5 comments about Roadshow: Landscape With Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle.

1. Despite what many others are saying, this is a great book if you're a fan of Neil's previous writings. This book is not a "Rush on tour" book, nor is it a glimpse into the life of a touring band. Rather, it's a long essay of a journey by a travelling man who happens to be in a band.
   
   I've noticed a lot of criticism of Neil in previous reviews of this book along the lines of why a famous guy would want to be so private. I don't presume to speak for him, so I'll offer this to the naysayers:
   
   Let him be him and allow him to interact with his fans on his terms.
   
   It's worked out well for the past 30 years. Notice in the book that his main rub with fans is that they always want more-more time, more attention, more of himself than he's willing to give. That's reflected and confirmed in many of the previous reviews.
   
   The main impression I get about Neil from his writing in this and his previous books is that he's a humble and private man. I'm can accept that fact of his character, and I'm glad he chose to share some of his life with his fans.



2. Let me say that while I enjoy Rush's music, I'm not what you'd call a hardcore fan (I own only six of their albums). That said, I very much enjoyed this book and Peart's adventures on the road.
   
   I have to disagree with others who have reviewed this book. I didn't come away from ROADSHOW believing Peart "hates" his fans . . . he is simply uncomfortable with the in-your-face attitude of some of the more fanatical individuals out there. Also, I don't see how his comments on the church signs can be construed as anti-Christian. I'm not religious by any stretch of the imagination, but his comments seemed harmless; a mere voicing of his own opinion.
   
   As for the book . . . I breezed through it in several days and very much enjoyed Peart's writing style. It's relaxed and flows nicely with wonderful descriptions of his travels. It made me want to load the backseat of my car with CDs and hit the open road. Peart's passion for writing and life in general comes through page after page. This is a guy who harbors a wonderful fascination with the world around him, and I'm thankful he invited us along on this enjoyable journey.



3. I really enjoyed this book. If you are a motorcycle rider and like music, you will enjoy this book also. Great book for the winter when you cannot get out and ride because Neal takes you on a motorcycle tour and the rigors of being on a concert tour with a band. I like this book better than another Neal Peart book, Ghost Rider for personal reasons.



4. Every Neil Peart book is better than the last. Don't get me wrong, I like them all, but he is making incredible strides as a storyteller with each book. His writing is so good now that you really care what he's going to have for breakfast in Denver, or if he'll change his bike's oil in Dallas or Oklahoma City. Simple everday things, for sure. But the prose are so riveting, he makes you want to know.
   
   I admit I'm a huge Rush fan, and I know that influences my enjoyment of his books. But I am also a published author, and I can recognize the work of a talented writer. His musical talents aside, Peart can write, and it seems that he's found a perfect niche in these travel memoirs.
   
   Even if you're not into Rush, give this book (or one of his other books) a chance. His books are hidden gems in the literary world that I fear may not be fully appreciated.



5. I found this book very interesting as I am intrested in my favorite performers lives. The only reason I gave it 4 and not 5 stars is because of the constant Christian bashing. It's obvious Neil is very bitter about Christianity for whatever reason. He never really tells us why. He did mention that after the tradgedies happened in his life that the Bible was no help. He quotes all the church signs he comes across in his journeys through the US. I agree that some of them were over the top but others had a good message. As a Christian myself I am praying for Neil. I pray God will change his heart and turn his face toward Christ.

5 comments about Ukraine, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. The "Bradt" Ukraine book helped to make my decision to journey to Italy, Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia with the information from my "Lonely Planet" book. I have used Lonely Planet before and found it great with pictures of what can be expected at the various destinations. The Bradt Ukraine had a few pages of mediocre pictures in the front and compared to my reading of the destinations I have chosen to travel to, failed to fire my imagination - which is a terrible pity because I am of Ukrainian heritage myself.



2. I'm heading to Kiev, southern Ukraine and the Crimea this fall. This book has been a great introduction to the history of the region; I'll definitely bring it with me on the trip!



3. I bought book for forthcoming trip to Ukraine. Before packing it looked at index and was disappointed to find that the last page, 439 was wrinkled and had a hole 2 thumbs wide at bottom next to binding. I had paid more for a new book from Amazon and found this in worst shape than some used books I had ordered in past. Asfor reviewing book itself, I will do that upon returning from trip.
   JoAnn Aviel



4. Want proof that Bradt's got Ukraine figured out? Look at the relative absence of other travel guides for this fascinating country. Lonely Planet does one, but then again, they'd probably publish a guide to the Moon. Rough Guides, Fodor, Frommer, Cadogan, Footprint... nada. Bradt's got the market on Ukraine, and there's a reason for that: This guide is really good.
   
   It is a travel guide in the truest sense of the word. There's a definite emphasis on pragmatic travel information, at the slight expense of cultural and historical context that some readers particularly enjoy. It's not a text-rich cultural guide, a la Rough Guides, but a directory of good places to spend your time and money. The best part? It's accurate and authentic. You have the locals in your hand with this book, and you're armed with the kind of information that will make your visit to Ukraine rich, rewarding and real. The book leaves most of the historic context for you to discover on your own, but it points you in the right direction so you're not overwhelmed. There's a 100-page introduction to the country that is particularly good. The authors have written this section as something of a "culture shock" essay intended to give you the real, irreverent portrait of the country, with plenty of concise information that makes you feel like you're ready to relocate to Ukraine. They've painted the picture perfectly.
   
   The truly startling city of Lviv, former capital of Polish Galicia, gets special treatment, and should be on every itinerary in Ukraine. Visitors from crystal-clear Scandinavia or baroque central Europe may wonder what all the Lviv hype is about. Here's the thing: It's not just about frilly architecture. It's about recognizing that Lviv was once an enormously diverse, poly-ethnic, Austro-Hungarian frontier town, and it's essentially intact. Prague may be cleaner, but it's also more homogeneous. Lviv's position on the margins, rather than in the center of everything, is the source of its intrigue. Go there.
   
   There's more to this difficult country than Kiev and Chernobyl. Get out and see the places preserved in a pre-communist time warp (such as Lviv) before the word gets out and they become another stop on the expensive Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna tour.



5. I actually live and work here in Kiev and I purchased The Bradt Travel Guide to help me plan some upcoming day trips as well as to get some updates on places of interest here in Kiev. And while the guide was obviously well researched for the first edition it seems to me that the 2nd edition was a rush job or maybe just lacking in its design.
   
   For example Bradt says that it's possible to travel on $75 a day - okay granted one should assume that amount is closer to $100 a day with inflation in the Euro and the cheapening of the dollar. The problem at least in Kiev - a very cosmopolitan city, is that many of the restaurants mentioned will cost you between $70 and $100 for a nice meal. By the way Georgian wine is very good and is available locally for about $8 a bottle so a glass of wine in a restaurant should not cost more than about $7 - my tip for those who read this! Also the local beers are all very nice and cost next to nothing - about $1 a bottle. There was not an effort to break down restaurants by cost range as was done with the hotels - most other guides I've used in the past do this and I find it really helpful. I was hoping for some new restaurant finds! And any restaurant that accepts major credit cards is in this class so beware if you're using this guide. Also, my specific need was for places to see that are close by but there was very little in that section for Kiev.
   
   Overall, I think there are better guides although not quite as new. One very good point is the availability of apartments at reasonable prices. With public transportation very reasonable - that means cheap!, all you really need to know is what bus/tram to hoop on to get you to either the nearest Metro or somewhere central like Independence Square.
   
   If you aren't sure about coming to Kiev/Kyiv, I want to tell you that I highly recommend it - the city is beautiful and the people are very nice. Ukraine is a big country and also very nice - I've been to the Black sea and to the Carpathian mountains so far and enjoyed them both although for very different reasons.

5 comments about Moon Guatemala (Moon Handbooks).

1. Having traveled to Guatemala a few times, I considered myself to have a decent grasp of the sights. But my perspective changed as I purchased this most recent edition of Moon Guatemala. The author writes from a true insider perspective, giving insight into not only tourist sights, but also spots that are mostly known to locals. Anyone wishing to find the best food and nicest places to stay will need to purchase this book. Internet searches just don't cut it, as the hotel descriptions are often advertisements instead of reviews written from an actual critic.
   
   The maps in this edition are very helpful. They are drawn clearly and accurately, greatly easing travel from sight to sight. The guide also contains interesting tidbits and historical facts, which are entertaining to read and also help add significance to the various destinations.
   
   Concerning layout, it is formatted much better than any other Guatemala guidebook I have seen. Divided by various cities, the book is simple to navigate through, and points can easily be found. I really can't say enough about the quality of this book, finally a Guidebook to Guatemala done right. A must have for anyone interested in, or traveling to Guatemala.



2. After reading the other reviews, I was really excited to read this book in preparation for my trip to Guatemala. Instead, after reading this book, I feel less excited about the trip in general. There's a severe lack of interesting and engaging things to do and sense of the places in this book. I should have stuck with Frommers (who does the best travel books, IMHO)



3. I was excited to try a different guidebook brand after reading the reviews but this guidebook proved to be entirely worthless. It is only useful if you want to know where all of the bars & clubs in Guatemala are. If you want useful info (like how to travel outside of Antigua or where an ATM might be), it's useless.



4. The only problem I have with Argueta's Moon Guatemala is that it didn't come into print early enough. I loved my travels through Guatemala in fall of '06, but after picking up the Moon book I realized there is much more to Guatemala than what I experienced. Frankly, I find it unfortunate that I carried around several of the other leading guidebooks, yet missed out on a wealth of the country's offerings, especially beyond Antigua. The author's passion for the country shows through the insightful, thorough, and thoughtful detail, which just isn't found in any of the other books.
   
   Moon Guatemala has me excited to go back and experience the entirety of the country's richness, which in some sense I feel that I was cheated out of. I suppose an added bonus will be that my backpack is going to be considerably lighter when the single Moon book replaces the three other publishers I had with me on my first trip...my back hurts less just thinking about it.



5. Having just returned from a week in Guatemala, I bought this book because it packed a lot of information into its pages and seemed to cover all the bases, and then some. However, I found the information in the Moon guide to Guatemala surprisingly thin or just plain inaccurate with respect to what one really needs to know about a place. For example, Moon's advice on Antigua is unhelpful or outdated: the tourist office is located elsewhere; the restaurants deserve better descriptions; and the best shops are given short-shrift. Additionally, it doesn't deliver the good regarding practical information on excursions. For example, with respect to climbing the Pacaya volcano, it would have been nice to know all the ins-and-outs on entrance fees, recommended stuff to take to the top (don't forget those marshmallows!), and just how long the whole trips takes start to finish. I sometimes got the impression that the author was relying on second-hand accounts for his information on these places.

4 comments about Pocket Map and Guide Rome (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. We will be going to Rome soon, but we will not carry this item in our luggage. Why? It looks like good data but we could not read the tiny print. We had to pull out a magnifying glass to read anything. I am dissappointed.



2. Lots of pictures. Great concise descriptions. Maps. Small glossary of Italian. Organizes everything in a clear way. Perfect! Thought I was going to get another larger version of a travel guide for Rome but not anymore. It's all I need. If I do find something that it's missing I can look it up on the internet. The only thing that might be hard for some people is the small type. I have 20/20 vision and can read it perfectly. No problem whatsoever. But if you have vision problems you might find it somewhat hard to read. Its about the size of a Hershey Bar and jammed packed with information if that gives you an idea. I love it though!



3. We'll be cruising to Rome and only spending one day there. This guide is the perfect size for what we need - info on all the main sites, maps, travel information...without having to pay for a more expensive / comprehensive guide designed for longer visits. It's still packed with information...it even has a small phrasebook in the back. It's smaller than I expected, which is a good thing. They've really packed a lot of information into a totally portable guide...dining, street maps - it's really adorable, actually! I was hesitant to order because of the previous review that the text was too tiny to read. For me it's fine; I don't find the text size all that different from the regular Eyewitness guides. And you can't beat the price! Since we are going to several cities in Europe, I was even able to combine 4 books for the price of 3 with Amazon's promotion.



4. I went to Rome on very short notice, not having the luxury of doing much planning prior to my flight. I used this guide every day; I found it to be very handy for getting around and seeing the most popular sights.

3 comments about Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to And Living in the San Francisco Bay Area: Including San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, And Palo Alto (Newcomer's Handboks).

1. We found this handbook to be very accurate and very helpful in our move to the bay area. The writing style is clear and easily digestible.



2. The Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in the San Francisco Bay Area covers just about every aspect of living in and around San Francisco. I mean everything! Including "Moving and Storage," "Getting Settled," "Children and Education," "Sports and Recreation," "Transportation" and everything in between, this thick book answers almost any question about San Francisco.
   
   The introduction to the book is just as cool: "San Francisco is the land of the 49er Gold Rush, the Great 1906 earthquake, and the missionary expeditions of the Spanish; it is the birthplace of Levi's jeans and home of the railroad tycoon Leland Stanford; it is host to one of the greatest feats of engineering, the Golden Gate Bridge, and as a cultural epicenter, it fueled the hippie flower-power revolution, gave rise to Rolling Stone magazine, and played host to beat generation poets." Geez, now I want to move to San Francisco!
   
   This guide to "America's melting pot" provides information about the local lingo, so you will not feel too much like an out-of-towner. For example, "The Haight" is the famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, "The City," always capitalized, "is the way natives and local newspapers refer to San Francisco" and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is "the under-and-above ground subway-style train network that connects the East Bay and peninsula with San Francisco."
   
   This guide also provides detailed information concerning the many municipalities of San Francisco, including web sites, area codes, zip codes, post offices, police stations, emergency hospitals, libraries, public schools, community resources and public transportation. The "Cultural Life" section is also pretty cool, providing tons of information about film festivals, music, theater, ballet and dance, restaurants, nightclubs, comedy, art, museums and anything else you can think of. San Francisco is one cool town, and this book is undoubtedly the perfect guide to moving there!



3. My husband was recently transferred from Kansas City to San Fransisco, so when I saw this book for newcomers to the Golden Gate city, I just had to have it! It is such a great buy, as it contains all of the information that we want to know before we move there. It tells the history and atmosphere of the different neighborhoods there, along with many other pertinent facts. This well-researched and accurate book with maps is all one needs to feel at home in San Fransisco!

5 comments about Frommer's Maine Coast (Frommer's Complete).

1. This book helped our family find great places to stay overnight instead of the typical chain hotels. My husband found his new favorite restaurant in Portland off of the suggestions in the book. It was an out of the way restaurant and we would have never found that great find without the Frommer's book.



2. We referred to this book frequently during our stay in Acadia. We didn't find any errors or misinformation, and so I'm giving it the highest rating because it served its purpose well.



3. I live on the coast of Maine and have many requests from friends to visit during the summer and fall. I always send this book out before my friends arrive so that they can see everything the Maine coast has to offer and so that I can adequately make a plan for them to see the things that matter most to them. It is an invaluable guide and it "spot on" with descriptions.



4. I purchased this as a gift for someone moving to the Maine coast. Frommers has always been helpful to me when I move to or visit a new region.



5. This is an outstanding book. We used the book for all of our reference points for Bar Harbor and the surrounding areas. I would recommend this book to anyone who is not familuar with Maine and all that it has to offer. Buy the book and use it to plan all of your activities and places to eat.

1 comments about 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.

1. I just received a copy of this book a few days ago and I've really enjoyed looking at all of the colorful pictures and reading the interesting and sometimes funny essays. Some of the sites I'll visit (like the Field of Dreams Movie Site), others I think I'll skip (like the courthouse where Joe Jackson couldn't say it wasn't so) but it's fun learning about them all. Good book for a snowy day.

5 comments about Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford Archaeological Guides).

1. I just returned from Rome, using this book as my primary guide. We were able to identify almost every random bit of ancient archaelogy sticking out of the ground as we walked about the city, and if you've been to Rome, you'll understand how impressive that is.
   
   A major shortcoming that I noticed is that the book treats the ancient-era churches very lightly: while the myths of gods such as Pollux and Castor are frequently referenced in relation to the ancient sites, the C1 AD story of Saint Clement is inexplicably left out of the section on the church of San Clemente constructed by Constantine. Also, as the author states in the beginning, the intent of this guide is to detail ancient Rome only. If you are interested in medieval, Renaissance, or ecclessiastic history, you will certainly need a supplemental guide.
   
   Now, for the advantages... The guide systematically presents every ancient structure in Rome (we were never disappointed), providing a very good map at the beginning of each chapter for a major area (e.g. the Palatine, Field of Mars) to help you identify what you are looking at. The site is laid out in a sort of walking tour format and if you begin at the point suggested, you can follow the chapter page by page as it logically guides you through the region. We did find that writing in page references for each location on the map at the beginning made the book much easier to use. For more complicated buildings, additional diagrams are provided in the appropriate subsection where it is further detailed. The Baths of Caracalla are a superb example of this.
   
   While Claridge delves a bit too thoroughly into the exact type of marble used in the facing and floors of each building, you find yourself recognizing the materials and envisioning the baths, basillicas, and forums as they might have looked clad in Phyrgian red and Numidian yellow marbles. With frequent referencing, we soon became familiar with Caracella, Domitian, and Nerva as we viewed the great construction projects they enacted. The author presents quite clearly the historical origin and significance of each site as well as its original appearance (if known) and the many refurbishments it went through with the frequent fires of Rome.
   
   For our trip, we opted out of taking any tours, and we didn't feel we missed anything. We were often surrounded by tours and gained more information from our book than the guide was sharing with his group. You never know how reliable a guide really is, and with this book, you can be assured of Amanda Claridge's credentials. The trip became a bit of a mystery adventure for us as we excitedly reconstructed the ruins around us into the elegant structures they once were.
   
   Even if you do decide to go with a more mainstream guide book for your trip to Rome, you will find this one to be an invaluable supplement for all those tidbits that the major guides just don't have time to cover.



2. I used this book for my second trip to Rome and it was absolutely invaluable. I wish that I had it for my first trip. I am a person who only cares about the Ancient Roman artifacts and this book literally has ever one listed by region that you have access to. If you decide to use this book bring along a highlighter and check off the sections that you complete, by the end of the day you will be amazed at how much you have seen. I cannot recommend this book enough.



3. You can't really understand Rome without this companion. It looks deeply into the very heart of the city, into its foundations and the stories they tell. This is practical archaelology at its best, presenting us with the lessons that history can teach us.



4. I had the fortune or misfortune of buying this book prior to my first visit to Rome. It is such a well-organized, well-written, and concise guide to ancient Rome that you could make the mistake that I made upon completing it and my first visits there. You might search a long, long time and spend a lot of money trying to find something better. Based upon my experience, a university-level seminar or a three semester hour course is the only thing that could surpass this guide.
   
   Don't be put off by simplified plans shown in the pages. You need clear, simple ideas of what the stuff once was to understand what you're looking at. When you're in the ruins, you will be surrounded by other tourists, any changing weather conditions, and you will be viewing the architectural remains of a previous civilization from many different standpoints. You can't do that successfully without a clear, simple concept already in your mind.
   
   Fodor's Holy Rome, 1st Edition: A Millennium Guide to Christian Sights (Fodor's Holy Rome)



5. I took this book, along with a plethora of touristy guidebooks, and this one got read the most! We spent hours and hours in the Forum and the Palatine, and really delighted in uncovering the mysteries of so many building foundations. I left Rome wishing I had an archaeologist as a personal tour guide, but this book was an excellent substitution! It can be read at home, but I found infinitely more meaning when I sat at the site and read about where I was. Take this to Rome if you are interested in the ancients!

5 comments about Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Park Guides).

1. My family went to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks last June and this guide was a great resource. At the moment, I'm planning another national park trip and pulled the book off the shelf so I could get a guide by the same author.
   
   He marked Signal Mountain Lodge in GT as a "** find" and was it ever! It's managed by a different vendor than the other lodges in the park and I'd stay there again if I return. I used his suggestions for "If you can only go on one hike, do this..." and the suggestions were awesome. The hike to the top of Signal Mountain (most people drive rather than take the 6 mile easy walk) was so beautiful and peaceful that I hiked it a second time before leaving.
   
   This book gave suggestions that you'd expect to get from a friend who has just visited an area and says "Hey let me give you this great tip."
   
   I would definitely recommend this book.



2. We bought this book, but ended up using other guides. It is a fine reference for some people, but I'd recommend:
   Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park (Great for more in-depth research)
   and
   National Geographic Road Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (NG Road Guides) (Quick roadside reference)
   instead.



3. This book was not what I expected - I would not recommend it at all. It stayed in the car packed away. I also bought Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, 2nd (Scenic Driving Series) and Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Outdoor Family Guides) which were excellent.



4. I found it very helpful in mapping out our trip that we will take this summer. great insight into where to stay and eat.



5. This book helped us alot! The information is detailed and just what we wanted. We only were in Yellowstone for 2 days, so we wanted to see all we could, and there is a chapter that is just for that. You can use this kind of like a tour guide. It tells you what you'll see, some history (not too much though), what to expect, etc. It was VERY helpful. We also used this is Grand Teton. The book also give you ideas where to eat and stay (we used the dining info, we had already made our lodging plans before I got the book). I highly recommend this book. I also purchased the Bryce and Zion book, as we were going there too on this vacation.

5 comments about A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya.

1. Of the various books available on Mayan culture that a layman has any chance of engaging profitably, this is one of the best. Detailed and well-organized, it presents a wealth of material on the subject, with plenty of accompanying illustrations that are well linked to the text, unlike other books which drop in pictures seemingly at random or which fail to explain why they are placed as they are. (Or, my personal favorite, those that assume you know why the picture is there, and what it's of, and don't bother to provide captions.)

   If you're not afraid of "tomes," this is an excellent book for you, though it's not an introductory text. I'd recommend starting with something a little more basic before you tackle this fellow. But once you've familiarized yourself with the lay of the land regarding the Mayas, you won't find many books that cover so many different aspects of their life and culture in such a deep, dense way. You can feel these authors' love for their subject.

   However, that being said, I must warn you this is a fairly dry book, and I am a reasonably tolerant reader when it comes to subjects I enjoy such as this one. It's chock full of great stuff, but its tone and style are heavily scholastic, so be prepared. It's still worth it. I have read any number of books thicker than this in a few sittings, but I found I retained more of the material and stayed more engaged by taking small bites of it over a few weeks.




2. I bought this book prior to visiting the Mayan ruins at Copan, Honduras. I found it a very useful guide to the Mayan world. I have a purely amateur interest in the Mayas, with no academic background. I wish I had this book with me when I visited Tikal, Chichen Itza and other sites in Mexico. The book devotes a chapter each to the major Mayan sites such as the two I just mentioned, Palenque, Copan, and others. It provides basic cultural information about Mayan language and social structure, interspersed with interesting if unconventional narrative passages in which the writers imagine what a day in the life of a historical Mayan figure might have been like. Some might be put off by these passages, but I liked them well enough. You can read the book simply for general cultural background, or take it with you on a stela-by-stela tour of the ruins. At times, there was a bit too much detail for my purposes, but I would rather have too much information than too little, and mostly the amount of information was just right. The book also provides a few portraits of archaeologists who have devoted their lives to uncovering the history of the Mayas, including some discussion of the cracking of the Mayan Code. It was informative and a worthwhile read, particularly if you are planning a trip to see the ruins for yourself.



3. What can I say...I keep on looking for engaging books on Mayas and this is just not happening. There is a LOT of info in this book but it is poorly written sadly. It is just a collection of academic data with no writing plan and no desire to grab the reader's interest. Very disappointing. I will keep on looking...



4. Great book to read after visiting the Yucatan. I can't get enough information and this book helped out alot.



5. Note: Your "helpful" votes are appreciated.
   
   Schele and Freidel's book takes you into the mind of the ancient Maya, where bloodletting induced visions that opened doors into the world of pagan spirits and everyone had an animal "familiar."
   
   The description of the "War of Conquest" of Tikal (tee-kal) against Uaactun (wa-shak-toon) is riviting. It is fascinating that we know the name of the general of Tikal, "Smoking-Frog." At other places, we now also know the names of the Maya leaders. "Ah Zacol...governed Lacanja for Knot-eye-Jaguar, the king of Bonampak." Other names are equally strange. I won't list the name of one king because Amazon's filter's would reject my review. Anyway, his name was "p-n-s of the jaguar."
   
   I came to my interest in the Maya from my early encounters with Mormon authors who used specious scholarship to connect the Maya to the religious novel called the "Book of Mormon." Now that Maya writing has been deciphyered, all those false claims have been exposed. In many cases, the truth was known, but Mormon writers were engaging in the practice of lying for the Lord to promote their faith.
   
   When the Spanish first saw Maya art, they misinterpreted it. They named one temple, for example, the "temple of the cross." The cross-like tree was seen as evidence that the Maya were Christians. Now we know that in the case of the temple of the "Foliated Cross" that the cross-bar of the cross is actually a maize plant with a "human head as an ear of maize." The maize plant is growing out of the "waterlily monster."
   
   It was interesting to learn that the upright stone monuments, or stela, were known as "tree-stones" and the doorways into the temples were represented as the mouths of mountain monsters. The doorways are seen as caves into the mountain.
   
   "Bloodletting, the focus ritual of Maya life, was the instrument" of the materialization of other-worldly beings.
   
   The claims of Mormons and others that Stela B at Copan depicts elephant trunks was refuted even before the translation of the Maya glyphs. The trunks are actually the long beaks of macaws (you can see the colorful birds there today). The false claim is now doubly refuted because the writing on the stela refers to "macaw mountain," a nearby hill--not "elephant mountain."
   
   Mormons are still claiming that there is a horse carved on the Temple of the Wall Panels at Chichen Itza. It is actually a damaged feathered-serpent (one feather hangs down to make the so-called horse's head). In reality, the Maya were so ignorant of horses that when Cortes left his lame horse among the Itza, they fed it meat.
   
   The strange diet cause the horse to die and the Maya made a statue, calling it "Tzimin Chac," from the "Tzmin," meaning tapir (the animal most similar his general shape to a horse), and "Chac," the god of rain and thunder. When Father Urbita came to convert the Itza, he destroyed the idol at great risk to his life.
   
   The Book of Mormon connection to ancient mesoamerica is without foundation. As you go back in time, the paganism only increases. There was no Hebrew civilization in mesoamerica.
   
   This 500-page book belongs on the shelf on anyone interested in the mind of the ancient Maya.