1 comments about California Atlas & Gazetteer (Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer Series).

1. I was recently the navigator on a 10 day California coast road trip. I ordered the Delorme Atlas to serve as a back-up to my Nuvi GPS. The map is certainly is the better way for looking ahead for rest areas. Half way through the trip, the binding cracked and pages began to fall out. Not good when driving in a convertible with the top down! So I stopped at a Kinko's Copy Center and they replaced the binding with a spiral binding. Now it went from a good atlas to a great atlas! I'm certainly going to do this to any other Delorme atlas I use in the future.

5 comments about Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Penguin Classics).

1. The prose in this book weaves a mosaic of rural and town life in the 1930s Yugoslavia which is gone in fact but captured in West's captivating prose. This was a Yugoslavia whose name was adopted a few years before, whose eastern and southern borders were agreed in 1913 with Bulgaria and Greece , just one year after the Ottomans had been evicted in 1912 after 500 years of rule . And published just before Catholic Croatia's Tito and Orthodox Serbia's Mihailovich led separate resistances against the Germans then like two pit bull terriers fought until Tito emerged as victor and ruler for three decades . The war between these carnivores ended in 1991 with the unravelling of the mosaic West had so beautifully weaved just over 50 years before.
   The scenes-in-words of a run-down town of Bitola (ex-Monastir) and a lakeside lovely Ochrid provide instructive insights into a Macedonia before the Communist Tito created a Republic of Macedonia (in 1944) in an effort to destabilise the northern borders of Greece at the beginning of her wrenching civil war.
   West's is a must-read for students and scholars of the land of the southern Slavs during the fleeting time it was a union and they wish to relish one of the classics of 20th century English prose.



2. A nice read but highly romanticized outlook of the old Yugoslav Kingdom and the people of Yugoslavia. The book is based on the author's interaction with the Yugoslav intellectual elite and her observation of the people of old Yugoslavia Her interpretation of the Slav character needs to be understood in the context of the orientalist approach of the time- as a result - the Slav character in the book is idealized in the same manner that modern day nationalist in the same region see themselves. Namely, the great Slavic nation of the Serbs who defended Europe from the Turks and saved the rest of the Southern Slavs from the Austrians. Given the time in which it was written (late 30s) the author suffers from an extreme germanophobia in every possible sense! She seems to come across only irrational, pompous and arrogant Germans who can't appreciate the Yugoslav people in the same way that she and her husband can. The book is extremely pro-Serbian, so much so that the Croatian and Macedonian discontent and wish for separation is seen not as a solution to the Serbian dominated Kingdom but as, sometimes Vatican sometimes Austrian and sometimes Italian inspired propaganda to divide the otherwise brotherly relations between the Serbs and the Croats! How much of this brotherly love was genuine - we saw in the WWII that followed the authors book as well as the bloody brake up of Socialist Yugoslavia. As much as she has made a conscious attempt not to become another British traveler in the Balkans that picks her pet-nation and promotes their interests - she falls under the Balkan trap of victimization and myths and becomes in the process an ardent pro-Serb - as indeed her political activities would later reveal.



3. BLGF is a gigantic grab bag of a book.If your interested in the former yugoslavia,it is a fascinating read.Although i don't think anyone would wish it longer than it is.West offers sharp and at times profound insights.However the reader needs to be careful.West's prejudices distort much of what is on view.The first of these is her near pathological hostility to all things german.One might think that would not be all that important in a book on yugoslavia.It turns out to be of critical importance.West combines this anti-germanic perspective with a pronounced anti-catholic bias.Once you realize this the opinions expressed in the book as well as its omissions begin to make a kind of sense.It's telling that West virtually ignores slovenia except to point to bad conduct by the catholic church.Slovenia is mostly catholic and even worse the most"austrian " of yugoslavia's nations. As such i think she considers it unworthy of her attention.Croatia is a place she has to write about but one can infer she'd rather not.The croats are too catholic and somewhat german influenced.Almost as bad they are also italian and hungarian influenced.They just aren't "slavic" enough! Well it is fairly easy to guess who is slavic enough,the serbs.This is a very distorted picture.Westdoes seem to think that the serbs are noble savages by virtue of their freedom from non slavic influences.Whereas the northern south slavs are tainted by foreigness.To say the least,this is a strange viewpoint for a writer of"advanced" views.It smacks of an odd provincialism.Italy was at one point one of the most creative and dynamic societies on earth.It's croatias neighbor.Does West really think that the croatians should have turned their back on italy inorder to cultivate slavic purity?I think the answer is ,yes.West dissmisses late imperial austria as an intellectual and cultural wasteland.That can only be explained as a by product of ignorance.This was afterall the land of klimt,mahler,freud and wittgenstein.Joseph Roth would wind up downright nostalgic about it.West says austria-hungary was the most repressive state in europe after russia.This is oddin two ways.One i doubt it's true.Austria was more repressive than the ottoman empire,spain,portugal,romania and bulgaria?Also even if true no one with a straight face could argue that austria was comprable to russia as a tyranny.That said this peculiar book is fascinating.Although like some of the other reviewers i too wondered what's the story on the husband and what's allthis talk about the positive benefits of the absence of homosexuality?(and where did she get that idea from?).



4. Yes "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" is wonderful for all the reasons stated in these reviews, but for all that it must be said that the dominant theme of Ms West's masterpiece is the eternal human condition. She sees with the eyes of a woman and the eyes of a genius. She has seen humanity's troubled soul, and gently brought it to the surface in the fabric of her marvelous linguistic tapestry. "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" is in a class by its self.



5. This book recounts a journey made by the author and her husband as they traveled through Croatia, Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, Old Serbia, and Montenegro at a time when Hitter threatened to engulf all of Europe in a World War.
   
   Describing and analyzing the journey, the author fills more than a thousand pages.
   
   The highlight of the book is the epilogue which recounts the author's thoughts of the impact her travels made on assessing the politics of Germany and the Balkans at a turning point in history.

5 comments about Frommer's France 2008 (Frommer's Complete).

1. This book is very readable with extensive coverage of all areas of France. It is typical of Frommers ... excellent, comprehensive, good for both budget and luxury travelers.



2. I have always dreamed of going to France and I plan to next Fall or Spring. My only issue with Frommer's is the bulk and weight. Not something to carry around while you are walking all over Paris. I will be doing research and maping out where I want to go. I travel very light-no check in so I will take the map, numerous notes in a small pad and leave the guide back home. Otherwise, it is a very good guide and I recommend it.



3. I used this book to help plan our accomodations for our trip. It was more reliable than Tripadvisor or other websites with reviews that are quite conflicting. I was able to find a great deal in Paris thanks to a recomendation in the book.



4. The restaurant and hotel selections were 100% on target. However, Fodors has more interesting detail and is more user friendly.



5. Not a bad travel book, fairly complete, decent detail on many of the cities within the country, but the book does lack pictures, has a few in the front of the book. That would have made the book more complete and enjoyable. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

5 comments about The Travel Writer's Handbook: How to Write - and Sell - Your Own Travel Experiences (Travel Writer's Handbook: How to Write-And Sell-Your Own Travel Experiences).

1. I really liked this book. The first six chapters are a little hard to get through, but the rest of the book is well worth the effort.

   The chapters on interviewing, what to take with you, and market research are great. I learnt a lot from Zobel, her writing is friendly, helpful and crammed with useful and unusual facts.




2. I read a lot of "how to" guides (trying to find career that I can enjoy) and Mrs. Zobel's is the best so far. She does a great job expanding on the basics and injecting her own personal stories when examples are needed. I re-read the book before every trip so that I don't forget any of her advice. I've already started research on one of my favorite destinations.



3. I am now reading this book again before departing to Italy. I am not exactly a "travel writer", but I need some of the same skills to write and edit my travel website. This book is a tremendous help in preparing for a trip knowing I will come back with the information I need. This books coveres everything from packing to writing. It is very readable and very useful.



4. A couple of years ago, I found a copy of the fourth edition of this book at a library bag sale. I read it cover to cover, devouring each word, and absorbing hints and tips into the molasses of my mind. To this day, some of these have shaped the way I approach my trips, and when I learned that a new edition had come out, I thought that it would make me a good Christmas present.
   
   It's certainly an excellent book. But I found a few faults with it, all but one quite firmly the fault of the publisher. Let me get that over and done with before I continue with the good bits.
   
   Criticisms:
   
   1. There is no index. There should be. There is so much in this book that forcing the reader to re-read each chapter to find one nugget of information, or to take notes, seems very poor. Admittedly my copy is now covered in x marks and orange marker pen, but do you have any idea how far against the grain defacing a book goes?
   
   2. I don't have any idea why, for this edition, there is a co-author. As far as I can see, this is not explained anywhere in the text. I'm not sure what a second author really contributes to the book. A second author certainly doesn't take away from it, but the major difference I can spot is that sentences beginning with "I" now begin with "Louise" or "Jacqueline". I don't get it. A brief introduction or explanation would have been nice.
   
   3. Speaking of introductions, or the introduction, perhaps somebody should have proof-read it? It is quite obvious that someone did a quick and dirty search and replace and made a complete hash of it. Here is the first sentence of the book:
   
   "Although the travel writing profession is seeing some difficult times this spring and summerthese (sic) past few years, this does not, by any means, indicate an end to the power and pleasure of the written wordtravel (sic) related stories."
   
   This, the very first sentence of the introduction, was very off-putting. Howls of derision followed as I found other printed bloopers.
   
   4. While there is a lovely updated chapter on digital photography, not once is my burning question answered: "What do you do when your magazine listing in "Writers Market 20073 says 'send slides/transparancies/prints?'" It would have been so nice to see a couple of paragraphs defining these terms and explaining how to go about handling the requests. The book seemed to assume that everyone would be using a digital camera, which is very nice because I do, but also seemed to assume that everybody who is a budding travel writer has some kind of in-built knowledge of what magazines want, which is not very nice because I don't. This book purports to be the definitive guide to travel writing, and in my opinion that's not something that should be missed out.
   
   So saying...
   
   This book is thorough. It covers all aspects of freelance writing for travel publications. It starts with a heavy emphasis on research: how to do it, where to get resources, what to look for. It covers interviewing: how to find sources and how to interview them. There is an entire chapter on querying, which I found very useful, as well as etiquette and ways to make yourself look professional even when you're a rank newbie.
   
   I found the chapter entitled "being there is never enough" particlarly useful. It covers how to take notes, how to start noticing, and how to make sure you don't forget what you've seen. You are coached in what to bring along and how to handle it, as well as being reminded that some countries have different dress codes and you'd better be looking like the locals if you go there and want to fit it. Travel is about getting in amongst the people, and if you're wearing clothes that scream "tourist" you're never actually likely to get that far.
   
   One key point emphasized over and over again is that you never write "generally"; always, always you must key your writing to a specific audience...and that without marketing, without learning that and working out your own system (I didn't really "get" the author's system as described) you'll never get far beyond "Gee, I want to be a writer." One of the last chapters in the book, and one of the most helpful, lists 25 different types of travel articles to help you a) find your voice and b) get the most mileage out of your existing writing.
   
   There is some information in here about running the business and organizing yourself, dealing with editors and even the ethics of press trips. A little like having your own personal coach, despite my quibbles this book still thoroughly deserves its title as a classic. And it's highly likely that come the seventh edition, this one will be so thumbed over and have so many pages hanging out from constant reference that I'll need to buy that one, too.



5. I have the 2002 edition of the Travel Writer's Handbook (the 5th ed.). While it was updated to include the problems of post 9/11 problems it did not cover the Internet as much as one would expect. And the section on photography is still set in the pre-digital era.
   That said, this is still the best all-around book on travel writing. Zobel covers different article types, how to do basic research,whether to accept freebies, what to take along on trips, keeping records for tax purposes and so forth. She spends a lot of time on interviewing techniques and different ways of capturing the sights and sounds of a travel destination.
   I assume the newest edition (written with a co-author)is meant to bring this classic into the 21st century with references to pdas, laptops, digital cameras and other accoutrements that were hardly mentioned in the 2002 book. But when it comes to the basic elements of writing the travel article--whether for magazines, newspapers or the many travel websites out there--this book is still founded on solid information.

5 comments about Old Kyoto: The Updated Guide to Traditional Shops, Restaurants, and Inns.

1. If you are visiting Kyoto for a few days or more, you need to purchase this book. The author tells you all of the amazing shops to go to that have real history and standing in Kyoto. When visiting these shops, I felt like I stepped into a piece of history. It isn't the only book you will need in Kyoto - I would also get The Rough Guide to Japan and use the Kyoto section or just another travel book on Kyoto that will provide info on temples and shrines. You can also just go to the visitors center at Kyoto station and get maps there. Bottom line: The old stores of Kyoto are slowly being replaced by new construction, so when visiting Kyoto makes sure to bring this book to see more than just temples and shrines !!



2. Great to have a guide that is focused specifically to Old Kyoto. It offers information beyond that of other travel guides and is perfect if you are interested in finding special places that may otherwise be missed. The author's personal knowledge and experiences there add to the quality of the book.



3. At first when I received this book, I was bummed that there were no colored pictures, but after I started reading it, I could not put it down. I really felt like the author was giving me a private tour of the shops, restaurants and inns featured in this book. I also bought Kyoto Seven Paths to the Heart of the City, which has beautiful and artistic photographs. I would recommend getting both books, one for the detailed information and one for the visual gratification of Kyoto. This book will go to Japan with us on our trip.



4. The book itself is exquisite, from its cover to its size, its binding, and pages. The text is well-written, witty, and quaint.
   
   The recommendations for accommodations are out-of-this-world beautiful!
   However, to our utter dismay, we could not even come close to affording the least expensive option - I am talking about hotel rooms which cost $500 and above per night. Granted, there were a few for $200 and above a night, but still....
   
   I recommend this book for someone (lucky) who wants the time of their life in the most astonishing of places to live and eat; without strings attached to money.
   
   For those of you out there who are middle class, just forget about getting this guide. It's a big tease.



5. This is a lovely book. The author lived in Kyoto for many years before moving back to the US. It has a listing of all the nice little shops and restaurants that you want to go to. These are (fortunately) not in most of the tourist guides. Note that this book does not include tourist attractions, so get something else for that.

3 comments about Benchmark Oregon: Road & Recreation Atlas - Third Edition (Benchmark Map: Oregon Road & Recreation Atlas).

1. Benchmark are absolutely the best road atlases out there. I have the AZ, UT, OR, and CA maps that I have purchased for trips (I use my CA one all the time, but I live here) and find them invaluable. I can always find my way when lost, and they really do a great job of showing detail that you wouldn't expect, even in metro areas. They show the most random and remote Forest Service or BLM roads, and points of interest on those roads that you would otherwise need specialty maps to see. If there's a dirt road or otherwise going there, these maps show it. Highly recommended!



2. Once again I have purchased a "Road and Recreation Atlas" and found little or no mine locations. My recreation is prospecting/metal detecting and rockhounding and while the contents state "mines" they are few and far between if at all. Are they trying to tell me there was very little mining in Oregon or that I should choose a new hobby because they don't classify mine as a "recreation". I think they are just trying to say that their maps are just not accurate enough or their "Field Checkers" (oxymoron if I've ever heard one) are so lazy or dumb, they can't locate a mine with a GPS? All me and a few other amateur explorers are asking for is a general location of mines, and we don't expect it to be spot on. That would enable us to plan a little bit and hopefully not get lost doing it. If it says "mine location" then it should show them. DeLorme does on most of their Atlas and Gazetteer's so why can't Benchmark?~desertdan



3. If you are going to do much traveling in the more rural areas of Oregon, then this Atlas is almost a necessity. I had the 1998 edition and just purchased this one (2006) to help with our travels this summer. I have found it to be accurate and it has almost all of the roads that are available to a modern automobile - it might keep a person from getting lost and it certainly helps if you are planning a trip into an area with which you are not too familiar.

5 comments about Ethiopia, 4th: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. Not only his Ethiopia guidebook is the best I have used in the last ten years (reliable, well informed, and so well written that reading it is a pleasure) but also Philip is very helpful and eager to solve any doubt or problem: he always replied immediatly and with great courtesy and competence to my many questions about Ethiopia.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. I spent a month traveling throughout northern Ethiopia in July 2006 and cannot emphasize enough how helpful this book (UK edition) was for me. I ended up hooking up with another traveler who had the lonely planet for Ethiopia and Eritrea and the two were no comparison in terms of historical and cultural background and practicality. This was my first time using a Bradt guide, so I'm not sure if it was just a function of Philip Briggs' writing (informative, humorous, and down-to-earth) or indicative of the whole line, but I cannot recommend this book enough if you are planning on visiting Ethiopia.



3. Because I am planning a trip to Ethiopia this fall, I have been looking for travel and historical information on the country with little success. The Bradt Travel Guide, Edition 4, on Ethiopia was a welcome find. It is thorough, factual, and even has a few color pictures of important sites and fauna of the country. The chapter on culture and history and was just what I was looking for to give me background information before my visit. The three specific areas to which I will be traveling - Addis Ababa, Axum and Lalibela were thoroughly discussed.



4. The Bradt guide to Ethiopia is hands down the best guide book I have ever used for any country, and I own a lot of guide books. Briggs has a really engaging way of writing and I read the guide book like I would a novel. There are a few times during our trip when I quibbled with his description of the quality of a hotel, but by the time the trip was over, I agreed with him (ie, hotel quality is very much a matter of relativity in Ethiopia). I am only half joking when I say that we are choosing our next African country to visit based on whether Briggs has written a guide book for it.



5. A lot of detail. Have not read too much yet. We will be traveling to Ehiopia in early 2008 to pick up our adopted son. Plan to read much more before the trip. Wish there were a few more photos.

No comments about Georgia Armenia & Azerbaijan (Multi Country Guide).

5 comments about Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide.

1. One of the best if not the best hiking guides to the park. I have led and/or followed hikes to 30 or more locales in the park and find this book to have the most complete and accurate write-ups.............



2. This guide saved our group countless hours of research in finding the best and most efficient use of our limited hiking time while on our trip. One of the best guides on the subject.



3. Whether you are a serious hiker wanting to explore the remote regions of one of the treasures of the US Park system or just want a simple afternoon hike to see a little bit of Rocky Mountain National Park this book will provide all you need. It has excellent topo maps, great descriptions of the trails, lots of information on what to expect and lovely photographs to entice you on. It's printed on heavy, high quality paper in full color; it feels good to the hand. It would make a great gift for the friend who's heading off to explore RMNP!



4. Comprehensive review of every hike in RMNP. Charts and maps are very helpful and will make our summer hiking trip to RMNP much easier to plan.
   Wonderful photographs and detailed notes about each hike.



5. I think the vast majority of us, even if we lived in Estes Park and had an idea to write such a book, would have given up when we grasped the enormity of hiking to every named destination in Rocky Mountain National Park (and several in the neighboring national forests). Lisa Foster didn't. Even though she was ill and often had to hike alone, she persevered. This was truly a labor of love, because not many of us are going to scale the Spearhead or numerous other destinations that require off-trail route finding and 3,500-plus elevation gains. The trail descriptions are very good, and Lisa does not seem to run out of adjectives to describe the splendor. That in itself is an accomplishment well worth noting. The photographs are also spectacular, giving the hiker an idea of the reward for huffing and puffing yourself up a mountain trail. (I've visited the park 16 times since 1995, and I always forget how difficult hiking can be.) Lisa, my hat is off to you.

5 comments about The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture.

1. i am really very pleased with this book. i think it is a -must have book- for every architect. this is one of the finest collections of contemporary architecture. as it says on the book; it is really the only source of its kind. - when you have the book in your hands (it is very difficult:)) you forget the problems about the delivery.
   
   ayse gokbakan yildiz, architect



2. i fell in love with this book couple of years ago
   back in poland i could only dream to have it
   if you have anything to do with architecture you know you have to have it



3. It is a good book not only in content but on the fact that it is one of the few (atlas) dedicated to contemporary architecture



4. This is really a first rate book Even though it has been out for two years it offers the most comprehensive account of world architecture yet.



5. I bought this book as a gift for an architecture student, couldn't be more perfect.Its size may be a plus but it also makes it sometimes hard to look at. Still is a must have for all architects.