Tours and Travel Books

As one reviewer mentions, this guide fits nicely into the big empty, underserved middle of guidebooks that cater neither to broke backpackers or the wealthy. It leans toward the lower end with its inclusion of hostels in the accommodations section, but overall it's a nice alternative to the extremes. I suppose Rick Steve and Frommer cover the midrange budget too, but this one does so with much more originality--its choices are usually a bit less bland or stuffy than those guides.

The guide is particularly welcome in its choices of many interesting cafes, bars and restaurants I did not find in any other guidebooks, including great casual and non-budget breaking neighborhood places for food, and small, atmospheric, authentic cafes frequented by ordinary locals, rather than the usual Paris choice of moneyed professional locals or tourists.

The guides to sights and neighborhoods are, on the other hand, disappointing, for the most part repeating standard guidebook recommendations or, worse, stating the obvious (we recommend you see the Eiffel tower!).

But the goods more than outweigh the bads. (With the exception of the astonishingly obnoxious cover--nothing can make up for that atrocity.)

There are unfortunately only two main kinds of travel books written in the English language today. You have the scruffy, nasty travel book that expects you to hitch hike, stay in hostels and wear a back pack. Think, "Lonely Planet" or "Let's Go." Then there are the ones that contain many color photos and only lists five star anything in five star cities; I suspect such things are written for wealthy retirees, or people who wish they were. Both kinds of travel book are pretty much useless to me.
I want travel books which tell me interesting things to do, and don't assume I'm going to live like a jerk on my trip abroad. I want a damn Vacation Book. Avant Guide writes the kinds of travel books I want. I've read all the ones they've published (unfortunately, too few). The Paris one is excellent. The descriptions are colorful, informative and useful, as are the maps. They do not assume I am a millionaire with a Yacht, or a wannabe Hobo who enjoys living like a dirtbag. Instead, they write for the rest of us: young professionals who might visit a city for a week or two. The franchise is small enough they are able to maintain the quality. Hopefully they stay that way.

I just got back from my first trip ever to Paris and sadly, had to leave my copy with a friend who lives there. In short, this guide was so good, so comprehensive, honest, easy to read and understand that she wanted it for herself. (And my copy wasn't even the current one!) I bought four other guide books "just in case" and found them useless compared to this one. I can't wait to buy other Avant-Guides for future trips.

I must say that when a friend gave me this Paris guide as a Christmas present last year I thought "oh great, another guide book." Once I started reading it, and after the first time I put the book down, I found myself obsessing about my trip to Paris. This guide is written in an unusually fun and kicky style - which is a big difference from other travel books. Wandering around Paris I found the information about each of the restaurants and bars was spot on. And better yet, I didn't feel so much like a tourist. This guidebook was the most useful I have ever come across! So I just wanted to let everyone know - superb guidebook. I'm certainly going to grab the Avant-Guide London for my next trip there. Maybe it will even change my opinion of that town!

This was the best guide that I've ever used for truly gaining a native's perspective of a city. (An almost impossible task in a tourist's timeframe!) I found Avant's information easy to get at, funny to read, and amazingly accurate for finding the hot spots, and also some hidden beauties I would have overlooked. The only major negative was the book's weight. Heavy paper stock and lots of photos definitely made you aware it's with you. After a few successful outings, I had friends from Paris asking to keep my book when I went home!!!

5 stars for Axis of Evil World Tour! This book is a great read with something for everyone. Whether you are a student, diplomat, traveler, in the military, business person, or cultural anthropologist, there is something for you in this book. This book may make you want to travel to these, off the beaten path, countries, or may make you think that those places are not for you. Either way, it will make you think. This book will make you consider as to whether you should pity the people who have to live under their governments rule, or hold them accountable for not doing enough to try and change their governments.

We often hear in the news about the dire conditions that exist in these countries, but is what is said really the truth? This book will shed some light on that issue as it brings to light that perhaps the west is not right for trying to influence these countries, and governments, and that the people may really be happy living there. Or perhaps they are just too brainwashed to know the difference.

Contrary to what the title suggests, this book is not a jab at George Bush, but does bring up an interesting point of view about the term "Axis of Evil".

This book is so much more than a travel book or a travelers diary. Scott Fisher writes in a way tries to take you along on his trip. It is well done for a first book of this genre by a new writer. Not nearly as extreme as something by, say Michael Moore, Scott is not afraid to let his thoughts and political views be known, and this book contains enough sarcasm and cynicism to be a really fun read.

Part PJ O'Rourke and part Paul Theroux, self-described writer, business owner, and professor Scott Fisher embarks upon what may be considered by many a fool's errand; travel to each of the so-called "Axis-of-Evil" countries: North Korea, Iraq, and Iran.

-North Korea-

The book begins with the author traveling deep into the heart of the Never Never Land of Kim Jong Il's North Korea. There he encounters fully brainwashed and sycophantic followers of the "Dear Leader." The government-run tour is the only way that foreigners may travel there and he describes the surreal experience with amusing insight and an alarming penchant for annoying the aforementioned sycophantic followers. His often heated and always honest exchanges with his guides and a few everyday Koreans demonstrate the truly insidious nature of the last true bastion of communism left in the world.

-Iraq-

From the government-run mishap of North Korea, the book moves to another one in Iraq. Mr. Fisher was sent to Iraq by the State Department, where he was employed as a China analyst (even though he has a graduate degree in Korean Studies). This seemingly ridiculous fact highlights the mismanagement he will come to describe in his book. Due to the increasing violence at the time, he was unable to see much of the daily life of Iraqis, but he details his battles with "by-the-book" Marine colonels and even on-base traffic police with scathing humor. Wherever he goes, he certainly has a way of irritating the powers that be, he but describes these encounters with such wit and charm that one comes away with the impression he'd be a great guy to sit down and have a beer with.

-Iran-

Although Iran neighbors Iraq, it took him thousands of miles, piles of red tape from the pentagon, and a long nervous wait for an Iranian travel visa to get to the final country to complete his axis trifecta. It is during this third section where Mr. Fisher's talents as a writer and observer really shine. This section of the book easily matches that of a travel-writing master such as Paul Theroux. Surprisingly, it was in Iran that he was most free to travel and meet with the people of the country he was visiting. Despite what today's news headlines say, Mr. Fisher describes a country of uber-friendly and welcoming people caught between the forces of conservatism and the forces of reform. He visits, of all things, a Jewish shrine, the tomb of Daniel (of the lion's den), the burial place of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, and travels within spitting
distance of the suspected home of the country's nuclear program. Throughout his journey he is accompanied by the "Professor" his local guide who does his best to educate, enlighten, and protect the intrepid traveler.

-Conclusion-

He ends his book with this observation: "I was specifically looking for the kind of ties that could help bring together the three distinct parts of this narrative. After months of research and reflection it finally dawned on me--THERE IS NO CONNECTION!" Anyone who reads this book will realize that a few days, weeks, or months in a country will reveal the
emptiness of simplistic descriptions of complex situations foisted on us by our political leaders. By all means, read this book for its humanity and its humor, but remember it for its honesty and insight.

Very well done. Scott's first hand experiences and engaging writing style make this book a pleasure to read. It's a MUST read for anyone concerned with the face of our "enemies."

This is a great book. It tells the story of an individual who would not accept "No" for an answer. When government officials said "no", the author found ways go after what he wanted.

It is a must read for those who dare.

I purchased this book on a whim, mostly because I was fasinated with what sort of bizarre place North Korea is like. I must say, Scott seems to give a fairly honest account of the people (what few he could talk to) live and what a total personality cult state North Korea is. I did wish for a little more detail about the little things in the country in general, but keep in mind he probably wasn't thinking of a book when he made that trip, so I'll cut him some slack. It certainly had enough detail to make for a good read.

That being said, the section on Iran was also great, and the most detaile
of all the three 'axis' countries. His experience mirrors what I hear from most westerners in Iran, that the people are pretty friendly and tend to seperate the US govt. from the average US citizen. Scott also manages to tell the story at face value (heck, I wasn't there so I don't know that for sure, but he gives that impression).

Even the section on Iraq was decent, although the weakest of the three mainly because he didn't venture out into much of the war zone and into the real country. Can't say I blame him, but in a book that explores the countries of places the average US citizen can't get a handle on, it does contrast. That being said, it was ceratinly an amusing look into the cluster-youknowwhat that is the US buerrocracy in all its forms, be it military and civilian.

Overall, I was impressed with the book and would recommend it. The North Korea and Iran sections are worth it alone to me, while the Iraq section is an amusing little extra, that does round out the 'axis.' The other refreshing thing about the book was that you didn't get any sort of over the top politicizing. Sure, there were instances where you could feel his political slant a little, but it was farily subtle and not preachy at all, which I find refreshing.

Kate Mulligan's new book is a must for the glove compartment of all serious canal fans! She gives detailed descriptions of canal sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, focusing not only on the places, but on the people, "the characters," who worked to make their parks a reality. Kate highlights sites along most of the 19th century canals in the three Mid-Atlantic states, describing their history and current events sponsored by each of the canal parks. The book includes related, noncanal places of interest, such as the Brunswick Railroad Museum, the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Eckley Miners' Village. A great gift for anyone who loves travel and the transportation history of the Mid-Atlantic.

Kate Mulligan's new book is a must for the glove compartment of all serious canal fans! She gives detailed descriptions of canal sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, focusing not only on the places, but on the people, "the characters," who worked to make their parks a reality. Kate highlights sites along most of the 19th century canals in the three Mid-Atlantic states, describing their history and current events sponsored by each of the canal parks. The book includes related, noncanal places of interest, such as the Brunswick Railroad Museum, the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Eckley Miners' Village. A great gift for anyone who loves travel and the transportation history of the Mid-Atlantic.

Kate Mulligan's new book is a must for the glove compartment of all serious canal fans! She gives detailed descriptions of canal sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, focusing not only on the places, but on the people, "the characters," who worked to make their parks a reality. Kate highlights sites along most of the 19th century canals in the three Mid-Atlantic states, describing their history and current events sponsored by each of the canal parks. The book includes related, noncanal places of interest, such as the Brunswick Railroad Museum, the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Eckley Miners' Village. A great gift for anyone who loves travel and the transportation history of the Mid-Atlantic.

Kate Mulligan's new book is a must for the glove compartment of all serious canal fans! She gives detailed descriptions of canal sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, focusing not only on the places, but on the people, "the characters," who worked to make their parks a reality. Kate highlights sites along most of the 19th century canals in the three Mid-Atlantic states, describing their history and current events sponsored by each of the canal parks. The book includes related, noncanal places of interest, such as the Brunswick Railroad Museum, the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Eckley Miners' Village. A great gift for anyone who loves travel and the transportation history of the Mid-Atlantic.

Kate Mulligan's new book is a must for the glove compartment of all serious canal fans! She gives detailed descriptions of canal sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, focusing not only on the places, but on the people, "the characters," who worked to make their parks a reality. Kate highlights sites along most of the 19th century canals in the three Mid-Atlantic states, describing their history and current events sponsored by each of the canal parks. The book includes related, noncanal places of interest, such as the Brunswick Railroad Museum, the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Eckley Miners' Village. A great gift for anyone who loves travel and the transportation history of the Mid-Atlantic.

I want to taste these goodies and try to cook some of them. Format of region was helpful for traveling in Mexico.

We've just returned from our first visit to Oaxaca. The xeroxed copy of the Oaxaca section from Cooks Tour was the second most used reference (the street map was first). Since we bought this book nearly a decade ago, it's been the basic resource for information on fondas, markets, local specialties etc. Some of the recipes are such staples that I've forgotten their source until I run across them when using the book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is a great cookbook. I've traveled a lot in Mexico and cooked a lot of Mexican food, using the classic cookbooks like Diana Kennedy's. The recipes that I've tried in this one are uniformly terrific. Just as important, the accompanying narratives and photos draw you back into the whole sensual experience of Mexico, so both the cooking and the eating take on an added dimension of rich experience.

This is a very fine collection of unpretentious, delicious recipes - wonderful food as cooked by real Mexicans. The descriptions of local markets and fondas are rendered with affection, humor and a healthy dose of common sense. In short, a book that should be in the collection of every Mexican cooking aficionado.

This book rocks! I don't know if Mr. Sando is used to Taco Bell or what? The food I have made form this book has all been superb. The flavor is authentic. Some of the recipies are simple and some quite involved! Not every recipe needs a list of 20+ ingredients and 3 pages of instructions to be wonderfully flavorful. The many types of moles are some of the best I have ever had. Anyone who looks in cookbooks for travel tips is delusional. Great cookbook!

Between the eye-catching layout and informative text, this is one of my favorite ghost books. When I went to Savannah, GA, it proved an invaluable resource. The only complain that I have with it is that it covers so much ground, that it doesn't have more space to devote to each city - but that's the nature of a book like this. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes to plan trips around the bizarre and unexplained.

A beautiful, well written book! I enjoyed it a lot. It also contains good historic information.

I'm an avid reader of anything dealing with true hauntings and I think this is a great guidebook for people who are interested in some haunted history. The book covers quite a few haunted areas throughout the states and is quick and concise with each haunting. The book also lists hotels that are haunted that you can stay in to complete your haunted vacation. Even if haunted vacations aren't your thing, the sites listed thoughout the book are mostly historic and have colorful and interesting histories.

Haunted Holidays contains dozens of color photographs and some very interesting line art. The New England section includes information on, among other things, the Salem Witch Trials and haunted lighthouses. The section on Chicago concentrates on gangsters (e.g., John Dillinger), haunted cemeteries, etc. There are also chapters on the ghosts of New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Williamsburg, Va., Charleston, S.C., Savannah, Ga., New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hawaii; and an entire section is devoted to Civil War Ghosts. In addition to describing the various haunts, each section includes "Travel Tips" regarding the best time to visit, transportation, haunted restaurants and hotels, ghost tour groups, etc., all with street addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. I highly recommend this book.

I thought that this book was very well put together. It's packed with interesting facts and information and it has great colorful pictures that make it fun to just browse. Also the quailty of the paper/binding is really nice for a paperback book of this price. The book does try to cover a lot of territory in just over 200 pages, but it is basically just a travel guide after all. It includes maps and loging info and travel tips for each state which I thought was great. If you enjoy The Discovery Channel's "haunted" videos, you will also enjoy this book.

The only improvement that could be made is the coupons in the back of the book could have expiration dates a little later in the following year. I purchased this book in January of 2000 for a trip in Febuary and the coupons touted as saving up to $1000 expired in December of 1999. Other than that the book is very eazy to understand and will be very useful in our upcoming trip.

We used this book on our trip and saved *much* more than the cost of the book by using the coupons inside.

This is the best guide I have come across for Walt Disney World and the Orlando area. I had purchased several different books in 1999 when we took our first trip. I am purchasing this book again for our upcoming trip. Each park and it's attractions are covered in detail with helpful Power Trip info that helps make the most of your time. In addtion there are several other Orlando attractions that are covered in this book with detail covering Universal's parks and Sea World.

The book also reviews many hotels including Disney's, critiquing each in detail. Includes pricing and some of the ameneties, tips on the best times to travel to Orlando in relation to crowds, weather, and how to negotiate the best packages and pricing.

The candidness of the author and reviewers of the parks contained within this book are remarkable and really helped us plan our trip using our limited time to the best of our advantage.

I highly recommend this book as one to use to plan your Orlando vacation.

I think this book is great for fun family vacations. I have used it myself. My family had the best time. We knew where everything was and how to find it. This guide is easy to read and gives great directions. It shows maps great detailed maps of anywhere you want to go. Buy this book. Your family and you will have the best time!

We used this book on our vacation and saved *much* more than the cost of the book by using the great coupons inside.

This book is perfect if you are planning a driving vacation around Italy (or parts of it) and would like to get away from the touristy centers like Venice, Rome, Florence, etc. It doesn't even cover those major cities, but does provide a wealth of other suggested places to visit, which were relatively quiet and tourist-free, even at the end of August. We just returned from a 6-day visit, and rather than complete any single tour from the book (they're typically 3-4 days each), simply selected sections of the itineraries that fit into our timeframe and location.

2 things to note: this book does NOT provide any listings for places to stay, so you will need another resource (I found several excellent country inns on the Web.) Also, while detailed maps of each tour are included, you will also need a good roadmap or atlas of Italy, esp. if you will be visiting more than one part of the country.

When we travel to Italy we love to rent cars and take the road less traveled to cities that are typically off the tourist path. I have a number of books on driving tours through Italy. I find that I return time and again to the books on driving tours because very little changes in Italy from year to year, which I think it part of the beauty of Italy.

At the beginning of each section the book provides a narrative regarding the larger cities in each area. I have listed these cities in brackets after the regions below.

This book has outlined 25 tours through Italy these are as follows:

Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto (Torino, Milano, Bologna, Rimini, Asolo, Verona)
Tour 1: The Foot of the Mountains
Tour 2: Of Alps, Lakes & Plain
Tour 3: La Grassa - the Fat Country
Tour 4: Of Mosaics, Sun & Sea
Tour 5: The Gentle Veneto
Tour 6: Beyond Venice - Inland Veneto

Liguria & Tuscany (San Remo, Genova, Pisa, Firenze)
Tour 7: The Lingurian Hilltowns
Tour 8: The Riviera of Levante
Tour 9: Treasures of Tuscany
Tour 10: The Cradle of the Renaissance

Umbria & The Marches (Perugia, Ancona, Urbino)
Tour 11: The Green Heart of Italy
Tour 12: Italy's Best Kept Secret
Tour 13: The Northern Marches

Lazio, Campania, Abruzzo (Roma, Napoli, Pescara, L'Aquila)
Tour 14: The Apennines & the Adriatic
Tour 15: Abruzzo - the Remote Interior
Tour 16: Roman Country Retreats
Tour 17: The Roman Countryside
Tour 18: In the Shadow of Vesuvius
Tour 19: Small Cities of Campania

Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia (Catanzaro, Cosenza, Matera, Bari, Brindisi, Foggia)
Tour 20: The Toe of the Boot
Tour 21: The Highlands of Calabria
Tour 22: Forgotten Basilicata
Tour 23: Ancient Puglia
Tour 24: The Heel of Italy
Tour 25: The Gargano Peninsula

For each tour the book provides the following information:
1. Time required
2. Total distance in both kilometers and miles
3. Distance between towns
4. Driving directions
5. Brief narrative about each city on the tour

The book does provide limited lodging information in the back of the book. However, I don't find it to be adequate to make an informed decision. I would recommend a lodging only book to make those decisions.

If you were interested in driving to the smaller cities and towns in Italy, I would also recommend "Italy on Backs Roads" by Hunter Publishing and "Driving Tours of Italy" by Macmillan Travel.

The book does contain some pictures, although fewer than the typical guidebook. I would also recommend that you supplement this book with a good map of Italy. I use the Michelin map of Italy. That way if you get a tip from a local you can venture even further off the beaten path. Some of our best memories of Italy were as a result of a tip from someone in a restaurant or a shop. Italians love to chat and share their country. If you ask them questions they will point you to some of the most lovely places.

This book is a small size and fits easily into a big purse or suitcase. I find it works best to copy the sections of all the guidebooks that apply to my trip and bind these together as a personal guidebook that also saves space in my suitcase.

I would recommend the new 7th edition (2005) instead of this one.

Excellent guide to seeing Italy with a car or a Vespa moped. You will enjoy some great driving tours and routes through Italia.

Frommers has recently come out with a "Best-Loved Driving Tours" series ... guides that are not very inexpensive, but are very well researched and quite comprehensive. One will have plenty of driving tours and routes to chose from, whether you like arts and museums, scenic roads and breathtaking views, urban towns and shopping, or just want to experience a regione's culture and life.

Unlike the other Frommer guides that are fatter and heavier, this little book gives you not too many specifics on lodging or eating. It is geared strictly for the person behind the wheel and her or his passengers.

I have had a great experience using this guide and will recommend it to anyone who can afford it. Also, you might want to check to see if your library carries it and check it out for the duration of your visit abroad.

When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).

This was the most helpful guide book I used on what to do and see in Italy. The pictures were helpful, and the routes they suggested included wonderful places that I would have overlooked. It doesn't include where to eat/stay, but it's terrific on what to see while you're there.

Sometimes in life you want to go in a circle and "Frommer's Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours" helps you do just that.

I was going to be in Italy for two weeks, half of which I would be in Venice, floating in gondolas with my girlfriend, eagerly explaining to her why my voice sounds like Dean Martian's when signing "Amore" but the wind and the slap of the gondoliers paddle made me sound different, really. She didn't by it either.

With two weeks in Italy, one by train and the second in an Audi, I used "Frommer's Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours" to travel through the Alps and Lake District in Northern Italy.

Though not my only guide, it was the "big picture" guide that allowed my preliminary planning.

You can select from twenty-five great itinerary loops that cover Italy from the Italian Alps to the tip of the boot. Each has a map that highlights a half a dozen to dozen places that are unforgettable.

Good maps (although not detailed) and enticing site descriptions kept this book in use throughout my driving tour. Recommended.

I found this book, quite by accident, in my local bookstore. I was in the process of planning a trip through Connecticut late this summer. This book proved invaluable. Not only are the directions clear and precise, but the recommendations as to what to see along the drive are first-rate. I would recommend this book to anyone planning such a trip. It certainly helped make my trip through Connecticut very memorable.

Excellent book. Allows you to see the highlights whether you have five days or twelve. Great routes and wonderful descriptions.

Very practical for people planning a trip to New England for the first time.

Our family used this guide on a recent vacation to New England, particularly at Lakes Squam and Winnipesaukee. The guide gave wonderful suggestions and directions. We stopped at some places that we would not otherwise had taken notice of and we were able to form a more complete 'picture' of the area. The maps and written description were accurate and we felt we could rely on the book. There are many more tours for us to take and we are looking forward to doing so!

We loved this book! It has a number of driving tours that take you to highlights in each state. It has a couple of really nice features. The first, although we didn't stick to it very much, is the time suggested for the trip. They did suggest 2 days for the Southern Vermont tour. We did it in one day but only because we didn't stop in all the little towns suggested by the book. The book does not have much detail on each place so I would suggest a second "guide book" for more details and hotel/restaurant suggestions but the driving tours and directions were accurate and had good 'stop here' suggestions.

This book has an honest approach to the evolution of the captive gorilla program at the Columbus Zoo. Easy and enjoyable read for anyone interested in the preservation of the species. Highly recommend...

this book is the best! Even though gorillas are not my favorite animal this book made my like them better. Jeff Lyttle used very descriptive words that made me want to keep reading. I hope you buy this book!

I don't generally read non-fiction, but this book was as compelling to me as any novel. I found myself stopping on every page and asking whoever was in the room, "Did you know that..." The study of gorillas is fascinating to me now, due mainly to the style of writing of Jeff Lyttle. You'll love this book!

this book is the best! Even though gorillas are not my favorite animal this book made my like them better. Jeff Lyttle used very descriptive words that made me want to keep reading. I hope you buy this book!

Though this was not a subject title that I would necessarily find intriguing, it was indeed most intriguing and insightful. I found the book very easy to follow and the photos helped me to see more fully the personality distinctions of each animal.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in animals in general.

I plan to have a copy donated to the library of our local middle school.

John McDermott has done a fantastic job with this book. The first half is a wonderful in-depth look at life on the frontier during the 1800s that goes back and forth with comparisons of the living conditions, clothing, social beliefs, etc., of Native Americans and the whites who were moving through/into the West. The second half gives a good overview of sites of historic interest, museums, battlefields and more. The one thing I found frustrating (and I can't think of a good solution McDermott could have employed) is that the "guide" section of the book does include some good history information, too: It seems that these instances were included in the second half of the book to discuss localized events that might have seemed out of place in the more generalized first half of the book.

I was introduced to this book after I had already done quite a bit of reading on the Indian Wars, and I was sorry that I had not found it earlier. It provides alot of basic information in a very readable format. I now keep this book on hand as a reference when I do any other reading on the subject. I had the privilege of meeting John McDermott this summer when he served as historian guide for a tour of the battlefields of the Sioux wars. It must have been very difficult for him to condense his vast knowlege of the Indian wars into this simplified format, but it works very well. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Indian wars, or someone who would just like an introduction into that period of American history.

John D. McDermott writes well and knows an amazing amount about the wetsern indian wars. The first part of the book, background material, is hard to top. I learned several things I didn't know from it. The second part, the travel guide, can be helpful because the West if so big that not many people will know about places in every area. But there are a few mistakes in the second part, things like wrong phone numbers and maps and descriptions that might put you in the wrong part of a state. This seems to be from carelessness and not ignorance. The book is certainly worth buying, but if you are set on going to some fort or battlefield you might want to phone ahead for information and also have a good map to be on the safe side.

This is more than just a Guide to Indian Wars, it is a well written and very informative and importent piece of literature for anyone interested in the history of Native Americans.

I live in England so I doubt I will ever see most of the places mentioned in the book, but having read it, my knowledge has been increased, the little "potted" history of Army Life etc really made for interesting reading, a wonderful little book, but a big addition to my library of Native American literature.

This book provides a concise historical perspective of the Indian Wars of the West with the second section providing sites of interest based on geographical location. There is a lot of detail on the different tribes, their geographic locations and differences, their relations with the "whites", lifestyles of Native Americans, lifestyle of the soldiers, weapons of each and a review of literature, movies and TV shows on the West. Reminds me of a lot of Robert Utley mixed in with Paul Hutton's Custer Reader.

The second part organizes points of historical interest geographically and by tribal history detailing what you will see (actual structures or replica and scenery) and a mini biography of the site. This book is a great companion for touring since you can organize what you want to see easily since the sites are organized by states and region. For example, if I were in Colorado, one of my goals would be to see Brent's Fort particularly if I was there during the annual rendezvous. How great to not only see Fort Apache if you are in Arizona but also to be able to detour to Cochise's Stronghold.

I just wish the text had pictures of the tour sites or a portion of them and an index. It's a modest book of 200 pages but a walloping amount of information. It's also a great reference for further reading.