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).

5 comments about Istanbul (City Guide).

1. I am going back to Istanbul and Turkey for the fourth time. I am buying a copy of this after seeing the library copy.
   Istanbul is fun! and this will help with a few details, like the ferry's up the Bospherus. Ignore the review saying Istanbul is not a cool place to go.



2. This book is already annoyingly out of date, but is still the best guide to Istanbul out right now. The prices are off and for some reason given in Euros, even though most places only want Turkish Lira. Maxwell's opinions are loud, even for a Lonely Planet guide, and I found myself disagreeing with a lot of them. Still, a good size to fit in your coat pocket while running around and discovering Istanbul.



3. I love Istanbul, having lived there in the early 1990s. In 2005 I made my first return visit since then, and although I feel confident I know the city well, much has changed. This guide contained information which locals I stayed with weren't aware of, particularly public transport info.
   
   My main criticism of LP books is that the maps are pretty useless, and this is once again the case. You really need to get a separate map f you are going to venture beyond the really well trodden path. (There are a couple of bookshops on Istiklal Cadessi that sell good maps).
   
   I found the tone of the book suited me - it is enthusiastic about an amazing city, and the author certainly knows the place well. I don;t usually follow guide book suggestions for places to eat, preferring to discover those on my own. I am gald I allowed Maxwell to lead me to a couple of cafes and bars, however, as they were excellent.
   
   I recommend this book for both the novice and experienced traveller to the city (which I don;t with all LP City Guides - some, like Paris, I think reather too basic for the experienced visitor to that city).



4. I have always found Lonely Planet books to be helpful. This is by far the worst I have ever purchased. The maps were helpful but so were the maps we picked up at the airport. This book is inappropriate and overly effusive.
   
   Most Lonely Planet books are written by people far more authoritative than this. They have either lived in those places or worked there for several months at a time. It seems like this writer just took a few trips to Istanbul with her friends and somehow landed a pretty sweet book deal. She barely touches the neighborhoods that are not the main tourist attractions.
   
   As for the touristy areas, she may as well have been a writer for the Turkish Tourism Association. She gives very little history of the places she writes about and does not give a realistic take on them. For instance, she says that Topkapi Palace is so great that "tourist attractions rarely get better than this." What she fails to mention is that very little of the palace is left in its original state so you don't get a sense of palace life. The rooms are lined with shelves with old artifacts so it is essentially a museum in a palace. The Turkish government only let the palace become a tourist attraction bit by bit so this is to be expected. It is a great place but Maxwell hardly conveys that.
   
   Also, she says that Ayasofya will take your breath away. This is the worst-maintained historical place I have ever seen. She fails to mention that there has been scaffolding in the dome for nearly 10 years.
   
   Also, the ferry information she gives is wrong and we missed a trip to the Princes' Islands because of it.
   
   Lastly, I don't think phrases like "wet dream" belong in a tourism book. What does that even mean anyway?
   
   I am not saying Istanbul is not worthy of praise. It certainly is an amazing city in its fusion of East and West and I had hoped to be guided through it by someone who better understood that rather than a bubble gum fan. I honestly cannot understand how this book made it to publishing with its lack of detail and gushing style. I usually have far better Lonely Planet experiences. Hopefully the company will update this book with a new author soon who can give Istanbul the assessment it deserves.



5. Very few images, all of the typical touristy things. Map has only the main streets named, and only a small segment of Istanbul at that. Save your money and get the D&K guide instead.

3 comments about Frommer's Virginia (Frommer's Complete).

1. Concise, up-to-date and useful descriptions of attractions, hotels and restaurants around Virginia. Not a tremendous amount of depth of information on any one spot, but if you're traveling around the state, this is a good guide.



2. A very comprehensive guide for the state of Virginia. Even though I am a frequent visitor to Virginia, I found many new interesting places to add to future itineraries.



3. in it that you'll never find all in one place. I used it and was pleased with it

4 comments about Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Washington, DC Including Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland.

1. If you are relocating to DC, don't do it until you've read (or at least skimmed) this book. I haven't even moved yet and it's been helpful. First it explains different neighborhoods and why you may or may not want to move to that location. It also gives you helpful hints and good questions to ask regarding a place to rent or buying a home. Included are the daily life information such as where to buy a couch, find a veternarian, or the location of the closest park. All in all the book covers many issues that I would not have thought about before moving to a new place.



2. This book is devoid of any of the information I really needed, like where to get my car inspetected (and the whole process of getting a DC driver license) or even where the good playgrounds are.



3. THE NEWCOMER'S HANDBOOK FOR MOVING TO AND LIVING IN WASHINGTON DC is a great book for people relocating to the area, but even people who are not moving there can enjoy it. It talks about where the best neighborhoods and schools are in the District itself, as well as in Maryland and Virginia, mentions where the shopping malls and other stores are, and it even goes into detail about the town of Columbia, Maryland, which other books about the Baltimore-Washington DC area fail to do. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is proud to say "I'm an American."



4. For all you hear about the benefit of living near a metro, I expected the metro locations to be shown on street maps. They weren't, and the other maps were of little use as well. For guidance on finding a safe area, they suggest asking local police.
   
   If you don't care about either of those, most of the other info was okay.

5 comments about Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer (Virginia Atlas & Gazeteer).

1. Like all Gazetteers by DeLorme, the Virginia version is excellent. The accuracy is commendable, although I do have several minor suggestions for the immediate area where I grew up. They are things that no one would know other than one who had lived there for a period of time. The Gazetteers are amazingly interesting and useful.



2. This Atlas, like all in the DeLorme series of Atlas & Gazetteer references, are wonderful map resources. A wealth of information is included. If anything, the level of detail, coupled with the topographic information, may seem a bit too much at first glace (if you are new to these guides). But if you're willing to spend a bit of time with the maps, you will find these guides to be very useful.
   
   In addition to the maps and the useful indexes and cross-references, these guides include listings or location sources for hiking, camping, fishing, recreation areas, unique natural features (waterfalls, bridges, caverns, natural areas, etc.), bicycle routes, horse trails, etc. And of course, GPS (Lat/Lon) coordinates are printed on each map.
   
   Although the scale of these maps demand it, it would be nice if the guide book dimensions were a bit smaller. At 11" x 15.5", it's a good size book, so it's not quite as easy to stow in the backpack or the motorcycle storage area, etc.
   
   Overall, these are excellent guides for any traveler or outdoor enthusiast.



3. great product! these maps even show little dirt roads that are on private land! amazing!



4. I have used the NC version of this book for years and due to metal detecting alot in VA got this version. It works great in laying out back roads and areas I have been looking at on computer based topo maps. Great product.



5. We'll be using this atlas for an RV trip. Although we haven't yet done the trip, the maps look like what we need (detailed, topographic, forest/side roads). I will say that it's missing decent regional and statewide views. The Benchmark California Road & Recreation Atlas, Fifth Edition (Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas)series does an excellent job of panning the state, and then drilling down. The Gazetteer series just has the drill-down. Makes it tough when you want to get a macro-view of your route.

5 comments about Egypt (Country Guide).

1. Being reasonably familiar with egypt,i was impressed with the thorough and impartial narrative.Lonely planet remains my favourite travel guide.



2. This book is fantastic, I wore it out during my year and a half stay in Egypt and it was essential in planning a lot of my trips. In a land where bargaining rules you need to know the rules of the game and this book not only gave you tips to finding good bargains but also provided you with pretty accurate estimates to what the normal price would be (which is often not what the average tourist pays). I also enjoyed this book because the english spelling of arabic words was much closer to the spelling used in Egypt, this is not the case for other travel guides I've seen. One warning though, when I first read this book I was a bit afraid of what I might find in Egypt, but for the most part I learned that the negatives described in the book were worse case scenarios. Egypt is a fantastic place w/ too much to see, make sure you visit Dahab if you go!



3. I love buying from Amazon. Amazon is prompt with delivery & efficient with service. AMAZON, you need to come to RSA, where I live. I love reading books so I shop online for Amazon's unbeatable prices & added value for money. I really got a good deal from Amazon with my Lonely Planet Egypt Guide & now I am off to Egypt with my book:-). Thank You Amazon for great prices!!!
   
   Satisfied Customer



4. I Order this Product on the 20 of April, and I have not receive it yet, not even a tracking or email, and this seller advertised that is suppose to be received by the 23rd of April, I am traveling on April 30, and because of them and misleading information i will be lost, in another words don't buy from this seller



5. couldn't get the newest edition before i left for egypt. some of the prices in here might be off. general sites and advice - excellent! added advice: any sites in luxor, go either really early or really late. ignore the people. for kahn el-kahlili in cairo, to get rid of peddlers, just keep walking. they won't follow you past the area in front of their store because it's the next store's territory.

5 comments about 1634: The Bavarian Crisis (The Ring of Fire).

1. I started reading all these Eric Flint books but I got confused. What is the order in which one is supposed to read them? There is nothing more confusing than reading a series of related books in the wrong order.
   
   Could someone list these Flint books in reading order.



2. 1634: The Bavarian Crisis (2007) is the eighth work in the Assiti Shards series, following 1634: The Baltic War. In the previous volume, the United States of Europe sent warships and troops to relieve the siege of Luebeck. Then the warships sailed to Copenhagen and bombarded certain works.
   
   In this novel, Duke Maximilian of Bavaria loses his beloved wife, yet his advisors recommend that he remarry. They point out his duty as the head of the Catholic League. At first he firmly disagrees, but his advisors wear him down. They decide that he will marry Maria Anna of Austria.
   
   Maria Anna is a Hapsburg woman, trained to rule if only in a regency. She would prefer to marry an old man and become the regent for her son, but one has to take what comes. She would settle for becoming the bride of Don Fernando, the Cardinal-Infante and younger brother of the Spanish king.
   
   Don Fernando has chosen Maria Anna as his best choice for marriage. Of course, certain plans would have to mature in the Netherlands before he could make an offer. Besides, he has other candidates to consider.
   
   Mary Ward is the head of the "English Ladies" or "Jesuitesses" in Munich. The women of the former Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary have set out to establish a new type of female religious order, working in the ordinary world to serve their God. The Vatican has not been acceptive of their goals and has ordered them to cease and desist.
   
   Veronica Dreeson -- formerly Veronica Richter -- has some family business to undertake in the Upper Palatinate. Mary Simpson decides to travel with her. They get a big sendoff in Grantville, but the rest of Europe is wondering what is their real mission.
   
   In this story, Ferdinand II -- Holy Roman Emperor -- consents to the marriage of his eldest daughter to Duke Maximilian. A great procession takes Maria Anna to Munich, where she is to wed the Duke. But she has a few reservations.
   
   Veronica makes some progress in straightening out family affairs in Amberg. Her brother-in-law, Kilian Richter, had arranged for his brother's family to be declared legally dead and then gained possession of much of their property. However, Veronica and family -- except for Hans -- are obviously not dead and a good lawyer could overturn the previous declarations. But what is she going to do about the Jesuit Collegium build around the location of her husband's shop?
   
   Meanwhile, Mike Stearns is thoroughly enjoying the confusion that the Richter/Simpson journey is causing within the capitals of Europe. He hopes that the ladies have a successful trip.
   
   This story tells of the consequences of the USE victory at Luebeck. The League of Ostend is definitely weakened by the loss of Denmark and the turmoil in France. Now attention is turned eastward toward Bavaria and the political marriage of the Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria.
   
   This novel continues the new history of Europe after the transfer of Grantville to seventeenth century Germany. The common folk have been responding strongly to the message of the Committees of Correspondence. Recently, however, the American ideals and histories have been exerting an even greater influence on the customs, traditions and planning of European royalty. Some are responsive to the new ideas and others are strongly repelled by such thoughts.
   
   Naturally, the storyline does not end with this novel. More is to come. Enjoy!
   
   Highly recommended for Flint & DeMarce fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of political intrigue, social institutions and marital customs in the seventeenth century German states.
   
   -Arthur W. Jordin



3. [...]
   Great cover though, and some some really great author names. That's it.
   In the book's defense, and the readers who rated it at five stars, I'll admit that my comments are based on the first third of the book. Maybe it all changed on the page after I stopped and gave the book away.
   The inside - at least the first third that I managed to plow through - does show the author's knowledge of which cousin managed to influence a paternal uncle to consider the bastard son of the brother in law to not have breakfast that day...
   So if you are interested in that - buy the book. Or get it from the library...
   If you want to enjoy reading a stirring story of what might have been if American culture is transposed to 16th century Europe - don't bother...



4. Let preface this by saying that I enjoyed The Ram Rebellion. I have enjoyed the other short stroies that Ms. DeMarce has written in this universe. And, natch, I have enjoyed Mr. Flint's work.
   
   This book was a tedious, turgid slog with a few bright points. When Maria Anna and the rest of the characters are doing things, this book is engaging and exciting, as I have come to expect from a 163x work.
   
   When the narrator is describing Hapsburg lineage, the book is tedious and textbook-like. However, it is easy to find these sections and skip over them. Worse is when characters take it upon themselves to narrate cultural or historical circumstances in paragraphs of text that sound exactly as if they were lifted from scholarly works.
   
   Ms. DeMarce, please stick to short stories and novellas and save the extraneous exposition for scholarly work. (Or disguise them better.)
   
   Mr. Flint, please do not be afraid to remind your co-authors that the story must come before everything else.
   
   Baen editors, please use red pen.



5. Chapter 1 begins with the person who turns out to be the main character of the book - Maria Anna. The many other people in the story supplement and enable her role to be told. It is possible to skip the parts of the story that center on others, but that would loose much of the richness that the Ring of Fire series has built over its several volumes. If you've read and liked the others in the series you'll enjoy this one. If you haven't, then you would be well advised to read at least the first book in the series: 1632 by Eric Flint. The universe Eric Flint has created has been ably expanded by him and others over several novels and a number of short stories. The main characters have plenty of depth and form. The story doesn't any large slow spots to let you drop the book without finishing.

5 comments about A Field Guide to American Houses.

1. great at housing history
   great describe for the house component
   good picture to show handy book to show at real estate



2. Great book!!! I'm using for my company to get a true representation of many styles for many of the house I'm designing. A great resource for any firm!!!



3. After some introductory chapters on the history and theory of homebuilding, the McAlesters commence with descriptions of the different styles. Each major style is described with a large stylized diagram with its identifying features labeled, a description of the major subtypes, descriptions of the style's unique elements, a paragraph on the frequency and locations of its occurrence, some historical comments, and then dozens of black and white photographs. The styles are ordered roughly chronologically, from native dwellings and colonial houses in 1600 to the neoeclectric houses of the 1970s and 1980s. (Even my 2006 printing ended with the 1980s.)
   
   I read the field guide cover to cover - something I never before done with a field guide. By the end, it seemed repetitive, but overall I was impressed with almost everything about this book from the introductions to the last diagrams. Every time I travel though a historical neighborhood, I am glad that I read this book.



4. As a writer, you need lots of details to keep the reader interested, and this book has details on houses most people wouldn't know. Of course, if you give no details the story is not interesting, and if you give wrong details, some reader will know it and be disapointed. A book like this can be invaluable.



5. I bought this book as reference material on the advice of an architect friend. He told me "If you need help figuring out the style of a house then buy this book" and he showed me his copy. He was right. The book is well organized which helps compare styles quickly and the many black and white pictures of houses that the author uses as examples are great because the b&w contrast helps your eye focus on details. This a great book to have in any architectural office. Its great for novices and experienced alike.

5 comments about India (Country Guide).

1. This book was very helpful. It has chapters on every region in India. It gives good hotel recommendations. It also describes what to see if you are only in a place for some number of days, which is very helpful. The only negative is that it is too big to carry around everywhere.



2. Right on time! Book in exact condition as described. Fortunately for me, the book gave me a critical piece of information that I needed a visa before I entered India that I had not realized I needed as a tourist.



3. The book was quite helpful in most respects. I was disappointed with one of the eating suggestions, it was the worst meal we had in India. The book saved us in Shimla when we were planning to fly back to Delhi. There is a strict weight restriction on luggage which we had missed in our travel documents. We still flew back, just sent the luggage by an alternate means. The book is quite complete and was very useful in many ways.



4. I like Lonely Planet Guides - having enhanced holidays in places from Myanmar to Maine using them. The LP India is particularly useful for independent travellers.



5. The book was informative. I was hope for a little more cultural and regional info and map content, but you can't have everything I suppose. The problem is how many books can you carry, especially this size? Do your homework before you go and then carry this book for hotel, transportation, and other info. I understand the rough guide to India is a good complimentary book. But you'll need another backpack to carry both.

5 comments about Thailand (Country Guide).

1. For my first trip to Thailand 10 years ago, I purchased just about every guide book available. Only one book has stood the test of time - Lonely Planet Thailand. Over the years, I have picked up new editions as they have become available. From personal experience, I would argue that the quality of my trips has increased along with the quality each subsequent edition. As tourism, culture and economics in Thailand evolves, so too does Lonely Planet Thailand, keeping pace with changing social trends, places of interest, as well as places to avoid. All this, of course, in addition to the vast body of information critical to planning where to stay, what to eat and what to do while in-country. More than a strong recommendation, this book is a must-have for any traveller to Thailand.



2. Very useful for new tourists. Book is organized by location and subdivided by events, sights, restaurants, hotels and more. It has a detailed map and lots of pictures too. It gives a good honest summary about different locations, what's worth your time, and what to be careful about as well. Very useful- highly recommended.



3. 
   This very recently updated guide is the best I've seen. If you only want to rely on one guidebook, this is it.



4. I have bought many guidebooks over the years and would say that lonely planet has the best. No, it is not one of those guidebooks filled with pretty, glossy photos but a clear, concise guidebook with pertinent information designed for all travelers whether you are a budget traveler or a jetsetter. Very user friendly, always updated. If you are only going to use one travel guide, cut to the chase and pick up lonely planet.



5. Lots of information. The websites are in general up to date. There is a lot to see in Thailand so this book covers a lot of the popular areas.