Directories Books

This is a great book!! It is well worth your money. If you are planning a vaction, then buy this book. It has theme parks from Disney to Universal Orlando, to Cedar Point, all of the Paramount Parks and many, many more!! The ultimate guide to rollercoasters is this book!!

I had gone to the conference with much knowledge about the subject. I was told about the book from there. Could I have obtained it, I would have been the top in the list of performers.

This book is a must for all amusement park fans. It gives all the information you would need to have a fun and exciting day at any park in the U.S. or Canada. Mr. O'Brien has done a masterful job of helping you plan your visit by giving the operating times as well as the best rides and shows. There is also a listing of all the roller coasters in the park. His vivid description of the park gives you the feeling of being there. I would recommend this guide book to anyone planing a trip to an amusement park in the future.

This is, truly, the bible of amusement park guides. I am always amazed at its thorough coverage of parks, both large and small, in the United States and Canada - is there an international edition in the works??? If so, put me on the list of buyers.

It's difficult to think of a park that isn't listed here - from the mainstream parks such as Disneyworld and Universal, to the tiny, neighborhood parks such as Weona and Nelly Bly, they're all here, and beautifully documented. Signature rides are listed for each park - from the big, modern coasters, to the rarer flats. As a huge fan of Flying Scooters and Lusse Auto Skooters (you fellow park nuts will know what I'm talking about, here), I love that such rides are included. Park histories are here, as well, for all of us preservationists.

Directions, websites, and further information are included for the parks, also, which greatly helps if one wishes to visit a park. Also, common-sense tips for park visitors are here, as well as little-known secrets that assist with getting around a park to the greatest efficiency.

I was fortunate enough to find this book while visiting Knoebels Grove (the best park in America, as far as I'm concerned), and couldn't put it down during the entire ride home. It's addictive, informative, and, well, a must-have. What with the summer practically here, run, don't walk, and get your copy NOW.

This book is just awesome...it reviews over 350 theme parks, amusement parks, and waterparks all over the U.S. and Canada, providing everything you'd want to know about every park...the great roller coasters and other thrill rides, costs, operation schedule, directions, special tips, insider facts and trivia, historical milestones, etc. Also gives phone numbers and website addresses for each park. The author is a life-long park expert and senior editor of a major park industry publication...he really seems to know his stuff, and he injects some fun and personality into the book. It's a great guide to use to plan your park trips and to carry with you for quick reference. It's also fun to to sit down and read through it because it gives so much interesting trivia on the parks. Just a fantastic, authoratative, fun, easy-to-use resource on parks.

Hi, when I heard about this book, I said I worked so hard with parenting links on my online Baby to Toddler store, when this book would be also a great resource too. Every new parent should have it by their computer-side! The thing is, new parenting sites happen all the time, so don't be complacent, buy the Next Addition(s) too, if you can*! or visit regularly the Publisher's website to see the New sites to be Listed in the next addition!
* My experience it sells pretty quickly! ...

If you have a baby, or need to purchase baby items, or need information about babies, then this is the RESOURCE to get it from. Gretchen Nalley has carefully placed all the websites that pretains to babies, from baby gifts, to parenting to care of baby and everything in between. A quick reference guide to take you to where you need to be without having to search and search. Thank you Gretchen for a job well-done!

I am one of the unfortunate ones who had their kids too early for this book, if only it had been around when they were younger. But that hasn't stopped me from buying this book - I have given it as gifts! The time saved in not having to search the web for the websites & information that is in this book is invaluable for parents that already find their time at a minimun with the demands of a new baby.

This is a must have!

Never has a book been more useful! This directory is a parent's dream. Have you ever looked up "baby" in the yellow pages? There sure isn't much there. My only regret after buying The Baby Web is that it wasn't available with my first two kids! I love it, and the pictures are adorable! No new parent should be without The Baby Web (I keep mine in my purse!).

Everyone knows that the Internet is a great resource for information and a great alternative to traditional catalog shopping. Unfortunately, weeding through literally millions of sites can be both time-consuming and frustrating. Since time is a precious commodity when you have young children, getting someone else to do the weeding is a welcome shortcut, and that is what this book delivers. Think of this book as the yellow pages for baby websites.  The 1,200 sites are listed by category and also in an alphabetical index. Categories include: Announcements, Baby Care Products, Baby Gear, Baby Names, Bedding & Furniture, Clothing, Food & Feeding Supplies, Gifts and Gift Baskets, Health & Safety, Parenting Advice, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding, and Toys. Many of my favorite sites were listed, and some new ones that I have since bookmarked.  This book is a great starting point for a new parent or someone new to the web, but it is also a good resource for anyone interested in finding new websites for parenting tips and products on the Internet.  There are a couple of sites that I probably would not have included if I were making a list since they offered only one or two items or were intended for dealers rather than consumers, but out of 1,200 sites that's a pretty good track record.  You will need access to the World Wide Web and a basic understanding of navigating the web to get the full benefit of the book, although many of the sites listed also include a customer service phone number.  --Reviewed by Teresa Burgess

A thorough review of major cruise lines with analyses of the strengths and weaknesses of each line, and following, of each ship in the line. Well done and reasonably priced for a nearly exhaustive review of all kinds of cruises and cruise lines.

This is a great book for a first time cruiser like me. I did things a little backwards. Did my homework online, booked my cruise AND THEN bought this book. Everything the author suggested I had already done. Of course I could have save myself a lot of time if I had bought the book FIRST. I definitely would not have had to spend many hours online. Am looking forward to see if his suggestions work!

I am the editor of a brazilian online magazine, the Cruising On Line (www.cruising.com.br).

I've been buying and using Berlitz Cruising as my main reference guide since I saw it at the first time, 8 years ago, at a travel agency owned by a friend of mine. Congratulations to Mr.Ward and his staff for their great job (hope to be one of them in the future... LOL).

Lending libraries catering to travelers in general and the elderly who appreciate cruises in particular won't want to miss Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2008, a survey packed with independent reviews of cruise companies based on personal experience, not advertising or hearsay. Chapters do more than offer reviews of nearly three hundred cruise ships: they discuss what to look for in a ship and crew, how to compare the major lines for pros and cons, and where to find the best among different types of cruises. Simply packed with essential 'know before you go' detail.

I have been consulting the Berlitz cruise guide for many years, and find it a very valuable source of information. Even if I have cruised for more than 20 times, each new edition brings some revised and/or revelant information. Any serious cruise enthusiast should have the Berlitz book for consultation. Highly recommended.

A very informative book, for finding out information on Stars. The illustrations are excellent, a thumbs up to the illustrator, he should go far with his abilities. Keep up the good drawings.

This is a great book to sit back, relax and read. I found it to be a great stress reliever, and my time passed so quickly as I couldn't put the book down. Hope everyone enjoys this book as I did.

The birthday directory is an amazingly fun and interesting. I found it informative and hard to put down. It's full of interesting tidbit's.I highly recomend it for schools and student's and a must for libary's! It's worth the pick up.

The illustrations in this book are great

Are you one of those people who constantly forgets to send birthday cards to those you love? What about people you don't even know (the famous, near-famous, and infamous)? What about people who no are longer capable of celebrating their birthdays (i.e., the dearly departed--hey, it's the thought that counts). Yes, dates can be tricky to remember, especially if you find calendars and clocks to be offensive. THE BIRTHDAY DIRECTORY is your answer to all of these problems. It includes names, dates, and background information for thousands of people. Athletes, musicians, movie stars (adult and legit), writers, artists, and politicians are just some of the character types you will find between its covers. A large number of strange b&w illustrations have been added to spice things up. Entrees are listed by month, making it easy to see who was born on the same day as you. I was pleased to discover that Abe Vigoda (A.K.A. "Fish") and I share the same birthday. Abe Vigoda!!! Now, that's what I call trivia. Could anyone ask for more?

It matters not your station in life. Whether you are a business professional, working journalist, high school or college student or simply a concerned citizen we are all looking for ways to better inform ourselves about the pressing issues of our time. There is so much information available on the internet but I suspect that most of us rely on just a handful of websites to keep us abreast of just what is going on.
This is why I found James F. Broderick and Darren W. Miller's new book "Consider The Source" to be so exciting. What we have here are critical reviews of 100 of the most important and influential news and information sites on the web. In my view there is hardly a person out there who would not benefit from perusing this book.
What Broderick and Miller offer in "Consider The Source" is a treasure trove of useful material about how to best access information on the web. Just to give you an idea, the authors review websites covering news, sports, entertainment, science, medicine and more. They critique each website for design, content and accessabilty and are careful note any bias they might discover. Obviously, many of these sites have a point of view and the authors deem it important that their readers understand this.
Happily, Broderick and Miller do not limit themselves to sites that originate in the United States only. "Consider The Source" offers reviews on news and information sites from Britain, India, France, Australia,Ireland and even Asia and Africa. In addition, you will see reviews of various U.S. government websites such as the Library of Congress, CIA, FBI and NASA. Some absolutely fascinating stuff there! In the list of 100 websites, the reader will find the familiar as well as a number of hidden gems they have probably never even heard of. Of this group I might recommend to you a site called The Onion. Hilarious!
As I read "Consider The Source" I jotted down the sites I would be interested in bookmarking. Not surprisingly, I came up with a list of more than two dozen. The fact is that I had never even heard of many of these sites. Still others were websites I had never even accessed before.
"Consider The Source" is written in clear, concise language that just about everyone can understand. Not a lot of jargon here! Reading this book is absolutely time well spent! I would not be surprised that if the authors chose to issue updated versions of the book from time to time. I highly recommend "Consider The Source" to everyone!

Consider the Source provides clarity among the internet chaos for readers like myself who depend on the Web for news. This book provides a "yellow brick road" leading to an honest evaluation of news and information sites on the web. Miller and Broderick have given readers an invaluable guide to the most accurate internet news sites.

Where can you get the news you need, and how can you keep up with it? A professor of journalism and a working reporter combine forces to produce a critical A-Z guide to the best - and worse - news information sites on the web, offering 100 critical reviews paired with a 5-star rating system. From learning the motives and bias behind different sites to considering alternative sites and news press and how they operate differently from mainstream media, CONSIDER THE SOURCE: A CRITICAL GUIDE TO 100 PROMINENT NEWS AND INFORMATION SITES ON THE WEB is a pick for both college-level collections strong in media studies and general-interest lending libraries alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is the first book I have ever seen that gives the public direction on which news sites to visit. The Web has created content overload, but who to trust and who to devote limited time too? That is what this book has done. And it is not a boring look at Web sites, but instead brings each site to life and goes in depth on how they operate. I love the ranking system and especially was interested to see that many sites I never considered before were ranked so highly.

I can see why this book is promoted to students, journalists, PR professionals, and news hounds - but I'm none of the above and still found this book a great find! I, like most people, find myself going to the same sites over and over and was looking for something to expand my Internet reading list. There were dozens of sites that I had never heard of and have now been placed on my Favs list. Definitely got my money's worth on this one!

I use this in a training class about bank documentation. It is very helpful and comprehensive. It defines terms in concise and easy to understand words. Even a seasoned banker can learn something from this dictionary.

This can almost be considered an inexpensive textbook. It not only defines, but explains the terms in a simple, easy to understand format. Although in dictionary form, it consistently relates the terms to one another so the reader will understand how the concepts interwind. Includes financial and banking terms.

book should contain all banking terms because most of them are not understood by layman

Whether you are a novice seeking to learn the fundamentals of banking, or an active professional who has just encountered an unusual term, you will want this book. Each definition is short (only a paragraph or so), but most contain links to other terms, so the reader can gain a progressively deeper understanding of how terms interrelate. I also like the frequent inclusion of dates (e.g., the year a particular law was passed). The definitions are authoritative--based on a number of leading accounting, banking, and financial entities identified in the introduction. It's worth far more than its bargain price. I look forward to the next edition (Year 2000?). Keep up the good work!

Working in an IT company catering to bankers I bought this book to help understand their lingo. I have to say it hasn't disappointed yet. It is also very up to date the latest IT/banking terms. If you were to read all the definitions in this book you would probably know more than you banker. A great reference. Buy it!

Okay, each Christmas you try to think of what to buy people who don't need more stuff. But what can everyone always use? Food! I first bought this book for this reason and am buying the update again to find food finds for gifts. I have looked for lost childhood foods often as Christmas gifts from the perfect popcorn ball that is most like my great aunt LeGreta's to Lefse. In this book you can find old favorites and new taste tempters. I know I'm getting real old fashioned ribbon candy as one gift but what else is out there to try? I always end up getting food for myself too, after all, it's my childhood too. This is a great resource for the hard to buy for.

...that's the real charm of FOOD FINDS, which is a compendium of hokey, terrific, one-of-kind regional goodies. And they aren't budget-breakers, either, most of them. Information about ordering is right there, so why resist? So far, I've ordered the Trappestine Creamy Caramels and the Cherry Hut Sundae Sauce. Both were scrumptious. Next I'm going to order some of the cheeses mentioned in the book. Or maybe...date crystals?

Even if you never order a thing, FOOD FINDS is a grand read. Allison and Margaret Engel write like they are sitting across the kitchen table telling stories about people you'd love to know. I have given this book to five friends and family members, male and female, and keep it on hand as an "emergency", one-size-fits-all present. Everyone I've given it to has just raved about it. Salley Shannon

Extremely well written survey of various small out-of-the-way artisan specialty food manufacturers around the country. The coversational, yet concise writing style is a pleasure to read. The book is fun to just randomly skim through for ideas. There is a noble emphasis on preservative and additive-free products made with the simplest ingredients. A little historical information about the various purveyors adds human interest. Also, prices are given, which is a rarity in a guide like this. The book reflects considerable research effort on the part of the authors.

This is a great way, particularly if you live in a homogenous, urban area (like me), to get exposed to regional and individual foods from around the country. It includes pound cake bakeries, chocolates shops (i.e., a Dutch one in Des Moines), spice houses, and a lot more. There is so much in this book, you are bound to find a lot of things you'd be interested in trying. The only fault I think it has is that it is bound to become outdated quickly. I know that the Schazarad Bakery (one of the last bakeries to make phyllo dough by hand) is already out of business or is soon to be (unless someone has decided to buy it or carry it on). However, this is a minor fault and will most likely not effect most of the entries in the book.

Well categorized which makes it so easy to find -- from chili from Chugwater to cheese from Maytag -- this is one book to aid in finding good ingredients. Wish there was something like this for various major metro areas -- like where to find those tough to get items locally. However, what with the phone and web connections these days, its so quick to get them via ups and fedex. Hats off to the Engels for such a neat find for us food junkies.

This book had lots of good ideas for reasonably priced places to eat in NY. A few were already out of business though. It would have also been nice to have a map to more easily find the locations. Nice reviews though.

I was first introduced to Robert Sietsema's excellent taste in the Village Voice, when it featured the top 100 Italian restaurants in New York City.

Several amazing Italian experiences later, I knew I had to find more of his recommendations. When I stumbled across this guide, I felt as though I'd hit the jackpot. It features practically any cuisine you can think of, from Venezuelan to Tunisian with concise descriptions and suggestions of which entrees to order.

The best part of the guide is that the restaurants featured are generally priced below $20 per person, a godsend in one of the most expensive cities in the world! I immediately dined at a restaurant I'd found in the guide and was bowled over by the quality and amount of food I received for the amount I paid.

This is a must for any New Yorker who isn't afraid to experiment with different cuisines.

This leads a curious eater away from the formula and predictable eateries in Manhattan to inexpensive and delicious places in outlying neighborhoods. Highly recommended.

We have now tried many listings in this book, and were only disappointed on one occassion (even then the food was not bad... just not noteworthy). This book has pointed out many hole-in-the-walls we've been walking past for years, like Snack on Thompson, or Soul Fixin or 34th, that were just amazing. Even in areas where we thought we had favorites (like curry hill) the recommendations in this book topped them all (Chennia Garden). Its true there is some risk that some places might be out of business, especially in NY, but none of our attempts have found a closed shop. The only negative about this book for Manhattenites is that many listings are in the outter boroughs, but believe me, once you've experienced this book it will make you want to get on the subway.

While perhaps not as streamlined as some others like the Zagat Survey, this is my favorite restaurant guide of the five or six I own. Its priority is the same as mine: good and interesting food, rather than decor, service or even "star quality." Most of the selections are very affordable (for New York City), which helps.

In my area so far, I've tried two or three restaurants in three ethnic groupings. This guide has been accurate: the restaurant which the guide features in each group has been the best, and only in one case the most expensive.

My only complaint would be that browsing for a particular type of ethnic food isn't always fast. The groups are logical but not totally intuitive, so it may take a few minutes to locate Indian food in the "South Asian" section. It's all here, though, from any sub-category of Chinese to Uzbekistani.

College leaders would do well to ensure that a copy of young Professor Trinkle's "The History Highway" is on the desktop of each faculty member, and then interview him or her a month later on what they discovered when navigating around the "new literacy". In pointed contrast, I remember too well a much older and "very retiring" professor at a highly ranked college recently insisting that "this Pen is My computer".
A journey through knowledge begins with but a single, small step --as ancient seers would remind us. "The History Highway" offers anyone (older or young) a "roadmap" to their own choice of any of 2000 or so stepping off points. For example, "images taken from the Bayeaux Tapestry [embroidery 230 feet long; the original story document presented to an illiterate population] make this a visually appealing and useful site (Norman Invasion of England, 1066)". But wait, there's more: "Periodic updates to the text are available online."
Our new digital lifestyle can (will?) transform Academia "before you can say Great Scott!" Or at least, for certain, a lot more quickly than the Gutenberg effect transformed schooling and culture.

As a history student I am constantly looking for sources and articles for research purposes. This book puts the most important internet history sites at my finger tip. When I teach my history classes in a few years I will require all of my students to purchase this book.

If you are at all interested in history, this book is indispensable. It offers an exhaustive guide to the reliable and worthwhile historical materials available on the Internet. The entries have been sifted by an international team of subject experts, and there is a resource mentioned for every lover or student of history.

Everyone who has ever stared in awe at a search engine result listing 1 million hits on some subject owes Drs. Trinkle and Merriman a debt of gratitude. This book will take you to the materials you really want to use or explore. It is not only worth the time and money you will invest--it will save you time and pay handsome dividends.

What else can one say--it is this history student's new best friend.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, The History Highway 2000: A Guide To Internet Resources continues to provide the most extensive and reliable coverage available. Reflecting the swift growth of the Internet, featured are more than twice as many entries (2,500) and many new sections (Australian, New Zealand, Greek, Western History, Agricultural History, Rural Studies, Psychohistory, Historiography, Historical Population Databases, and Historical Book Dealers. The History Highway 2000 is further enhanced with a detailed cross-index offering instant access to every subject and every entry; an expanded glossary of multimedia and web-format terms; as well as periodic updates to the text which are available online. The History Highway 2000 is an invaluable, highly recommended resource for history students, teachers, researchers, librarians, authors, and the general public.

At 600 pages this behemoth is more than twice the length of the first edition. And every page of this guide to history related internet resources is worthwhile. The detailed Table of Contents lists a diverse range of site categories, such as General History, Early American History - 1783-1860, Jewish Holocaust Studies, Geneaology, and Archives and Manuscript collections.

The introductory chapter gives internet startup information, so the book is useful to newbies and experienced web users alike. Later chapters list specific websites along with a paragraph or so of information about the site written by a historian or specialist.

Of particular interest to family history researchers will be the genealogy section, which lists a variety of sites. Instructors and researchers of American History will find useful the 101 pages (expanded and updated from the 33 pages in the first edition) devoted to a chronological list of sites on specific segments of United States History. Also expanded in the new edition is the Women's History segment, which is now 17 pages long and contains a more diverse range of websites than the first edition.

Finally, entries are cross referenced in the index, with internet sites listed in italics. This work is both a useful and enjoyable reference title, and well worth its price.

Ani Hurwitz, NYC PR pro and another grammar brat, recommended this book with glee in her voice. Professional writers enjoy having a few of these things around, for instant rulings on commonly encountered knots such as "which vs. that." Bryan Garner's American usage rule book is an uncommon delight. It does its basic job with panache, but there's so much added linguistic pleasure between these covers. When you find yourself (as I did) reading random entries for their wit, precision, and style, you have a winner. A distinguished, modern addition to your "how should I properly put this?" reference shelf. Excellent casual reading material for the guest bathroom, too.

If you're ever afraid that you've mistaken "it's" and "its," or if the sight of everyone reading "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" makes you terrified to write a note, you'll want a copy of this book on your desk. Although a good usage manual depends on the reader having some sense of style (enough to look up uncertain techniques or phrases), too many treat you either like a child or an English teacher, scolding you or explaining their advice in impenetrable jargon. (Many such books don't seem to have taken their own advice about simplicity and clarity.) "The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage" is the exception, a book about language that's well-written and inviting, one that doesn't make you feel like you're back in your grandmother's parlor having every sentence corrected. As one of the other reviewers notes, the range of sources and examples is phenomenal--one way you can double-check your phrasing is to see if you'd want to sound like the writers in Garner's citations. But I'm even more impressed with the simple organization and headings. I sometimes have trouble finding advice in a writer's reference because I can't recall the technical term for what I'm trying to do, but entries in Garner's book are easy to find and richly cross-referenced. Most important, Garner's ear for English is impeccable, and you'll want it listening (as it were) over your shoulder. He acknowledges long-held rules but--where applicable--demonstrates their obsolescence; he also recognizes new usages and gives fair warning of the connotations you risk if you use them before they've become standard.

Concise, clear, well-developed, and engrossing entries show Bryan A. Garner employs the annotations he presents in The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style. Not only is this abridged version of Garner's Modern American Usage fun and interesting to read (and shorter than the original, obviously), it covers the fundamental (all 360 pages worth) details of American English that anyone truly serious about the language should pay attention to.

Garner writes in the preface, "Although there are good, clarifying forces at work on the language, there are also bad, obscuring forces. And these bad forces tend to work most perniciously on people who are heedless of their language. It's hard to know such a thing, but this segment of society may well be on the rise.
"This book could never reach those people."

This dictionary makes one aware of those bad, obscuring forces and their effects. But it also effectively explains those misconceptions, misused forms, mispronunciations, needless variants, useless words, and, in many cases, how the "mistakes" evolved. Garner also gives longer essay entries confronting usage and style questions based on topic rather than word.

The over 2,000 quotations from publications (usually newspapers and books), serving as both good and bad examples, paint the objects of Garner's entries into a vibrant mural embodying effective American English. This visualization, combined with Garner's strewn-about humor, takes dry topics and makes them flow more easily for the average reader.

I find myself constantly going back and looking up things in this dictionary, because while few are going to remember everything in it, there's at least the chance of remembering there is a question on the word or subject. If you want answers, keeping The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style handy will likely help you find what you're looking for. (And yes, "Perfectly natural-sounding sentences end with prepositions, particularly when a verb with a preposition-particle appears at the end.")

I have found this not only to be very useful, but also it is ver readable. This book consists of enteries of common style, grammar, and word choice mistakes. It's ver easy to find what you are looking for because the enteries are in alphabetical order.

The enteries are quite fascinating to read. For example, is "data" plural or singular? What's the difference between "flaunt" and "flout"? Can you end a sentence with a preposition? Is the plural for octopus "octopi" or "octopuses?" The list goes on and on. This book is not dry at all. If you have any interest in language and writing, this is a necessity to have.

Fowler's guide is too British. Merriam-Webster's guide is much too descriptive and seeks the low ground too often. Garner strikes just the right balance between descriptive (what most people actually say in common practice) and prescriptive (what good usage should be). The result is that his guidance is high toned without being stuffy. He also gives excellent counsel on proper pronunciation of words that confuse many. This is also fun to read!