No comments about Pig War Islands: The San Juans of Northwest Washington.

No comments about A FalconGuide to Mount St. Helens: A Guide to Exploring the Great Outdoors (Exploring Series).

2 comments about Rock Creek Park.

1. A meticulously researched, beautifully written treasure, filled-with fascinating photographs, plans, drawings and paintings as well as apt quotations. Even includes a map of plant associations and lists of the different species as well as places to picnic, golf, ride and play ball to be found in Washington's planned city wilderness. A fitting tribute to the positive impact of the Olmsted family of landscape architects on the nation's capital.



2. I have to admit, although beautifully produced, this slim book about one of America's greatest urban parks left me a little disappointed. It consists of four main sections followed by four appendices, interwoven with photographs, paintings, sketches, and a few maps. The first section presents a brief, broad overview of the park's history. The second section focuses on the highly influential 1902 McMillen Plan, and discusses some of the backroom politicking surrounding it. The third section is a brief overview landscape architecture pioneer Frederick Law Olmsted and his family firm. The fourth main section consists almost entirely of excerpts from the Olmsted's 1918 report on the park. The appendices include a brief chronology of park administration (buried in here is a lovely little anecdote about Teddy Roosevelt skinny-dipping!), a brief overview of the park flora, a little on bridges across and within the park, and some basic visitor information.
   
   The material isn't bad, it's just somewhat dry, and reads somewhat like an official history or publication. It would have been nice to get a little of the social history of the park, more on how people actually used it, possibly culled from newspaper archives and the like. It also would have been nice to hear a little more on some of the problems faced by the park, such as homeless squatters, pollution, and safety and crime (the most famous example being the discovery of Chandra Levy's corpse). Another area not touched upon is the fauna, for example, there's a huge deer problem in the park, as well as numerous red foxes, and recently, confirmed coyote sightings. There's definitely room for a more comprehensive book on the park, for example, the section on bridges was great -- but there are plenty more interesting examples that could have been included. Similarly, while the photos and illustrations were all very nice (most were drawn from collections at the Library of Congress and DC Public Library), there wasn't a whole lot of variety to them -- they tend to show similar sun-dappled views of the creek surrounded by foliage. It would have also been nice to get an orienting map at the very front of the book, instead of toward the end.
   
   In sum, it's not a bad book, just a little thin for such an important part of Washington's cultural and geographic history.

No comments about Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Northwest Coast (Longstreet Highroad Coastal Guide Series).

No comments about Fodor's Flashmaps Washington D.C., 7th Edition: The Ultimate Map Guide/Find it in a Flash (Flashmaps).

3 comments about Driving the Pacific Coast Oregon and Washington, 4th: Scenic Driving Tours along Coastal Highways.

1. This book has up to date, factual, interesting and on target information about the Oregon and Washington coast lines. The chapters each describe a community and its weather, events, attractions, lodging, restaurants, and more.

   If you are thinking about exploring the coastal areas of the Pacific northwest, make sure you have this volume with you.




2. This is basically a list of towns in the order that
   you hit them driving Hw101. Its OK if thats all
   you want but don't expect much guidance on things
   off the beaten track, or indeed anywhere outside
   a town!

   I found the Rough Guide Pacific Northwest book
   much more useful.




3. I'm sure some of the information in this book may be outdated by now (published in 2000) as things do change, but I bought this book thinking it would be second best to actually taking the drive, which is a little beyond my means to actually do. So I wasn't expecting 100% accuracy as much as I was hoping for more scenic photos. In fact, the few that are included are quite small, and black-and-white! This could have been a much better book with color photos.

No comments about Seattle Birds: An Introduction to Familiar Species in King County.

No comments about Washington's Highest Mountains: Basic Alpine & Glacier Routes.

No comments about Best Places Destinations San Juan and Gulf Islands (Best Places San Juan and Gulf Islands).

No comments about Washington Ghost Towns Sites.