Rhode Island Books

There's nothing like a guide that gives you interesting info that other guides don't: helpful restaurant reviews and guides to ethnic (and non-ethnic) neighborhoods, parking info, funny comments about our favorite city and its mayor, and general how-to-survive-in-Providence tidbits. Especially good for prospective Brown students. The bible for Brown students regarding restaurants, transportation, and everything else. If you are going to Providence for anything (to live, to visit) buy this book. It;s fun just to read, too... a great way to procrastinate.

This guidebook provides great restaurant reviews and hordes of information about the city. It may lack information about surrounding New England but for the short or long trip to Providence, this book will serve all of your needs. For the person interested in Brown University, this is ideal, providing info about student activities. With Providence coming out of its shell and this the only guidebook I could find, I highly recommend it.

Even though this is a postcard book, you won't want to part with the postcards, and keep it as a memento and a reminder at Block Island's incredible beauty, serenity, and uniqueness.

...So when it's January...and I'm sitting at O'Hare Airport...and it's snowing like crazy...and flights are iffy...I can at least PRETEND that it's a balmy August afternoon in "Bermuda-of-the-North." Malcom Greenaway's photos are stunning.

. Equipped with Japanese language skills and academic experience in Japan, Dr. Stephan conducted exhaustive research into military and civilian sources in order to develop the full story of Japan's designs upon Hawaii in the early stages of WWII. His book reveals a serious intent to actually invade and occupy the islands, primarily to deny the U.S. Navy its natural springboard for challenging Japanese advances in the Pacific. The kicker in that regard was the Doolittle Raid in April 1942, which convinced the Japanese Army that Hawaii was a threat that had to be neutralized.
. A secondary goal was to liberate the "Asian" poplace of Hawaii (which to Imperial Japan was everyone there except Caucasians) and bring them into their Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Some Japanese even advocated annexing Hawaii outright, as a natural extension of their own island nation.
. One surprise to this reviewer was learning the extent to which many of Hawaii's ethnic Japanese citizens directly participated in the mother country's war, at least before Pearl Harbor. Many served in the Imperial armed forces (i.e., in China) and others returned to Japan before Pearl Harbor to support the war through academic or jounalistic pursuits. There is no suggestion, though, that Japanese-Americans in Hawaii (after Pearl Harbor) engaged in any such activities.
. The book also reveals that a Japanese attempt to take and hold Hawaii was most likely doomed to failure; a potential calamity on a grand scale. By late 1942 (the proposed time frame for the invasion) U.S. forces on Oahu alone were far superior, at least in numbers, to the proposed Japanese invasion force. Ghastly attrition of invasion troops would have been unavoidable, even if the campaign was ultimately successful. And once in control of Hawaii, Japan clearly didn't have the logistic capacity to sustain themselves there--there's no way their merchant marine could have replaced the necessary constant flow of supplies coming from the U.S. Both conquerers and conquered would have faced cruel deprivation in a few short months.
. Clearly, Hawaii would have been Japan's "Bridge Too Far." Everyone--Japanese, Hawaiians, and other Americans--were far better off because the Battle of Midway put an abrupt end to the whole idea.
. In summary, this is a fascinating topic that will hold the interest of any serious student of WWII in the Pacific. Dr. Stephan's treatment of it is highly detailed, thoroughly researched, and presented in a manner that holds the reader's interest from cover to cover.

This is true scholarship in service of a great question. A distinguished historian at University of Hawaii, Stephan analyzes the place of Hawaii in Japanese military strategy in WW II. Obviously, this raises the question of the fate of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The issue has received illumination in recent books by Greg Robinson and Eric Muller. Stephan offers a politically incorrect interpretation that indicates that the Japanese military thought they could rely on using American Japanese for their purposes following a successful invasion of Hawaii. The prospect cannot be denied. With internal national security issues more vital than ever, Stephan's book should be on the minds of all serious students and citizens today.

I bought the book on John Milliman and the companion book on Aaron Milliman a few years ago. I refer to them constantly and have provided information to other family members doing Milliman family research. A great compilation of names and information and WELL indexed. If you have a Milliman in your family tree this is the book for you!

Ms. Austin did a supberb job in researching and compiling information on the decendants of the first known Milliman in America. If you are researching the Milliman family line you will be absolutely thrilled to obtain this book. She even included pictures when available. What a treasure!!!! Thank you Ms. Austin!

Rhode Island, accessible to all New England, truly offers quite a bit of exploration. Having done a fair bit of paddling in Northern California, I had yet to find an equivalent on the East coast; Matheson's guide helped fill that gap. As an avid sailor it is hard to pull myself away from the Newport action, but some days I want to appreciate the shores that are so often ignored. Lot's of history as well as beauty in this tiny state, and Discover Rhode Island truly delivers on its title.

I thought that I knew Rhode Island fairly well after going to school there for four years. However, this book introduced me to so many beautiful places that it seems only locals know about. The maps are easy to follow if you want to get away from the Newport crowds and relax in serene surroundings.

I have found 5 sources in this book of my relatives that were founders of East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Bought the book at a Borders in Providence, Rhode Island yesterday.

I visted the sites in the book of the original homes of my ancestor Clement Weaver, Silas Weaver. I talked with one of the owners of the first home built in East Greenwich, and she was really nice.

Then went to Main street and found not just one but two homes of Silas Weaver 30 Main Street is listed in the book, but also further down the road is Silas second home.

Then we went to the original jail on King near the water and found the plaque that was made to honor the original settlers of East Greenwich which had my ancestors on it.

So excited to be finding all this about my family. I then went back the other Clement Weaver home (the second Clement) and talked with the owner and asked him if he happened to know where the Weaver cemetary is and he told me to come around the back and he would show us. It was on his property. Oh my - I struck it rich in family history. We found the graves and all in all I think there is about 39 graves there, but they are covered up and the owner is over time planning on uncovering the area and unearth the headstones. Many are not marked well, and just have initals.

Very pleased with this book. Bought six copies for Christmas. Big hit with everyone.

Great book! A must have for any CT or RI angler. Very well written can't put it down.

Written by outdoorsman Bob Sampson, whose credits include contributing to "On the Water", "The Fisherman", and the "Norwich Bulletin", Fishing Connecticut and Rhode Island: A Guide For Freshwater Anglers is an in-depth guide to catching bass, walleye, trout, pickerel, salmon, catfish, carp, and many other species. Addition chapters also cover filleting and cooking one's catch, preserving a trophy, and fishing with kids. Anecdotes and fishing tips with a personal touch add form a smooth narrative flow for this superb guide for anglers of all skill and experience levels.

This is an excellent book for those yakers who are looking for an escape from motor boat laden waters. It is well illustrated and has helpful tips on where to put in and what to expect as you traverse the water ways.

we live in broad brook, connecticut and this is the first year we've had kayaks. in the early summer we met a woman on the scantic river near the somersville dam and she recommended this book. best tip of the year. there are so many great paddles in here that you'd never know about just by looking on a map. we'd been driving around, shooting in the dark, and mostly being disappointed by what we found. every paddle we've taken out of the book has been excellent. can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a lovely piece of travel writing about the Island of Rhodes by a master observer of both the human character and the land- and seascapes with which Greece and its islands always delight us. It is a richly sensuous account of Durrell's years in the British civil service just after the end of WWII and just before the island is handed back to Greece. The eye is feted with descriptions of fields, hills, oranges and lemons, and flowers of every form and color. Sounds range from the rhythm of the sea (alternately savage and soothing) to Greek folk songs to sparkling conversation with Brit expatriates (including Gideon the half-sighted wonder). The author even offers a neat summation of a Greek picnic in tems of smells: petrol, garlic, wine and goat. Intermingled with these delicious attacks on the senses there is the play of light over the island as the sun moves across the sky and its rays are filtered through sea mist, mythology and the grim reality of having to rebuild a nation and an island after Nazi cruelty has left it a shambles. Like it or not, the reader is filled in on some mildly interesting points in the author's understanding of ancient history and the medieval Knights of St. John, who came into possession of the island for a time. The last section is about an enormous cookout in honor of a saint at whose shrine miracles have been know to occur, even raising the dead. It is a stroke of irony that during the festivities a young child is run over by a truck and dies the following day despite the best efforts of Mills, a good hearted but overextended British doctor. All in all, this is a delightful book, highly recommendable for those who enjoy travel writing. But Durrell is no Rebecca West, and this is not an example of the best Durrell. But it isn't bad Durrell, either.

Lawrence Durrell wrote this little book based on his life on Rhodes after World War II. This a more mature and settled Durrell than the young man who first brought us "Prospero's Cell" about Corfu or who wrote the "Alexandria Quartet" from Egypt during the war. Durrell's work is a time machine, taking the reader back to recovering Rhodes amidst poverty, sunshine, vibrant villages, and sparkling seas. His eye is fresh and clear, and his descriptions transport the reader to a place and time that are ageless and real. Another small classic!

Reviewed by David Lundberg, author of Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece

This guidebook is divided into eight sections by geographic region, with a top-level map up front and detailed maps of each location by section. The entire book is black and white, but the maps and pictures are still crystal clear. The opening chapter is an index referencing any subject one could want to find in Rhode Island, from ballooning to antiques to quahogs to yachting. I was most impressed with the "Green Spaces" section for each region, listing dozens of outdoor parks and activities available in the Ocean State. While there are certainly other more detailed outdoor guidebooks to Rhode Island, they haven't been updated recently, and this is a great overview guide to the riches of "green space" available in Little Rhody. Also included are beaches with recommendations about what outdoor activities are appropriate at each. Plus, if you want to visit historic houses, historic churches, historic mansions, or general historic sites, this is the state and the guidebook for you.

For Activities, price information is noticeably missing. Perhaps detailed prices date a guidebook too much, but as a traveler, I'd like to get an idea whether this boat excursion or that historic house is within my general budget. Restaurants, on the other hand, are broken into price categories, and include terse yet informative descriptive information about the cuisine, location, and atmosphere. As a native, I'm well aware that hotels in Rhode Island are just plain more expensive than they are in other parts of the country. If you want to sleep in luxury, you can find some great direction from this guide. For a deal, I'd recommend utilizing Internet search engines. The low single-dollar-sign category in this book refers to hotels under a "mere" $95 (as of 2000).

There is something to be said for compact guidebooks, and this is not one. It is a generously oversized paperback with thick pages and both large fonts and margins. This isn't a book to tuck into your extra backpack pocket when trekking around. Then again, all that extra text left the authors room to inform me that Goddard Park was man-made by two generations of owners and is cited as one of the best man-made forestry projects of all time. Now, that's a new fact to try out on my parents!

This is a great book! Every time I am stumped on a local history question I can turn to this book and find the answer painlessly. As a guide to restaurants and attractions it just can't be beat. I recommend this book to locals and visitors as a great reference source.