Camps Books

TELL ME ANOTHER MORNING

This book was first published and released in 1961 and has since been re-released. The beautiful cover was what caught my eye, as I had never heard of this book.

This is a true account of a survivor's recolletion of being in a concentration camp during World War Two. God forbid, God help us all, this actually took place such a short time ago, in the 1940's.

The author tells her story in a beautiful and honest way. While never really going into the gruesome details of what happened to herself, her friends, family, and the thousands and thousands of other poor souls, this is a factual story of one girl's world ripped apart and hurled into the bowels of hell.

I was actually hesitant to read this book due to the subject matter. I knew it would be unpleasant and frightening and scary, but I could not stop turning the pages! Who can forget reading THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK? I believe this book should be read in history classes in schools around the world.

Zdena Berger tells her true life story in a way that reads like fiction so this does not seem like a school text book. While you KNOW what is happening to people at the camps, she gracefully and vaguely explains situations.

I salute the survivors of these awful camps. While I was reading this book I could not help but imagine and think what I would do in this situation. These were real people, living their lifes as you and I are now, then suddenly being thrown into these camps. One cannot imagine.

Hats off to Zdena Berger for letting us share in her awful past and for becoming the strong person she did. Read this book!

Thank you!!

Pam

This is a beautiful, beautiful book. Everyone should read it-- it is a real testament to the power of friendship and the strength of the human spirit in the midst of unthinkable horror. The prose is elegant, spare and devoid of self-pity.

Zdena Berger's "Tell Me Another Morning" documents and depicts the worst of humanity-- the atrocities inflicted on innocent people in times of war. Yet her story, written in poetically charged prose, is ultimately a testament to love and compassion, and reading it is an empathy-building experience. The effect of Berger's book recalls Bertold Brecht's poem: In the dark times/ Will there also be singing?/ Yes there will be singing/ About the dark times.

Beautifully written, amazingly hopeful. It accomplishes through fiction what is almost too hard to read in memoir form -- what it was like to be a teenage girl in the concentration camps. I agree with Ernest Gaines -- this really is a classic. Rare today, but true.

"Tell Me Another Morning" must be read as a companion piece to "Diary of Anne Franck." Anne's story ended when her family was discovered and dispersed to concentration camps. Tania (Zdena Berger) tells the story Anne couldn't, the struggle of a young girl and two friends to survive in the camps under the most impersonal and banal evil mankind is capable of inflicting.

Our dramas are populated with monsters in human form expending great energy and taking huge enjoyment in dispensing evil. We are fascinated as they revel in horror.

Zdena Berger shows us the other, more chilling face of evil. Tania faced one wholly different and vastly greater, the evil of indifference of one human to the humanity of another, multiplied thousands of times. Towards the end it is shocking that the faceless guards pull a cruel joke by adding glass to the prisoners' bread, because until that point the guards seemed too indifferent to suffering to take any pleasure in causing or even noticing it.

The three friends, Ilse, Eva, and Tania, grew during their trials, drawing strength and gaining character as their oppressors shrank into pitiful caricatures. Clearly none of them could have survived without the others, as each did small, selfless acts at times that helped her friends to find strength and courage to go on. Once, after charming chocolate from male prisoners, Ilse gave it all to Eva and led Tania in pretending that they were sharing it so that Eva did not know she had the only piece.

"Tell Me Another Morning" is painstakingly crafted, and fills a high position on my personal list of best books. It is Zdena's only book, and her story is a classic for all times and should never again be allowed to go out of print.

I will never forget the friendship and courage of Tania, Eva, and Ilse, and I encourage all to join them on their immortal quest, powered by hope, to rekindle humanity from the ashes of indifference.

This is a short book (80 pages) about cats, and the weird things they do. There really isn't a lot of reading involved - this is more of a pictorial. Very good, descriptive pictures portray the things we love about cats the most - their weirdness and individuality (or so you thought until you see this book & realize ALL cats do this stuff!)

For the cat lover - this book is a must! You will thoroughly enjoy this fun loving book! Included is a Kitty Weirdness Scale (KWS) so that you can score your own cat and compare him/her to other cats. One excerpt; 275 points or more "Verify that your animal is not a Tasmanian Devil."

A few of my personal favorites in this book include Laziness, Drinking, Body Language, and (I'm sorry to say it) Barfing. These pictures are the best in describing cats and the (definately weird) things they do!!

Enjoy! I sure did!!

1smileycat :-)

Very interesting, had very good drawings of real live cats. This entertaining piece of mind, had sub-topics and scoring. Most enjoyable for your inner love of cats. Covers most antics of cats, from vainess to drooling. Last, but not least, my personal favorite, the kws scale (kitty weirdness scale). Has a delightful description on every level. I highly reccomend this book.

Great book with brilliant art pictorial descriptions of weird behavior. I am afraid that all of mine are off the scale. However it id difficult to find a behavior that is not in the book. With the exception of washing the caned food in the water dish like some sort of raccoon.
In the back of the book is an attempt to help you deal with these little (ok maybe big) wierdies.

This is one funny book! I have finally found someone who is as crazy about cats as am I. Missy Dizick clearly knows cats and cat owners. Plus, her art is beautiful!I know that my cats are crazy and that is one thing that I love about them. Dogs are . . . BORING. I recommend this book to all of my cat-loving friends and they tell me that they love it also. Thanks, Missy.

My cats...you should meet them, they're insane. And until I bought this book, I thought that a) I was the only one with odd cats and b) perhaps my perceptions were clouded. No, it's true, my beadspread sucking, flapping and screaming, last pair of pantyhose shredding, gettin' stuck on the roof overnight, fighting with the wrong dogg kitties, all 12 of them, just test really high in the KWS, or Kitty Wierdness Scale. Missy Dizick writes from the perspective of a person who could only have many very wierd cats who shred seedlings, eat wierd stuff, and so on. Even after 30 or so readings, this book still has me rolling on the floor every time. I laugh so hard that my abs are improving just from this book. It's been loaned to so many cat loving friends it's falling apart. You must have this book. Its so funny you won't believe it.

I am quite proud of "Unemployment Boot Camp," which I wrote to help those of you who've lost a job and along with it, their sense of identity,to better cope with the stigma of job loss. I've looked at the scant number of books out there which address the topic of unemployment. They typically include information on "how to write your resume" and "how to prepare for a job interview." My book does none of these things. Instead, this book teaches you how to make "taking charge of your life" the full-time job you're looking for, enabling you to maintain and build upon your self-esteem at a time when thinking highly of yourself has become quite the challenge. Keep believing in yourself and use this time wisely---to build a better you. Feel free to email me your questions or any feedback that's been useful to you in your quest to find yourself at: unemployed_bootcamp@yahoo.com. Best of luck!

As a graduate student in communications, I recently conducted a lot of research on the topic of unemployment for a report. "Unemployment Boot Camp: Tactics for Suriving and Thriving in the 21st Century" was one of several books I read. I thought the boot camp theme was cleverly utilized in an unemployment handbook and found the contents, with it's references to 9/11, the Great Depression and Hollywood movies about unemployment to be diverse, engaging and historically informative. It's clear that R.A. Long lived every word of the advice she recommends!

Don't let the title intimidate you! "Unemployment Boot Camp: Tactics for Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century" by R.A. Long packs just the right punch to take you out of the "woe is me" frame of mind that job loss hurls you into. The author's writing style is straightforward and real, conveying the sense that she's been where you are and that things can and will get better if you follow the drills set forth in the book. I loved that "Unemployment Boot Camp" was a quick read, with brief exercises and doable steps rather than a more overwhelming size, which I wouldn't have been able to handle anyway given my overwhelomed frame of mind. After reading the "Battle Plans" and Survivial Think Tank" exercises, I actually felt better about myself and my future. This is a must-read for anyone who is about to lose their job or has just been laid-off.

This book really addressed all of the elements of job loss that I experienced after getting the boot from my management career in corporate America. From the whispering in the halls before the axe begins to fall, to the sense of identity loss one feels after losing the label of what they did for a living, "Boot Camp" really captures the experience of being downsized. The "Survival Think Tank" exercises and "Battle Plan" action steps contained in each "Mission" (chapter)helped me strategize and develop an action plan for moving forward. The "can do" tone of the book encouraged me to incorporate a physical fitness routine and other behaviors into my life in order to stay mentally sharp and ready for the next opportunity. The kitschy military theme of the book works wonders with the unemployed mindset. It helped me pull myself out of bed everyday and gave me a renewed sense of purpose. I highly recommend "Unemployment Boot Camp" for anyone who's lost a job or is looking to change career paths. It will deliver fast action-oriented results!

Mike Miller (Phoenix, AZ)

I was feeling sorry for myself when I came across this powerful book and its boot camp concept. It was brief and engaging enough to read it in an afternoon, which I did,and that alone made me feel like I'd accomplished something. The next day I began putting the recommendations into practice and I've been going strong ever since. You may think it's self-explanatory what you need to do to dig yourself out of a rut, but I wouldn't have been able to think up the exercises that R.A. Long suggests. I think it saved me a lot in the way of legwork and time which I put to good use getting myself together. This is a must read if you're unemployed!

This is a true story of the Gulag. Gustav Herling was arrested because he fled across an international boundary and the Russians suspected he was related to Hermann Goring. Of course this was crazy. At the time, Russia was allied with Germany, and Herling was fleeing the Nazis. His one and half years in a Gulag camp in the Artic north is featured in this story. He relates how prisoners were sapped of their energy and then died. The prominent theme was the hunger of the prisoners. They were slowly starved to death. Other stories relate the one or two days a year the prisoners were given off, the disgraced NKVD prisoners and their fate, and the cultural activities.

This is an interesting read. This is not for the feint of heart. Murder, rape, hunger, and the loss of humanity were what happened in the camps. Herling portrays this vividly in this book. The book blasts the system of slave labor in the Soviet Union.

The imagery in the book is not for the faint of heart. Its a brutal book - a study of the human condition when devoid of hope, set against impossible odds, and where a temporary relief from the pain may turn out to be an insufferable shock.

Its also a deeply moral book - that seeks to find answers to the most grotesque acts of depravity in the context of these acts... where a man's face cracking under the weight of boots may be the path to freedom.

A World Apart is reminiscent of A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch. Where A Day in the Life... is defined by a mood of monotony and despair, A World Apart provides greater detail in the events defining the two year prison existence of Gustaw Herling.

The book is beautifully written and completely unsentimental. There are no lessons in the power of the human spirit. It is the men who do not cling to hope who have a chance of survival. Hope means recognizing the obliqueness of the present situation. This knowledge is what brings despair and death.

This is the most graphic account I have read of the gulags. Gustaw manages to step back from the events taking place and with out sentiment or condemnation report. Herling writes that inhumane conditions will change the behavior of those individuals affected. Some of the prisoners actions can be explained in light of this. Highly recommended.

Perhaps the best summary of this book comes from Bertrand Russell himself who wrote an introduction to the first English edition of "World Apart" in 1951: "Among the many books that I have read about experiences of the victims of the Soviet prisons and camps, the `World Apart' by Gustaw Herling impressed me the most and is best written. This book possesses very rarely seen power of simple and lively narrative and it is completely impossible to question anywhere his truthfulness."

In spite of this testimony from one of the greatest intellectuals of the XX Century, the book did not enjoy much recognition for many years. Even today, more than half a century after its publication, this masterpiece still remains in relative obscurity, save the Herling's native Poland. It is an example of a thing done by "a wrong guy at the wrong time in the wrong place". Czeslaw Milosz explained that condition somewhat like this: After the war Gustaw Herling was known more for his service in the Polish Army of Wladyslaw Anders considered at the time, especially in France and Italy, as Fascist and the book was clearly anti-Soviet. At the same time the prevailing mood, especially among the left-leaning intellectuals was decisively pro-Soviet. After all the Soviet Union was an Ally who played decisive role in the defeat of the Nazi Germany.

The true nature of the Soviet system was not fully revealed and acknowledged until the publication of Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" (1963) and, more importantly, "The Gulag Archipelago" (1974). Important as these works are, however, the testimony of Herling preceded them by more than a decade and it is the first, as far as I can tell, in depth account of the reality of Soviet system. Unfortunately the works by Solzhenitsyn did not do much good to redeeming this book's value. Perhaps, they even overshadowed it.

The "World Apart" is an account of the real events that happened during Herling's "tenure" in the camps of Kargopole in the deep North of the Soviet Union. And the real were the people he wrote about. But this book is not merely an account of these unspeakable events. Herling goes much further. He offers his analysis of "what happened how and why". And he offers the portraits of people describing what can happen to a man under the conditions of extreme terror, cold, hunger and overwork. It is a warning to all those "homegrown moralists" who in the comforts of their secure existence in freedom feel in their rights to pass judgments on others regardless of circumstances they really know nothing about.

However horrific were the events described and however terrible was what happened to and with the people in the camps the overall "climate", if you will, of this book is not altogether gloomy. While not concealing what happened with the inmates in terms of their own behavior, Gustaw Herling refrains very consistently from passing judgments on them. The inmates were ordinary people and their misery, including sometimes complete moral disintegration and loss of dignity, was inflicted upon them and they were the victims. One cannot demand impossible from others and cannot expect something he had not proven capable of delivering himself.

But his judgment of the nature of the Soviet system itself is unmistakable and uncompromising. It is astonishing that even today while there is hardly any confusion as to the nature of the Nazism, there is still much ignorance, misunderstanding and under-appreciation for the evils of Communism, including it's most degraded Stalinist brand. "World Apart" by Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski fully deserves to be recognized as one of the most in-depth, original analysis of the nature of the Soviet system (and beyond) and is a genuine masterpiece of the literature of the XX Century. If there is a work that this book should be compared to it is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Notes from the Underground".

I first read The Gulag Archipelago when I was in middle school, and it left a lasting impression. What I hadn't realized was there were other authors who had written about the subject before Solzhenitsyn.

Herling's book is a very readable introduction to life in the GULAG; he was a prisoner for eighteen months until he was released to work as part of the war effort. Told from a first-person perspective, it's not as detailed and doesn't present as many disparate views as The Gulag Archipelago but is still very interesting and enlightening.

It's especially recommended if you're curious about the subject and don't have the patience or the time to work through Solzhenitsyn's works.

The strength of the black and white photography strongly captures the feel of the dramatic geography and history of Yellowstone. The intriguing story of the photographer written by Mark Bagne and the detailed restoration of the photographs create a book I will keep on my coffee table for years. This book is a grand tribute to our first National park and stands as a reminder that we must preserve Yellowstone for future generations.

A couple of good friends of mine recommended this book to me. I can't thank them enough for bringing the art of Jack Richard to my attention. The book is wonderfully put together - the selected photos included provide a great introduction to the art of Jack Richard while the text gives you an understanding of what the Yellowstone Country must have meant to the artist. I hope that the authors are hard at work on a second well deserved tribute to the art of Jack Richard!

As my Mom used to tell it, Jack Richard was a gentleman who happened to be a photographer! He did it all--from capturing the splendor of Yellowstone to making portraits of people who lived and worked around the Cody area. Many of the photos he took of my grandparents are lost, but the surviving images are amazing. In this book, Wyoming Journalist Bark Bagne takes us behind Richard's camera and allows us a glimpse into his life and love as a photographer. Bagne, who honed his skills at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and Cody Enterprise during the past two decades, is a perfect match for the story. Anyone who has a love for photography or Wyoming will cherish this book.

The black and white photographs contained in this book -- some never-before-seen -- are absolutely stunning! Mark Bagne's text is as crisp and informative as the photos! Definitely a must-see-and-read book for all!

Many of the photographs in this book remind me of my own childhood growing up in Wyoming. Mark Bagne has done a great job of capturing the feel of the pictures with his writing. This will make a great gift for my mountain-loving friends.

I liked this book because I'm interested in WWII history and I like horses. I enjoyed reading about Annie's struggles and joys -her struggles for independance, her friends, (especially Tally, who seems like a really good friend) her days at summer camp, and the way everything turns out neatly in the end despite her parent's predjudices and strict ways. However, there was one place where the author erred, and that was in regards to Annie's age in the book. If you read the first book in the series, Journey to America, you'll see that Annie turned four in 1938, the year the series began. At the beginning of Annie's Promise, set in the summer of 1945, Annie says that she's nearly 13, but if the chronological order was correct, she should be 11. Otherwise, this is a great story! I would happily recommend it.

Annie has two older sisters and a mother and father. She, unlike her sisters, is a total tomboy. She wants to go to summer camp so she can learn to ride horses and meet new people. At the camp, Quaker Pines, she knows no one a first. On the way there she meets Tallahassee a new friend and an older boy named John Wright. When she arrives at the camp she meets a girl named Nancy Rae who hates her before she knows her. From there on Annie tries to solve problems that keep on coming.
I loved this book. I liked it because this book is full of suspense and drama. I would say it is a book more for young girls, over the age of eleven, but I am sure boys would like it just as much. I also liked it because it was about a girl my age. I found out what it was like for her in 1945, in America, during and after World War II. My friend also commented that she loved this book also. I strongly recommend this book, especially if you like drama!

This book was a very good book indeed. The setting is very important in this book. It takes place right after WW2 ended. The setting is important because if the setting were different, the whole plot would probably be different. If it took place now, Tally and Annie wouldnt be discriminated.

This book was a very good book indeed. The setting is very important in this book. It takes place right after WW2 ended. The setting is important because if the setting were different, the whole plot would probably be different. If it took place now, Tally and Annie wouldnt be discriminated.

Before reading this I had already read the two prequels,"Journey to America" and "Silver Days". They toldthe story of the Platt family secretly immigrating to the US - Mama, Papa, bossy Ruth, lovable Lisa, and little and cute Annie who is to, put it bluntly, the baby of the family and everyone knows it. So I picked up this book imagining it was just another Levitin book. WAS I WRONG! I read the back cover seeing "Annie Platt, twelve years old", and immediately thought to myself, "That's little baby Annie my age!" So I read it and to this day I still love it, a great book and it's great to see what her big sisters are up to also - Ruth a nurse like she wanted to be and Lisa a worker. Great book. Read it.

This is an interesting and well-illustrated book on ghost towns and mining camps in Arizona. The book is divided into eight sections (most in the southern part of the state), and within each section the various sites are described and located.

Each section has one major ghost town as its main attraction (Oatman, Swansea, Vulture, Sasco, Ruby, Jerome, Clifton, and Bisbee), and then several nearby sites are listed and described. Many photographs (historical and contemporary) are included, all of high quality and on slick paper, similar to the magazine Arizona Highways, which published the book.

Important for people who actually enjoy visiting ghost towns when possible, Varney tells exactly how to find each site, whether a high-clearance vehicle is necessary to get there, and whether each is on private property or not. The book is useful, informative, and a pleasure to read. Anyone interested in ghost towns in Arizona, whether as an armchair traveler or in-the-field explorer, will want to have this book.

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[Paired review with Ghost Towns of Colorado, by Philip Varney]

Ghost town books are traditionally rather scruffy affairs, with dim
photos, little organization and an amateurish look. Philip Varney
has raised the bar with these two books. Both feature clean design,
good directions to the sites, excellent photographs and well-written
text. Varley writes "I wanted a practical, informative guide that
would give me the details I needed next to me on the sea of my
truck." Both books are squarely on his mark.

The Colorado book is nicer: all the present-day photographs are in
color, and the extra 24 pages allow more photos and a bit more depth
to the text. But the Arizona book is no slouch: it has the advantage of
Arizona Highways' long experience in producing good, easy-to-use
guidebooks (plus it's cheaper). I've been to most of the sites in both
books; in almost every case I've learned something new from his
books. The photos are excellent, the maps and directions are easy to
follow, and Varney's writing style is personable and informative.

Either book will make a fine companion for your next Colorado or
Arizona vacation, even if you don't ordinarily pay much attention
to ghost towns. Those with an interest in Western history *need*
both books. And they're both excellent for armchair travellers.
We're already talking about a Colorado trip next summer --
Kathleen's never seen the *real* South Park.

Varney really has no competition for either state. These are the two
best ghost-own guidebooks I've seen. He'salso written ghost-town
guides for New Mexico (1987?) and Southern California (1990). The NM book is decent, but out-of-date. I haven't seen the other.

Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Consulting Geologist, Tucson & Santa Fe (USA)

Pete Tillman visited his first Colorado ghost towns some 40 years ago, and has since been to hundreds more throughout the West, both for work and for fun. Vulture (AZ) is his current favorite "true" ghost. But, hmm, Bodie (CA) is bigger and better-kept.... And Jerome (AZ) has the best views... And I've *still* never been to Crystal (CO). So much to see, so little time....

I found this book to have some very interesting photographs and accurate information about the Arizona area. Good resource book for accurate historical information.

This book contains a wealth of factual background data on each ghost town, as well as numerous "back then" and "see it now" photographs. The book maintains the high standards expected from the publishers of "Arizona Highways Magazine"

This book is probably the best ghost town book published for any state in the U.S.. It is nicely divided up by area of Arizona. So you can easily travel to a particular area and visit a few ghost towns in a row in a rather short period of time. Each area has its principle site (uually the site with most to see and the most history). Also, two to six secondary sites area listed for each area. Then minor sites are also listed so you can prioritize you visits to maximize what you see in a smaller amount of time.
The author also includes detialed driving directions and if a four wheel drive or high clearance vehicle is needed to get there. The pictures in this book are amazing. I am guessing that there is information on over 100 ghost towns in this book. Due to the dry climate, the ghost towns here tend to stay pretty well preserved. And the author does a good job of showing you the best there is to see here. I have personally visited probably 30 to 50 of the towns in this book, and I am telling you it is worth every penny.

This book will have you in tears with its beauty in the face of diversity so extreme you can't imagine unless you've talked with a survivor of these internment camps. The level of the art is very fine, museum quality. It is hard to believe they had to scrounge the materials from dump piles and surplus. Anyone who doesn't think art can save lives should get this book.

The heart and spirit of the japanese internees continued to shine within the walls of their confinement. They found beauty and admiration of beautiful things living in desolate and inhumane conditions of the prison camps. This is a understated book with touching stories to tell.

Delphine Hirasuna is to congratulated on producing a fascinating and moving tribute to the 120,000 Japanese who were interned, firstly in makeshift Assembly Centers for a few months then in Relocation Camps until 1946. It took until 1988 before a Presidential apology was forthcoming for the blatant violation of their civil rights by the federal government.

I think the strength of the book is the background to why the art and craft was produced. Hirasuna explains the rounding up process and public perceptions towards the Japanese only a few months after Pearl Harbor, the locations of the camps (as remote as possible it seems) and daily struggle in a hostile environment.

On page seventeen there is a map of the US and some camp statistics including a reference to Crystal City in Texas which bizarrely held 2264 ethnic Japanese from Latin and South America (1811 from Peru) who, having been forcibly taken to the camp, were then accused of entering the country illegally! After the war the Peruvians were not allowed to return home until Congress sorted out this injustice in 1953.

Look at the paintings, sculpture, craftwork and furniture and be amazed that most of it was created from whatever materials were available, discarded wood, sacking, vegetation, rocks, shells and anything that could be cut, woven or molded. My favorites are twenty-two brooches made from shells, ribbon and wire and they look just stunning. On pages 104-5 you can see a Buddhist shrine, five foot tall, with the most intricate carvings and hard to believe that it was probably made from firewood.

In the back of the book there is some background information about Japanese history museums and a short bibliography which strangely misses out Manzanar: Photography by Ansel Adams, Commentary by John Hersey. A more recent look at the subject is Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment a portfolio of photos by Dorothea Lange. Unfortunately the reproduction and design of the book don't do the photos justice.

The Art of Gaman is beautifully printed and designed (by Kit Hinrichs of Pentagram) and a suitable tribute to creativity in hard times.

***FOR A LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.

This book shows artwork done with minimal supplies in the Japanese-American concentration camps of the western US during WWII. The images are high quality, in color, and very thought-provoking.

This work documents the extensive detainment of Japanese
citizens during the later period of WWII. These prisoners
were kept in whitewashed horse stalls in California, Oregon
and the State of Washington. The camps emphasized education
including arts/crafts with a shortage of teachers.

Fine works of art include:
- The Natural Form of a Snake by Obata
- Kobu by Matsuhiro
- A Bonsai Notebook by Iseyama
- Shell Broaches and Corsages by Iwa Miura and Shintaku

The volume is a solid value for the price charged. It is a must
for serious students of WWII and historians everywhere.

I bought this book and, first try, camped in the nicest campsite that I have ever driven a vehicle into (still can't beat some backpacking sites, but backpacking sites are not the subject of this book). Besides a descriptive narrative for each recommended campsite, there are very helpful "Key Information" and "To Get There..," sections. Use this book once and it will be worth the money.

If you like noise, crowds of people near your campsite, large RV's with cable TV, or think the best thing about the Smoky Mountains is Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, this book is not for you. If the your ideal vacation includes none of the above listed things, you will enjoy Johnny Molloy's guide to exploring and enjoying the Smoky Mountains. Well written and well researched, this book is the best I've discovered on finding off-the-beaten path campsites in the nation's most visited national park.

The Best In Tent Camping The Southern Appalachian & Smoky Moutains
This book was very easy to navigate. The author divides the book by the four states that he reviews; North & South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Finding the best of the best in this book is easy due to a star rating scale found on each campgrounds page. My husband and I are looking for particular attributes in a campground, so by looking up the number of stars listed for our needs it was easy to narrow the focus. Here are the criteria the campgrounds are rated against, and given stars for; Beauty, Site privacy, Site spaciousness, Quiet, Security, Cleanliness. Thumbnail maps are shown, including how to get there instructions. Key information is listed in a quick list format that is helpful which includes; address, operated by, websites, phone numbers, open dates, what each site has, fee's etc. As you read the narrative portion of the book you can tell that the author was at each and every site. He provides details of each campground such as which tent sites are the most popular for views, secluded etc. That is helpful. We can't wait to get out there and check it all out for ourselves.

I live near the Smoky Mountains, and was blown away by the number of campsites I didn't know existed within a 50 mile radius of my city. This is a great book for weekend trips or a small vacation on the cheap. Especially good for novice campers (like me!) who want to get away without going totally backcountry. This is a beautiful area and, though crowded in spots, this guide points you to some of the more secluded and well-maintained campsites.

I've read several of Johnny Malloy's books, and his Best in Tent Camping books are a great resource for those who want to avoid the RV parking lots that many campgrounds have become. Other reviewers echo my feelings here. However, a couple of things about this particular book could be improved upon. Firstly, the others in this series that I've read by Malloy have maps of the individual campgrounds after each review, which I find to be very helpful in orienting myself, particularly when he recommends certain sites. For some odd reason, this book does not. Secondly, I was unhappy with the amount of material lifted verbatim from his "Best of Tent Camping: The Carolinas." I already own that book, and found that all of the reviews for campgrounds in North and South Carolina were identical in both. I understand that perhaps a lot of new material might not be available to add to/improve upon the descriptions. But had I known this, I might have just purchased his guide to Tennessee and Kentucky instead, since they probably would have overlapped and covered everything in this volume, plus more (with the exception of a few in Georgia). That said, I would still highly recommend this book if you aren't planning on purchasing others in the series covering the same areas.

This book was much more detailed than I expected. It covers the entire Mountain State from top to bottom and east to west.It is well researched the author definatly spent time at each location. He also covers obscure locations as well as popular destinations. Anyone intending to use the campgrounds of West Virginia should have this book.. Well worth the price.

My husband and I picked this book up on a fluke. It was the best thing to happen to us on our trip. The book provided excellent suggestions and descriptions of rustic campsites. It was excellent. I would definitely recommend it if you don't have a clue as to where you're going but you know what you want.....to be away from RVs, portable radios, etc!

Back when I was a youngster growing up in Columbus, Ohio my parents would often find relief from the heat by taking my family on monthly camping trips into West Virginia. I remember the shady trees and cool springs that were a second home to me, my two sisters and young brother.

Now that I have my own family complete with three young children ages 9,7 and 4 it is most important to me that they come to appreciate and respect the outdoors- especially W.V., where I spent so much time as a youth.

Of course, I remember the old campsites that I long ago visited; but my wife and I decided to explore more of the camping scene in W.V. While in a local bookstore, I came upon this camping guide of West Virginia by Johnny Molloy. This little treasure has been a great guide in our quest to search out new sites to visit.

This book is directly responsible for trips to Tomlinson Run (in the panhandle), Kanawah State Forest (near Charleston) and Bishop Knob (in the beautiful Monongahela National Forest). My wife and I hope to eventually visit all the camp sites in Mr. Molloy's book.

When I mention to the kids that we are going on a camping trip, I can't quite help but notice the thoughts of coming adventures and fun in their eyes and smiles. It reminds me of my brother and sisters some 25 years ago. Thanks to Mr. Molloy for his great stuff.

Danny Walker Columbus, OH

Best in Tent Camping: West Virginia

I just got back from the best trip! After sweltering most of the summer I decided to head for the cool mountains of West Virginia. A roommate in college was from there and suggested I go camping in the Mountain State. I found Johnny Molloy's book and away I went. I started in the south end of the state at Bluestone State Park. The lake was refreshing and the nights were much cooler than at home. After this I headed really high and went to Spruce Knob Lake, at 4,000 feet the highest campground in the entire guidebook. Oh, the weather was spectacular! I fished the lake and went hiking in the nearby Seneca Creek Backcountry. The trip to Upper Seneca Falls was idyllic. I tell you what -- I'm gonna try to get up there when the leaves turn, because West Virginia is the unsung outdoor jewel of the East. (make up name and place, someone from the South

Louise Johnson, Richmond, VA

I was anxiously awaiting the publication of this book for my May trip to WV. I picked a campground based on this guide, and once again I was not disappointed! The site was the best one I've camped at yet--very private, beautiful, peaceful, quiet--just as described in the book. The guide rates the campgrounds based on beauty, security, spaciousness, and quiet--four very important factors to me. It also describes campground costs, facilities, area attractions, and gives directions. I like knowing what the site will be like--fire ring or fire grate, picnic table, graded tent pad, etc. All of this information contributes to a great camping experience without unpleasant surprises.

This is the second great camping trip I've had thanks to Johnny Molloy. I also bought his guide to camping in the Smoky Mountains and was rewarded with another memorable vacation there. I will continue to use these guides to plan my camping trips, and I can't wait to see what the next published guide will be!