No comments about Washington, The Evergreen State (Supplement to Our World Today).

4 comments about A Pocket Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of Mount Rainier.

1. Excellent field guide with great illustrations



2. An excellent guidebook to the Mount Rainier area. As a former Mount Rainier Ranger, I would recommend this book to anyone considering a visit to Mount Rainier National Park. The illustrations are beautifully rendered and the accompanying text is accurate and insightful. The book is small enough to fit in a daypack or take it along for a backpack along the Wonderland Trail.



3. The problem with most field guides is that they've forgotten they are field guides and not coffee-table art books.

   Not so with Joe Dreimiller's POCKET GUIDE TO THE PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF MOUNT RAINIER!

   Sure, this book has plenty of pretty color pictures made by its three illustrators, but they are diagnostic illustrations, just like Roger Tory Peterson emphasized in his bird books. So, you have something pretty to look at but you also have something that will help you identify the common plants and animals to be seen in Mt Rainier National Park.

   Pictures are nice, but after you've used the illustrations to identify an Elephant-head pedicularis, Golden-mantled ground squirrel, a Varied thrush, or a Mountain hemlock, Dreimiller tells you the field marks so you'll know what makes these things different from their closest relitives. That way, if you don't have his book next time, you've learned what distingushes each plant or animal from every other plant or animal.

   And the help you get from this little gem doesn't stop there. Let's say you've used this pocket guide to identify a False hellebore [Veratrum viride]. Next time you're in the Park, hiking with a friend, and you spot it, you can say, "Oh! Look at that False hellebore! Did you know its botanic name means 'green plant with the black roots?'" And so you look at the roots and, "Wow! They're black."

   For all the organisms in this book, there are not only field marks but an extensive list of notes to help you remember why each is so important to know.

   Not only that, but there are descriptions of all the groups so you'll learn why mammals are different from birds which are different from amphibians. There is an extensive bird list for the Park including accidentals. And, unsual for this kind of book, there is a mammal list too. And to top off the list catagory, each habitat has a list of common plants as well as suggestions for places to walk.

   Did I mention that Dreimiller's book is also pocket sized? How many field guides have you bought in recent years that don't even fit in the pocket of your daypack?

   I also liked the short reference list at the end of the book, referring me to other helpful resources. The index is short, but complete.

   Evidently Dreimiller worked as a ranger at Mount Rainier for a number of years and it shows. He knows his plants and his animals. All in all, I would reccomend this little gem to anybody who wants to know more about what they see while in the Park. And the best thing about this field guide is that it teaches you things that can be used elsewhere in the Cascades.

   I write for a number of newspapers in the Seattle area and I'm pretty sensitive to writers who wastes my time trying to copy the prose of Muir, Leopold, Pyle, and all the other good nature writers. I liked this book because it tells me what I need to know without the usual cumbersome "awesome beauty of nature" rhetoric that encumbers so many field guides. Leave the literature for the coffee table. Take Dreimiller's book into the field.




4. Like a good naturalist or interpreter, this guide provides not only a concise way to identify the most common flora and fauna, but adds interesting facts and folklore. It will surely make the living things in and around Rainier very accessible, and provide even the most knowledgeable biologist/naturalist with enjoyable new information. Illustrations are detailed and beautiful, and the general information and references are an added bonus. And it all fits into your pocket! Great!

No comments about The British Ambassador's Residence Washington DC: Works of Art from the UK Government Art Collection.

2 comments about The Rough Guide to Seattle 3 (Rough Guide Mini Guides).

1. One of the reasons why I use this book is beacause it has wonderful tidbits and stories about the people and places that influence the Seattle scene. The book is easy to read and can give travelers a quick review on Seattle customs. Descriptions of the restaurants are thorough and offer suggestions of affordable places to grab a quick bite or sit down for a luxorious meal. The authors are honest about the social mix of people found here in the city...providing a section that talks about the areas populated and visited by the gay community. The small book can easily fit into the palm of your hand and is petite enough to fit into any small side pocket of travel gear - a handy feature for the frequent traveler! I reccommend this book in combination with the Lonely Planet: Seattle book and the Fodors Compass guide for Washington (state, that is).



2. On it's own, this book is too tiny to help anyone who's visiting seattle for more than a day. It has a paragraph or two about the most common attractions, restaurants, parks, etc. However, since it has great, detailed maps, and it's so small, it's great to tuck in a backpack. When I have friends come to visit, I give it to them to carry around during the day- it's wonderful to consult to find a good spot to grab a lunch, or to be reminded what sights there are to see in whatever neighborhood they're in. If you have a bigger guidebook that you normally use, this is a great, portable supplement.

No comments about Red Eclipse.

No comments about Let's Go: The Budget Guide to Alaska & the Pacific Northwest 1995/Including Washington, Oregon, and Western Canada (Let's Go).

4 comments about Not for Tourists Guide to Washington, D.C., 2006.

1. This is a good, useful basic guide for residents and tourists who want to see the real D.C. behind the museums and the White House. I was born in D.C. and this book has provided me with a great deal of information that I will use. I also recommend "The Shopper's Guide to Washington, D.C." by Karen Ertel and "Washington from A to Z" by Paul Wasserman.



2. this book is essentially a series of maps. each neighborhood gets two maps, one showing things like banks and atms, the other with restaurants and bars, etc. both maps show the metro stops and street names very clearly. i'm currently looking for an apartment in dc (from out of town) and it has been extremely useful in figuring out where buildings are, and if they are in fact "walk to metro!" or whether that walk is a hike. there are a brief (2 sentences) descriptions of the neighborhoods but nothing in depth. there are lists of important numbers, maps of airports, and other handy tidbits i'm sure will be appreciated when i actually move in. my one HUGE complaint keeping this book from 5 stars is that the maps aren't marked with a scale! a 5th grade basic, scale is extremely important in determining how far things are from eachother. obviously. especially since the maps are clearly different scales depending on the size of the neighborhood or locale (ie: reagan airport vs. georgetown). while still useful, having a simple scale on each map would make this book perfect.



3. If you're moving to a new major city or just spending more than a few days in one and you want to really get to know the locale, this guide's for you. It's easy to decipher, offers invaluable information complete with legible, detailed area maps, and the bars, restaurants, shops, schools, churches, sites and more in each neighborhood. I, who am admittedly direction-challenged (even as to left and right), managed to find my way easily around San Francisco for the 4 mos. I was there and was so impressed I purchased one for DC where I've lived for almost 20 yrs. If you want to know where you're going and what's there when you arrive--buy this guide!



4. The maps are very good and easy to navigate, and their overviews of the main attractions in the D.C. area are about as good as one can hope for in a 1-2 page space for each. They also have good maps of the local transit system. One limitation that potential buyers should be aware of is that this book only deals with D.C. proper and a little bit of Fairfax County - Prince George's County (everything east of the Anacostia River) and Montgomery County (everything north & west of Bethesda) are ignored. If you need information on those areas, you will need to seek out other sources.

No comments about Washington State Travel Book..

No comments about Olympic Peninsula Best Places: A Destination Guide (Best Places Destination Guides).

2 comments about Washington (Marco Polo Travel Guides).

1. MapEasy Guides are wonderful whether you are traveling to Washington, D.C. or living there. From the best known attractions to delightfully obscure places this map guide gives all users the best there is to offer of the area. Even as a many-year resident of the area MapEasy has guided me, my family and friends to new and interesting places!



2. I used this map recently on a week-long trip to Washington, and I found it to be incredibly helpful. Being able to see nearby restaurants and shops right on the map without having to pull out a guidebook was so convenient. Short of a handheld, interactive GPS with Internet access, this is the most helpful pocket-sized resource for sightseeing and navigating around I have ever used. And it's made of a rip-resistant thick paper, so it'll stand up to multiple trips. Highly recommended!