Tours and Travel Books

I've lived in Florida, and studied archeology, all my life. Mac Perry reported on many sites that I had never known about, plus added information on those that I'd already visited. An excellent book, with a clear, interesting style.

Indian Mounds You Can Visit is informative and very interesting. A must read for anyone interested in Florida's history.

The Author has a style of writing that bring the reader into the world of Florida's first people. He very eloquently puts forth his message of conservation and protection. This book is packed with information on the various cultural periods of Florida pre-history like the Weeden Island and Safety Harbor people.

Excellent resource guide for planning your trip. Read it to see the fascinating and interesting places available to visit in London, that most guidebooks don't even mention. Took this book with me on an eight-day trip. Reviewed it every evening before going to sleep to see what we could squeeze in the following day. An indispensable book for visiting London.

This guide provides an excellent overview of art and history throughout London and as a result, I discovered museums I doubt I would have found otherwise. It's really treasure for any visitor to London who is interested in art.

This is the only guide I have found of its kind for London, and it is superbly done. Not only does it profile all the obvious, big-name museums, but also details dozens of smaller ones like the Guildhall Clock Museum, the Museum of Garden History, and the British Red Cross Museum and Archives (to name a few). As with all Insight Guides the photography is first-rate, and the larger format of this guide makes it even more accessible than their standard travel guides. The collaborative style in which this book was written really works - it feels fresh and engaging throughout. I bought this book with the intention of doing research on the Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museums, and discovered more than a dozen smaller venues I had never even heard of before. My recommendation is that this is a must for art-lovers and museumgoers, and for anyone interested in discovering obscure of London they may otherwise overlook. If you are going to London to look at art, take this book and a comfortable pair of shoes!!

This book is perfectly calculated to be read in the street on a hot day, holding the place lightly with a finger as one walks from one superb building to the next. Effortless learning and prose shine on them like a torch. The book has the humility to accept historical Islam on its own terms, uniquely explaining the Arabic texts written on walls already saturated with religious and political meaning. Is there any other guide quite like it and quite as good?

Caroline Williams and her predecessors have put together a marvelous guide to most of the Islamic monuments, large and small, in Cairo. The book is divided by sections of the city and Williams suggests several "tours" visitors can give themeselves. I found it a valuable "tour guide" when I was exploring the city and an important reference when cataloging my slides after returning home. With detailed information about the history and finer architectural points of some two hundred monuments, as well as tips for getting around Cairo, this book (or its paperback version, ISBN 977-424-316-2) is a must-have for every Cairo-bound traveller!

Cairo is one of the great cities in the world, and a walk through its Islamic areas transports you back hundreds, even thousands of years. This guide has been my bible as I've walked and walked and walked on many visits over the years. It illuminates what you see. Almost every block has something of interest, and it is invariably described lucidly in this guidebook.

Enough said -- if you want to walk through Islamic Cairo, you need this book. And if you don't want to walk, the book will make you want to!

As someone who is passionate about the 18th century France, I purchased Mr. Dolan's book with great excitement and many anticipations. I am happy to say, it was a purchase well made. Ladies of the Grand Tour is an interesting look into the minds and hearts of European Women living during a tulmultuous times. Mr. Dolan deftly weaves contrasting views on society (ex: Burke and Wollstonecraft sound off opposing opinions about my idol, Marie Antoinette) making for a well-balanced read.
Though I have never been a huge fan of the unctuous Wollstonecraft, I found her quotes in this book illuminating and thought-provoking.
Christopher Hibbert published a wonderful book titled THE GRAND TOUR which reads like an 18th Century Tour Book of several of the finest cities in Europe. As fantastic as that book is, it does not deliver the human drama, the emotions of the female travelers, that Dolan's masterpiece offers.
Bravo!

Leah Marie Brown,
Author of Willing Captive

I am delighted to be able to "live" 18th century travel through the eyes of the woman that Dolan brings to life. I am especially glad not to be travelling like they did - airport security gates are a much aggravation as I can take.

Dolan takes his topic broadly. The book is not just a recounting of travel incidents -- it spends considerable time on the significance of being abroad, particularly for those women who spend time in France during the Revolution, eventually fleeing as it turned into the Terror. He conveys a good sense of the differences between that time and this, when views and videos of faraway places are immediately and widely available.

This book is particularly set apart by Dolan's sensitive examination of the women's status in their society. I was particularly touched by his discussion of the double-bind that made "frivolous" if they concentrated on domestic and personal matters, but "unwomanly and unnatural" if they attempted to broaden their horizons. I was aware that women were not usually well-educated in this era, but surprised to learn of the panic engendered if they attempted self-education.

An excellent book for those interested in this era, in travel, or in the historical situation of women.

Brian Dolan has created a masterpiece of historical narrative, highlighting the trials and tribulations of being an 18th Century British woman with aspirations to anything OTHER than domesticity. The characters he, in many cases, rescues from obscurity are brought to brilliant life through their own words, and immediately upon finishing this book (which I read during a plane flight from Europe to California) I wanted to run out and read all I could find on Mary and Agnes Berry, Elizabeth Carter, Lady Webster, Cornelia Knight, Elizabeth Montagu, and especially the exploits of Helen Williams and Mary Wollstencraft during the French Revolution. I admire Mr. Dolan's blending of historic documents, correspondence and a spritely, slightly unobjective narrative to create a work of nonfiction that reads with the ease of a novel. I unreservedly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Georgian period or of the works for Katie Hickman or Venetia Murray.

Compiled and written by Troy Corley, Let's Go Buggy!: The Ultimate Family Guide To Insect Zoos And Butterfly Houses is a straightforward vacation guide to over 100 insect-themed, family-friendly places in the United States. From acquiring pet bugs, to butterfly releases, to honey harvest celebrations, and more, Let's Go Buggy! is chock full of locations, descriptions, and solid information concerning hours, admission fees, web sites, and more. Let's Go Buggy! is very highly recommended for planning a unique, distinctive, memorable, educational, and thoroughly fun family trip.

If you want to walk among a thousand butterflies or hope to excite your child about the wonders of insects, this is the book for you. I recommend Let's Go Buggy to everyone I meet who wants to visit a butterfly atrium or insect zoo. Its many other resources - web sites, book recommendations, etc. -- are excellent for insect enthusiasts of all ages.

I remember holding one of those jumping beans in my hand and wondering if I should take one home, because you never could tell what might escape. This book explains how Mexican jumping beans jump and gives you information on bug zoos and butterfly houses. I prefer the butterfly idea, but there are many fascinating insects. After living in Africa, I think I have seen enough bugs to last a lifetime, but I am still curious about insects like butterflies because they seem friendly and if a butterfly lands on you, you tend to feel rather fortunate to be visited by such a beautiful creature. You can have the beetles, they kept me up at night knocking around the room until I could release them out into the night.

Contents:

Go Buggy - This section takes up over half of the book and is a guide to insect zoos and butterfly houses organized according to states. In Washington you can visit the Tropical Butterfly House and Insect Village at the Pacific Science Center or go to the Bug World and Butterflies & Blooms at Woodland Park Zoo.

Admission prices, hours and detailed information is given for each location.

At the Butterflies in Flight section you enter a kaleidoscope of blooms bursting in 3,900 square feet of an indoor landscape framed by two greenhouse structures. Fluttering around the vibrant plant blossoms are about 1,000 flying flowers representing at least 15 North American butterfly and moth species. ~ info on Woodland Park Zoo

Bugged out - A swarm of bug festivals organized by the months of the year. In November it would be fun to be in San Jose, CA where they release hundreds of Monarch butterflies.

Bug Bytes - A web of bug cams and insect sites where you can watch ants at work in ant farms or research the latest buggy recipes or send a buggy e-mail card. You can order silk worms and those are fun to watch. I had a box of them as a child and used to feed them mulberry leaves from a tree down the street. I seem to remember leaving them there, on the tree. I don't think the owners appreciated it, but as a child, I had no idea what would happen. I laugh now at my innocence. It was fun to watch the silkworms munch away at the leaves and then spin their cocoons. Some of the stores provide seeds for growing plants butterflies love. There is a list of recommended reading although I'll skip the cookbooks.

Bug Bites - A guide to state insects and pet bugs. It was interesting to find out that the Green Darner Dragonfly is the state insect because I rather like dragonflies.

Bug Buzzwords - A glossary of buggy terms.

The author definitely seems to love butterflies and if you are interested in finding a butterfly house near you, then this is a great guide. Troy Corley also provides interesting information about how butterflies smell with their feet or how fast a honey bee flies.

~The Rebecca Review

Use literature and literary figures to follow in the footsteps of notable writers and their settings with the aid of a title which covers many destinations, from the Prague of Kafka to Steinbeck's California setting for Cannery Row. Add first-person reflections on the literature containing the settings and you have an excellent take-along or travel planner.

Literary Trips: Following In The Footsteps Of Fame is a superbly presented compendium of observations, adventures, and travels of and by some of the best loved writers as they trekked around the world. A magnificent armchair travelogue, Literary Trips is divided as the world is: Africa to Australasia (Paul Bowles, T. E. Lawrence, Rohinton Mistry, Bruce Chatwin); North America: West (Malcolm Lowry, The Beats, D. H. Lawrence, Garrison Keillor and Sinclair Lewis); North America: East (Tennessee Williams, Margaret Mitchell and Tom Wolfe, Ayn Rand, Mark Twain, Elizabeth Smart); Caribbean and Latin America (Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming and Noel Coward, John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood); Great Britain and Ireland (W. B. Yeats, Jane Urquhart and the Bronte Sisters, A. A. Milne, Agatha Christie and Jane Austen); Continental Europe (Knut Hamsun, The Lost Generation, Mary Shelley). Highly recommended for both school and community library collections, Literary Trips is enhanced for the reader with a section on biographies and a "user friendly" index. A novel and original feature of this publication is that any of the chapters are available as separate, individual e-texts and downloadable from the GreatestEscapes.com website.

This is a book to savor in a cigar lounge...in the corner of a jazz club...in front of a softly crackling fire at home. Or in a hammock under a royal palm in the deep, deep south.

I started out by nestling with the book into our oversized, down-filled sofa - and ended up traveling through one of the best reads of my life. Several times, I startled my husband with cries of "No kidding...Wow...I didn't know that...Ohmigod..." as I discovered new places in the hearts of my favorite authors. And delved into the lives of others I knew little about.

Literary Trips probes into the past, yet is formatted for the present. We're all used to reading in chunks now - short, self-contained sections that are complete, independent modules. And this book is totally "today" in that respect. Each chapter, written by a different person, is a complete story - gift-wrapped with its own special signature. Each has its own flavor, its own style, its own finds. Every writer has unearthed amusing tidbits and lively tales that add richness and depth to well researched and beautifully written prose.

The book is also an excellent travel guide for following in those famous footsteps. Each module contains a practical reference section listing hotels and other stomping grounds of famous feet ("Literary Sites"; "Literary Sleeps"). Each section also describes how to get to those grounds and provides useful tips and background information.

My favorite parts are the little surprises throughout. For example, did you know that: § Hemingway dedicated his Nobel Prize for literature to the patron saint of the basilica in Santiago de Cuba? § Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond novels at Goldeneye, his home in Jamaica, and named 007 after the local author of a book on birds? § When Ayn Rand was writing Atlas Shrugged, which took 12 years, she didn't leave her apartment for an entire month?

Another of the book's delightful dimensions is a smattering of recipes that could form a menu for a literary memorial party. You could honor D.H. Lawrence with his dandelion wine; Hemingway with double daiquiris; Mistry with Dhansak; and Sinclair Lewis with his "Sinful Christmas Cookies".

I'm always looking for inspiration for my own writing, and Lit Trips provides it on many fronts. Much of it comes from seeing so many authors "under one cover" - an excellent way to compare styles, to link lives, to see how they made their magic. But I was no less inspired by the talent of the book's contributing writers.

As an American who lived in London for 15 months, I thought I knew every museum in and around the city. But Ms. Kaplan's beautifully written guide introduced me to several unkown gems. What makes this guidebook so appealing, and unusual, is that in addition to decribing the museum's contents she tells you the story of how the museum came to be. Ms. Kaplan's fascinating anecdotes put the museums and their collections in the appropriate historical and political context making for a more meaningful visit. I also highly recommend her books about Paris and Berlin.

Beautifully illustrated and written, Kaplan reveals the real London -- the London most first-time visitors don't get a chance to see using traditional guide books. I highly recommend it for a more intellectual and quirky view of this eccentric culture and people. This takes you to a world way beyond the norm you never would have seen otherwise. I use her guides for all the cities she chooses to write about --

Rachel Kaplan's delightful guide provides timely support for museums off the beaten track in the wake of the recent move to make many of London's larger and more famous entrance-charging museums, including the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, free of charge. The books provides a wealth of information about the content and appeal of the museums, yet also fuels the readers' desire to see for themselves. The one problem, almost inevitably with this type of volume, lies with the subjectivity of the selection. Some museums, such as the Museum of London, are arguably too well known to merit inclusion, whilst others, including the fascinating Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, are inexplicably absent. Nevertheless, an admirably wide range of museum types is presented, catering to a diverse range of readers. It is useful for numerous demographics, from those looking for a child-orientated outing that involves more than looking at dinosaurs to those who might want an unusual alternative to tours of stately homes.

Despite the Horniman Museum quibble, inclusion of quirky South London venues including the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Cuming Museum, the Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum and the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum provides a laudable exception to the prevalent North and West London bias exhibited in virtually all London guides to tourist attractions and events. Whilst the three latter entries are marginal collections that deserve the praise and exposure they receive here, the Dulwich Picture Gallery is a highly significant art collection. This book forms a useful supplement to familiar general publications, such the Rough Guides, which do not have the space to enter into such textual and pictorial detail on individual collections. Kaplan's elegant and deceptively simple prose distils an extraordinary amount of scholarship into a compulsively readable form. It is an uncommon pleasure to read a guidebook marked by such a rigorous intellectual element as well as clear evidence of comprehensive first-hand knowledge and enthusiasm.

this handy guide is also great (see streetwise maps for maps). Be sure to review them before you leave to be sure they cover the area you will be in because they are mostly "on the beaten path" items. I suggest also doing research on Frommers.com to be sure you dont miss something not covered in these books. These books are compact and easy to carry while traveling in city. Did not use for the resturaunts that is something that you need to find by exploring or research blogs but these hit the major sites in easy to read categories with simple maps. I would buy these for all my city travels.

I'd like to echo Language Nut's praises of this book. For in-hand, pocketable street guides, Moon Metro London is second to none. Our brief trip to London recently was a breeze as I was able to carry this in my pocket and pull out when necessary, without looking like an obvious tourist.

Each district map is detailed enough for walking around the city, and allows you to check where you are without unfolding a 5' by 5' paper map of the entire city.

While it did cover the major sights and locales of London, I would suggest using a more detailed guide book for planning purposes. This one was fantastic for taking with you to navigate the city, but prior to the trip you will likely want a more exhaustive guide to the city.

This slim 120 page London guide was wonderful for out trip to London. This year I have ordered the Paris guide for out trip there. Each London "neighborhood" (distict section of the city) is briefly covered for conviences and highlights (i.e. hotels, restaurants, amusements, shops and sights) and then fold out into a wonderful laminated street map of the area. The book also contains a section with one page devoted to each major "sight"; and sections on restaurants, shops, city essentials and a street index. A color coded metro is also included at the back of the book. Invaluable book: the most useful that found while in London.

This book is comprehensive and well written. Anyone ( guest or resident) wanting to discover the essence of Atlanta- "the greatest city in the South" - will want to buy this book. ed hess

This is a very valuable Guide, especially for visitors to Atlanta with limited time. It contains excellent descriptions of each site and will assist you in choosing which venue to visit.

I have been to quite a few of the museums in Atlanta and this guidebook is spot on in its descriptions and its reviews. Truely a must have for anyone into the arts or history of Atlanta

I found this book very helpful and had to own it. I first reviewed the book after getting it from the library.

This is a nice size book that you can use to both plan your trip to Arizona as well as bring with you while you're traveling. It's a paperback with a heavy-duty cover. It also gives you an overview of the history of Arizona going back thousands of years ago to the present. The book divides the state into regions and then spends about 1-2 pages on a place or town. Just about all of the book (about 230 pages) is spent on this, the back of the book (about 30 pages) is spent listing various hotels and restaurants in each area. (Frankly I'd just get a AAA guide if that's all you're looking for) Websites are given for most of the places discussed in the book so you can get more information. I wouldn't use this book as my only guide to Arizona, but it is a good start!

This book is organized very well for people who are interested in planning a trip to Arizona and want to make sure they do not miss any of the great sites. The book is organized by area, allowing the reader to focus on a particular area of the state. Lots of pictures and great descriptions provide good information and a good idea of what to expect.

I used this book to start planning a trip, and it worked out very well. Note however, that I also had some additional books to find more information about specific areas, Arizona history, hikes, and much more. This type of information is not provided at a great level of detail here.