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.

5 comments about Shadow of the Silk Road (P.S.).

1. I heard an interview of the author on NPR and his clarity, passion, and humanity led me straight to the library.
   
   I have not been the least disappointed in this beautiful book, which is not so much a travel book to me, but a book about thousands of years of fragile human perceptions both tragic and beautiul. It forced my own introspection as much as it tells a story of a world I have never experienced. This is a book I will buy prior to reading it again.



2. I bought this book hoping to get a good idea of what the people and places are like along The Silk Road. This book has some very interesting interviews with people along the way, but after a while, it these become less frequent and the book is more about "I came here and saw this. It looked like this. It made me feel like this, then I left and went here." I could have bought another book with pictures of the Silk Road and been better off in this regard. To me, the best part of the book was what he learned talking to people. Unfortunately, that makes up only a small part of his journey.
   Not a bad book, and I don't have regrets buying it, but I did start to look forward to finishing it so I could move on to the next one.



3. Barren landscapes, indigenous people desperate to leave; temples and monuments crumbling in ruin and the author covers it all in three hundred and forty four pages of barren text leaving the reader desperate to leave the book. Traveling the Silk Road could have been a fascinating adventure but this book offers no insight, portrays no curiousity as to why things are they way they are and if you can make it to the end of the journey you have endured!There are numerous better sources of first hand accounts of adventure travel in these regions. It is simply too hard to find kind words, a compliment, or a recommendation for this book.



4. Another great travel adventure By Colin Thurbon. I felt transported along with Thurbon as he tranversed the Silk Road. His references to past trips as well as history, provoked a need to research more about this part of this world. An excellent book. A must for those interested in China, Central Asia and World History.



5. Thubron engages in a three-part spiritual and physical quest to recapture the commercial highway of the Silk Road from China through Central Asia and Iran to Turkey. Along the route, he at length describes its history, archeology, myths, religions, and people, all of which in their genetic and cultural blending defy today's current political boundaries. Like beautifully glinting faience or tile are the remnants of its glorious past, if one follows a trail to search them out. In this quest, Thubron scales sheer cliffs with his fingernails and his determination and treads through villages and along rivulets to recover past civilizations' artistic glories peeking out in murals, tiles, minarets, chiseled caves, etc. His quest subjects him to risks to life and limb during the Chinese SARS epidemic and the danger of thieves and guards in Afghanistan and the Oxus. However, he is experienced in his knowledge of languages and in his former travel to the region twelve years ago during Soviet control. His great knowledge of history (political, religious, mythical) provides many facts and surprises to the reader, such as the longest epic being the MANAS rather than the ODYSSEY. His knowledge of the cities through which he passes and his conversations with the people who live there now is what the book is about. One of the most interesting stories is his proscribed admittance to a Moslem shrine, sometimes hiding himself to escape detection, or pressed forward among crowds, or tugged gently along as a guest (pp 264-67, 270-72). Another good story set in Tehran interviews an artsy youth with a film (pp. 284-93). In Maragheh, an inflamed abscess is a four-hour suspenseful ordeal with dentists who cannot communicate orally with him. Not least either is his surpise visit to an English language college in Tabriz where he converses with a class of female students. All of these interviews, histories, myths, and descriptions of places that few if any outsiders would now travel to, over the once crowded highway bearing silk, printing, and other goods and ideas between the Pacific and the Mediterranean, make a memorable and necessary story.

4 comments about Bali and Lombok (Eyewitness Travel Guide).

1. I grew up in California, and continue to love the scenary and the people there. I thought it was the best place on earth, until I made it to Hawaii. Wow! Do I love Hawaii! I was convinced it, too, was the greatest, until I arrived in Tahiti. Now there's a really awesome place!! When I got back, I spoke with my cousin, the world traveler. She said, "You'll really love Bali, it's much more beautiful than Tahiti." So far, I haven't been able to test her views, but this book certainly helped me to see the many beauties of Bali and the neighboring island of Lombok (which she didn't tell me about).

   The scenery, animals, arts, temples, crafts, costumes, and dance are vivid, colorful, intricate, and involved. This guide to the two islands features over 700 color photographs that give you a sense of this beauty in very many ways. Even the smallest images are crisp and distinct.

   The book is also a good size to slip into a pocket while traveling, so that you don't have to be burdened with excess weight or bulk. That will help, because this guide has many details of streets, restaurants, and the insides of temples that you will wish to refer to when you are in Bali or Lombok.

   This guide has the details of all of the festivals on the two islands, which are reportedly a high point of any visit there. You also get lots of detail on local history and traditions (which will be unfamiliar to many in the United States).

   The book breaks the two islands into regions so you can get a flavor of how being in one area compares to another. For example, you can go as an eco-tourist, as a cultural tourist, a scuba tourist, or a plain old beach tourist (but there is good surf for those who like surfing and wind surfing). Bali offers lots of variety for those with different tastes and preferences, and the guide makes it clear how to plan for each. Golf has even made its way to Bali.

   I was also glad to see that the book contained many website addresses to obtain additional information.

   I cannot report on the accuracy of what is here, because I have not been to Bali. On the other hand, the information made sense in terms of what I know about other islands, and Hindu and Moslem countries.

   This guide is so rich in photographs and detail that I can have quite a few "trips" just by reviewing the material here. So even if I don't make it to Bali for a few more years, I will have enjoyed some of the wonders of this wonderful island. I hope you will have the same opportunity.

   After you finish enjoying this delightful guide, I suggest that you think about where else you know little about and might like to see. If your time and budget do not permit much travel, you could perhaps use these DK Eyewitness Travel Guides to provide pleasant diversions in the meantime. Then, when you are ready to go to a new place, you'll have an informed view of which one to pick.

   Grasp the potential all around you, with all of your senses!




2. Bali and Lombok are just two islands in the Indonesian archipelago... and one of the most popular tourst destination. This book is crammed with wonderful information as well as photographs by well known photographers, maps, drawing etc... of Bali and Lombok. I found it very wonderful that it covered both aspects of Bali and Lombok's culture regarding religion, music, dance etc... The book is much different from Lonely Planet with maps in colour with icons regarding the village and what the villages are well known for. For example the village of Taro in central Bali in Gianyar Regency is famous for it's white breed of Cattle and there is a little bit of information talking about that village. The book covers all of Bali as well as Lombok.

   Denpasar Bali's capital contains many sections like the Museum... the market and so many places of interest. For Kuta its beaches which are popular with many Australians and well known for the surfs... Gianyar regency in central Bali was well known for it's cultural and artistic creation. The famous village of Sebatu and Peliatan are famous for their Legong Kraton dancers... wonderful and graceful like butterflies or heavenly nymphs... Klungkung regency in east Bali was home to the powerful rulers with the title of "Agung Dewa" and most revered... Klungkung was a historical city and site where the golen age of Balinese history began the mass exodus of many Hindu-Javanese fleeing Islam came to the royal court bringing their traditions and tansplanting it in Bali while the ancient art form disappeared from the island of Java as a whole...

   Lombok hasn't been developed to tourism yet but it is slowly starting to. The island is very lovely with it's lush green rice fields and wonderful people who are of Balinese race and Sasak origin... They produce wonderful crafts like clay jars, pots, weaving etc... If you want to know more you will need to read or grab hold of the book yourself...

   There is even a section on food and the types of food eaten with lovely photographs of food and things to buy in Bali... This is great and I guess it is too good to be true too... Excellent work and research I must say went into making this book...




3. Colorful guidebook has marvelous images that create an immediate illustration of Bali and Lombok.

   While the practical references are a bit truncated (foreign embassies listed are only Australia and USA; hotel & restaurant listings are scanty), the cultural & special interest tips are excellent.

   The guide works its magic by tying photos to text. The reader can zero in on an image and immediately see the relevant text. This is a highly practical format, leaving no mystery as to whether some place or item may be of real interest to the individual reader. Therefore, reader can figure out what he/she wants to see & do without slogging through chapter upon chapter of text.

   I spend a lot of time in Bali and I think this is probably the most useful guide for the average traveler to Bali & Lombok. It has quite a few entries....

   If you have a limited amount of time in Bali, and an even more limited amount of time to prepare for it, this guide will suit you very well indeed!




4. The Guide is great to get an overview over the many attractions in Bali - lots of pictures and some nice overview maps of the island's regions. However, the descriptions are on the short side and it does not contain detailed street maps that could be useful for orientation. But overall a nice introduction!

3 comments about Vietnam Cambodia Laos & the Greater Mekong (Multi Country Guide).

1. I am not a big fan of Lonely Planet guidebooks as I find they are really lacking in detail but this was the newest guidebook on the region I was visiting so I purchased it. It was decent but definitely lacking. Hopefully one of the other guidebooks will print a new edition for the Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos countries.



2. Lonely Planet has really cornered the guidebooks market but in this case, I feel it's not deserved. I just got back from a trip to Vietnam (a destination I settled on after reading the book and gauging the amount of time I had) and all the information in there was outdated and inaccurate. I also had Rough Guides a friend gave me last minute and I much preferred it. The print says it was last updated a year or 2 ago and I understand that's the nature of the beast but it was still disappointing.



3. Don't purchase this book...if you do, you're essentially throwing fifteen bucks (US) out the window.
   
   I spent six weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam, and deep-sixed this book when, for one city, "OUR PICK" for hotels was a place costing $200 per night.
   
   I can overlook the faggoty carbon-neutral ethos of the LP franchise, which permeates every one of their guide-books--let's face it, that encompasses a healthy percentage of backpackers who buy these books--but TWO-HUNDRED BUCKS PER NIGHT?!
   
   Save that for Fodor's or Frommer's. Why the hell is any LP book even LISTING a place that wants $200 a night...especially in CAMBODIA?
   
   On the island of Koh Rung Samloen off Sihanoukville, Cambodia, I mentioned to the English owner of the Lazy Beach Resort that I had this edition on me. He expressed a desire to see it, and spent an hour laughing at the entries for Sihanoukville.
   
   The LP writer apparently came to Sihanoukville and spent THREE HOURS talking to ONE guy, asking about the hotels, getting recommendations, and so forth.
   
   Some of that information is flat-out erroneous, such as calling the manager of the Oasis bar "professional," when he is, in fact, nothing of the sort. Some of the hotels have been sold, or are under new management, (things are very transitory in Sihanoukville), or are nothing like what they've been described as.
   
   (The Lazy Beach Resort is not listed in this edition, but it is the best place to spend any--ANY--time in the Sihanoukville environs.)
   
   This book was equally useless when it came to Vietnam. I encountered an American fellow at the Bavet border-crossing who told me he'd "jettisoned [this edition] a long time ago."
   
   The Lonely Planet has led me astray before, viz. their Bolivia book, which recommended an unsafe hotel in La Paz, and completely screwed up the map of Sucre, but this book was the inflection point that made me re-evaluate whether they are the best option for independent travelers.
   
   As the owner of the Lazy Beach Resort said, the LP's main utility is the city maps (excepting, of course, Sucre), but their listings are simply one guy's opinion or outright hearsay...and not always accurate when you show up tired and dirty late at night.
   
   I'll still use the LP for future trips, but as one tool among many, not as a Bible.
   
   (The best travel resource for Cambodia--by far--is the Canby website...I used the LP 2005 edition for Vietnam and found it only adequate, relying more on Wikitravel and other travelers' apercus.)

5 comments about The Hills of Tuscany.

1. Reading "The Hills of Tuscany", Ferenc Mate's exuberant, joyful ode to his adopted country, makes one eager to join that expatriate band. After occupying a series of dwellings a "houseboat, sailboat, mountain cabin, that garage in Laguna Beach, the attic in Paris, the cubbyhole in New York, and a whatsit in the Bahamas," the Hungarian-born Mate and his artist wife, Candace, deemed it time for a permanent home.
   
   Central Italy's countryside, where "Everything was small to the measure of man," beguiled them; there "reigned the gentle Tuscan light, and silence, and a calm." They became contentedly sated by "pranzo," the four-course daily meal that resembles in quantity "our average Thanksgiving dinner," and decided to buy a farmhouse, to put down roots in the idyllic Tuscan hills.
   
   Their enchanting dream was a challenging task. Mate spoke no Italian and was woefully ignorant of the vagaries of an agrarian existence. Nonetheless, he set about his search for their perfect home with a Quixote-like zeal, undaunted by a real estate agent cum undertaker who stored his listings with names of the recently departed in a shoe box. A parade of touted homesteads in abject disrepair didn't discourage him. Collapsed fireplaces and gaping roof holes were the norm. Mate zigzagged his way across unfamiliar terrain, following unmapped rutted paths, bouncing over rocky roads until he found his utopia, "a structure with perfect rhythm." La Marinaia The Sailor's Wife. Once that purchase was accomplished, attempts to have utilities turned on introduced him to an implacable, inscrutable Italian bureaucracy. It was explained that there are an almost infinite number of regulations in Italy, " . . . many dating from Roman times, some contradictory, some incomprehensible."
   
   Settling in also meant becoming a part of the nearest town, Montepulciano, "built for humans not for cars, so the main street was just wide enough for conducting daily affairs, evening promenades, and small festive processions." The couple delighted in exploring closet-size shops run by often absent, usually amiable owners. Their nearest neighbor welcomed them with fresh goat cheese covered by a large fig leaf, and they attempted to improve their Italian by watching Telegiornale, the local televised news an "Italian version of reality, a flexible amalgam of fresh headlines, old footage, and clips from Steve McQueen movies."
   
   More than an enthusiastic tribute to the ever astounding beauties of the Italian countryside, "The Hills Of Tuscany" is a paean to the pleasures of the palate as Mate describes in rapturous detail ravioli stuffed with ricotta and wild mushrooms, crostini spread with tuna and capers, rabbit ragu "spicy with tomatoes" plus a legion of dishes bathed, basted, stir-fried, swathed in or caressed by olive oil. He is also unreservedly passionate about the local wine, "wine as robust as the clay," "wine with a deep complexity that tingled all the taste buds."
   
   Today, Mate lives with his wife and young son at La Marinaia, tending his olives and vineyard. It is there, he writes, that "we learned to live and enjoy life as the Tuscans do piano, piano, con calma." Slowly, slowly, with calm. The author's enthusiastic prose is infectious. His word pictures are captivating, as he unveils a Tuscany that is both serene and seductive. "The Hills Of Tuscany" is an invitation to follow your dream . . . especially if it leads to Italy.
   
   - Gail Cooke



2. What a delightful arm-chair journey The Hills of Tuscany is! Máté's descriptions involve all senses and beyond that they make the reader yearn for something simple, ancient and cozy, -- to be close to earth and to our fellowmen, and to rediscover the joy of unpretentious things. His enjoyment of life is so obvious that his book would be a pleasure regardless where he settled, be it the Arctic Circle or the rainforest of Costa Rica.



3. Very enjoyable reading, especially if you have vacationed in this area. I could picture the coutry side and the town of Montepluciana that he wrote about. I loved the area and loved Ferenc Mate's book, "The Hills of Tuscany". Some of us wishes that we could trade places with him, living there sounds devine.



4. I thought this book was an easy read and pleasant. It was just kind of a diary of the day to day life the author experienced when he bought a home in Tuscany. It was not an in depth study of life as a foreigner in a foreign country but then again I don't think that was his purpose in writing it.



5. I enjoyed this book. I will be going back to Italy in the fall and will probably visit some small hill towns. Since this book, the Mates are now living in another part of Italy. It was fun to read. Once you read this one then read the next book "A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover's Dream".

No comments about The End of the Game: The Last Word from Paradise.

5 comments about Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France.

1. This book was written in 1988, and therein lies a problem. In general, the book is a charming personal memory of a wine merchant's buying trip in France. It shines most when the book discusses the people who grow wine, or at least in 1988, grew wine. At that time, the wine industry was undergoing basic changes, in the way vines were grown, tended, stored, bottled and shipped. Perhaps a person with extensive knowledge of wine would find the book an interesting snapshot of wine growing/making, but people with less knowledge of wine will not know how, or if, change continued. One of the reasons I bought the book was to provide a non-textbook source of information about wine for a friend who knows little about wine. This book assumes too much of its reader to be useful as a basic instructional tool for such a person.



2. This is a lush, well-balanced and plain smart read.
   
   I have to say the guy's got balls to describe both his wines and his winemakers in such candid, delicious detail. Photos included!



3. Kermit Lynch is an institution on the US wine scene, and his retail shop is a must visit for any serious wine lover. He made his reputation importing wonderful wines and in particular writing this often reviewed book. Rather than summarizing, or relating how much it's meant to my own education, let me quote a few of my favorite passages from my wine diary:
   
   We Americans with our New World innocence and democratic sensibilities tend to think all wines are created equal and that differences in quality are simply a matter of individual taste.
   
   The French with their aristocratic heritage, their experience and tradition approach wine from another point of view. Just as France had its kings, noblemen and commoners, French wine has its grands crûs, premiers curs, and there is even an official niche for the commoners, the vins de table.
   
   Wine is, above all, pleasure. Those who would make it ponderous make it dull. People talk about the mystery of wine, yet most don't want anything to do with mystery. They want it all there in one sniff, one taste. If you keep an open mind and take each wine on its own terms, there is a world of magic to discover.
   
   There is only one possible explanation for this mysterious transfer of aromatic quality from one type of vegetation to another [the taste of currants in a Gevrey-Chambertin wine]. Bees! The bees gather nectar from blossoms - in this case, wild-currant blossom - then they alight on the grape blossoms, their little legs fuzzy with pollen from the currants.
   Quoting René Loyau.
   
   `Wine is so very rich in nourishment. What I don't use for cooking I feed to my plants.' Her plants appear to be abnormally healthy.
   Quoting Madame de Lacaussade.
   
   The taste of the grape told them when to harvest. The taste of the wine told them when to bottle, what sort of oak to employ, the appropriate barrel size, how to prune the different grape varieties, and on and on and on. The traditions varied from village to village depending on differences of grape variety, soil, and microclimate. The traditions that were in place at the beginning of the twentieth century were the result of centuries of trial and error. If the taste of a wine indicated that a steep, stony piece of land produced better wine, then that was the land they worked, regardless of the labor involved. . . . Do not think for a moment that they were ignorant people who did not know better. They seem to have been instinctively directed toward quality. Only in this century have we seen the hard-earned knowledge of the ancients discarded, almost overnight, in the name of progress.
   
   Beaujolais should not be a civilized society lady; it is the one-night stand of wine.
   
   One's every word and gesture will be examined microscopically for the telling nuance. Even when a Burgundian asks with a warm smile, `How are you?', the antennae are out, the cerebral computer is plugged in, and even if you reply ` Fine,' your slightest inflection is noticed, inspected, measured, interpreted.
   
   Chablis is so good with oysters
   That I'm tempted to leave these cloisters
   And find true love whe'ere I'm apt to.
   Tenth century poetic fragment.
   
   Real wine is more than an alcoholic beverage. When you taste one from a noble terroir that is well made, that is intact and alive, you think here is a gift of nature, the fruit of the vine eked out of our earth, ripened by our sun, fashioned by man.
   
   Unlike music, literature or visual arts, a great wine does not require a creative genius. A farmer working his piece of earth can produce something inspiring and profound.
   
   There is so much contained in a glass of good wine. It is a gift of nature that tastes of man's foibles, his sense of the beautiful, his idealism and virtuosity.



4. I bought this book for my daughter as a Xmas present,
   and she loves it as it is so well written. I must add
   that she takes a keen interest in wines and viticulture.



5. Kermit Lynch is knowledge and very passionate about wine and the craft behind it. Reading the book, you are overwhelmed with how passionate he is, all the while being entertained by his stories. A must read.

5 comments about Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, 5th: Worldwide Motorcycling Route & Planning Guide (Trailblazer).

1. I have to say, I read this book cover to cover. I was surprised how up to date it was. I've been motorcycling for a few years for general transportation and fun. I started getting interested in adventure motorcycling this past year. I like to get off the normal tourist routes when I travel and adventure motorcycling looked like a great way to to see some parts of the world.
   
   The book does a good job of covering all the major topics - picking a bike (it reviews 10-15 of them), what to wear, items to bring, how to pack, gear, typical mechanical issues to expect, safety, border crossings, etc. It also covers popular routes in different regions of the world. These sections are okay, but they really didn't have enough depth for me to decide where I might want to go. It only acts as a stating point. Then again, I'm sure there's TONs of routes to take per country, so I can't imagine it would be easy to add more detail to any level of comprehensivness. If the author reads this - a set of top 10 routes might be nice, especially if it included a rating system for different attributes. The second half of the book is made up of 2-5 pages short stories or diaries from riders. These stories were the best part of the whole book. I wish there were more because they're very interesting and you learn from those as well. They really leave you wanting to go out and hit the road.



2. The title pretty much sums it up. This book is the gold standard for adventure motorcycling or travel in general. With heaps of specific information necessary for your trip, along with some classic European humor makes for a great cover to cover read and/or an invaluable reference book. With information ranging from tire change instructions to the state of travel in Columbia this book has any would be or genuine adventurer covered.



3. I love adventure riding and own a BMW R1150 GS Adventure. This book covers a great deal on the stuff you need to know before that big trip. It also is an enjoyable read even if you can't do that big trip.



4. This is the bible for long distance adventure on and off road via motorcycle. I highly recommend this book.



5. and one of them left bad taste... the guy was riding in Africa with the author of the book and a buddy and had tire problem (tubes he put in were getting punctured after some miles). He was simply left out by his partners to deal with his problem and had some hard time when run out of spares .. It makes me wonder if author consider this story is good for his book what are the other ones..
   
   there is some useful info in the book though... especially bike comparison

No comments about European Rail Timetable Summer 2008: Rail Schedules - June to December (European Rail Timetable).

2 comments about The New West: Landscapes Along the Colorado Front Range.

1. The return of this beautiful book is as inspiring as the book itself. Never having seen the original however makes it hard to compare editions but as I am a BIG Adams fan the work is stunnning, the neat categories help the beginner to understand Mr Adams and where he is coming from.



2. The New West is one of the most significant works of photography in the 20th century, presenting the reality of the western landscape in harsh contrast to the mythology of the other Adams... The pictures cut straight to the bone, showing the damage done to a landscape by our progress, but always the light is perfect, the skies brilliant, and the distant horizon intact. This work is a challenge to photographers, to see the world clearly, and to others, who struggle to live with the earth, rather than on it.