5 comments about Map of Hawaii: The Big Island : Reference Maps of the Islands of Hawaii (Reference Maps of the Islands of Hawai'i).

1. As a former long-time resident of the Big Island, I can attest to the fact that this is very well done. It's a very good buy.
   
   Editor of former Oahu resident Laurie Birnsteel's Kahala



2. This map was not what I was expecting, so I returned it. Thanks anyway.



3. Purchased this map for our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and found it to be most helpful!



4. Thank you Amazon.
   I received my order(map of big is) quicker from Stateside than I get some
   mail here in Australia . I received my map 2 and a half weeks quicker than promised , and to think I don't need it till Nov .
   Thank You.
   Regards
   Patrick
   Patrick Richardson



5. We moved here and I like it, but there are better ones that I've seen around.

5 comments about Not for Tourists Guide 2008 to San Francisco (Not for Tourists Guidebook).

1. Having just moved to San Francisco a few months ago I was excited about the prospect of this book. However, the book failed to live up to my expectations of a "not for tourist" city guide book. The main problem is that the print is miniscule and very hard to read. I'm in my mid-twenties with 20/20 vision - yet I feel that I need a magnifying glass to read this book or risk ruining my eyesight! Because of this small print there is a lot packed into the book - yet only 10% of it is useful to me (maps of neighborhoods and locations of post offices). Also the size of this book is awkward -- it is too large to fit comfortably in a pocket or a purse (unless you have large pockets or a large purse) - so what is the point of the tiny print? This book should have been produced normal size. Instead of this, I recommend getting the 2008 Lonely Planet San Francisco city guide - which is very useful for residents as well as tourists. And if you need maps - just buy a good city map (the MUNI map is a must and can be found at the info center at Union Square for $2.00). If you are moving to the bay area or have just moved, the "Newcomer's Handbook to San Francisco" is also very useful.



2. We just moved to San Francisco and have used this little book constantly. It is compact enough that we do not mind pulling it out to read in public and do not fear looking like lost tourists. It is SUCH a complete guide to any interest you have in the city. We bought the SF tourist guides, the Cheap Bastard's Guide (also useful), but once we find our niche here we will still use this book as a great reference tool. It's easy to navigate, provides street & public transit maps we couldn't find elsewhere, and really helps you feel like you know what's going on. Buy it!



3. NFT for any city are great. It definately doesn't highlight overly touristy areas. I had some visitors and was using my NFT to navigate our day and thinking there wasn't much in a particular area we stumbled into a major tourist trap. No big deal but funny that there wasn't anything on the map. Other than that it is a perfect guide for a newly relocated city dweller.



4. I love this series of books. It tells you all of the places to go to live day to day. When I am traveling and staying for a long period of time, I try to stay in an apartment or condo so I can make my own meals. Books like this are so helpful to tell you where simple things like drugstores and grocery stores are. I previously purchased the Boston and New York NFT books and used them often while visiting.



5. I love the NFT series of books, and this one is no exception! It's full of useful information, it's well organized, and it's pretty funny.
   
   NFT is a cool company, and you can actually view their books on their site for free. However, at this price, it's well worth your money to have the whole book in a convenient portable format.
   
   I have bought these as gifts several times, as well as for myself. I highly recommend them.

4 comments about Vanishing America: The End of Main Street Diners, Drive-Ins, Donut Shops, and Other Everyday Monuments.

1. The subtitle to this fascinating book is The End of Main Street and Michael Eastman has taken it upon himself to record as much of it as possible before progress or neglect flattens what's left. Flick through the pages and you'll see more than two hundred shots of small town commonplace. The five chapters (Theaters, Churches, Hangouts, Doors, Signs, Stores, Services, Autos, Hotels and Restaurants) pretty much cover what you'll see in any town across the country.
   
   Nearly every photo is an exterior and I thought one of the strengths of Eastman's work is the no-nonsense straight-on compositions. These buildings with their signs, peeling paint or structural modifications are visually intriguing enough not to require odd angles, soft focus or other gimmicks and even though they are photos of record the rich color and choice of subject lifts the contents of the book above similar photography.
   
   
   The book's production is as impressive as the photos, the square format, matt art paper and 175 screen all come together beautifully. Four stars? Though the book was designed by Pentagram it does have, in my view, a rather annoying fault: there are several pages where photos are butted together which makes for initial visual confusion and I think weakens each relevant photo. A thin black or white line, just to give the minimum separation, would have solved the problem. Fortunately most pages don't have butted photos and on the rest the photos are allowed to sparkle by themselves and they do.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. This book is full of wonderful pictures - too many, in fact. It could be half as long as it is and still be worth the cover price and more. The result of such overly generous editing is that the layout is downright awful - crowded, jumbled and ugly. But that in no way diminishes the fact that there are some stunning, evocative pictures in here, pictures of the backbone of America many of us have never seen and will never see. A book to come back to again and again.



3. If You're a fan of Michael Eastman's fine art photography, as I am, you must get a copy of his latest book, "Vanishing America." You must get it, but you'll be disappointed in it--disappointed in the layout, particularly, but also in the reproduction.
   
   As to the layout, the photographs are given no respect. They are presented full bleed, that is, without margins. A typical two-page spread has a large picture full-bleed on the left side, and an array of smaller pictures--also full bleed and butting up against each other so it's hard to tell where one ends and the next begins--on the right.
   
   This is not a book of photographs so much as it is a book of Americana, the kind you see on the bargain racks of the large chain bookstores.
   
   As to the reproduction, I remember seeing a large (50x40 inch) print of "Shotgun House, New Orleans" at a show a few years ago. It was $5000 framed and I wanted it, but I had neither the wall space nor the money, so I contented myself with a free, postcard-size promotional reproduction. This reproduced the colors of the larger image very well and it served as a good reminder of why I liked it. This picture is reproduced in the book, slightly cropped, for no good reason, and with a decided magenta cast, compared to my postcard copy. Looking at the picture in the book, it doesn't remind me at all of my feelings for the original print.
   
   I assume books of American are more profitable than books of photographs. If so, I can forgive this disappointing book. Fine art photographers need all the support they can get.



4. This book is beautiful, but not in the traditional sense. It shows well-loved and decaying mainstays of small towns all across the U.S. Not so much the "Route 66" kitchy America, but the regular, everyday sights and signs that we seldom focus on but are there, nonetheless. The photographer took pictures of what was on the other side of the street, and it is poignant and a little sad to see some of that stuff in such a state of decline. I'm glad I purchased the book and I love to remember the small town I grew up in as I flip through its pages.

2 comments about Moon Philadelphia (Moon Handbooks).

1. Having just recently moved to Philadelphia, this book has proved to be extremely useful. There's a lot of practical yet interesting information that has increased my appreciation for this great city. Accompanied with a wealth of data, pictures and maps, Gavin's enthusiasm is apparent with her insider's guide to this historic town. I would recommend this book to any visitor or Philadelphia resident new and old.



2. I have lived in Philly my whole life and am a very proud Philadelphian. I love reading up on my home town. When I came across "Moon Philadelphia" in the book store I was shocked at the amount of useful information crammed into this book. Gavin's work is so easy to read and comes from a local point of view that it is head and shoulders above any other guidebook I've read. This book is a must buy for any Philadelphian, new, old or visiting for the first time.

5 comments about American Casino Guide: 2008 Edition (American Casino Guide).

1. Loads of good info and a ton of coupons. If you are planning a trip to Vegas this book is a must have. You won't find offers from many of the large resort casinos but you will find enough free play, free gift, and food coupons to pay for this book a few times over in just one trip!



2. We bought this book before our last trip to Vegas. It was well worth it just one coupon for dinner paid for the book. We always rent a car so getting to the different places was easy. The two for one buffets at Green Valley, and the Silverton were great. If you only go to the big hotels on the strip you wont get the full benifit of the book.



3. Well I never used any of the coupons in here but it did have good tips and reading in it. It was prompt on getting here.



4. 
   This was the worse book I ever bought. The pages are falling out because of bad binding. The contents are very poor. Casino's that I know are not in the book or not accurate. Very Very poor



5. Our third trip to Vegas is coming up in October. I always use Alamo for our car rental and I have used the same coupon to book the car every trip. This alone more than paid for the cost of the book the first time I used it. I have never been asked for the coupon at the rental car center so am able to use it multiple times. We have also used several of the match play and food coupons. Although the majority of the coupons are for off strip locations, many are for downtown including Binions Steakhouse, Main Street Station etc. You won't be disappointed.

4 comments about Appalachian Trail Data Book 2008 (Appalachian Trail Data Book).

1. The Appalachian Trail Data Book, updated annually, has proven time and time again to be the indispensable Guidebook for those contemplating spending any length of time hiking on the A.T. Among thru-hikers, (those attempting to hike the entire Trail in one continuous journey) the book's usage approaches 100%. This is excellent testament to the worth of this little volume, and it's easy to see why the book carries the imprint of the Appalachian Trail Conference, the organization charged with the care, protection, and maintenance of the Trail.

   In an easy-to-read format, the Data Book contains everything the hiker needs to know in order to plan their day's travels, and in order to know what lies ahead of them. It'll tell you where shelters and established campsites are located; where principal water sources can be found; where road crossings and towns are located; and where primary stores, re-supply sources, and lodging places are located. Other works, most notably the Applachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion, will provide more detailed information on these matters, but it is the Data Book that is the work used most frequently on a day-to-day basis by those actually hiking the Trail. Also, the fact that editor Daniel Chazin meticulously updates and fact-checks the book each year in order to take into account changes on the Trail, ensures the hiker that this is the most accurate work of its sort on the market.

   A key addition and improvement to this year's edition is keying and matching of sections of the Data Book to the official A.T. maps, i.e., the ones used by most hikers. This makes it much easier for the hiker to locate their actual position on the Trail; also, as always, the book's mileage tables are printed in order to facilitate simple reading by both Northbound AND Southbound hikers, so it can be used by everyone, regardless of the direction of their hike.

   In short, if you're going to spend any serious ammount of time on the Trail, this little book will prove to be incredibly useful to you, tho one may well wish to purchase other works with "expanded" information. One should, of course, also use the best maps available, regardless of the length of your intended trip. But if you bring ONE guidebook with you on your trip, bring this one.

   In a few weeks, I'll be leaving to hike, for the seventh time, the Trail in its entirety. I would not think of setting out without a copy of the 2002 A.T. Data Book, and neither should anyone else.




2. I've been collecting these books since I hiked the trail in 2000, and this edition is every bit as useful as the others. It's small and lightweight, which means you should carry it with you the whole way. When I went thru, I only carried the pages I needed ripped out of the book to save a little weight - and now I regret that I did. You should carry the whole book, mark your mileage in the margins and whitespace, where you meet people, etc. It'll be a great memento after you're done.
   
   The one suggestion I would have to the designers is to leave a little more margin room for writing.
   
   The picture on the cover of this 30th edition is also one of the best in recent years. It's a picture of Whitetop Mountain in Virgina - covered in snow.
   
   Good luck to anyone going thru this year!
   
   -Bullfrog GA-ME 2000



3. My daughter started hiking the Appalachian Trail on 3/16/08 and as a mother I was extremely worried about her hiking 2175 miles with just her dogs. But with this book, I realize what an amazing journey it will be for her. She has made an amazing number of friends along the way. I feel more secure in knowing that there are well-spaced shelters along the entire trail and help readily available if necessary.



4. On my 2008 thru-hike attempt of the Trail (I had to go home because of my knees) I bought both the Data Book and the Thru-Hikers' Companion. I wound up taking the Companion with me and leaving the Data Book at home. There wasn't much of anything in the Data Book that wasn't in the Companion, and the latter had much more detailed and useful information.
   
   When I do it again I'll take the Companion along with the extremely detailed section guidebooks for each section, which would have helped me out in a few circumstances this time around.

5 comments about Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism.

1. For one that is very interested in the subject of travel writing (travel essays, guidebooks, etc.) I found this book to be full of often hilarious insights into the mysterious world of guidebook writing. Kohnstamm succeeds in succeeds in ridding almost all of the myths that surround travel writing.
   
   The book is worth reading simply for all of the incredible, seemingly unbelievable stories in the book. However, if you are interested in traveling at all this book is a MUST READ.



2. A young American, tired of life on Wall Street, takes a job as a travel writer for Lonely Planet. He arrives in Brazil and, amidst the temptations of beautiful women and the all-night partying of Copacabana beach, soon realises that he has been given a task of unimaginable proportions and an equally small stipend with which to fund it.
   
   Eight hundred miles of Brazilian coastline. Sixty towns. Countless villages. Our hero is sent to review and collect the names, locations, phone numbers and email addresses of all relevant hotels, restaurants, bus routes, laundrettes, bars and nightclubs across the whole region. And write something meaningful about them. All in sixty days with virtually no money. And he can't accept freebies (rooms, meals, etc.)
   
   As his financial situation grows increasingly bleak, he struggles with whether to accept such perks of the Lonely Planet name. He also struggles with the fact that what he writes is likely to help rob some of the places he visits of their innocence and independence by contributing to American-style commercial tourism there. His wry analysis of how foreigners behave abroad is both enlightening and hilarious. And his insight into the greater meaning of what he is doing shows us yet another ugly side to (American) commercialism, this time in the tourism industry, and more specifically the guidebook industry.
   
   Does he tell a great story along the way? Definitely. There are healthy measures of sex, drugs, drinking and general debauchery. On the other hand, our hero also encounters police brutality, sustains multiple injuries, fends off insolvency (in the most desperate and creative of ways), and meets a host of colourful characters along the way. (My favourite is Otto, the Israeli ex-commando.)
   
   Overall this is an awesome ride. Great for holiday reading and particularly if you use guidebooks, in which case it's a definite 'must read'. Buy it now!
   
   Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism



3. This book was profiled on National Public Radio and positioned there as an expose on the travel industry: how travel writers would review locales without ever going there, would use expense account money for living the high-life, and potentially show other borderline tricks of the trade. Once read, the book is really more of a memoir of a young, raunchy, travel-addled seeker escaping from the cubicle world of post-college career to a job 'on the wild side'. Unfortunately, the author brings himself on the trip. Before the author ever makes it to Northern Brazil, his first travel-writing assignment, he is involved in what apparently a regular occurrence of drunken fighting, seduction, drugs and general bad manners. The author tries to glamorize breaking up with his girlfriend, while actually misses the chance and adds no flourish to his rarely done and everyone-must-fantasize-about quitting his difficult boss and onerous job. Cue the necessary step back into his childhood, growing up, traveling experience and skill, and current emotions about work, marriage, lifestyle, etc. When we finally make it overseas, the author is persuasive in making the reader feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of towns, cities, and beaches he has to cover to even come close to not spending thousands of his own money (which he does not have) to accurately write his travel guide for this remote area. Later forays into multiple potential female 'partners', renting apartments vs. hotels, hoteliers, and throw in the odd Israeli ex-Mossad itinerant, and you have yourself a rockin' living-on-the-edge good time. Unfortunately, the book is only moderately well written and is much more an Augusten Burroughs saga of a troubled heterosexual trying to suck up as much alcohol and women as his thin budget permits.



4. In his book Do Travel Writers go to Hell?, intrepid traveler Thomas Kohnstamm does a fascinating job of weighing his own addiction of travel with the highly unreasonable expectations that are associated with being a guidebook travel writer. Also, Kohnstamm admirably demolishes the popular conception that travel writing is some sort of dream job; his consistently neurotic analysis of the futile planning, budgeting and writing for Lonely Planet, or any guidebook publisher for that matter is not only sobering, but warranted for those blinded by their travel-induced naivete.
   
   Kohnstamm begins by disclaiming his addiction to travel and the atypical circumstances in which he decides to pursue it as a career. He subsequently embarks on his adventure to cover northeastern Brasil's most likely and unlikely tourist destinations (on behalf of Lonely Planet) and the people he meets along the way. It is here that one arrives at a recurring theme throughout the book: it is not necessarily the places one visits but the people met that makes the story worthwhile.
   
   Insufficient stipends and unreasonable deadlines are just two of the variables obstructing Kohnstamm's progress. Throw in a constant stream of Brasilian cachaca, drugs, late nights/early mornings, the gamut of intestinal illnesses, opportunistic thugs as well as the usual bribery schemes (among all the players), and it is no wonder that the journey itself is truly the thing.
   
   The book, however, is not simply a retelling of Kohnstamm's escapades. It does raise a lot of questions even for the novice traveler. He ponders the implications of cultural relativism, the apparent lawlessness and corruption, as well as the increasing commercialization and urbanization of Brasil at the expense of its history and identity. Not to mention the fringe benefits of writing positive reviews, especially if those reviews are generated by the favors exhibited on behalf the restaurant or hotel one is writing about.
   
   If there was one thing I regretted about the book, apart from my envy, it is Kohnstamm's overindulgence at the expense of his craft. Granted, his wild nights performing "research" forces harried and slightly unethical writing; however, the descriptions of his supporting characters would subsequently suffer. Therein lies the dilemma: is this a travel writing book or a book about travel writing? The lines aren't always clear.
   
   Kohnstamm does well to capture the sweltering zeitgeist of Northeastern Brasil and the plight of the travel writer, thereby leaving the reader with a nuanced yet realistic depiction of the industry, and tells a captivating story while doing so. His advice: if you really love to travel, think twice about making it your occupation.



5. Most of this book is repetitive whining about lack of funds and huge hangovers....Jeez, grow up. Thomas is getting paid to write for Lonely Planet and can not find enough ambition to do the job, so he gets drunk and obsesses about his dwindling funs....Get over yourself Thomas.

5 comments about Coyotes: A Journey Across Borders With America's Illegal Migrants.

1. This story rivets the reader to the writer's acceptance (guarded) by poor Hispanics as he seeks to be an Imbed with them when they cross the border at a couple of different sites. There was the interception by Mexican border police and their payoff; then life beyond the border on the way to nearby farms serviced by Coyotes (travel guides and job finders) and potato fields of Idaho (serviced by the same dependable families year after year).
   It gives many glimpses of that struggle to pass on a better life to the kids.
   
   The writer may influence many who would become investigative reporters.



2. This is one of a handful of books recently written where the author joins a group of undocumented workers crossing the border in attempt to gain employment in the United States. The interesting twist here is that the author, though apparently fluent in Spanish, is white. He also attempts to work in the fields himself, as opposed to simply observing and writing about the work of others. This leads to a number of unique experiences and observations on race relations that are rarely discussed in this context. It also allows the reader to better understand what life is like for many undocumented workers in this country. Kudos to Ted Conover for making a sincere effort to better understand the lives of those that would not otherwise be recorded.



3. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the immigration debate and particularly those hard-liners who would exoriate the Democrats for their solutions that give a measure of "amnesty," or Sen. John McCain for saying, "These people need some of our love and compassion."
   This book seems to become only more relevant with time. Ted Conover, as well, is one of the best contemporary journalists, if not the best book-length writer of journalism in this era. He writes from the margins of society with great insight and compassion. You won't be disappointed in anything he's set to paper.



4. I purchased this book for my book club, and although I was a bit perplexed by the choice (living in New England where the immigration problem is not so obvious), I was actually pleasantly surprised.
   The topic is one that should be on everyone's mind with respect to the immigration problem in our country.
   However, this fresh, personal perspective does give us a "birds eye view" of the life of the Mexican immigrant culture, and how difficult and complex it is. I especially found the book interesting having grown up in California, and observing first hand, what a complicated economic and social problem immigration really is for the immigrants and natives alike.
   Although a bit slow in parts, it did give a refreshing insight to the culture that may not have been captured by a mere casual observer. On the other hand, I found the chapter set in the airport quite fascinating and entertaining!
   I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Hispanic immigrant culture.



5. As good as a journalistic effort can get...
   
   Like Orwell's Down and Out in London and Paris, times TWO!
   
   Should be on the shelves of anyone with an opinion on immigration, pro or con.
   
   Should be on the shelves of and journalist to teach them what it is all about.
   
   Thanks for this seminal work.
   
   God Bless Humanity and this Earth

4 comments about This is San Francisco (This is . . .).

1. I read this book to my class of third graders today, and they got a kick out of it. The illustrations are very cool and "retro," and it's fun to update the kids as to how the city has changed over the years. I found the text to be a bit stilted, but other than that, it's great, and definitely worth having in one's library.



2. I bought this for my 3-year-old son a few months ago and it has become one of his favourite books, particularly since we visited San Francisco. I've read it out loud so many times I can recite most of it from memory now!



3. I was first given this book as a child by my mother. I love it just as much now as I did back then. Sasek does San Francisco absolute justice with the way he captured the city with his beautiful retro artwork and commentary about each area. If you're from San Francisco you know exactly what he's talking about and get such a wonderful, familiar feeling when looking at the book. If you're not from San Francisco, this book will give you a very accurate taste of our charming city.



4. This is a great way to introduce little people to the history of various cities. I got this one for my niece so she could learn about where her auntie lives. She likes it so much I may get ger other cities to read.

5 comments about From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty (Sell Your Specialty Food: Market, Distribute & Profit from Your Kitchen Creation).

1. This book was recommended in a class at the local community college on starting a food business. There are
   excellent examples of various business models and lots of referrals to other helpful web sites. If you have a
   specialty food product you're making in your kitchen and you dream of selling it, this book is perfect.



2. My biggest questions are: What are the laws about the sale of food from the kitchen? Is a health inspection of the kitchen necessary? Where would I find this information for the state in which I live?
   
   This book does not cover any of the information that I think is necessary. I enjoy preparing food and giving it away in pretty containers. I was hoping I could sell some of my gorgeous and delicious gifts with little overhead. According to the author, one should plan on laying out a rather large investment for this type of business.
   
   FROM KITCHEN TO MARKET contains many details but omits the basic information required to get started.



3. This is a good book, but not exactly what I was expecting. As a Small Business Consultant, I was asked to teach a class on marketing your food product for a local food incubator, which is beginning level. This is great if you want to have your mustard in a national chain, your tea or coffee on grocery store shelves, or the like. What I thought it would help with was entry level marketing to get your food into local stores, selling on the internet, and getting into a trade show. It did give guidance to higher levels of the same thing, and was very professionally done, just a bit above what I was expecting. If you already have an established product and do large scale production, this is a great book for you. For beginners, it doesn't really take it right out of the kitchen...its sort of a couple notches past that.
   
   Excellent author and wonderful expertise though. Definitely a keeper for my personal library.



4. Stephen Hall's book is a honest guide for aspiring food manufacturers who are new to the specialty food industry, and most importantly, who have limited funds to sustain a long-term marketing effort. Though he does discuss various important aspects of the industry as a whole, his emphasis is on marketing.
   
   He uses real-world examples of entrepreneurs that have either succeeded or failed in bringing their product(s) to market and in some cases due to being under-capitalised or not being prepared to handle the demand for their products once they had become successful. Make no mistake, Mr. Hall in no way sugarcoats the process. In fact, in the chapter where he discusses start-up costs, he stresses the importance of an independent source of income to successfully start your business, especially for the first 3-5 years. But this a positive rather than a negative point, because it encourages you to be realistic and to prepare for success rather than set yourself up for failure.
   
   His intention is to inform and he does so clearly by using flowcharts and explaining indepth the various aspects of the specialty food market. He covers important issues such as defining the best U.S. territories for your product; researching the markets; developing and positioning your product; government regulations (a list of the relevant agencies for each process of the business is provided); packaging, labeling, pricing, warehousing and shipping your product; principles for marketing success; promoting, publicizing and advertising; finding buyers; arranging deals; finding copackers, and much more.
   
   There is a lot of valuable information to process and I found myself reading the book a second time (and most likely will do so a third time as a refresher). I highly recommend this book as a good foundation and to get you started in the right direction.



5. I was looking for help getting my product sold locally, and this was no help. After all the money I have spent trying to get my product sold, I wish I had the money I spent on this book back.