Directories Books

Gives you everything you want to know about places to eat in L.A. I'll probably pick up versions for other cities that I travel to.

Choc-full of great information, Zagat once again shows the best and the worst of so many different types of eateries in the greater LA. From The Abbey right through to Zucca Ristorante it goes alphabetically through some great sounding places. Many I've been to and the reviewers are accurate more times than not, so this is a book I think you can trust. It includes websites for the restaurants and it includes prices and even eateries in Palm Springs, Orange County and Santa Barbara etc. It's easy to follow and there is practically something in here for everyone. I mean EVERYONE. From all types of cuisines in all price brackets. It's a great guide that gives you a little insight into new places to try or just your old favourites. I highly recommend this great book.

This is a bible to any New York resident and would be a helpful guide to any visitor. I have used Zagat's guides religously since moving to the area and I can not remember an instance when it was inaccurate - which is remarkable considering the subjectivity of opinions. Perfect for scouting out sites for dinner dates and trendy places to visit. I now use their other guides and online website to pick out restaurants during weekend getaways to other cities.

No doubt about it the Zagat Survery to New York City is a must have. Great info on restaurant prices, ambiance, service and location. But no matter how good it is some really nice finds still get left out. As a frequest visitor to the Mid Town area I'm surprised to see local favorites like Le Bonne Soupe (great French Onion) and Connelly's (world's best cheeseburgers) are never mentioned. With all the restaurants in New York, I suppose they can't cover everything, still Zagat has helped me find some real treasures and I'm attempting to help them add a few to their list as a return favor. Pick up a copy before your next trip, it's money well spent. Just bear this in mind--restaurant reviews are all subjective. A restaurant is only good if you like it!

Excellent guide to keep with you while roaming the city. Filled with
lots of tips. Great buy. Jim

On my last trip to Portland I came across a huge stack of copies of this book at Powell's Books near the front of the store. It only took a brief browsing to tell that this was a keeper and I spent the entire trip back to Seattle on the Amtrak reading it. This is the fourth edition of this guide and is primarily useful for lots and lots of cheap (or relatively cheap) restaurants, coffeehouses, bookstores, bars, clubs, record stores, etc. It is broken down by the various parts of town and has additional chapters on Bridges, The Multnomah County Library System, Bicycling in Portland, City Repair, Museums, Hiking in and around Portland and Skateboarding. It is basically intended for locals as it's full of the kinds of places that one would frequent if one lives in Portland as opposed to the four star hotel rankings and expensive retail stores that often make up the listings in a more typical travel guide. The design and layout of the book is especially appealing...small, easy to carry in a pocket, with lots of illustrations by Portland zine/comic artists and easy to read type.

I can't imagine anyone being more qualified to put together this compendium of the great detectives of the world than Maxim Jakubowski! Maxim runs the Murder One bookstore in London which houses perhaps the greatest collection of whodunits in England. Right on Charing Cross Road it is, too. (Drop in if you're ever in the area! And he's usually right there at his desk, working on one of his books or answering questions about other writers!) In "100 Great Detectives," he presents 100 essays on various characters (detectives) of the genre. Short, they read quite well. Undoubtedly, you will find your own favorite detectives listed.

Among my favorites were the essays: John Malcolm on Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe; Deborah Valentine on P.D. James' Cordelia Grey; Bob Biderman on Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee; Peter Robinson on Simenon's Inspector Maigret; Loren Estleman on Chandler's Philip Marlowe; Wendy Grossman on Christie's Miss Marple; Simon Brett on Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone; Ralph Spurrier on Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse; Robert Wallace on John LeCarre's George Smiley.

Other essays include V.I. Warshawski, Lord Peter Wimsey, Nero Wolfe, and Aurelio Zen, to name a few others.

What this collection does is to give our favorite characters even more meaning. Of course, as in any literary interpretation, it is just that--an interpretation--and the writers' views may be different from yours; no matter, it still provides plenty of insight into these unforgettable detectives!

Billyjhobbs@ tyler.net

A concise snapshot of architectural firms from around the world. Graphically well done. A great reference resource with contact information and representative project photographs.

This book is an excellent resource for parents, teachers, and children who are new to the world of the web and even for those who are not. It is precise and straightforward. Children as well as adults will find it useful. When a fellow teacher let me borrow her copy (for a short time only) she allowed me a peek into the wonderful, safe, opportunities available for children on the web. There are homework sites, game sites, craft sites, and many, many others. It is a resource for all ages.

The 1995 Maine Business and Professional Directory, along with its updated 1996 print and CD-Rom version, is the most comprehensive listing of private enterprise in the great State of Maine. "As Maine goes, so goes the Nation," is an apt phrase to characterize Tower's business publications. Publishing directories in Maine since 1820 (175 years), Tower now as an extensive network of databases for every State in the U.S. and most countries around the world. Tower's information is updated and timely, and always a phone call away at 1-800-969-8693

As an academically trained university reference librarian, this title is considered a standard in reference

I own every edition of Writer's Market (WM) from 1997 on (which was the year I first discovered these jewels), and I'm dying to get my hands on the new Writer's Market 2001 "Internet Edition" (Sep 2000).

The power these guides offer depends on how thorough of a market search you are forced into conducting when you first start out as a freelance writer. If you run into a market that does not provide enough guideline information -- in a current edition -- if you have older WM edition(s), you can look back to see what the deal is. This can be especially important if you run into a magazine that you believe might be one of the few you are going to be able to break in to.

For example, I discovered a number of incredibly good ideas for children's stories that would fit perfectly within the pages of "Ranger Rick" magazine (National Wildlife Federation).

The WM 2000 CD-ROM listed an editor, but very limited contact info and guidelines (as in NO guidelines):

(Ranger Rick is) "40% freelance written. Monthly magazine for children from ages 7-12, with the greatest concentration in the 7-10 age bracket. *Because of a backup in submissions, the editorial staff at Ranger Rick is not accepting queries or unsolicited manuscripts until further notice."

Ouch! What to do? I looked in in older WMs to see how long Ranger Rick had been having a "backup in submissions." WM 99 listed full writers guidelines and pay-info and well, I'm waiting to see whether Ranger Rick editors like my ideas or if they're going to toss them because of a "backup in submissions." :-)

This book is a must for anybody who wants to work in Film\TV - invaluable for building up contacts, which is what drives the film industry. It's admittedly a tad pricey for someone who doesn't need it, but exceptionally useful, and well laid out.