Nephites established in the Americas.
   
   Robert Sharer summarizes the modern state of knowledge in his heavy and authoritative book, "The Ancient Maya." Sharer writes:
   
   "After more than a century of gathering and analyzing archaeological evidence, we have discovered nothing to support the idea of intervention by people from the Old World." "This is not to say that accidental contacts between the Old and New World peoples could not have occurred before the age of European exploration" (p. 6).
   
   "On the basis of the available evidence, then, the courses of cultural development in the New and Old Worlds seem clearly independent of each other and devoid of significant contact until 1492" (intro., p. 7).
   
   The ancient Maya civilization, Sharer continues, "are to be `explained' not as a product of transplanted Old World civilization, but as the result of the processes that underlie the growth of any culture, including those that develop the kind of complexity we call civilization."
   
   "The idea, which either explicitly or implicitly asserts that the peoples of the New World were incapable of shaping their own destiny or developing sophisticated cultures independently of Old World influence, is still popular in quarters."
   
   "But this is but one more popular myth devoid of fact, for the evidence points unmistakably toward the evolution of civilization in the New World independently of developments in the Old World." See Sharer's book and my review. The Ancient Maya, 6th Edition
   
   None of these serious criticisms of the claims of Mormons or of Heyerdahl's theories, however, should detract from Heyerdahl's great adventures. His accounts of his raft voyages are breathless and compelling reading.
   
   For a masterful telling of Polynesian history (especially about Easter Island) by a scholar with a Moari heritage, read the essential book "Vikings of the Pacific," by Peter H. Buck. Click here to read my review:
   Vikings of the Pacific



3. It's a great read and an epic journey. What amazed me, even more than the raft itself, was that the crews' relationships with each other survived the trip. I don't know many (any) people I'd want never to be able to get out of sight of for months on end...
   
   Read and be impressed, be very impressed!



4. This was one of my summer reads and I found it incredibly entertaining. The story of how a bunch of crazy Norwegians, many of whom were WWII vets, floated across the South Pacific on a balsa raft during the middle of the 20th century is one of the best adventure stories I have ever read. The line between scientific investigation and insanity is thin on this one. The men set off to prove a link between Ancient Peruvians and Polynesians by proving that the Peruvians had sailed as far as Polynesia on balsa rafts. The group procures its wood from the dangerous, lawless countryside of Peru, floats it down a river to the sea, and sets forth on an epic adventure on a scrappy looking sail driven raft they slapped together using diagrams based off ancient documents.
   
   The accounts of flying fish, battles with sharks, and struggles against the elements are highly entertaining. They drifted across seas drawn by the currents through areas of the ocean free of shipping lanes, an adventure unparalleled for its time. Their raft literally became a home to hundreds of sea creatures. They encountered sea creatures that nobody had ever seen before. Although their voyage seems crazy, it was really done and I was actually relieved when the raft broke up on a reef on a South Pacific Island and the men were able to swim to safety.
   
   If you've ever dreamed of doing something crazy in the name of scholarly pursuits, or if you like a good adventure tale, this is a good read. Its also an interesting piece of history and Thor Heyerdahl went on to receive hundreds of awards for his incredible accomplishment.



5. A very wow story.
   
   When the author was told that a particular people's migration was impossible, given the ocean going technology and distance involved, he set out to prove it wasn't.
   
   Crazy, brave, or whatever, but a pretty impressive real-life adventure tale, along with a spot of first-hand scientific historical research.

5 comments about How to Move to Canada: A Primer for Americans.

1. Great book, comprehensive and well-written. Tipped us off to a Customs regulation (it involves inventorying your entire household, including counting your socks!) that caused us to abort our plan to move to Canada. Wish we'd had this book earlier, we would have saved thousands of dollars in fees and two years of my life.



2. The authors give good information about all of Canada's provinces. I would have liked to see more in the way of practical advice, including those who are interested in purchasing real estate but not necessarily intent on immigrating. But I liked it for all that, and recommend it to anyone interested in living in Canada.



3. I found this book reasonably useful as a means of learning how the immigration process works for Canada. You could certainly research all this info on the Internet yourself, but it would be a bother. The author points out some common and potentially serious mistakes that applicants often make on their paperwork.
   
   Also, she herself is an American immigrant to Canada, and speaks from experience and from the American perspective, which makes this book superior to another of its type, "Living and Working in Canada" which was written by a British citizen for an audience of non-North Americans.



4. This is the most thoroughly readable how-to book I have seen on moving to Canada. It is practical and authoritative and has helped my quest for emigration greatly. It's a good investment and the perfect 'starter' book for anyone with thoughts of becoming an ex-pat by moving north of the border.



5. This book doesn't pull any punches - you are leaving the United States and moving to another country - an action not to be taken lightly at all. Whether entering our friendly neighbors to the north as just a permanent resident or going all the way and becoming a Canadian citizen (Note! You don't have to give up your US citizenship!)- it's a lot more complicated than just arriving, buying a house, and starting your new job that you've previously located and landed. Interesting sidebar segments on those who have gone before and what they did - or wished they had done - to make the move and transition easier and less stressful.
   
   Yes you can "retire" to Canada - you just have to loan the government $400,000 (CD) interest free for 61 months and have total assets of greater than $800,000 (CD) when you enter and before the loan. No more just showing up with your retirement nest egg.