3 comments about Planet Golf: The Definitive Reference to Great Golf Courses Outside the United States of America.

1. This book has not only some of the most inviting golf course photography ever - by world-class Australian Photographer David Scaletti, but a collection of very well-researched, concise and precise reviews by Darius Oliver, one of Australia and the world's most able golf architecture writers. A must have book for all golfers that will even start the architectural education of the uninformed. This book is not only incomparable but affordable.



2. The Planet is indeed well served by this magnificently produced volume worth buying for the photography alone.



3. This book is a bargain at the original price. At $24 it is a steal.
   
   I have just bought five copies, ordered through Amazon, to give to my best golfing friends.
   
   The photography is superb, as is the book's production quality. I am both a keen golfer and photographer, as you can see from my other reviews, and I commend David Scaletti for his extraordinary work.
   
   The narrative by Darius Oliver is wonderfully frank, well-argued and original. I particularly enjoyed his rapturous endorsement of two clubs of which I am a member. (I'm sorry but I'm not going to tell you which they are, but they feature prominently in the listing of Top Courses in the back of the book.) I also enjoyed his clear and joyous descriptions of each of his favorite courses throughout the world (excluding the U.S.).
   
   The focus of the book is on the courses outside America, because so much excellent material already exists on the Top U.S. Courses. Having recently been to Augusta I am fully aware of the absolute excellence of Golf Courses in the U.S., but am pleased to see the rest of the World's Top Courses given some serious attention.
   
   The book covers the Best Courses in the UK and Ireland, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and Central America, Asia and Africa.
   
   If you are like me you will be planning many trips to visit these Masterpieces of World Golf.

No comments about 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Washington, DC: Including Suburban and Outlying Areas of Maryland and Virginia (2nd Edition) (60 Hikes - Menasha Ridge).

3 comments about The Dog Lover's Companion to the Pacific Northwest: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog.

1. Found the book to be very informative and accurate, even down to "where the road may seem to end but look to the right and you'll see the sign for" ... etc. Very helpful guide. Loved the advice of the Wonder Weiners!



2. For those of us who like to include our dogs in our adventures, this book is a great guide. It covers western WA & OR, as well as the southwestern corner of BC, Canada. Each of these areas is subdivided into regions such as the Kitsap Peninsula or the San Juan Islands. Within that region dog friendly locations are rated and described. You get the scoop on the good and bad of each location, which helps when you're trying to decide if it's worth visiting. You can also tell which locations allow your dog to be off leash. Places to eat and stay the night are also noted and described.
   
   One thing I didn't like about this book is that it only covers Western WA. I had hoped it would cover Eastern as well.



3. This book is a MUST-HAVE for any dog owner(s) that takes the pooch with em when they go! It has a GREAT rating system and also highlights "people-interests" as well as places to dine, places to stay and of course detailed "dog-places". I say, "Buy one for yourself and one for the dog-lover in your life." Awesome book!

5 comments about Two in the Far North.

1. This is perhaps the most inspiring and entertaining book I have read in years. Mardie Murie is to me the quintissential woman, a true feminist, and first female to graduate from the University of Alaska, who follows her own star while completely respecting the stars of others. Her prose is "luscious," intelligent, rich in imagry, and filled with honesty and joy. She writes about her life growing up in Alaska at the turn of the twentieth century, and how she transcends cold and harsh conditions to follow the love of her life, Dr. Murie, as he studies the caribou herds in Alaska's wilderness. She even finds breathtaking romance on this amazing life adventure, spreading her love of life and nature to everyone she encounters. I can't recommend this book enough!



2. I'd heard Margaret (Mardy) Murie's name in the same news and conversational circles as I'd hear names like John Muir, Barry Lopez, John McPhee - all among my favorite writers, scientists and naturalists - so when this book appeared in my stack of Christmas gifts this year I was really excited.
   
   Over the last several months I've picked up several books set in the northernmost corners of the world, some of them truly incredible stories of frontier exploration, survival and human endurance - and Murie's book did not disappoint.
   
   In Two in the Far North, Murie spends the first few chapters recounting her childhood in then-brand new Fairbanks, growing up in a modest cabin during winters that dipped, and often stayed, well into the -40s and -50s, and witnessing the growth of a burgeoning frontier town. Later, after graduating from the University of Alaska (she was the first woman ever to do so), she married Olaus Murie - a scientist studying the migration patterns of Caribou in remote northern Alaska. Together they set off for the Brooks Range to explore wildlife in areas like Bettles and Wiseman and the Old Crow River valley.
   
   Murie is considered by many to be the grandmother of the conservation movement, and much of the passion she had for this territory that later translated into her advocacy for wilderness protection were born in the stories of this book.



3. Well written essay of a life adventure in the wilds of ALASKA by devoted NATURE LOVERS---This is a must read book for Outdoor Enthusiasts !I sent a copy to my daughter& grand daughters--knowing that they would enjoy the experience of the writer & spouse and may experience a similar event.



4. I lived in Alaska for 20 years and found this to be one of the best, first books I read when I moved there.



5. Margaret Murie was ahead of her time when she explored Alaska. I fell in love with my state all over again. She did what most people only dream of nowadays. I admire her for her courage and strength, both as a wife and mother and as an explorer and naturalist. She also explored ANWR before it became the refuge. Anyone with doubts about opening ANWR should read this book.

5 comments about Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip.

1. One part Easy Rider, one part On the Road with Charles Kuralt, and one part "stuff to find by the side of the road." Mix up these three and add an interesting commentary of "how things got to be the way they are" and you'll have some idea of what "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway" is like. I've read "The Bone Wars" (Cope vs Marsh) and, while I find the topic interesting, I had to drag myself through parts of it. I also have a number of "Roadside Geology" books that I'm generally disappointed with. In "Cruisin'," Dr. Johnson gives details about the first scientists on the scene, plus precise locations & basic geology, and manages to make it all humorous and entertaining. The Easy Rider camaraderie between Johnson and artist Troll is often quite amusing, and the sketches of personalities they meet along the road makes what could be a very dry subject full of personable details. The octogenarian racing to beat Johnson to a fossil, the 16 year old girl with an Allosaurus under her bed, the "King of Trilobites" who has little more than disdain for fossils ... all keep the narrative far from a textbook coverage of geology. No, I don't know the author well enough for him to buy me lunch or have a piece of the royalties. I just really enjoyed both the personalities and the fossil info in the book. If you're serious about collecting, get the separate map as well: not only is it covered in Trollish art, but it provides an accurate index of fossil locales throughout the Western states (in much more detail and over broader areas than the book ... and better than any other source I've seen).



2. Funny,thought-provoking story with historic information on paleontological sites and the people who search for fossils.



3. Caution! Paleo fever is catching. I already had a light dose of it before reading the book. Not many people carry around a small chunk of dinosaur rib in their purse just for the heck of it. (It makes a hilarious conversation piece at security check points. Most screeners don't want anything more to do with the purse after finding the bone.)
   
   Now, after reading the book, I have a full blown case, and am itching to get back on the road. This book strikes just the right balance between hard information and just plain fun.
   
   We went to Montana last summer and met several people who were at least as interesting as the bones - with strange tales of discovery and survival. Guess what! after reading the book, I now know that there is a whole world of fossils and people just waiting to be discovered.
   
   This book answers a lot of questions that I had - i.e. what on earth is a concretion? Before reading the book, I could recognize one, but couldn't define what it was. Now I know more about what they are and how they form.
   
   The book delivers a steady drip of valid scientific information that you almost don't realize that you are getting. (The author is a curator at the Denver Museum.)
   
   The book will also tell you how to recognize and find dinosaur tracks at 65 miles an hour. - I won't give away the secret,but, I'll give you a hint: it involves birthday cake and ants.
   
   Be warned! If you read this book, you will be left screaming for a ROAD TRIP in the great old American tradition.



4. The book was listed in Science News, which is a weekly publication with current news in the world of Science. My spouse, who is a Registered Professional Geologist, asked me to purchase it for her. At first glance she thought it was a children's book, however; in reading further realized the book was intended for adults. Her rating is that the publication was very good, both well written and illustrated. This rating means a lot because it is from someone who must have at least a zillion books on Geology and also has a Masters Degree in the subject.



5. Kirk Johnson of the Denver Museum of Natural History and his traveling companion, artist Ray Troll, take us on a goofy whirlwind tour of fossil sites in the West that is funny and also informative. Kirk Johnson explains a lot of geological concepts along the way, while weaving in great anecdotes and entertaining sketches of the whacky characters who live and work at many of the sites they visit. Ray Troll's art, as always, is great and often quite surreal, and there's lots of it on every page. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Osborne Russell's Journal of a Trapper and maps of his travels in the Rocky Mountains.

1. The trapper's journal by Osbourne Russell during the early to mid 18 hundreds came as a bit of a surprise. First the book is a factual account without any explication of the events more than is necessary. It is not told as an adventure story eg "Last of the Mohicans" but rather as a journal pure and simple of the travels through the Rockies, mainly Yellowstone, of this young trapper over 9 years in the pay and as a member of Jim Bridger's fur company, around 100 men. The trade was at its peak at this time. As is true of most journals it is full of abbreviations of words because of time constraints eg brot. for brought, staid for stayed etc. This gives the impression of crudity in the writing, or of a man not used to writing but rather writing in only a haphazard fashion. Every reader knows how easy it is to loose all the fine points of writing when it is not practised constantly. The journal is full of place names and directions of travel and a few maps indicating the progress of the trappers. There is some description of the scenery and the Indians of the area eg Blackfoot which are a constant threat, Shoshones (Snake), Bonnack and Crow. Occasionaly I was pleasantly surprised by paragraphs of eloquence and beauty mixed in with the simplistic writing which was the norm. Russell was capable of very good writing when he was inspired or wished to do so. This is also demonstrated by his letters to his sisters which are written with great style and few grammatical errors, completely unlike his journals.

   There is much which comes to the fore in regard to the period eg the waste and destruction as the parties of trappers even in groups as small as 3 wonder the countryside and simply kill a Bison Cow for a meal and then discard it, or just take the tongue to eat. Incredible disregard for nature is shown at times. The trapper is in continual fear of Blackfoot war parties who harrass them, both white and Indian, constantly. In one instance an enormous group of Blackfeet, thought to number up to 1000 or more by Russell, attempt to eradicate the entire group of Bridger's trappers, about 100. They decide not to due to an unfavourable (omen) display of Northern lights. Even in his day as the story nears the end of the 9 years Russell tells of the scarcity of Buffalo which were not wiped out in total until 1870 or so (80 million -> 1000). Its almost as if it comes upon them suddenly, "5 years ago thousands crossed the valleys of the Yellowstone, now its hard to find any". Russell even becomes a little conservationist in spirit when he states that maybe its time for the white man to leave this country because the wildlife has been so denuded.

   An interesting book but with far too few passages describing the trapper's feeling along the way.




2. This is by far one of the best books that a fur trade re-enactor can read. It is also a must read for the modern beaver trapper as well. Osborne describes the everyday events of the fur brigades in their heyday. If you are a buckskinner, living historian, trapper or just an old west history buff then this is a MUST have!



3. This well-known and highly-regarded account of the life of a fur trapper in the Rocky Mountain West was born as a corrective by its author of an earlier narrative (Pattie's PERSONAL NARRATIVE) that he thought was filled with inaccuracies. Osborne Russell spent eight years as a trapper in the employ of a number of fur companies before becoming an independent trapper working out of Fort Hall. Fortunately, when he first went to the mountains with Nathaniel Wyeth's expedition in 1834, he began to keep a journal. From his journal he compiled a manuscript for publication; it's from this manuscript that the present book is based on. Osborne had a tendency to run sentences together and to practice unconventional language usage, all of which editor Aubrey Haines retains in this edition. One quickly gets used to it, however.
   
   Russell was an acute observer and, especially in describing his travels, was careful to mention distances and names (streams, mountains, etc.) when possible. Haines has been able to trace Russell's travels accurately, and ten accompanying maps illustrate his wanderings. (Haines's annotations are also numerous and thorough.) He trapped for a time with Jim Bridger, and some of what we've learned about him has direct bearings on Russell's journal accounts. In fact, Russell's book is the major source of information for a number of important events in the Rockies during this time. He also writes about the Indians (especially the Crows, Blackfeet, and Snakes) and much about the animals found in the West. Most of all, he tries hard to convey the life of a trapper - scouting the country, the laying of traps, hunting for game, dealing with the weather and terrain, the rendezvous experience (Russell attended six of them) - all the everyday routines trappers went through. This indeed is the most valuable thing about the book. Russell left the mountains in 1842 and settled in Oregon City; after an unsuccessful run for governor in 1845, he wrote his manuscript for JOURNAL OF A TRAPPER. He got the gold fever in 1848 and went to California, where he became a merchant. After his partner ran off with the company funds, Russell spent the rest of his life trying to pay off the creditors. He died near Placerville in 1892.
   
   This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the fur trade period of the trans-Mississippi West. It's gone through many editions and always seems to stay in print, thank heaven. Highly recommended.



4. There's not much that one can add to this list of great reviews. That's what kind of book this is. I found it remarkable how quickly the landscape changed in those 10 years regarding populations of Native Americans, buffalo, and beaver. In the last few entries we begin to see some of the damage done upon the Native Americans i.e. small pox, alcohol, and lifestyle and it's very depressing. Likewise, Osborne describes the plummet in buffalo populations and the approaching end of the fur quest as beaver populations dwindled and other furbearers were becoming more profitable. These were a rugged bunch of men and this is perhaps the best look into their lives and into the changed and vanished West.



5. Osborne Russell was never one of the elite of the Mountain Men. He spent most of his time in the mundane tasks of cooking, cleaning, and other camp chores while on trapping expeditions. But he wrote one of the best accounts -- certainly one of the most accurate -- of the peregrinations and the exciting events in the life of a Mountain Man. Osborne was in the Northern Rockies between 1834-1943 and was a minor participant in many expeditions and fights with the Blackfeet.
   
   Editor Haines has compiled the routes of Russell's travel in 10 maps and added explanatory notes to his narrative. However, a lot more could be done to make this book more readable. First, there are no chapter or paragraph divisions to ease the task of the reader. It's even hard to keep track of what year Russell is talking about. Secondly, there is room for many, many more footnotes and explanations of what Russell was doing and when and where.
   
   We need a new edition of Russell's work which will make it more accessible to the reader. This old edition is invaluable if you are a student of the Mountain Man, but the casual reader will bog down.
   
   Smallchief

2 comments about Frommer's National Parks with Kids (Park Guides).

1. I really like this book. While it is supposedly geared for kids, I think it's very useful for finding interesting things to do at National Parks for everybody. I don't know why I didn't know this - but when I looked at the table of contents I realized just how few National Parks there are in the East. One side effect of reading this book is that it's made me realize what a precious resource these National Parks are to all of us, and it makes me wonder why there aren't more of them.



2. I found the information in this book much more useful than any other travel guide I have purchased. The lodging information for Yellowstone, for example, describes the state of specific room types at each location!
   
   This book's one failing is its skimpy selection of parks.

No comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World, 2009 Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

5 comments about Newcomer's Handbook For Moving To And Living In Los Angeles: Including Santa Monica, Pasadena, Orange County, And The San Fernando Valley (Newcomer's Handbooks).

1. This book is filled with all kinds of information that can be written about moving to any city like how to find a realtor. Has uninspiring reviews about neighborhoods.
   
   I have a hard time believing that the authors were even there. Has no more information than can easily picked up on the internet.



2. Although the book provides a useful summary on a number of areas (for example descriptions of various villiages around LA) I missed practical information, such as:
   - How does the school system work in USA?
   - At what age need children go to school?
   - Practical information regarding moving to LA /USA such as can I use my European electrical equipment there (such as waching machines, etc)?
   - Practical tips on medical system, doctors, etc.
   I have seen better.



3. Very very good pocket (not pocket sized thought) book which covers things I would never had thought of. Great websites and contacts provided for all topics and the content is well thought of and carried off well in a nice manner.
   Am buying the New York one.... you never know.



4. Los Angeles is absurd sprawl of quasi-independent towns that can easily overwhelm a newcomer. Make a mistake, and you could end up living in Sun Valley - a nice name for a rather ugly place, and just wait until summer: the low rent won't compensate for the bill from the electric company. Add in a bizarre city government and top it off with California's own unique way of doing things (visit the DMV), and you'll begin to understand why a guide like this is essential to a newcomer.
   
   You may think, "I can find all this on the Internet for free," and you'd be right. That is if you can get the Internet to function. The cable company and the phone company are not exactly customer oriented in Los Angeles. It might help to have a guide book like this when you're trying to set all that up.
   
   Maybe you've got Internet on your phone so you can just go to Google and... yeah, I'll see you in Sun Valley. Since you're not a savvy resident you didn't know that the particular "Apartment Locator" site that you looked at was actually a scam or that a particular "church" was really shilling for Scientology.
   
   If you're moving to Los Angeles I'm sure this book will save you time and money. It'll also reduce your frustration (though it won't eliminate it--wait until you talk to the phone company).



5. I just bought and read this book. Being a foreigner temporally moving to LA, I appreciated all the general information on buying or renting a house, plus neighborhood information, since I had no clue where to start looking. Now I can confine the area searches to those that (supposedly) match my income and living expectations. The last edition (4th) is from 2005, talking about how the house and estate market will keep rocketing to the sky (and how you get a subprime loan)... Maybe time for an update?

1 comments about Frommer's Honolulu & Oahu Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day).

1. This is going to be an excellent guide for my trip to Hawaii next year! It was an excellent purchase