5 comments about Coming into the Country.

1. I traveled to Alaska in 2006 but lived there in the early 70's. Why I delayed so long in reading "Coming into the Country" I don't know, but John McPhee has taken me back to that earlier day. Both his character and place descriptions are wonderful and make me long for the cabins, the ice break-up, the dogs, the bush planes, and the 55 gallon drums. The Anchorage of today is much changed, but the bush is still there -- Thank God.



2. Want to read about the realities of the 49th state????
   Want to really learn something about this region???
   Want to get good visuals????????
   If NOT don't read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!



3. This book is a wonderful relic, the last plausible vision of a living American frontier. In the mid seventies, McPhee went to Alaska to do a few pieces for the New Yorker. He met a lot of trappers, prospectors, and "river people" who'd built moss-chinked cabins and whose individualism, gruff hospitality, and happiness he admired. McPhee made a plea for democratic access to Alaskan land. He argued that land far from roads should remain fair game for homesteaders in perpetuity.
   
   It is odd to read an ode to Alaska's wild immensity at a time when islands are being evacuated in the Aleutians, polar bears are drowning, and the permafrost is melting. The question these days is not whether Americans can still choose to live in more or less untainted outback. The question is whether that outback will soon be transformed beyond recognition, not by oil drilling, but by climate change.
   
   What Coming into the Country offers the twenty-first century is escapism and nostalgia. McPhee's account of the political squabbles over the location of Alaska's capital has lost its relevance, but the rest of the book still comes to life. We meet a mix of clannish Christians, proud native people, and prickly bootleggers in the small, dry town of Eagle. McPhee's tale of a man's survival in sub-zero weather after a plane crash constitutes a minor classic of its own.
   
   The book reminds us how powerful the frontier fantasy remains in American psyches. Can it be harnessed as a metaphor? Can the dream of self-reliance on a private patch of woods help motivate us, indirectly, to cut carbon emissions? It has motivated us to go camping and conserve some wild lands even while ruining others. Still, I suspect that as the environmental movement shifts in response to global warming, we may have to jettison the frontier fantasy. It depends too much on a view of nature as more powerful than man. Whether or not we agree with Bill McKibben that we have arrived at the end of nature, we know that everything is responding to elevated temperatures. There is no untouched patch of land left in Alaska. The romance of a homestead sours when the flora and fauna are marching north past the log cabin, driven by coal and oil fires from all over the planet.



4. My wife and I like to listen to a tape while we read the book. We are rereading this book that way. It is a classic and a good introduction to Alaska, where we have lived and worked and touristed.



5. This book was difficult for me to rate, since it is really a compilation of three separate books into one volume. The first two books I would give 3/5 stars, while the third book (the one actually entitled "Coming Into the Country") is superb and deserves 5 stars. Thus, my averaged 4-star rating.
   
   I found the first two books very interesting and readable, but they tended to delve off into a more philosophical orientation describing the history of Alaska, which I deemed long-winded at times. The third book, however, kept my attention perked and was just what I was hoping for when I purchased this book -- a look into the life of an Alaskan bushman -- since it was told through stories of people the author meets along the way during his long stint in the bush, which complimented his writing passion.
   
   A good book and well worth the read.

5 comments about Photographing the Southwest: Volume 1--Southern Utah (2nd Ed.) (Photographing the Southwest).

1. One of several books by this author and I think that the information here will be very helpful in getting great photos on vacation. The biggest problem in getting a good photo is the location. Having a starting point is invaluable and then the only variable is the weather. Having photos in the book to illustrate the locations is a major plus.



2. I already own the 1th Edition and used it extensively to find rare to be seen places in the Southwest. I am German and visit the Southwest once or twice a year and found this book to be invaluable. Easy to follow directions, great images, good advice. You don't need any other guide to see all the best places (which no one else finds).



3. I loved this book...however. On a trip to Moab 3 wks ago I hiked to the location of False Kiva as described in the book and originally described by Tom Till. It was a very windy, gusty day with gusts over 45 mph. I nearly pulled a Thelma & Louise without the T-Bird under me. With the wind and final assault up the slickstone, death was brought into the equation & I aborted. Also, I got lost for an hour and everything I owned was coated in sand. Avoid this recommendation when there is even a hint of wind. This advice comes from someone with 55 missions over North Viet Nam.



4. Plans for our two-week road trip to the National Parks of southern Utah were rather chaotic -- lots of bits and pieces from several guidebooks were difficult to organize. But, thanks to Laurent Martres' book, I think we now have a much better chance of being in the right place at the right time to truly enjoy the sights. The photographic illustrations are really magnificent.



5. Attention to detail - that's what separates this from the rest. My wife and I have been to this region dozens of times, and already knew much of what's here, yet we still bought this for its depth and for the gems it has that we'd missed. Lesser-known yet still outstanding locations are included, not just the "name" places. Time of day, trail and road conditions, suggestions on that extra item of gear [or lens] to take for each place, it's all here. The author's "here's my experience of the place" approach makes it that much more readable, too. The combination of sample color photos, time required data and geographic grouping make it easy to plan your visit. This book _really_ "rocks"!

5 comments about Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure.

1. This book is about a kid named Joe Stoshack who travels back in time to 1932 to see if Babe Ruth called his shot or not. Read this book to find out if he did or not.
   
   This book was great! I really liked the book because I play baseball just like Babe.
   
   If you like baseball you will really like this book too!



2. My son was a reluctant beginning reader until his first grade teacher pulled out a copy of Babe and Me to read to his class. We went out and got it the next day, read it together, and he spent the next summer working his way through it by himself, slowly reading it aloud.
   Since then, he has read this book and the others in the series several times. This novel is multi-layered, with storylines about a boy's relationship with his father (his parents are divorced), all told in the historical context of the Great Depression and during the rise of Hitler. Every time we read this together (and there have been countless times), my son finds something else to discuss. The mystery of the book---did Babe really call the shot?---almost doesn't matter when you consider the book as a whole.
   Overall, I credit this book as jump-starting my son's love of reading and of baseball. I can't recommend this enough for anyone looking for an entertaining and interesting read, and parents will love reading it aloud with younger readers, as well.



3. This was an enjoyable book. It explores one of the most thought of and talked about baseball historical events of all time. George Herman Ruth called his shot to center field on the third inning of the third game in the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. He stuck his left hand in the air and pointed to the center field bleachers and called his shot. I like how the author of this book Dan Gutman challenges the called shot it makes you feel like you are at that game it gives you a perspective the no film footage or pictures could ever give you. Reading this book made me have a stronger perspective of his called shot it shows how you can take a little known opinion and turn it into one of the most exciting cliff hanging books ever and if you've only known about the called shot for a little bit like me I suggest this book to anyone who doesn't know about the called shot or still want to know more about it. Dan Gutman gives a look at what it would be like to be one of George Herman Ruth's friend what it would be like to hold his bat be in his house and be a thought in his mind. I give credit to Dan Gutman for writing this book I enjoyed the first person look at George Ruth's life and the way he played ball. If you liked this book I also suggest the rest of the books in this series including ones that have not yet been published.



4. Book drags a little in beginning, then really picks up some momentum. This is a very good book, not only about the babe, but the way real histoy fact, is mixed with a little fiction - time travel. Fact: Joey's father has just lost his job and is down on his luck. Everyone, including his wife judge him for face value and are not very patient with him. Joey's father is really a 'good guy,' and a great father. Joey's father always seems mad and sad about something. That something, the author reveals later in the book, is the fact that Joey's father who is a Polish-Catholic, lost most of his family members when the Nazi's invaded Poland. Some 3 Million Polish-Catholics were, also, murdered by the Germans in WWII Very few people know this fact, and to add to the horror, Stalin murdered another 2 million Catholic Poles. While the Germans were bringing terror to the Polish people in Poland, they also murdered 6 Million Jews from all of Europe. The author is fair to mention the Polish-Catholic suffering, in what is known as The Forgotten Holocaust or the 3 Million Polish-Catolics, murdered by the Germans (Joey's father's Catholic family in Lodz, Poland). This is what constantly bothered Joey's dad. The divorce and not seeing his son enough, only made him more sad. In the time travel part, Joey's father reads about Hitler coming to power, he desperately tries to tell Roosevelt, when they are back in time, trying to stop the Holocaust by telling Roosevelt, but Roosevelt ignored him and did not believe him. Interesting fact is that: Joey's father, who is Polish (Gutman makes a point of his being Polish early in the book) tried to help stop the holocaust, as did real life hero Jan Karski, A Polish-Catholic courrier. Karski, who also told Roosevelt about the Holocaust, but Roosevelt wouldn't believe Jan Karski either(but in real life!!!), and, sadly, did nothing about it.. The time travel does bring father and son and family back together. Did the Babe point or not is secondary to the lessons of humanity, decency and history in this book. The Babe was, like Joey's dad, in the end, a very tortured soul, but ultimately, a really, really great father, husband and human being.



5. My 9 year-old has read all the books in this series and has enjoyed them all ! The author does a great job of combining facts from history intertwined with his character that travels back in time. These books have led to much discussion with my child about some of the facts brought forward in the books.
   
   In this particular book, Joe travels back to 1932 to see Babe Ruth and one of the topics brought forward was the Great Depression. The author did quite a bit of research to try & represent The Babe's personality in a juvenille book.
   
   I have read 3 in this series (so far) and highly recommend them for young readers. What i like the best is that it creates further discussion on some of the American history topics brought forward in the book.
   
   Whether the shot was called, or not, doesn't take away from the fact that Babe Ruth was the greatest ever to play the game & provided much necessary entertainment for a county in dire need of it at the time !

5 comments about The Snow Leopard (Penguin Nature Classics).

1. The SNOW LEOPARD - Interesting descriptions of Tibet back country and customs but author constantly contradicts himself, he seems disoriented like he might have done too many drugs in his life, imagine that, he is a self admitted psychedelic user and he writes like it. Matthiessen demeans his Sherpas while intimating some sense of loss at leaving his 8-year-old son at home one year after his wife died while he treks around Tibet for two months, inexcusable!



2. Matthiessen is a talented writer who consistently manages to capture the essence of what he sees. He insists that he is a fiction writer, first and foremost, but the honesty and vibrance of his words in nonfiction are phenomenal. As an "travel log"-type book, this is one of the best. His interactions with the sherpas and his colleague, GS, are human and believable. There are extremely personal moments throughout the book, concerning his first wife and kids and missed opportunities with them, since he spent so much time traveling. A section about a bowl makes me sad even now. The discussion of the animals of the region ( not just the leopard) are very detailed and accurate. Particularly, sections that are devoted to Schaller's attempt to distinguish between goats and sheep. While the leopard, itself, adds a magical quality, a more intriguing creature is the yeti. I became a full-time fan when he spoke of it.
   Beyond the actual journey is the constant discussion of Zen. The history and facts he gives are deep, at times. There are many footnotes. It is an excellent resource for Zen students and it's interesting to see how it fits into his life. Zazen in his tent, for instance. Zen isn't something to be learned, but this book and Cave of Tigers are two that every aspiring student of zen should read.
   He talks about his wilder days and where he finds himself going at the time (metaphysically speaking, of course.) I picked up this book because I had seen the film At Play in the Fields of the Lord. It is like nothing I have ever read. I still randomly reread passages to experience it again. This is a book that changes how people feel.



3. I'm sorry. I tried to enjoy this book because it was recommended to me by my favorite author. I found it great to get me to sleep at night and not so great at inspiring me to seek adventure, spiritual or otherwise. I had no idea what this dope-head was talking about.



4. The Snow Leopard is slow paced and there is little plot. The book is about a long hike and the author's coming or not coming to terms with his divorce from and the death of his ex-wife. That is really it, but the Snow Leopard took me to a new and better place, one that I can not easily explain. This is one of the best books I have ever read.



5. Thoreaux: Where in all the world is the literature that gives expression to Nature?
   Here it is, in Peter Matthiessens's National Book Award Winning "The Snow Leopard". Peter Matthiessen is now a living legend, a prophet of ecological thought and a long time American Buddhist, but in 1973, when the book was conceived he still wasn't so famous. At the age of 46 he decided to trek through the Inner Dolpo region of Nepal with his friend and co-explorer G. Schaller (well known for his studies on the Mountain Gorillas) to study the bharal (Himalayan blue sheep) and to try to get a glimpse of the mysterious and rare snow leopard. From September to December the two men traveled with sherpas and porters from Pokhara, around the Annapurna, the Dhaulagiri, through the Jang-La Pass, to Phoksumdo Lake to the Crystal Mountain and the Shey Gompa Monastery and back, studying the wild life and rutting habits of bharal. While G. Schaller was basically interested in animals, Matthiessen in that period a Zen scholar, utilized the travel expedition to expose his thoughts, exercise his meditation abilities, recall his memories of past experiences (drugs, deaths, remorse and expectations) but most of all to paint with lyrical pen and great descriptive talent his surroundings and the people he met.
   
   This book is a little dated, and while reading it I was reminded of that great chapter of American writing that ties together Pirsing, Castaneda and many others, but none the less it is fascinating and gratifying because it resonates with a transcendent religious feeling of nature. In "The Snow Leopard" the ecological thought that weaves its way in all Matthiessen's works is still not full blown, but this makes the book even more incisive because the perception of his convictions lends a magic atmosphere to the travelogue. The reader has an intuition of the importance of respect of wildlife independently from modern day recriminations on its destruction.
   
   The philosophical/religious aspect is also very interesting, because we can see the fascination of an intellectual American with Buddhist thought. Peter Matthiessen is very generous of his knowledge an puts all his rich Buddhist experience in the text, explaining history, traditions and customs of the Tibetan culture.
   
   Matthiessen is also a very good interpreter of characters, as is evident from his novels. All the people he empathically describes jump out of the page and come to life. The canny and mysterious Tukten (maybe a guiding figure like Dante's Virgilio or a true Bodhisattva) and the naïve and faithful Dawa become our friends as well, but also the many minor encounters like the Lama of Shey pass forever into literary history to be remembered.
   
   Two points of highlight are how the Author manages to convey the pleasure and the fatigue of the physical trip. I could actually feel his boots and the joy of having broken them in, the discomfort of the sun glaring on the snow and the beauty of the birds, flowers and landscapes he describes. The second is the excellence of the prose. Selected paragraphs are poems of beauty and the perfect use of the English language is in itself a reason to rejoice.
   
   
   This book is also a very personal and introspective diary. It talks about the man and his problems and probably this is the single most touching point of this great nature classic. At a distance of 30 years, people are taking guided trekking tours to Shey Gompa and its protected Natural Park, and much of the mystery has dissolved, however still few have seen the snow leopard, and discussion is still raging on the existence of the Yeti or Bigfoot.
   
   Read and reread this nature classic to capture all its merits. It is landmark of the American perception of Buddhism, ecological thought and one of the best travelogues around.

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

1. This will be my first visit to Alaska and I purchased the book to help me make the most of the trip.



2. This is an must for the tourist who wants to know something about the area they will be visiting. It is full of good info for a person going on a cruise. It has helped us to plan our days in the different ports we will visit. We highly recommend this book.



3. Frommer's Alaska 2008 proved to be as complete a vacation guide as we'd expected from previous worldwide books purchased under this name previously.



4. My wife and I are in our 30s, and took our first trip to Alaska to cruise and see the beauty of the coast and its wildlife. In preparation for the trip, we bought 3 books: (1) Frommers Alaska, (2) Lonely Planet - Alaska, and (3) Fodor's Ports of Call. If you are taking a cruise, and are buying less than 3 books (or if you don't want to check a 2 pound book in your luggage) - then you should not buy Frommer's Alaska.
   
   Frommers Alaska is the largest / thickest of the books discussed above, but much of the information is irrelevant to a cruise ship passenger (cities in the deep interior, hotels, suggested 2 week-long itineraries, etc). There is one 20 page chapter, not written by the author, devoted to choosing a cruise-line, which can be helpful. However, better information can be found in a cruise-specific "ports of call" book.
   
   One of the irritating aspects of the Frommers Alaska book, is the author's negativity towards cruise vacationers. Every chapter that discusses a port, includes a backhand remark regarding cruisers / tourists. It is much more pleasant to plan the vacation using a book that is more cruiser-friendly (or at least neutral, such as Lonely Planet).
   
   Frommers Alaska is geared towards the land-traveler, and cruise passengers are better served with a cruise-specific book.



5. Great Book! Really helped us while in Alaska. Don't go there without it

3 comments about Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West (Culture Trails).

1. Many art historians have written about the great modern earthworks of the American West and Southwest, but this is the first travel book to do so. What sets this book apart from others of its kind is the quality of the writing and the personality of the author, Erin Hogan. Hogan, an avowed urbanista from Chicago, writes with real comedic flair about the road trip she took in her trusty VW Jetta to visit the legendary Spiral Jetty, Lightning Field, Double Negative, Rodencrater, and Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation in Marfa (almost all of them funded by the Dia Foundation). Writing in a picaresque mode, along the way she encounters some pretty hairy and scary characters straight out of the old Wild West, but gone wrong, terribly wron. While her discussions of the formidable works of Judd, Smithson et al are excellent and accessible for general readers, the account of her accidental discovery of a folk-art site known as Hole 'n' the Rock is absolutely transcendent, right up there on a par with Perelman, Benchley, Woody Allen. A fabulous read. I hope we'll be seeing more from this talented writer--and soon.



2. As a woman who also took a road trip (well, OK, it was in a converted bus with my husband, pets, 200 pairs of shoes - and I still had to be dragged kicking and screaming), and lived to write about it, I had high expectations for this book. I was not disappointed. Even though I've never been that interested in "land art," Hogan nevertheless manages to bring it to life with humor and grace. I could also relate to her many misadventures as well as her growth during the trip, and I'm certain other readers will love going along for this ride.



3. Land art was a controversial movement that came out of the 1960's and 1970's. Artists like Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt and Walter DeMaria tore apart the concept of art being individual works displayed in a gallery or sculpture garden independent of surroundings and time. They went to the most remote corners of the American west and southwest and created huge installations that are wedded to the landscape with an expectation that time and elements, as well as the viewers' physical perspective, can change their work and statement.
   
   A generation later, an urbanite armed with a doctorate in art history, who was well read on the debate about land art realized that since its entire point is about where it is, she ought to go out and see these icons for herself. Erin Hogan may have been intellectually equipped, but going to land art is nothing like donning heels and a black dress and going to a gallery opening in Chicago. Thus her book is an amalgam of art history, art criticism and a frequently funny travelogue of an innocent who had never traveled solo before. The title of the book incorporates this range: the first earthwork she visits is Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" on Salt Lake, and the car she drives to remote, off-road locations requiring high-riding all-wheel drive vehicles is a VW Jetta.
   
   This book works on many accounts: Hogan is a natural storyteller and she is an accessible interpreter of art history and criticism. Due to very poor directions, not to mention a scary evening in a bar called the Saddle Sore, she does not find Holt's "Sun Tunnels" and later, a conversation with a Navajo ranger convinces her that it would be foolhardy in gun country to seek James Turrell's "Roden Crater." Although that's disappointing, she achieves some major experiences, especially a transformative overnight at De Maria's "Lightening Field." However inauspicious their start on the trip, she and the Jetta survive, and she provides revised travel directions for those who would like to make their own pilgrimages without the slapstick.

5 comments about National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways, 3d Ed. (National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways).

1. Even with exorbitant fuel prices, America is still the best bargain for travel bargain. This book proves it, over and over. The photography is simply superb, all in color, and gives the reader a wonderful opportunity to anticipate what might be found along each route discussed. While certain routes, e.g., Woodward Avenue out of Detroit, going north, would not have made my list, this is a minor quibble, since the Guide is intended for folks who have NOT been on the highways discussed.
   
   The writing style is clear, informative, and easily read by anyone. The book is very well organized, and the remarkable photography closely follows the text.
   
   In short, whether you intend to visit one state, or several, this book is an absolute must in terms of planning your trip. It not only describes the routes themselves, but attractions that closely border them. I have probably traveled thirty or forty of the routes described. In almost every instance, after reading this book, I wish I had had it with me when I made the journey.
   
   This book earns a definite five-stars. It is very nearly a perfect travel guide to a lot of America. Even if your travels are confined to an armchair, you will enjoy this book endlessly for what it will teach you about America's geography and history.
   
   Highly recommended, but don't loan it out.



2. Lots of information. Easy to use. I will be able to avoid printing information from the "America's Byways" web site before we depart on a road trip.



3. National Geographic travel books never disappoint. Each scenic drive description is brief out of necessity, but they might prompt the reader to seek more information elsewhere for targeted areas. Not really suitable for armchair travel though.



4. This book was great. We drove many of the roads mentioned in this book while on a vacation which included 4 national parks and 5 states. It was a really great trip. The byway scenery between the parks were very picturesque. Thanks National Geographic! I doubt we would have found some of these Highways and Byways by ourselves!



5. I took this book as a reference to plan my weekend trip, and value added agenda to my travel destination. I don't think it is worthy to drive to those routes just for a good view, but whenever you plan to somewhere, you definitely can check this book to plan your route or schedule. I am not a professional traveler, or driver. I travel only for fun and relax. Based on my limited experience from testing this book's recommendations, I recognize it as a good reference.

5 comments about Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas.

1. A great summation of the last 15 years of Las Vegas, the influences that made it what it is, and the big personalities that rule the land. One negative comment I have is the movie is really two stories in one, Wynn/Kerkorian their deal and influence, and how Loveman/Harrahs elbowed its way from a smalltime operator to major player.
   
   The majority of the book is about Wynn and his influence in Las Vegas and how it developed from the Mirage to the Bellagio to the Wynn. And of course the big occurrence is the buyout of Wynn's operation by Kerkorian when he senses the stock weakness caused by Wynn's lack of management skills. A very fascinating story!
   
   After completing the acquisition the book slows down somewhat as it tells the tale of middle market Harrah's and how it busts into the big time by acquiring Ceasar's. This book explores the mathematical focus at Harrah's and how it increases profitablity. While it's interesting reading how a glorified math professor rises to casino president while retaining his old lifestyle, this section is the least interesting at least for me.
   
   In summary this is a fascinating read of a fascinating city. Just a walk down the strip let's anyone see every part of American culture good and bad as Las Vegas is the mecca of most Americans at some point in their lives.



2. Binkley presents an insightful and lively account of some of the players who operate in a world where nothing succeeds like excess. It is a world that the author knows well from her years of having covered the industry as a Wall Street Journal reporter, but, despite being granted unprecedented access to Las Vegas' movers and shakers, she remains a detached observer. From backroom deal-making to outsized egos to glitzy spectaculars, Binkley covers it all with a sprightly writing style, providing insights into what makes men like Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, and Gary Loveman tick.
   
   It was a world I knew nothing about other than a few business trips to Las Vegas, but I found the book highly entertaining and learned a lot about how about how three very different visionaries plotted a path to success. I will enjoy my next business trip to Sin City much more having read this book. I recommend it highly.



3. I just visited Las Vegas and loved it, it was much better than I expected it to be after having toured all around Europe! I bought this book at the airport book store in Vegas as the assistant said that was the book everyone had been asking after. It was a fascinating and entertaining read, with particularly inside information on how Steve Wynn approaches business and also how it contrasts with that of Kirk Kerkorian and Gary Loveman at Harrahs.
   
   I couldn't put it down and recommend it to anyone who has visited Las Vegas and is wondering how it go to be the town that it is today.



4. The Wall Street Journal reporter Christina Binkley was that paper's lead reporter in Las Vegas for 10 years. In "Winner Takes All" she pulls together that experience - both the knowledge and her contacts - and delivers a compelling, enthralling narrative of Vegas' transformation over that period.
   
   The book's sub-title says "Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman and the Race to Own Las Vegas." Binkley posits that a series of mega-deals have apportioned Vegas into three controlling companies: MGM Mirage (headed by Kirkorian); Wynn (Steve Wynn's eponymous new post-Mirage venture); and Harrah's (helmed by ex-Harvard prof Loveman). Binkley appears to have had little access to Kerkorian, (no one does, but read Bill Vlasic's classic Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler for a better peek at him) but ample access to his lieutenants. She obviously had developed a cordial relationship with Loveman. What stands out is her relationship with Wynn and wife Elaine. It's extensive, to say the least. She's clearly enchanted with the guy.
   
   In fact, that relationship leads me to my major problem with the book - it simply lacks credibility to leave Sheldon Adelson - Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sand Corporation (Venetian, Sands Convention Center, Palazzo) - out of the story. He, as much as anyone, set the pace for Vegas during Binkley's years of coverage. And, he made the leap to Macao ahead of any of his Vegas peers. It's blatantly obvious from the text that Ms. Binkley has a history with Adelson. Yes, he's famously dyspeptic and probably has little use for her. But Adelson has also feuded publicly and nastily with Steve Wynn. Wynn uses Binkley here quite transparently to take a number of gratuitous slams at Adelson. She's little more than a water-carrier in that regard. That's sad because it detracts from the overall excellence of the book in a very distracting way.
   
   A tale of the tape:
   
   p. 89 - Adelson described as a "would-be mogul" who "irked Wynn"
   
   p. 93 - Adelson is "warring with Wynn"
   
   p. 209 - Adelson described as Wynn's "nemesis and neighbor"
   
   p. 250 - The "eccentric" Adelson takes Sands public and is "catapulted from obscurity to number 19 on the Forbes 400" (Hello?? COMDEX, anyone? This guy was hardly obscure pre-Sands; his success was far from the luck and accident implied here).
   
   p. 271 - 272 - Wynn takes a moment to "pity" Adelson...'It's too bad he's not in better health and able to enjoy it more. He's in a wheelchair.' That's cold, man.
   
   p. 276 - "Loveman lost the Singapore bid to Sheldon Adelson." Adelson didn't win it, right? Loveman lost it. It's like Adelson and team had no role and won by default. Hardly.
   
   I've not cherry-picked the negative references - those are the ONLY references! Juvenile stuff. What a shame.



5. I'm sure I'll see Las Vegas in a different light after reading this book. You can't help but be fascinated by these larger-than-life characters. Steve Wynn is without a doubt the most interesting character in the book, but viewing the city as a competition between titans is something I've never really comprehended on trips to the Strip before. It's a great easy read, with lots of interesting facts. I agree with some reviewers who had problems following the (hazy) timeline, but it didn't diminish from the overall enjoyment.

5 comments about 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12!.

1. Books that encourage one to aspire to see all the world great sites are inspiring, but it not realistic for everyone to see the Taj Mahal and Patagonia.
   
   This book brings adventure closer to home, and is wonderfully flexible and practical. Everyone can and should see a Migration Path, a Fort, a Working Farm, a Street Market and the House Where Their Parents Grew Up.
   
   Besides, who doesn't want to recapture those elementary years?



2. This is a great book for a person of any age provided that they are interested in getting off the couch. This is the second time I have purchased this book but probably not the last. This purchase is for a Christmas gift for a nephew. The last purchase was for a birthday gift for a different nephew. I'm not sure if the recipients love it as much as I do. I wish someone had given me a book like this when I was younger. Two big thumbs up!



3. I bought this book for a 9 year old girl for Christmas. She LOVES it!!! She spent quite a bit of time looking at it and placing the included stickers on the places she wants to go. Then, she and her mother sat together and talked about places to visit. It was a great gift and I highly recommend this book!



4. I bought this book so my 10 year old son and I could look through it for ideas on places to visit. It comes with stickers that you place on the pages - for example "Been There," "No Way," "Top 20," and "Awesome Adventure." We had such a fun time going through the book and remembering things we've done and talking about things we would like to do, for example visit a "Big Cave." The ideas are broad so you can find them in almost any area of the country, like "A Working Farm" or "The Home Your Parents Grew Up In" or a "Marvel of Engineering." I left a pretty poor review of "500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up," but this is exactly the type of book I was hoping to find. There are pages in the back for notes on your travels, and we plan to go back and write in where we visited. Very well done book, BRAVO!!



5. My seven-year-old and I are both pleased with the ideas of things to do in this book. O'Sullivan has selected 101 outstanding ideas of places to go to enrich a child's (or adult's) life. From visiting a lighthouse, to checking out a forest canopy to eating at a quirky restaurant (such as South Carolina's South of the Border restaurant), they are all easy-to-do and worth doing, and they create experiences your child won't forget. The stickers are great fun--my son has already posted what he has accomplished already and is ready-to-go on the next adventure. A++++ book.

2 comments about Pacific Crest Trail Data Book: Mileages, landmarks, facilities, resupply data and essential trail information for the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada.

1. I can't think of anything this guide has left out. It provides not only thorough trail descriptions and maps for each segment that are detailed and clear, but also a history of the trail, both natural and historic, advice on planning your trip, and a complete list of agencies to contact for trail permits. I appreciate the details regarding flora and fauna, as well as advice from everything to supply stations to how to deal with bears. I don't believe that I have ever seen a more thorough and complete trail guide.



2. It's got the bare essential data you need for the hike.
   Mileage, water sources, post offices, grocery stores, etc.
   Don't leave your domicile without it.