4 comments about Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer.

1. I love these DeLorme "Atlas and Gazetteer" maps. We have one for Texas and found it very useful. We hope the Kentucky one will be just as informative. Includes all the little known roads not shown on standard highway maps...a true asset.



2. Have done alot of biking in Western Kentucky and this atlas is a lifesaver when it comes to looking for riding routes. Also very useful when looking for addresses in the country.



3. Looking for an adventure? Then look no further that the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer. These easy to use maps provide excellent political and some geographical detail of the roadways and byways in the state. Get off the interstate and explore!



4. Delorme Gazetteers open up another world for people who like to just "cruise around" and not get lost.

5 comments about Fox 13 Tampa Bay One Tank Trips With Bill Murphy (Fox 13 One Tank Trips Off the Beaten Path).

1. I've lived in the Tampa area for a year now, and I was under the impression that besides Busch Gardens, there wasn't much to do. Boy was I wrong! This book not only gives great attractions to see in the area, including Pasco & other counties, but it also details things like great restaurants and stores that have been here forever. (Try Pete's Famous Smoked Fish in Clearwater, if you like smoked fish. The mackeral is to die for!) If you just want to get out of the house one weekend, this is the book for you!



2. THIS GREAT TRAVEL BOOKS BY WELL KNOWN TV ANCHOR BILL MURPHY HAS SOLD 75,000 COPIES SINCE November. It is well written with 52 great trips to take on just one tank of gas. You will be surprised how many other interesting places has besides Walt Disneyworld!!!!



3. I got this book because I was new to the area - Am I glad I did! It has lots of wonderful places to visit including nature parks that locals didn't even know existed. I have given a copy of this book to all my overseas & out of state guests and they have enjoyed exploring the wonderful area we live in. Does not contain the big theme parks - we all know where they are - but all the hidden and interesting places that are suitable for all ages. A great book!!!!



4. Superbly illustrated with black/white photography and "user friendly" maps, One Tank Trips With Bill Murphy showcases 52 Florida-based adventures that can, quite literally, be taken with one tank of gas in the car, van, truck, or motorhome. From the Pioneer Florida Museum in Dade City to the Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, a wealth of relevant information and "how to" advice make One Tank Trips With Bill Murphy a strongly recommended planning aid for anyone seeking fun in the Florida sun! Also very highly recommended is the new sequel, More One Tank Trips With Bill Murphy (0942084276, ...) which follows the same superbly presented composition of the first book and offers the vacationer with 52 additional fun-filled Florida excursions based on the "one tank of gas to get there and back) that ranges from the San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine to the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish. If you are planning an outing anywhere in Florida, begin by browsing through these two excellent travel idea guidebooks by Bill Murphy.



5. I like Bill Murphy's choices for downhome, uniquely Floridian trips to a variety of sights. But if you would like more of the same painted on a bigger canvas, give Real Florida: A Travel Guide for the Passionate Yet Practical (The Budget Romance Traveler series) a try. This friendly book has a great "budget-romance" attitude and spans the state from Apalachicola to the upper Keys. (The author is a Tampa native, too.)

5 comments about Frommer's Grand Canyon National Park (Park Guides).

1. This guide provides all the information that you will need for an initial visit to the grand canyon. Both the North and South Rims are covered in some detail and although someone seeking a back-county guide may be disappointed, the average visitor should find more than enough material to plan and enjoy their visit.



2. Wow this book was great! We recently used the book as our resource during our visit to the canyon. A few price listings were slightly off (by $1-$3) but this book gave us more information than anything available at the park. The information on different viewpoints (geographical points on the rim of the canyon) was wonderful and we knew more than anyone around us about what we were seeing.
   
   The restaurant information was right on the nose, and the wildlife information was so accurate that by following the books information we were able to see and photograph a bighorn sheep!
   
   This is the only guidebook you need to visit the Grand Canyon.



3. Perfect guide. Great reccomendations. I spent 6 days on both the north and south rims( I thought the north rim was so much better) and the book was helpful for both. it also contains info on places in northern Arizona. There is plenty of info, it is very detailed and descriptive. The size is small and can fit in a bag or a pocket. Great choice!!



4. This guidebook has everything: maps, hotels and categories for everything a traveler needs. Unfortunately these guides no longer have titles like "The Grand Canyon on $5 a day."



5. Save your money the Lonely Planet Guide "Grand Canyon National Parks Guide" is much better. Better written, better descriptions, more information and I found more accurate. An all around better guide. It is also available through Amazon.Lonely Planet Grand Canyon National Park (Lonely Planet National Park Guides)

4 comments about Colorado's Best, Second Edition: The Essential Guide to Favorite Places.

1. Colorado's Best By Bruce Calighey and Doug Whitehead

   Reviewed by Curt Peoples

   With so much travel information on the Internet, I sometimes wonder: Why do authors continue to write travel books? Colorado's Best answers the question by showing that the best travel authors still write about places they've personally visited and enjoyed. If you like Colorado (or think might like Colorado), you should buy this book.

   The authors are well qualified. Bruce Calighey has written The Colorado Guide, now in its fourth edition. Doug Whitehead produces Colorado Getaways, a weekly travel television show in Denver - he's like the Charles Kuralt of Colorado.

   The authors take you to every corner of the state, with over 200 entries of the best cultural and historical places, outdoor activities and events, and places to eat, drink and stay. The book entertains because the "bests" listed are truly remarkable, sometimes bizarre and not always on the beaten track. My three favorites: Best Way to "Get in the Mood" at the Glen Miller Festival in Fort Morgan, Best Hot Springs at Mount Princeton, and Best Drive-In Without a Car in Monte Vista.

   Most atypical, compared to many travel guides, is the writing style: personal and thoughtful with a tone that says, "I really like this place, I think you will too!" I want to take my daughter to the Kit Carson County Carousel because the authors have done it themselves, stopping for a short rest and staying for hours. I want to go to Crested Butte because it's apparent Mr. Calighey and Mr. Whitehead have been there, sampled the restaurants, and now recommend the four best in town. They suggest a few hills they've skied that I've never seen in the slick brochures.

   Best piece of writing in the book: the description of the Sand Creek Massacre Memorial. It starts, "Certainly 'best' isn't the most precise word to describe this simple, yet hauntingly affecting memorial to the brutal and unjustified murder of American Indians by U.S. troops, but the event without question merits consideration." In four poignant paragraphs, you'll be compelled to learn more about the lost ways of traditional Native American life. This is what travel writing should be.




2. Colorado's Best By Bruce Calighey and Doug Whitehead

   Reviewed by Curt Peoples

   With so much travel information on the Internet, I sometimes wonder: Why do authors continue to write travel books? Colorado's Best answers the question by showing that the best travel authors still write about places they've personally visited and enjoyed. If you like Colorado (or think might like Colorado), you should buy this book.

   The authors are well qualified. Bruce Calighey has written The Colorado Guide, now in its fourth edition. Doug Whitehead produces Colorado Getaways, a weekly travel television show in Denver - he's like the Charles Kuralt of Colorado.

   The authors take you to every corner of the state, with over 200 entries of the best cultural and historical places, outdoor activities and events, and places to eat, drink and stay. The book entertains because the "bests" listed are truly remarkable, sometimes bizarre and not always on the beaten track. My three favorites: Best Way to "Get in the Mood" at the Glen Miller Festival in Fort Morgan, Best Hot Springs at Mount Princeton, and Best Drive-In Without a Car in Monte Vista.

   Most atypical, compared to many travel guides, is the writing style: personal and thoughtful with a tone that says, "I really like this place, I think you will too!" I want to take my daughter to the Kit Carson County Carousel because the authors have done it themselves, stopping for a short rest and staying for hours. I want to go to Crested Butte because it's apparent Mr. Calighey and Mr. Whitehead have been there, sampled the restaurants, and now recommend the four best in town. They suggest a few hills they've skied that I've never seen in the slick brochures.

   Best piece of writing in the book: the description of the Sand Creek Massacre Memorial. It starts, "Certainly 'best' isn't the most precise word to describe this simple, yet hauntingly affecting memorial to the brutal and unjustified murder of American Indians by U.S. troops, but the event without question merits consideration." In four poignant paragraphs, you'll be compelled to learn more about the lost ways of traditional Native American life. This is what travel writing should be.




3. I bought this book when I first moved here. I wanted to find some fun things to do. I was suprised at all the different events that this book covers. Some are more interesting than others but all in all a great book I have tried a few of there reccomendations and would agree with the author's conclusions.



4. There are places in this book that could only be found with a very detailed Internet search. Simply typing in 'things to do in Colorado' would not begin to cover the awesome things that have been put together in this one little book. I have crossed off so many things that I have done as I go along and I have yet to be disappointed! If you live in Colorado, or will be visiting Colorado (especially via road trip as many things are right off major highways) this is a must have.

5 comments about San Francisco Secrets: Fanscinating Facts about the City by the Bay.

1. I'd signed up to take a History of San Francisco class as an elective during my first two years of college. It was cancelled because there were only three students signed up that were interested and a class had to have at least 11 students in order to happen -- unbelievable!! I was deeply disappointed. Well, I think this little book covers more than I would have learned in that class, if it had taken place, a little more than 20 years ago. Next time I go home to see friends & family, I'm going to conduct my own history walking tour with this book in my pack!



2. I finally have my heart and body in San Francisco ... and this is one book that explains why many who love the Bay can love no other city like San Francisco. A must read for those who are traveling to the Bay Area and wonder why it is the most beautiful city in the world.



3. This book helped me find a lot of little known places to photograph in S.F. with stories about their backgrounds.



4. As a life-long San Franciscan, I enjoy finding out little tid bits about the "City That Knows How". I found this book, and thought it would make a nice Christmas gift. The varied goodies found within are interesting, and well researched. It is an entertaining way to learn some history about San Francisco. Here is the catch: When the book arrived, the box was a normal sized one, no surprize here. I opened it up to find this dinky little book, more pamphlet than book actually; the size of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Now, perhaps in my quest for cool Christmas gifts, I didn't read the fine print on the Amazon page. Anyway, if you are not a "size king or queen", get this book. You will enjoy the (here is a dead word from about 2 years ago) many factoids about Baghdad By the Bay (hey, I used "Baghdad" in a sentence that does not contain any reference to war! Neat!). Heab Caen would be happy about that.



5. This fun compilation of facts isn't a secret any longer. I see this book everywhere around the Bay and it is deservedly a top seller in the genre. It's like a great appetizer tray - so many tidbits of delectable facts about San Francisco. San Francisco Secrets does a fine job of stating why the city is unique. Love the funky cut - it makes the book stand out,easy to find on my shelves.

3 comments about Go, Go America.

1. This book has been a hit amongst my students. They like to read the fun, silly facts that belong to each state. They are constantly sharing the fun facts with me as they read.



2. This book can be enjoyed by children and grownups alike -- there's fun here for everyone -- and good information too.



3. Dan Yaccarino created this great travel book for kids just in time for summer trips. Using this book as a learning tool to expand your child's knowledge will be a wonderful thing. I estimate the reading level is 6-10, depending on the child and the reading interest is 6-12.
   
   Each state is represented with 6-9 facts per state, including the capital.
   Some of the facts are fun, some mundane, and some inane. For example, Louisiana (my home state) contains these facts:
   
   1. "In New Orleans, a fire engine must STOP for a red light, even if it is on the way to a fire." Why would the publisher include such a fact!? This is an example of inane and I took off a point for this. Or, "the honeybee is Louisiana's official state insect." I just wish we had more honeybees. I have seen very few this sumer.
   
   2. "Guiden is known as the Duck Capital of America.!"
   
   The state of Maine has these things:
   
   1. 90% of the Blueberries in the United States come from Maine, so save some room for dessert!
   
   2. More toothpicks are produced in Maine than is any other state--100 million a day are made.
   
   3. Augusta is the captal of Maine.
   
   Let's try Pennyslvania:
   
   1. "Did you know that Philadelpia is home to the Liberty Bell?
   
   2. "The nation's largest insectarium is in Philadelphia. Watch Tarantulas,
   Cockroaches, and Assorted Bugs."
   
   Florida rates two pages:
   1. The Overseas Highway, which runs from Miami to Key West, is known as one of the longest over-water roads in the world."
   
   2. Did you know that Forida is known as the Alligator State and has the world's largest Alligator population?
   
   And so it goes!. In the back of the book is a another great feature for travel: For each state is a long list of answers to these topics:
   Statehood, Order of Statehood, square miles, bird, flower, tree, motto, and nickname.
   
   I have just one more question: When do we Go, Go America?

5 comments about Florida's Fabulous Canoe and Kayak Trail Guide (Florida's Fabulous Nature).

1. Winston Williams has created yet another fabulous book about Florida. This kayak and canoe guide is not only informative, it's gorgeous. Divided into regions, the maps provide paddlers with state-sponsored trails, landing sites, and driving directions. This book is a definite "must have" for the Floridian paddler.



2. My husband and I just started kayaking and this is the greatest book for finding places to go. The pictures are excellent and there are descriptions of the different rivers as well as maps of where to put in and things to look for. I think that if you canoe or kayak in Florida, this book is a MUST HAVE!!!! In fact, we have several rivers mapped out to go on as soon as we can!!



3. while the information is well presented there is little detail; futhermore, the florida state park service produces more info and it's free-



4. This is a wonderfully photographed and produced book, and every time I pick it up off of the coffee table (where it proudly lives) for a quick perusal, I just want to get up and go kayaking. It's also the perfect book to share with someone who's never gone before, as both the photography and writing tend to win people over easily.
   
   No, it's not an encyclopedia, and yes, you can get the same type of written information from the Florida State Parks service, but you'll not end up with an attractive, inspiring tome if you do.
   
   I rated it as a four since some of the maps are just a little lacking in detail.



5. By far this is the most comprehensive guide to canoe and kayak trails in Florida. I highly recommend this book to anyone who owns a canoe or kayak and wants to spend some good quality time on the water.

5 comments about Reading National Geographic.

1. In this book, Lutz and Collins deconstruct the system of misrepresentation in which National Geographic functions as purveyor of cultural/historical fact. The authors problematize NG's systematic misrepresentation of the non-West and examine how those misrepresenations resonate with its 'American' audience through reinforcing the self-other binary. NG encodes a white, middle-class, male (straight) worldview, and as such, tells us more about the standardized/naturalized/anesthetized 'American' culture than about those it 'studies.' Through analyzing photographs and their captions and interviewing NG staff, the authors reveal the racism and paternalism that are at the heart of the National Geographic gaze.



2. The title of this book grabbed me: READING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. I now wish I had not grabbed up the book. Doing what the title suggests is a fairly benign activity; the only danger you face in reading the magazine is falling asleep in an inappropriate place. Let's admit it, National Geographic articles are written in a very prosaic style. This however is not news. We have been reading the magazine long enough to know the truth behind what one of it's past editors is quoted as saying: "only what is is of a kindly nature is printed about any country or people, everything unpleasant or unduly critical being avoided". Most of us have been around long enough to know that such cultural relativism, homogenization, and plain-vanilla humanism makes for some very boring reading.

   That however is probably the only thing that you really need to know about NG. I certainly didn't need to know - and now knowing, don't believe, - as the authors believe that in depicting the naked breasts of native women: "the magazine and its readers are caught between the desire to play out the cultural fantasy of the oversexed native woman and the social controls of sexual morality..." This fixation which makes up an entire chapter "Women and Their Breasts" only highlights the real difficulty with the book's analysis. It is shallow and leans heavily towards a feministic cultural critique; it's also narrow in that it mostly looks at how NG depicts cultures. What about the other subjects the magazine looks at?

   Boring writing aside my continued enjoyment of National Geographic comes from its explorations of wild places and its emphasis on nature. I much prefer this to what READING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC would have me do - ponder whether the magazine is a pernicious contributor to the spread of Western supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, and the homogenizing influences of a white middle class world view.




3. The book is about the "making and consuming of images of the non-western world." And images, after all, "have taken over from written texts the role of primary educator." The two look at a set of 600 photographs published in the magazine from 1950 to 1986 (roughly their NG -reading lifetimes). They argue the photos are selectively chosen to present a view that does not disturb middle-class American self-identities and connected views of the 3rd world. The photos usually show a gentle, peaceful, content, colorful exotic people who, though they might not be wealthy yet, are on the road to modern progress on the Western model. The non-Western world is appropriated, its description has helped maintain social hierarchies in the First World. Even worse, the NG's practice goes so far as to abet war-making on the people it purposefully misunderstands.

   There three methodological steps are to look at the process of producing the images (a social endeavor over which no individuals have total say throughout the process), examine the structure and content of the images, and identify how readers view the photographs.

   "We chart the tendency of the magazine to idealize and render exotic third-world peoples, with an accompanying tendency to downplay or erase evidence of poverty and violence. The photographs show these people as either cut off from the flow of world events or involved in a singular story of progress from tradition to modernity [ahem, two very different things unless you're not thinking hard about "modernity"], a story that changes with decolonization."

   Their goal is make NG and other mass media "understand and historicize the differences that separate interconnected human beings," to heighten empathy without fostering stereotyping or paternalism.

   Criticism: I can't deny that the writers made such a negative impression on me with their dogma and attacking hyperbole (and dripping class resentment) that their useful ideas are weakened in my view. I wouldn't assign this to students I hope will write well.




4. I found this book to be thorough in its research of the geographic as an American institution. It presupposes that the reader is well aquainted with Gramsci's notion of mass media and the Frankfurt school borne out of this belief of hegemony perpectuated by a controlling elite. The author also takes liberty that the reader is aquainted with research methods using coding to differentiate subjects responses to pictures portrayed. Lastly, the author's use of interviewing technics and the subsequent interpretation of those responses enables the reader the opportunity to realize how the geographic and social background of the readers influence the perceptions people have when encountering this quasi-scientific journal. As an anthropological study this book illuminates the ethnocentric idealations of the Geographic's demographic readership, that is upper middle and middle class white euroamericans.



5. Quite simply, I don't buy into 90% of the authors claims, and the authors seemed to be completely blinded by their own preconcieved ideas that they can't be at all objective in their interpretation of the subject matter.

   Ultimately, this books is nothing more than rhetoric about "white male dominated racist Western culture".

   The authors clearly had this notion in mind when they wrote this book, and it taints virtually the entire book to the point where their conclusions aren't even remotely believable as being the result of objective research.

5 comments about The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2008 (Unofficial Guides).

1. Like one of the previous reviewers, I bought this book after previously buying their guide to Walt Disney World. The WDW guide was superb, stuffed full of information about everything you could possibly need to know in the planning stages and also during your trip. In fact there is nearly too much info in the WDW book, with the author going as far as giving exact measurements of some of the hotel rooms! As a result, I expected the same high standard from the Las Vegas book and I have to say I was left a little disappointed.
   
   First of all I have to say that I love the way the authors write these books. They have a very amusing turn of phrase and they have an irreverence toward their destinations that I find a refreshing change from a lot of the overly serious travel guides. I have really enjoyed reading this book, I find that their mix of amusing background stories, reader reviews and helpful advice, entertaining as well as informative.
   
   The area where I found this book a little disappointing was the descriptions of the hotels. When I bought this book, I hadn't yet booked my hotel and was hoping for a little guidance. Like the previous reviewer pointed out, there might be two or three pages devoted to a particular hotel, but little or no mention of the actual room quality size or amenities. After all, when you book a hotel, you're paying for a room, so this is surely the main area of interest rather than what the `feel' of the lobby is like. If I were feeling sceptical, I'd nearly think that the authors had not actually been in the rooms of the hotels they were critiquing but merely the public areas and gardens. I'm sure that isn't the case, but that is an impression one might get when faced with the complete lack of mention of rooms in some of the hotel descriptions!
   
   Other than that, I really loved this book. The sections on shopping, restaurants and shows are outstanding and as a first time visitor to Vegas and a non-gambler, I really appreciated the `how to' section on gambling. There is also a comprehensive section on tours outside of Vegas, for those who want to escape the bright lights for a day or two.
   
   Overall, I highly recommend this book, it is way more in depth than a lot of other travel guides that I have looked at. I would especially recommend it to visitors who are staying more than a couple of nights and who want to see more than the usual sights as this book is choc full of info on some of the more `hidden gems'. In fact, one other slight disadvantage to this book, is that it is quite thick and heavy and so may be better for pre trip planning than actually carrying round with you.



2. This book is full of information, for the beginning Vegas tourist, or the experienced traveler. The ratings and recommendations of the hotels, restaurants, casinos and places to visit are excellent. Highly recommended.



3. This book gives a great overview of Vegas. It rates places to stay, shows to see, restaurant price ranges, tips for gambling, etc. Great book!



4. I was completely stressed out about my trip to vegas. this book gave me so much information, I am ready to go! I have used this brand of book with other trips and would recommend anyone who needs to research destinations to read them.



5. If you are looking for a hotel, nightclub, show, and dining options, this is a fantastic book. But, I had already made my hotel arrangements, and really am not a big show person. I don't gamble and am with my family, so nightclubs are not of interest. I just wanted to let you know why my rating is not 4 or 5 stars.
   
   So, the dining section was the only part I found interesting - perfect for me, as there are so many dining options in Vegas. There was a very small section towards the back of the book that devoted attention to attractions for families. I probably should have bought a book titled "Las Vegas for Families" instead.

1 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World, 2009 Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

1. The author has great tips and knowledge of the Disney resorts and parks. Thanks so much for helping plan our family trip.