5 comments about The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite.

1. I used this for my first visit to Yosemite. It was very accurate and a great guide even if you're not a photographer. You should use it in conjunction with the free trail guide for the off road hikes. The trail guide has difficulty ratings for the hikes. We went to the top of Vernal falls and it was more difficult than the impression I got from the book. That was my fault not the author's. Great photos in the book too.



2. Yosemite is a frequent photgraphic destination for me. I use Michael's book on each trip. There is so much to see at Yosemite that a plan is required. This book not only directs you to the best photo locations, but tells you precisely the time of year to get the best results. Highly recommended.



3. This is the first book I've ever bought to prepare for a trip. I usually spend endless hours searching out tips from links on websites and then printing them--now I look for a photographer's guide first! Michael Frye has given every tip on 'what, when, where, and how', including which filters to use for problem situations or enhancement. This guide is equally beneficial for those travelers looking for the perfect time and place for wonderment--those special spots not marked by signs with arrows and time tables. And the images are awe inspiring. Definitely something to keep out on the coffee table when you get back home.



4. I took the trip of a lifetime earlier this month to Yosemite and San Francisco, and it was wonderful. Photography is a big hobby for me, and I spent every second looking for photo opportunities. I read that this was a great book to have and bought it before the trip. It is available at most of the gift shops in the park, but you'll love having ahead of time if you want to make some plans before you go. It's not much cheaper here than in the park, though- maybe $1. Anyway, this was an invaluable tool and I used it to plan most of my hiking and sightseeing while in Yosemite. I also had a PhotoSecrets book for San Francisco, but it wasn't nearly as helpful as this book. This is a great investment to make sure you get the pictures you want on your trip to Yosemite National Park.



5. There are many glowing reviews of this book and it does provide the goods on how and where to go to get good shots. The maps (5) and sections are also quite simple to read. In addition, the sequential numbering of the points of interest is a help.
   
   I was disappointed to find so much coverage of photographic technique. While some technique discussions directly relate to the unique character of Yosemite (for example talking about color and the lack of it in granite) most of it feels more like filler, and indeed makes it harder to navigate to the sections of interest.
   
   The book also lacks an index so the only useful navigation tool is the brief table of contents. Without that table of contents it would be hard to find any particular section and even with it, you're going to have to resort to man-made book marks to find what you want. For example if Pohono Bridge and Fern Spring caught your fancy but you didn't remember to book mark it or remember its number you'll have to resort to scanning all of the maps and/or all of the numbered interest points because despite the page of content, there is no entry for this viewpoint in the table of contents (and remember there is no index).
   
   I would prefer the maps be all together at the front or back so that it would work better as a reference book. I would also have liked to see some more examples of "out of the way" hikes to desirable vistas.
   
   Finally, I would like the author to have provided some sort of "effort vs eye-appeal" rating to help me focus on which sunrise locations are the "not to miss" areas and which are "ok". Perhaps the author can even suggest a few itineraries. These more useful things could replace the "choosing film" techniques section and others like it that are a bit basic and detract from the otherwise good "where and when" information.
   
   I'm tempted to get Harold Davis's book "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite & the High Sierra" just to make a comparison.

3 comments about Alaska (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I am a frequent Alaska tourist and have used several of the Eyewitness city guides in the past, so I was glad to see that they came out with this book. No one can touch Eyewitness for design and illustrations and their Alaska guide is no exception. Their maps are amazingly clean and functional. It is impossible to pick up this book and not get sucked into it.
   
   The guide is not as comprehensive as a Frommer's or Fodor's, but for me, who needs a listing of every restaurant and gift shop in an area. Eyewitness focuses on the can't-miss attractions and gives more than enough shopping and dining options to cover your stay in state. The information is in bite-sized chunks that are easily scanned and give a good overview to the areas you're visiting.
   
   If I had to say something against this guide it would be that it is so filled with photos that they need to be pretty small. When I flip through it and see these tiny images of areas I have visited, they just don't do justice to the scope of the landscape. But then, maybe this will just help you appreciate Alaska when you are there in person.
   
   If you or someone you know is going to Alaska for a vacation, get them a copy of this book. This is the best guide to the entire state I have found.



2. I enjoyed working with this seller who was very prompt. The book was used, but came in without any wear at all. Great stuff!!



3. I have used the Eyewitness guides for several other countries. The Alaska guide has the same beautiful color pictures but the city & tour info was nat as complete as some of the other guides. I ended up borrowing a Fodor's guide from a friendFodor's Alaska 2007 (Fodor's Gold Guides)

5 comments about Rome with Kids: An Insider's Guide.

1. "Rome With Kids" is just as important for your trip to Rome as obtaining your passport. This book is written for PEOPLE going to visit Rome. Children are people, too. This book will enhance the visit with the author's expert advice and insight on history, culture, food, shopping,and above all where to buy the best ice cream.
   "Rome with Kids" has everything you need to discover the delights of Rome at your own pace and the pace of the children.
   I have lived in Italy , on and off, for over 30 years. As I read this excellent book I found new and interesting things to see and to do.
   I give it 10 stars.



2. This is truly an amazing book. Very unique, not only informational but enjoyable at the same time. I have followed the author's advice throughout Rome and had a fantastic trip. I wouldn't go to Rome without this book.



3. I was amazed at this book! If you are planning a trip to Rome this book is for you! I think it is great for Kids of all ages, that includes Moms Dads and Grandparents, I loved the format. Rome can be a little daunting at times, And this book can help in keeping everyone happy intertained and well fed! Just a great book!



4. Rome With Kids is a guide to making the most of one's visit to Rome, the great seat of Western civilization, written especially for parents with children in tow. Color photographs and maps enhance the step-by-step itineraries, recommendations for kid-friendly activities, advice on viewing the finest museum collections before the kids burn out, tips on where to shop or rent bikes, and much more. Written by mother and former Rome resident J.M. Pasquesi, Rome with Kids is enthusiastically recommended to parents for its attention to detail and ease of use.



5. My daughter (11) and I loved planning our trip to Rome with this book! It ended up being the only book we carried with us as we toured the Eternal City. The information was great with wonderful tidbits to keep the interest level high. There are terrific pictures throughout although without a frame of reference for size, we were always surprised to find out something was MUCH bigger than we thought it was going to be! That was always good for a laugh.
   Since we were staying nearby, the recomended gelato stand between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona became our regular nightcap and it is the best in the city! Great tip! We even sent another family there.
   We homeschool so this was our field trip and this book was invaluable for our needs. Our copy has been our notebook and is full of written notes, highlighting, post-it notes, and drawings. Thank goodness the printing is such great quality. We wouldn't part with it for anything!
   Ciao!

5 comments about Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France.

1. Peter Mayle effectivately takes us once again to beautiful Provence through his second book. His writing is witty yet very unassuming and laid back. He gives the reader vivid and often funny accounts of the land and its people. He has an uncanny ability to observe the smallest details in the Provencal locals that he meets and to express it in a very entertaining way through his books.



2. Food, the air, water, the land and the people in the South of France. The book beautifully took me thru life in this person move to this area.



3. The book was everything I expected...but y'all sent it in paperback. I never buy a book that I do not want to keep....and I never buy and keep paperback books.



4. For an unexplained reason, Peter Mayle and his unnamed wife (presumably the "Jennie" of the dedication) left paradise in Provence for Long Island. In Encore Provence, he returns to the south of France, where the food, wine, and slow pace of life again absorb his attention.
   
   Even less structured than Toujours Provence, Encore Provence covers familiar territory from new angles. "The Unsolved Murder of the Handsome Butcher" and "Recipe for a Village" address both the insularity and charms of village life ("Recipe" much less successfully), while "How to Be a Nose," "Discovering Oil," and "Friday Morning in Carpentras" provide insights into the perfume, olive oil, and truffle industries, respectively. In one of the best chapters, "Restaurant Critic Makes Astonishing Discovery," Mayle effectively and humorously discredits Ruth Reichl's flippant dismissal of Provence. How could a serious critic, after only a month's visit, write, "I had been dreaming of a Provence that never existed"? To help the reader find ripe tomatoes--which Reichl could not manage to do--and other products of Provence, Mayle provides the names and places for markets, vineyards, restaurants, bakeries, and producers of goods like olive oil and honey. It becomes clear that Reichl could not find Provence because she actively avoided it; perhaps she thought that deflating the expectations that Mayle helped to create was a better story than simply reinforcing them.
   
   Several chapters, like "Curious Reasons for Liking Provence" and "Eight Ways to Spend a Summer's Afternoon," reveal one of the problems with Encore Provence--the lack of significant new material. More filler than substance, they are more like random personal essays than integral parts of a cohesive work, as though Mayle could not think of a better way to frame his random observations. These chapters are forced, splintered, and almost unnecessary.
   
   Surprisingly, there is a less of a sense of place. In the previous Provence books, Mayle's stone house, with its location abutting public forest, its isolation from traffic, its drawn-out renovations, its pool that attracts thirsty sangliers, and its quirky neighbors like Faustin and Massot, gives the reader a strong sense of a place with personality. The house is at the heart of A Year in Provence. In Encore Provence, it is not clear that Mayle and his wife return to the same house or what their neighbors are like. Even the dogs are mostly absent. Without structure and intimacy, Encore Provence is nothing more than a series of disconnected travelogue stories. Perhaps weary of intrusions into his privacy, or perhaps unclear about the reasons for the first book's success, Mayle distances himself from his reader.
   
   There may not be much left for Mayle to say about Provence. He writes that, due to building restrictions, not much has changed. Yet he notes that "the garage and the geese are gone, and the farmhouse has sprouted wings and annexes . . . the vines have been groomed" and "the refugees' urge for rapid [gardening] results has spawned an industry: instant gardens, shipped in and set up with astonishing speed." These are only a couple of small changes, to be sure, but in time there will be more, and Provence will alter slowly and subtly. Mayle should know that that is the nature of change in the countryside and that, with enough demand, pressure, and money, change can accelerate, transforming a village into a resort town or farmland into suburbia.
   
   Even if you cannot visit Provence, much of the lifestyle that Mayle describes--with food and drink of varying type and quality--is still available in many places outside France. The slow pace, the fatalistic viewpoint, the elderly gossips and moralists, the close-knit relationships, the helpfulness, and the beauty and quirks of the countryside are found in many regions. If you are as observant and open as Mayle, you may be able to find your version of Provence closer to home.



5. If you have ever visited Provence, reading "Encore Provence" will ensure a flood of pleasant memories. Homesick for Provence, Peter Mayle leaves his home in America (he is originally from England) and returns to his true love, France.
   
   What really keeps the French trim and healthy? What prevents olive oil from quickly turning rancid? How can you ease a sore throat with lavender essential oil?
   
   Peter Mayle answers these questions and more. His writing has a rare warmth and his descriptions of restaurants makes you want to experience every nuance. Whether he is visiting a distillery or explaining the process of buying a house, he tells the story with a sense of adventure.
   
   Since Peter Mayle loves to watch people more than TV he provides some interesting descriptions of village inhabitants. He tells his stories with a sense of relish and he even made Marseille sound more exciting. This book made me wish for another bottle of olive oil I found in Cassis on a weekend trip I made to Provence. It also reminded me to buy another bag of Fleur de Sel.
   
   I can also recommend: A Year in Provence
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

2 comments about Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island (Regional Guide).

1. We used this during our trip and enjoyed it a lot, most especially their restaurant recommendations. Their choices in Halifax and Charlottetown were right on. Their B&B recommendations were good too. I recommend carrying this with you on your trip.



2. This thing saved my butt last year.
   I took a trip to Boston, and drove from Boston to Inverness, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island.
   I went the scenic route, cutting through Maine to Calais / St Stephen, where I crossed the border into New Brunswick.
   I had an atlas, I had maps, I had been studying maps of the entire Eastern seaboard for months and months. This was a solo journey so I wanted to be prepared. I decided to get the Lonely Planet guide on a whim. I figured I couldn't have too much information!
   The thing about the Maritime Provinces that outsiders don't know, is that it's nearly impossible to get any good information on them from the conventional sources (internet, etc). Enter Lonely Planet guides.
   The biggest way this book helped me was when I was in Saint John, NB which is where I stayed overnight between Boston and Cape Breton.
   First of all, Saint John was surprisingly cute. I wish I would have had more time there. Secondly and more importantly, on the way through to CB, I stayed at a slightly crappy motel just outside of town which while not terrible, was not fantastic and I didn't feel entirely safe (just paranoia I think, but still...) That motel was NOT listed in the book, FYI. So on the way back, I decided to look elsewhere - in my book! Lo and behold, I find in the book the contact info for the summer dorm rental program at the University. Why yes, I'll gladly shell out $20 for a safe, clean room! I just needed a place to sleep after all, and it was perfect.
   The book also gave me some great info on tiny little St Stephen, where I had a few minutes to stop before crossing the border, and I hit a chocolate shop recommended in the book. Divine. Wouldn't have had a clue without my guide book.
   I'm quite sure my journey would have been entirely different, and less enjoyable without this thing.
   Lonely Planet books are priceless. Get one.

1 comments about London (City Guide).

1. Excellent guide that helped me through London. The walks listed were particularly helpful in enabling me to make the most of my stay. I'd recommend a combination of this and a pocket sized guide by Time Out.

1 comments about Frommer's Vietnam: Including Angkor Wat (Frommer's Complete).

1. I used this book while in Vietnam in August 2006. It was very helpful in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Cannot comment on it's usefulness in other cities.

5 comments about A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca.

1. An interesting book but a there was not enough details for me to make it excellent. Of course the details are not known so the author could not include them. If you are particularly interested in this subject you will probably enjoy it more than me.



2. Unlike too many history books by college professors, this book is highly readable and exciting. I was sorry to see it come to an end, and it has sparked my interest in reading related books. And it has many footnotes, so it is easy to find related books! The book was obviously extremely well researched and paints a very balanced picture of native Americans and Spaniard explorers. While basically a story of probably the first Europeans that lived among native Americans, it includes a lengthy build-up as to how they came to do so, as well as information at the end of the book as to what happened after their life among the native Americans ended. It provides exceptional information on the life of native Americans in the southern portion of North America at that time and, for me, gave me several insights into the European advance into America, such as 1) while native Americans remain properly indignant at the violence brought by many Europeans, some native Americans were also unreasonably violent against the Europeans and 2) there were some Europeans who advocated a peaceful co-existence with native Americans. For anyone who has interest in life in America in the early 1500's, this is a wonderful book. The two- or three-page description of what is was like on a ship sailing across the Atlantic at that time is a real eye-opener!



3. This is a fascinating tale of early European exploration of North America that has been omitted from the US school curriculum. The author, Andres Resendez, is Professor of History at UC Davis; he provides an account that is both scholarly and engaging. The narrative is accessible to the layman with enough concrete detail to make it absorbing and gripping. While the scholarly integrity is evident, the details of references and supporting evidence are provided as end notes so as not to impede the reading of chronicle of these Spaniards-turned-shaman. Resendez strikes a nice balance between offering a narrative in absorbable prose for those wanting to read the text as a story and yet provides ample notes and references for those wanting to engage in further reading or research.



4. Cabeza de Vaca gets most of the credit in history, but he actually had three companions who also survived an amazing eight-year ordeal in the New World. They were part of a 600-person expedition that in 1528 sailed from Havana with the objective of landing on the coast of eastern Mexico about 150 miles below the Rio Grande. Due to the power of the Gulf Stream and incredible errors in navigation, they ended up in Florida, near Tampa Bay. Three hundred men set out to explore the interior, were cut off from the ships, and ultimately stranded. Most eventually made it to the Texas Gulf Coast on rafts, but within a short time their number was down to about twenty and a little later only four -- Cabeza and the other three. The four were enslaved by Indians for about six years and then, after achieving an exalted status as trading intermediaries and medicine men, they spent two more years wandering around southern Texas and northern Mexico before re-uniting with Spanish conquistadors (ironically, a group of Spanish on a mission to round up and enslave Native Americans). The four ended up having one of the most unusual and trying experiences in history.
   
   In A LAND SO STRANGE, Andres Resendez tells the above story. I suspect the book is sound history. To judge from the 53 pages of footnotes at the back of the book, it certainly appears that A LAND SO STRANGE is well-, probably exhaustively, researched. If only the writing reflected something close to the same amount of time and effort as was devoted to the research, we might have a classic work of history. But, instead, the material seems to be hurriedly or indifferently organized and presented and the writing itself frequently lapses into the cliched and formulaic, and even sappy. There also are a number of type-setting errors and at least one glaring error in word use. On the plus side, there are about thirty useful illustrations and maps. Three-and-a-half stars rounded down.



5. The author does a good job of setting the context for Cabeza de Vaca's adventure. I found the level of historical detail to be just about perfect. Highly recommended!

3 comments about Weird Washington: Your Travel Guide to Washington's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird).

1. Weird Washington by Jeff Davis and Al Eufrasio is a truly remarkable and valuable book for tourists,affcianados of the unusual and all those interested in the wonders of Washington State. It includes items on The Maury Island UFO Incident, DB Cooper, The Seattle Museum of The Mysteries, Mel's Hole, famous hauntings.Thornewood Castle, and even the grave-sites of Bruce and Brandon Lee. It is informative and factual, and has great pictures. Its not flaky in any way. It would make a great gift to anyone who is new to Washington or appreciates the amazing things the state has to offer.



2. Perfect fill the time reading and learn at the same time book. Good for out of time guest or for one to appear as well-knowledged to out of town visitors. Also great for the bathroom office( a good thing).



3. This is a great book for people that like to know lots of strange things about places where the live.

3 comments about Frommer's Spain 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This guide covers a lot. My only issue with Frommer's is the bulk and weight. I will use it for research, make a list of what I want to see, take the map with me and leave the book back home. I travel light without check in luggage and this would take too much space. Outside of that I like it better than most.



2. I am very satisfies with product and service. the product arrived in very good condition.



3. I bought this book, read it, planned along their recommendation. Had a great grip to Spain. I love the idea that a map of Madrid & Barcelona is included, it was very helpful. We walked around a lot for sight-seeing, without the map, won't be as convinent.