Tours and Travel Books

Essentially a coffee table book. Delivers what the title says. Not vital to any study of the Civil War but a nice book to browse.

This is actually a very good book. I didn't give it a full 5 stars simply because not all the modern pictures were taken from the same perspective as the 19th century camera positions, which is what the book attempts to do, and there is no reason given for the difference. I have personally visited many of the sites depicted and can see no reason why some of the camera positions could not have been replicated a bit more accurately. This is not to say the book is disappointing. The pictures are poignant and many serve to show how often we simply drive past much of our history as it stands quietly beside our modern roads, anonymous testimony to far reaching events which may have taken place in a few hours, but which resonate in the national consciousness (especially in the South) to this day. This book can serve as a useful guide to anyone who wishes to make history come alive by simply going to the exact spots where much of the action actually happened. History was excruciatingly boringly taught when I was in school, and a book like this would have made a big difference in my interest as a student. Since so much of the war between the states took place in the state of Virginia, I recommend it to any curious Virginians who will find many of the locations more convenient geographically than people who have to travel farther to find the scenes.

This kind of book is right up my alley. Unfortunately, the "modern" photographs don't quite measure up. Most people with a casual interest in the Civil War have probably seen most, if not all of the "then" photographs. The selections are about what most would expect and are of great quality.

There are too many poor "now" photographs, making them distracting at best. For a new book, they aren't very contemporary. You can tell by looking at the cars that are inexplicably scattered throughout. They are older models.
Why they chose some of these is beyond me. Maybe the author was doing the photographer a favor. The picture of the Stone House at Manassas is almost ruined by a bright, red truck passing through the camera's view. If the photographer had waited one more second, there would be no modern vehicles in the photograph. Just because the "now" are of today's world, doesn't mean that you have to let modern intrusions in the photo when they could be avoided. One guess as to why they chose the photos they chose is because the author is part of a Civil War preservation group and wanted to show the destructive power of communities not being more preservation-minded. I say it was a bad choice. Mixing in a handful of that type would have been sufficient. Plus that doesn't explain the poor quality of many of them. The photo taken between LRT and Devil's Den is even out of focus!?

I give it no more than three stars. It's a great idea for a book, but it could have/should have been so much better.

I received this book for my birthday and couldn't be more pleased. The photos and text are extremely well done. The 144-page book is a mix of well known and rarely published Civil War photographs, printed in chronological order. The author takes pains to include images from Western battlefields (a sadly neglected part of the Civil War). The captions contain material that will interest both rookie and veteran Civil War buffs alike. Civil War Battlefields Then and Now makes a great gift!

Campi's "Civil War Battlefields Then & Now" is a book of photographs in which Civil War Battlefields and sites as they appeared at the time of the conflict are contrasted with photographs of the sites today. The Civil War era photos are, of course in black-and white. The modern photographs are in color and were taken especially for this book.

The book is presented chronologically beginning with Fort Sumter, South Carolina and proceeding through Appomattox Court House, Ford's Theatre and the dedication of the first Civil War Battlefield Monuments at First Manassas on June 10, 1865. The photos cover the major campaigns of the Civil War on land and sea including Fort Sumter, McClellan's Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Stone's River, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, the Atlanta Campaign, Grant's Overland Campaign, Petersburg, Nashville, and Appomattox. There are no photographs of Shiloh and none of Andersonville. The book is accompanied by a short running textual commentary which summarizes the events leading to the historical photographs.

Many of the historic photographs, such as those of Antietam and Gettysburg, will be familiar to students of the Civil War. But it is valuable to have a short collection of photographs from the entire War in a single attractive volume and to be able to compare them to current pictures of the sites.

I found this book an excellent way of stimulating reflection about the Civil War. The contrasting photographs show eloquently how our Civil War Battlefields have been transformed from places of violence to Hallowed Ground which offer the opportunity for peace, meditation, and contemplation. The book encouraged me to think again about the purpose of the war, the importance of a united country, and the vision which still needs to be realized fully of a Nation which offers freedom, liberty, and equality to all regardless of race.

This book doesn't take long to read but it can be revisited with pleasure many times. It is a good book for browsing and would make an excellent gift for those loved ones on your gift list with an interest in the Civil War.

The book lays out many key features of the museum and how the artifacts were acquired. It has some black & white photos showing key facets of the museum's history as described in the book. The narrative is written in a novel-like way adding to the reading enjoyment.

More than a book about a museum, Dinosaurs in the Attic is a survey of the last two centuries' at times predatory and rapacious drive to collect. I read this book years ago, and am still recommending it to people as one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I've ever read. The story telling is marvelous and the insights about the museum fascinating.

You wouldn't think of museums as providing the stuff for comedians, but I can see not enough people know about what actually goes on in these collosal monuments to human curiosity!
I came to this book by way of mystery writers (Preston and Child--Relic and Fairchild---The Bone Vault). So thanks guys for recommending this nonfiction read! Almost as quickly read as my mysteries.

The need for so many people to collect items, animals and even humans (would someone please stomp on Admiral Peary's grave for a while)! Geez. You wouldn't think people would be so obtuse as to not realize that living, breathing human beings do not belong in museums as specimens of a tribe or culture we do not know. But obviously the wealthy who often did the collecting, or those 'explorers' who put fame and glory above compassion had a problem with understanding basic human rights. And yes, if tribes ask for their ancestors back, the bones should be returned and buried. How would we all feel if someone went and dug up our grandparents and put their skeletons on display without concern for our need to respect them? You don't see museum guys going to dig up white American or English cemetary plots, do you?

Okay, off the soapbox. A fun read, well-written, well-researched. Preston went on to write several books using the museums as a somewhat creepy place, and frankly after reading this and other books, I don't think I'd want to be locked in the American Museum of Natural History. Pretty sure I'd freak out...too much past with too many ghosts attached to it. Besides, this place sounds like a mausoleum. Having just returned from visiting the Mutter Medical Museum in Philly with its assortment of bones, oddly shaped fetuses and a variety of other things like hands floating in some type of suspension fluid showing small pox at its worse...yikes, I don't know how much of this stuff I could take, and I took medical classes in the Morgue!

The history of the museum is fascinating...the fact that we are able to see so little of this makes me yearn to do exploring down in the 'tombs' and hallways in the presence of company and full daylight, thank you.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh

The book is filled with all the unheard stories of the founding, and running of the museum. Also tales about the explorers, collectors, thieves and hunters that made this museum what is today. It holds all their dirty little secrets, their untold exploits, their skeletons in the closets. It is a completely entertaining and enlightening book.

This is a classic. Anyone who has ever visited the AMNH or plans to will want to read this book. It's a gem.

Definitely the best ghost towns book in CO. I have read few and this one is only one I had purchased some time ago. So far I did not seen any better. My husband and I traveled to every location listed in this book, I have taken the same pics you see in this book and all is the way this books describes and more! A must for history lovers and/or offroaders.

Provides some interesting information about the ghost towns. This book has more meat than many of the others I looked at. It really gives good background information about the ghost towns.

This is one of the best Colorado ghost town books I have seen, probably the best one. It does a good job of dividing Colorado up into specific areas that have many ghost towns to see. Then it divides those areas into principle sites and lesser sites. It gives you great driving directions and history of the towns. Overall, It is brilliantly put together.
I wasn't even going to write this review if it weren't for some of the reviews below mine. They got it all wrong. There are many great ghost towns left in Colorado. The reviewer that says they are just towns with an empty building or two, obvoiusly didn't look very hard or travel very far from his home in greater Denver. He probably didn't even get out of his Chevy Cavalier to explore. Maybe ghost towns are not for city slickers who don't understand. Some of the best ghost towns in the book are not all that easy to get to. I guarantee you that he did not venture anywhere near Animas Forks, Crystal, Marble, Buckskin Joe, Gothic or many other picturesque Colorado ghost towns worthy of post cards or old westerns. Yes, there are a few towns in the book that still have inhabitants in or near them. But they are most likely listed due to their great history and amazing buildings that still stand (Leadville).
I guarantee you that if you buy this book you will not be displeased. This book has the most wonderful pictures of ghost towns and Colorado history. I will also tell you from experience that you will not find a better Colorado ghost town book out there. This Author knows what he is doing, he has also written the best Arizona ghost town book available.

For people thinking they might seek out these "ghost towns" be warned. The definition of "ghost town" for the purpose of this book seems to be a town that was once larger than it currently is that has an abandoned building or two somewhere near it. The examples from the book that I've gone to see are pretty much ghost-free small mountain towns filled with more than a few current non-ghost residents. The book makes things appear desolate, and exotic but, for what I've experience so far, it's painting a pretty romantic picture of nothing too exotic.

I found this book very interesting and informative as a Colorado resident and avid ghost towns explorer. The pictures are beautiful, and the maps and directions are helpful. I keep this book whenever I drive out of town.

If you are a fan of the Natchez Trace, you are probably gratified (as I am) when a new book becomes available. Based on the favorable reviews I ordered it and was not disappointed.

The first physical property you notice about the book is that, though it is a soft-cover, the cover is stiffer than most paperback books and looks to be coated with a material that is water-resistant. This makes it an excellent book to take along with you as you travel, as opposed to a book that may be damaged easily by the elements.

The author quotes other works extensively thoughout, which I consider a strength for the simple reason that is allows you to sample the works of other authors, therefore appraising what other books you may wish to read. Additionally, the pictures are among the best of those that I have found of any book on the Trace. Finally, I found the organization of the book to be very user-friendly, and it accomodates the reader whether your purpose is to use it on-site as a guide or as a tool to learn more about the Trace.

The one flaw that this book has (and it is significant) IMHO, is in the choice of fonts and printing backgrounds. In some areas (Such as the chapter that outlines the chronology of the Trace) you almost have to get out a magnifying glass to read the text. In still other passages (encompassing a significant portion of the book), the text is printed in black on a maroon background; these matching shades are unfortunate as they can cause an unneccesarily difficult time in reading these otherwise interesting sections of the book.

All-told, I would buy this book again, but if it is reprinted I hope the above is corrected so that future readers will find this book even more enjoyable than it currently is.

I really enjoyed this book. The layout was easy to follow and made me anxious to take a trip on the natchez trace. Detail was written great and historical information was well described. The book was solid, not to large so you can easily take it with you as a great guide book.

Having just returned with my wife from a fabulous trip along the entire 444-mile-long Natchez Trace Parkway I can highly recommend this book. "Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway" by F. Lynne Bachleda is an excellent resource both for planning and enjoying your trip. Having traveled widely in all 50 states and many countries, and having read countless guidebooks, I can say that this one is definitely better than most. It is accurate, easy to read, and chock full of information that is both practical and interesting. The descriptions of historical and natural features along the Parkway greatly enhanced our enjoyment of the trip. Even the printing and binding of the book are superior.

I would recommend that those traveling the Parkway do so from South to North if possible. Following the Trace in either direction would be fun, however most travel during the heyday of the Natchez Trace was from South to North and the guidebook also follows it in that direction.

A person could drive the entire Parkway in one day, but he/she would miss a lot. We took three days, and five would not have been too much time to fully explore all the many fascinating natural and historical points of interest along the way.

Both the Guidebook and the Parkway itself surpassed our high expectations.

One of my favorite pass times is to take a Saturday or Sunday and get on the Natchez Trace. Where I end up isn't important. It's what I find while I'm going. This book is a great companion to bring along and I highly recommend it. Simple as that.

It was like traveling with our own expert! We started in Nasvhille and stopped at virtually all of the recommended top 20, either on the way down or the way back, and each was worth the stop. We stayed at a B&B in Natchez, toured some of the awesome antebellum mansions and had a delightful time.
The book had useful lists of places to stay along the trace - we stayed in Tupelo on the way down and Jackson on the way back at places Lynne listed. We even had occasion to need the emergency phone number for the Trace when we came upon 4 horses, in the dark, also traveling towards Natchez. The number was easy to find in the index.
I am so glad that we waited until this book came out for our trip. We learned so much about the history of the region and it made the experience much more rich. This book really made the trip special for us - I HIGHLY recommend it! Thank you Lynne.

The great thing about this book (and Rick Steves' other books) is that he views Europe as most of us do--not as an expert or an authority, but as an explorer. This book helps you to get to the "good stuff" at these huge museums, so you can spend a couple of hours there, and then get outside and enjoy other sights. It was especially helpful in Paris where you get tours of the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, Versailles and others. You'll also notice a number of other travellers with the same book, laughing at the same observations you will be. Enjoy!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is planning to go to the 'big' museums in Europe and doesn't know a lot about art. My husband and I used the section on St Peter's Cathedral and had an absolute hoot!! Not only did we enjoy Rick's writing style, but we felt like we had a friend along to point out the highlights and give us a sense of what we were looking at. We've already planned our next trip to Paris around the sections on the Louve, Versailles, and Musee d'Orsay. Buy this book!!! Last note -- I know he recommends you pass over the chapters to other as you leave the museum but I just couldn't bring myself to do it -- found myself keeping them so I can pass on to friends for their visits.

I met some girls in Rome who had this book and wound up traveling around Europe with them for awhile and I swear it was partly because they had this book. No other travel guide will give you quite the insight this book will. You can't look at every piece of art in every museum and have it be meaningful, but this book will show and tell you the best stuff to see and give you a few laughs along the way. Get it!

Rick Steves takes the vast museums of Euope and tells you how to navigate them to see the good things and not waste time on the mediocre. The book is a joy to read. My wife and I tear out the sections covering the museums we are visiting so we do not have to carry the entire volume. This is a very entertaining book. -- FJD

This book was useful to get the overview of what museums are the most well-known, and the information as to location and opening hours was useful. Beyond that, I can't recommend this book for anyone with a college education and an interest in art. I went to europe with no background in art history, and found the taped headsets in the Louvre and other museums (Musee D'Orsay, the Uffizi, Vatican museum) to be so much more informative, without any technical language or tedious narrative. I would recommend that you save your money to buy a book on the artist(s) or period that most takes you fancy after visiting the museums!

Good book! Lots of info and great colored photos. Anyone interested in American architecture and history will enjoy this book. It's helpful to read about a particular house before going to visit it, and it's fun to read about it again after you've seen it. Recommend. Booklady

If you need a guide of historic buildings that are not described in common books of architectural history, buy this book. It works as well as a guide as an introduction to american architectural history. If you are not already an historian this pocket sized book with it's short descriptions and representative pictures will probably greatly extend your interest in american architectural history.

We bought this book and have toured three homes so far. We found the book invaluable! It gives fantastic descriptions and points out what grand houses we would like to most visit. At Marble House, we enjoyed the most f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s butter cookies! But Marci (with and 'i') and I are on the Atkins high protein diet and could only have three. We each had one and split the third. D.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s! Word of caution for those visiting the Biltmore house in Ashville, North Carolina...if you happen to drive a Range Rover and happen to have two Legnanos (hand-made Italian bicycles) on the roof rack (a $650 option on a Range Rover, I'll have you know!:o)), DON'T drive under the grape arbor! Marci was shaking so badly with anger that she dumped grape juice in her lap -- not funny. But within a few miles she was okay and we were able to laugh it off. I swear our premiums went up by $200. After a long trip, it was nice to get back to San Diego. "Elsa", our Range Rover managed to get about 17 miles to the gallon...not bad for a $60,000 SUV! We hope you enjoy this book as much as we do. We're looking forward to writing more reviews as we visit more houses!

I enjoyed reading this book, I found the text quite interesting and the pictures where vivid and well framed. The authors did a commendable job of choosing the houses for the book, many of the mansions are famous, many where not, but all had an interesting story. I was surprised to see how many homes where covered, considering that it is not a large book, you really do get a nice bang for you buck so to speak. If you are someone who just wants a quick synopsis on lots of great American houses then I don't think you will be disappointed in this book, just realize that many homes are covered and as such, not a lot of time can be spent on each home.

I am 10 years old and I got this book as a present from my parents. I am a big huge fan of old things and this was the perfect book for me. If you like historical things like huge houses and fancy dresses this is the book to get. It lists a ton of houses - over 150!! So far we have gone to the biltmore estate (INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!) and plan on going to the hearst castle and others. I highly recommend this book for great family trips. It also notes important things like websites, phone numbers,gift shops, etc. I love this book!

Used an earlier edition of this book when I took a self-guided tour in 1997, and bought this newer edition for my trip to L.A. in 2007. Indispensible! Better than a "map of the stars' homes" any day. Thoroughly recommended if you are planning to drive yourself around the various parts of L.A. looking for your particular favorite haunts. Thanks to this book, in 1997 I got to see (and exchange waves with) Jack Lemmon as he drove out of his driveway (no, I wasn't lying in wait. I'd pulled over to double check my location).

Though I had far less time to use it on my 2007 trip, I would have felt naked and unprepared just travelling without it. Another great feature about this book is that the author encourages submissions/corrections/additions to add to future editions, so if you discover the rare incorrect or out-of-date piece of info, he wants you to submit it to him so the next edition will be just that much more accurate.

Used the info in the book to track down the Playboy Mansion in 1997. Had a neat experience at the mansion gates that trip and have pics to prove it. When I drove by it again in 2007 a few hours before I was to attend a party there that evening, I glanced at the book over in the passenger seat of my rental car and gave it a knowing smile.

My copy is autographed. Don't know if that increases its value, but it is a nice touch.

The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book is full of interesting facts, historical tidbits and interviews with Hollywood natives that provide readers with a realistic view of Hollywood, past and present. As any worthwhile tour guide should, this book lists hundreds of locations of interest to visit in and around the Hollywood area, extending it's reach to surrounding Los Angeles communities that have ties to the entertainment business. However, the tone of Gordon's book is informative, straightforward and friendly, not off-putting or intentionally misleading, as some guide books can be.

Not surprisingly, Gordon's book is even a fun read for those of us born and raised in Hollywood. For me it brought back memories of old haunts, and it evoked nods of approval among friends as we read through many accurate descriptions of favorite locales and pages of sound advice about what to visit and why, as well as what to avoid.

Whether you're a native of the Los Angeles area, a tourist planning just a few days' visit to Hollywood, or a local history buff searching for a fun and interesting book to read, you can't go wrong picking up a copy of William Gordon's Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book.

About 5 years ago I took a summer job giving tours of Hollywood on an old trolley car. One of my most memorable experiences was the day one of the guides for the Beverly Hills tour got sick and I was thrown into the front seat of a tour van and sent on my way to give a tour of the star's homes. It was without a doubt one of the more embarrassing moments of my life as it wasn't my regular gig and I had to make a lot of stuff up because I had no idea whose house was whose and the guy driving the van was as clueless as I was. But if the owner's of the tour company had seen fit to give me this book beforehand I would have known where I was and all those tourists wouldn't have asked for their money back when the tour was over.

This is a not so typical tour guide which provides its reader with a lot of bang for his/her buck. It provides information which is fairly accurate regarding the living (who tend to move quite a bit). The listings provided for death scenes are very accurate (assuming you only die once). Ditto for burial sites (assuming that remains stay put in one place.....unfortunately, that isn't always true as I seem to always be finding out). What is really impressive about the many editions of this book that have been published to date is that the author constantly updates the information in the book, so that it is as accurate as it can be given the odd and fluctuating state of celebrity mindsets (and fortunes).
So if you are willing to assume that some of the information may become outdated, you will probably enjoy this book quite a bit.

There must be 50 Hollywood homes books on the market. If you visit Beverly Hills, a tour-bus or map salesman will gladly take your money. But W. Gordon's remarkably accurate and truthful guide will spell out where the buses point out homes where movie stars never lived. Gordon provides detailed directions and maps to the sites you want to see. And loads of "goodies" and information. He shows you how to get to Arnold's palatial block of homes in Brentwood, and warns that driving there is a $ 500 fine and possible jail time! Wow! He also gives directions to Rudolph Valentino's original 1920's mansion(and much, much more). Forget the B.S. Here it is. When I e-mailed him for an up-date, he gladly provided it for free(see the book). Why waste time driving around freeways?

I didn't expect a Birnbaum or Unofficial Guide to Disney when I read this book, so unlike the negative reviewer, I was pleased with what I found.
I found this to be an interesting perspective on the parks, that didn't pull punches. I liked hearing how a teenager perceived the different
rides and attractions. This could be quite helpful if you are traveling to Disney World with teenagers.

The book is a bit outdated now, but it still had some useful information.

Im a teenager that gos down to disney world a lot and i loved this book!!!

I am 13 years old, and my brother is 15, and we are going to walt disney world this easter. We really enjoyed this book's great tips and facts. Hopefully they will come in handy!

I'm taking a youth group to Disney World this fall and bought this book along with several others. I must say I appreciate the fact that the authors gave their honest opinions about what rides are good for teens and which ones are just so-so. We have limited time in the theme parks during our visit and really need to use our time wisely, but the "official guides" we all rah-rah and "Everything is equally great." This was much more like "If you can only do five things, these are the things you should do." And, like somebody else said, it really does sound like it was written by a teenager.

Clearly the author cannot speak for her generation at all. Her reviews are biased and opinionated, and her tips offer little to no help for those unfamiliar with the Walt Disney World resort. She refers to Epcot's trademark attraction, Spaceship Earth, as a "snooze," when I have seen plenty of teenagers who having nothing but good remarks to say about the ride.

My advice: stick with "Birnbaum's Official Guide." It is suitable for WDW fans of ALL ages: from young children, through teens, honeymooners, and the elderly. It will offer you far better--and less opinionated--information.

This book is not only exremely well written but, it is also more than helpful when it comes to traveling around England.

I love the style of this book, as well as the first--the anecdotes and wit keep even a non-history-buff like me interested! We're planning a family trip to London later this year, and we're having great fun picking the sites to see and learning all the fun and interesting facts we didn't cover in history class, as well as brushing up on those we did.

If you are interested in travel sites in England, than this is the book for you. Not meant as a serious treatise on English history, it is a look at sites south of London and what is worth seeing and what you should skip. These two ladies obviously are having a great deal of fun with their writing, and when you pair this with their earlier book on Medieval and Tudor London, you have a fun, light-hearted look at one of the best places to tour on vacation - merry ol' England!

What I want in a travel guide is what I want in a good traveling companion: one that is passionate and persuasive about the journey, but not pedantic. I want one that is mindful of the economies of time (history) and distances (geography) and what can be comfortably accomplished in traversing both. Moreover, I want a guide with good cheer and that knows just the right way to pick up the pace and energy at any given moment with a touch of wit and memorable wisdom. Kettler & Trimble deliver all this...again. Their first volume of Medieval & Tudor London firmly established their credentials and "Days Trips South of London" proves they are no one-hit wonders. Even if you prefer solitary travel, I cannot imagine a more fitting duo to accompany you. Their real charm lies in that rare balance of being highly organized and efficient, yet deceptively spontaneous in spirit. What a way to go...and come back.

With all due respect to "pink-slipped-arizonian," as far as I'm concerned this guidebook (and the one that preceeded it by the same authors) is a marvelous work -- witty, yes, but I hardly see that as a drawback! I spent quite a bit of time teaching high school history, and believe me, if you can find a high school student who knows 1/3 of what this book imparts, then it is one who has a real fascination with history and has made it a deliberate area of study. This guidebook is intelligent, full of useful practical information, replete with accurate basic knowledge of British history and stuffed with intriguing details and fascinating trivia. I have been studying Tudor history for over 20 years, and this book delves into some of the more obscure bits from that and many other eras. I reviewed this book and its predecessor for Renaissance Magazine (see the upcoming August issue) and stand behind every word I wrote in those reviews. These two books are excellent, and I give them an unalloyed five stars, the highest possible recommendation.

I found this book very informative with information on the history of an area as well as sites to vist, what to look for on walking tours or hikes, and where to shop, spend the night, or eat. I especially liked the references to native-made art. However, I also purchased "Best Places Alaska" by Don Pitcher and the books are virtually identical (they even use the same phrases to describe a place). I would recommend either of these books but not both.

I used this book to plan almost all aspects to our two week Alaska vacation which we have just gotten back from. And this book was the very best to give you the means to get off the beaten tourist path and see and experience the true Alaska. It is by far the very best tool. People asked us how we saw and experience so much in such a short time and I tell them it's because of this book and doing our home work.

I purchases this book as a guide for planning a vacation Alaska for a family that has never been to Alaska. It has met my purposes very well.

Very informative and has helped us make decisions on where to go and where not to go on our trip to Alaska this summer.

Very good and complete information on Alaska. It would be better if there were maps in color and pictures.