Travel Books

Relating modern-era history to children often prove to be be a challenge. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, written by Michael S. Class, attempts to fill this void by bringing the child into history, literally.

Anthony is you average twelve year old boy, with one difference, Anthony has a magic picture frame. Anthony's picture frame allows him to step back in time and witness history first-hand. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame is a narrative journal of Anthony's activities and provides detailed descriptions of what he saw, heard and lived through.

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame brings history to life for middle-years and older children. Wonderfully illustrated with archival photographs your child can see and read about important events and how these events shape our lives today. The photographs and brilliantly altered to include Anthony, in period garb, right in the middle of the action. Be warned, however, that many of these photographs are graphic. The photographs are real and are well-used but they are made so much more real by the presence of this little boy in each of them, sometimes in the middle of a battlefield. If you have a highly sensitive child you may wish to save this book for when they are of an age to see children in distressing situations.

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame has a place in the library of all Americans who want to give their children an accurate and detailed education in current-era American history. Best suited for children twelve and older, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame will provide years worth of lessons or serve as a fantastic stand-alone resource.

Michael S. Class has created an amazing piece of literature that touches on the importance of how history and the present weave together. As he explores particular historical events and how they have impacted the way society functions today, Michael has taken it a step further. His visual interpretation of Anthony is a creative masterpiece. The illustrations capture the imagination of both the young and the old while the text inspires people to think about their own past. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame is a solid piece of literature and a wonderful piece of art. This book will introduce children to history in a new, lively and exciting manner. Michael is bringing back an education that creates children who are deep thinkers and life-long learners. Don't waste another second. This is a gift for all.
Cherie McIntosh, Deena Cook
P & P Publishing LLC
[...]

This book will inspire interest in the great stories and famous photographs of history. The photos are very creative and tell a lot about the time period just through the expressions of the author's son, who is nearly seamlessly inserted into historical photographs.

Younger children will enjoy just looking at the large photographs (this book is coffee table size) and older children and adults will enjoy the well written text. I have used it with 8 and 12 year old homeschooled boys as a book to read aloud.

The chapters and topics can be read in any order. The subjects cover the Civil War, when the first photographs were taken, to the polio vaccine in the 1950s. Many of the photographs will be familiar to people born in the early to mid 1900s, and so the idea of developing the story and conversations behind the images is especially appealing.

Clearly, the author loves history. He treats his subject with honor and respect and tells the story of individuals using their own words and images. This is not just a cute and clever idea for a time machine; there are serious lessons to be learned and remarkable and heroic achievements to be celebrated.

The book has an excellent resource list including movies, music and places to visit to supplement the journey back through time. An unexpected added bonus!

Highly recommended. Great gift idea.

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." ~ William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)

Imagine what it would be like to be a kid who jumps into a picture and lives some of the most exciting moments in history like walking on the moon or arriving in American ready to start a new life. In "Anthony and the Magic Pictures Frame," history comes alive in the mind of a child.

Here we find Anthony in digitally enhanced pictures so it looks like her really was walking on the moon or standing next to Charles Lindbergh and his airplane in 1927. The pictures are great because they show things you might not normally see like the inside of the plane. You might not see this unless you went to the National Air & Space Museum in Washington.

Here we also find Anthony interviewing Thomas Edison and standing with Lou Gehrig on opening day at Yankee Stadium in 1937. Throughout this book there is a sense of humor, but also profound moments and moments for reflection.

Suddenly history becomes far more interesting when it is told from this type of perspective. Even in the stories of harsh realities during the war, there is a sense of kindness as people help one another to survive. This is a book children and adults will love and it puts a smile on your face while you learn a lot about history.

~The Rebecca Review

Anthony And The Magic Picture Frame is an informative exploration for children into the history of America and the world. Anthony And The Magic Picture Frame offers young readers an incredible depiction and encouraging read for many of the great historical markers of America's history as twelve-year-old Anthony travels the world, and even to the moon. Included are the first lunar landing, Charles Lindbergh's first New-York to Paris flight, WWI and WWII, Edison's first electric lamp, and so much more specifically designed and deftly written in a child-friendly and educational format. Anthony And The Magic Picture Frame is very strongly recommended -- especially to all parents wishing for an accurate and expansive education of American history for their children.

There are also audio files, and lots of extra pictures not included in the book at their website, where you can also buy the book.

You can get more information at http://www.apollostory.com/

Reading another review, In which the reviewer states that he has to hide his copy from himself, I had to chuckle. This is the first book I can ever remember finishing, and then immediately flipping back to page one and starting all over again. Not only is the story an absolute stunner, in which some of the brightest and most engaged minds of a generation are swept into a whirlwind of impossible problems, which all have to be solved yesterday, but it is also made even more amazing by the fact that it is true. As if it weren't enough to start with such great material, the authors weave a terrific web in which all parts of the story are brought together, and the people involved are shown to be real people.

After reading this book, I would highly recommend watching "Apollo 13, to the Edge and Beyond", to see the faces and hear the voices of some of the extraordinary people whose stories appear in this truly excellent book.

Perhaps saying this is the best book I've ever read is too much (although, honestly, it just might be the best), but I will say it is my favorite, including fiction works. I've read it six times, after which I had to hide it from myself. If I walk by my copy and just happen to pick it up to thumb through I'll read it again.
Many non-fiction books tend to become tangential, or will leave the reader wondering if anyone involved with the project ever heard of an editor. Not this book. There is scarcely a wasted word or waver in direction, to the point that even the footnotes are worthy.
The authors' pacing of the story and placement of the material and concepts are unsurpassed in my experience. They create a genuine excitement in the reader.
It's a mystery why the book has never been reissued, which has driven up the price of existing copies and so reduced access to such an enticing and, in my opinion, needed history. I would very much like to see the BBC or Tom Hanks latch on to this story -- it's worth a twelve-part series.
Update, 9-19-04 - I have learned from the most reliable source this book has been reissued. Go to www.apollostory.com for details.

I've read most of the other "space" books and this one is the best by far. Most of these books are written from the astronaut's point of view, and while this is an exciting and interesting view point, it's pretty clear that there are thousands of people working behind the scenes for each astronaut out doing his job (his - this is Apollo - all of them were men).

After reading "Apollo" I have a new understanding for the amount of effort and love that went into the creation of the Apollo program. The men and women who helped put a man on the moon are every bit the heroes as the 12 who stood on the surface (as well as the seven, the nine, etc.).

If you really want to understand how America put a man on the moon, this is the book to read. After you finish, go back and watch Tom Hanks' "From the Earth to the Moon."

This book is the true "diamond-in-the-rough". With so many re-issues of material from the manned space program and specifically Apollo, it's hard to imagine that this book isn't re-issued again and again! This book (along with Andrew Chaiken's Man on the Moon and Jim Lovell's Lost Moon) is by far the definitive account of the Apollo program. Not just a re-gurgitation of the Apollo history, this story is told from a Flight Controller/Engineering perspective and gives a truer picture of what the early and subsequent days of the program were like. Here, Apollo Program Manager Joe Shea comes alive and is portrayed as an heroic/brilliant manager, not the villian of the Apollo 1 fire as in other accounts. You're down in the "trench" in Mission Control for not only the Apollo 11 Moon landing, but also for the lesser known Apollo 6, the ill-fated second un-manned launch of the Saturn V. It may be hard to find this book, but the effort is well worth it...one of the top 5 books that I've ever read.

A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises (A Genie in the House of Saud)

A bit arachaic in language and cultural approach, but the narrative pictures Doughty draws are fascinating; submersion into a little known cultural and time. Great for anthropological studies.

I must, grudgingly, give this monumental classic work of travel and adventure five stars, despite the fact that I don't really like the author. Doughty was probably not a very nice, friendly person; his life and opinions seem centered around a strict, almost fanatical and unforgiving, religiosity (he was a very fervent christian). Nevertheless, what he set out to do, he did with ample success and eficiency; and what he set out to do is not so simple as it seems at first sight,in my opinion, except for one of his main, but most superficial goals: to redeem the English language from the poverty and oversimplicity it had fallen into (Doughty believed the English language had fallen from grace since Spencer: I wonder, what would he think of it now?).

"Travels..." is an account of Doughty's two years of wandering through the Desert, in the 2nd half of the 19th century, with Hejaz and Nejd nomads. Unlike many other travellers before him (such as Sir Richard Burton), he never even tried to pretend he was a muslim, but admited to the nomads he travelled with that he was christian....and then went on, once and again for two years, to argue christianity's superiority over Islam and to explain how the fact that they were muslims excited his pity at seeing them fooled by their fraudulent Islamic beliefs. We know that traveleng in Arabia in those times was quite risky and dangerous, so it is a wonder that he was not killed by the nomads he was travelling with after they had to hear, for the hundredth time, how their faith was a fraud!!! This pious propensity, or even thirst for martyrdom (some times the provocations seem to point at that), is also quite trying for the reader.

However, if you can stomach the religious dissertations in his very special saintly style, the reading is rewarding indeed. Doughty had the (undeserved, I think with envy)luck to find the remains of the Nabataean town of Hegra, which he describes in some depth, with sketches of the tombs and copies of the inscriptions he found there. Who doesn't dream of finding the abandoned, lost, ancient town, built by a mysterious half-forgotten people? His descriptions of life with a Nomadic tribe of those times, with its unbelievable hardships, due to the famine-level subsistence usual among nomads, are an etnographic work of first rank. His report of the abuse, threats and indignities he had to suffer at the hands of the nomads because of his refusal to deny his christianity are unintentionally funny, in spite of himself.

But it is when we see that Doughty constantly compares the nomads of the desert with the Patriarchs of the Bible, and we know he can imagine himself in the company of Abraham's or Ishmael's tribes, when we learn the extent of the religious significance that this journey had for him. The ignorance and fanaticism that he finds in these nomads, he imagines in the Patriarchs of the Bible. For him Christianity, his own faith, was the light and salvation that took people out of the pitiful and primitive state these nomads live in. In fact, his journey is actually a pilgrimage to invest his religion with a significance that maybe he had been in the process of losing from sight.

And it is this, the fact that this author had set out for a journey with the intention of profoundly despising the people he was going to live with, what makes me despise him as a person, even though I see the importance of his work. Although Doughty repeats, now and then, the common, admiring expressions that were usual and fashionable to speak about the nomadic Arabs of those times -all the usal "noble savage" stuff-, we can read between lines (and later on, directly) that he thinks they are repulsive, inferior creatures. He goes to Arabia thinking he will be a superior among primitives, and he leaves Arabia, two years later, convinced that this has, indeed, been the case. In my opinion, the one who comes out the worst from the experience, is himself, although I have to thank him for recording his experiences and so, giving me the oportunity of reading between lines and learning from that.

I would like to add that this is not a complete edition of Doughty's work, which I read in the Dover two-volume edition, with an introduction by T.E.Lawrence and translations (of the Nabatean inscriptions) by Ernest Renan, and with some beautifully drawn maps.

There are few travel books that can stand up to the depredations of time - indeed, travel literature by its nature tends to be ephemeral. We may peruse the Victorian travelers, but mainly to get a sense of the exotic, from a time when it still was that way.

Fewer travel books still can claim to have had a conscious impact beyond their own genre. One thinks of Stendahl's travels in the South of France, Radishchev's journey from Petersburg to Moscow, or Stephens and Catherwood in the Yucatan. But Doughty is in a class by himself.

This remarkably eccentric man with the remarkably eccentric writing style set off into one of the last fringes of society, to a world where the art of the word was cultivated and where a man's worth was set by his speech. He is not an easy read. Yet his writing reflects the sense of a major intellect from one culture confronted by a tradition which is very old, very venerable and yet totally alien from that in which he was raised. That he sought to explain it by creating a new way of writing is perhaps not remarkable.

Many writers of the last century have been quite vocal about the debt that they owe him; one sometimes wonders if this is honored more in the breach than we would like to believe. But try him on for size, but be prepared to be patient. You will find that his style will win you over if you are.

Doughty had reflected his belief throughout his journey and I am not surprised. He decreased the Bedw traditions and tried to link it completely to the teaching of Islam. He knew from the beginning that the Bedw tradition especially in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula has nothing to do with the teaching of Islam. It was basically their culture. He did used the Bedw to serve his purpose since he wrote this book only to the western readers at that time to capture their imagination of the Arabian desert and to lay down the first step toward the colonization period that took place 30 years later.
Doughty in his book has described the Bedew life with many details that have shocked me. Since he lived with my great grandfather (Tollog) during his stay on al Harra, I was able to tell how close he was to reflect the real life of my tribe.
If we ignore his belief's reflection in his writing, we can conclude that his book is truly a masterpiece in detailing the life of one of the most isolated part of the world in 1800 century.

After reading this work detailing the 1870s [mis]adventures of the legendary Charles M. Doughty, one comes to understand much better why T.E.Lawrence so admired the Bedu and mistrusted the Arab city dweller. Doughty's "travels" really amounted to being "driven" through hostile lands occupied by "fanatics," continuously handed off from one group of outlaws and thieves to another. "I found in them an implacable fanaticism," wrote Doughty. "All their life is passed in fraud and deceipt." Sacred oaths, swearing in the name of God out of mere habit, traditional mores of protecting the fellow-traveller in one's charge honored mostly in the breach. One friendly Arab acquaintance along the tortured path tells Doughty, "I hope that your life may be preserved: but they will not suffer you to dwell amongst them! You will be driven from place to place. As many among them as have travelled, are liberal; but the rest, no." Abdullah el-Kenneyny advised Doughty, "I am even now in amazement! that in such a country, you openly avow yourself to be an Englishman; but how may you pass even one day in safety. You have lived hitherto with the Bedu; but it is otherwise in the townships."

Early on, the strange language seemed humorous and distracting, but it soon grows on you. "Give me a hand" becomes "Lend me a grip of thy five." Robbed, stripped, insulted, the intrepid Doughty gives the evil-doers the back of his hand as often as he dared, many times with his hand on a revolver hidden under his robes. One bluff carried off successfully against fellow travellers, who were sworn, of course, to defend him -- "By the life of Him who created us, in what instant you show me a gun's mouth, I will lay dead your carcasses upon this earth."

Occasionally some paragraph seems to be the obvious inspiration for a like passage in Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," an exquisitely detailed description of how a camel comes to a halt and lies down being one of the most obvious examples.

A major feature of this work is the great care taken by the author to use and then explain the Arabic vocabulary for places and things unique to the Arab culture. Each and every page is peppered with these terms. There is a fine glossary, praise God, the Merciful One!

The first half of this collection of selected passages from the massive original work will give readers warm feelings for the Bedouin and sweet dreams of wandering amongst them at peace with God and nature. The second half will likely wipe out any such urge. Civilizations still clash, 130 years later. Extremists rear their ugly heads on both sides of a vast chasm. Will the next 130 years bring much fundamental change?

Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, by Bryan Hendricks, is in my opinion, the best source for information about outdoor activities in Arkansas currently available. I have read several titles that have promised useful information on this subject, but Mr. Hendricks' book has got the most complete listings of places to go and things to do in the most reader-friendly format of any of my previous purchases. I have 3 young children, and accurate information is vital to me when it comes to planning a trip. This book lets me know exactly what to expect when I'm considering a weekend jaunt with my family. Nothing can ruin an otherwise nice outing for me more than getting to a place and finding it totally different than it has been described to me. I have already been to several of the recreation areas mentioned in this book, and have found the author's assessments to be right on track. Therefore, I feel like I can trust Mr. Hendricks' observations when I am planning future excursions with my family. Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, published by Out There Press, covers every region of the state in an easy-to-use layout, complete with locations, maps, activities permitted, contact information, ranger station locations, and also gives you names of businesses in the immediate area which may be of use while on an outing. Everything is easy to understand, with emphasis placed on hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, and my personal favorite, mountain biking. It is so hard to get accurate information on what is permitted, and when and where, that the contacts included with the book will make it a valuable refernce for years to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to find outdoor activities in Arkansas, as I feel there is not a single wasted page between its covers.

This is a terrific book, even for people who only occasionally venture into the woods on a hike. The author has obviously visited every one of the Arkansas parks and hiked the trails he describes. He tells the reader important details like, the location of the closest pay telephone, where the nearest supply store is and even if the people are friendly. There's information about camping, lodging, hiking trails and advice about scenic stops. This is a great gift for anyone who ever has or ever intends to visit an Arkansas park.

If you are looking for an expert, detailed guide to a backcountry adventure or just a highly readable armchair simulation, read this book. It offers detailed suggestions not only to surviving the wilds but thriving in them. ARKANSAS appeals to hiker, naturalist, and layman alike with each district and area offering a general overview for trip selection. Following each of these are detailed maps with topographical descriptions, seasonal guides to vegetation and animals, climate expectations, clothing needs, and equipment recommendations. Also, there are comprehensive activitity guides to camping, canoeing, fishing, biking, and hiking. The book traverses the state like its rivers: from the high-plateau Ozark Mountains of the Northwest, down the Arkansas River Valley, through the piney woods of the Ouachita Mountains, across the fertile cotton, rice, and soybean fields of the Delta to the blackwater swamps of the Southeast. The author's expertise is impressive, but more than this, the book reflects a deep appreciation, respect, and love of backcountry Arkansas.

I recently read the book "Arkansas, A Guide to Backcountry Travel and Adventure", written by Bryan Hendricks in anticipation of a combined canoe and back-country exploration of the Buffalo River Area in North west Arkansas. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the information I needed for both the canoe trip and back country hiking trip contained in the same book! Usually, my trips require purchase of at least two different books: one for the whitewater and one for the back-country; but not in this case. This is the first time I've planned a combined journey with the luxury of finding all the needed information, map references, portages, and trail heads in one comprehensive volume. Great work, Bryan!

I was also fascinated upon further reading by the anecdotal information in the book which made for an interesting and "not-so-dry" read. The story of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" was particularly enjoyable and should provide a good discussion point for any family camping trip.

Thanks again for the excellent book and perhaps I'll see Mr. Hendricks on the Buffalo River this April.

When it comes to backcountry travel in Arkansas, I consider myself an expert, but Arkansas, A Guide to backcountry Travel & Adventure, took me to places where even I've never been! The ultimate test of a book like this is accuracy, and the author earned my trust immediately when I looked up a couple of places I know very well. His descriptions are dead-on, and his lively writing style is a lot spicier than what one normally sees in this type of book. I mean, if you didn't want to visit the Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area on the merits of its recreational opportunities alone, how could you resist after reading Hendricks' passage about the legendary Fouke Monster, which supposedly inhabits the area? This book is just full of juicy little tidbits like that to complement its impressive array of how-to, where-to information. I haven't had my copy very long, but it's already well worn from my travels around the state. I consider it as necessary as a backpack and canoe paddle, and when it's no longer serviceable, I won't hesitate to replace it.

Visitors to Nepal are frequently young trekkers. A Balcony in Nepal gives us a heartwarming, compassionate view of village and homelife through the eyes of two older women. They describe the unique beauty of the mountains and the people with whom they have interacted in repeated visits to the village of Badel in words and sketches that will remain with you. It is a very touching personal account that goes far beyond most travel books.

There's more to Nepal than climbing, trekking or the teeming streets of Kathmandu. Through thoughtful writing and lively drawings, Sally Olds and Marge Roche invite us to share their involvement in the life of a remote Rai village. We learn about joyous festivals, meet fascinating people and become part of the struggle to live daily life without the amenities we consider necessary. The freindships they make stir our imagination. And by recording their thoughts and reactions to what they've seen, they raise interesting questions on the effect tourists are having on the village and Nepal itself.

The author, Sally Wendkos Olds, has brought experience and talent to use in telling of her experiences in a remote village. Marge Roche's illustrations enhance the story and stand alone as beautiful works. I highly recommend this book to any who would like to experience a very different way of life. Beautiful book!

Sally Olds and Marge Roche in A Balcony in Nepal conjure a small Nepali Rai village with the magic of an open heart and appreciative senses. The warm people for whom a library is planned and built are drawn by Marge and brought to life by Sally. Both travellers are welcomed into the daily lives of the families in Badel and both travellers bring the Nepalese people into our daily lives. We read about this trek into Sally's expanded consciousness with relish and respect, and come to love the simple village people and admire their hard lives.

For any Westerner traveling to Nepal, this is a must read. Ms. Olds has the usual beautiful travelogue descriptions, but she adds the critical insights that can only come from repeated visits to this unusual country. The illustrations by Ms. Roche of the country and the Badel villagers add another layer of beauty for readers of this wonderful book. Be sure to buy this book and read it on the long plane ride over. And if you are not lucky enough to make the trip, read the book and you'll feel like you did.

If you haven't been to UT, you need to go. Colorado seems to get all the hype when it comes to mountains, but UT is better for an assortment of scenery and things to do in the mountains. Benchmark Atlases are the benchmark from which all other road atlases are measured. My GPS nav system, as well as Google maps, will direct me to take dirt roads as part of a 'shortest route.' This is not an acceptable route on my Goldwing. These detailed maps clearly and precisely show the type of road from interstate to 4-wheel drive. It has helped me avoid bad routes numerous times.

The Utah atlas is very detailed and through the only thing I wish it had the milage on the highways like the New Mexico and Arizona do.

I own both the Delorme Utah Atlas & Gazetteer and the Benchmark Utah Road & Recreation Atlas and the Benchmark Atlas seems to have a lot less clutter when trying to find something. The roads stand out a lot better as do the terrain features due do the shading almost giving a 3D effect. This is why I use the Benchmark Atlas when traveling to Utah. I also have the Benchmark New Mexico R & C Atlas and it is also excellent in my opinion. I do, however always have Delorme Topo 6 running on a laptop computer and it is indispensable on road trips.

If your're going to Utah and plan on doing any driving there,whether your're staying on the main roads or driving on the back roads,Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas is the book to buy.It lists the scenic byways,the backways and points of interest along the way.This book covers just about any recreational activity you can think of,from amusement parks to fishing,boating,sking,rafting and lots more.It's also very good for finding many of the hiking trailheads in Utah.I find it very informative,well oganized and easy to read.Well worth the money.A great book!!!!I highly recommend it!!!!

Benchmark are absolutely the best road atlases out there. I have the AZ, UT, OR, and CA maps that I have purchased for trips (I use my CA one all the time, but I live here) and find them invaluable. I can always find my way when lost, and they really do a great job of showing detail that you wouldn't expect, even in metro areas. They show the most random and remote Forest Service or BLM roads, and points of interest on those roads that you would otherwise need specialty maps to see. If there's a dirt road or otherwise going there, these maps show it. Highly recommended!

Like all the other reviews, I used this French phrase book in France and absolutely loved it. It was a lifesaver. Dictionaries were thorough and well-planned. It was one of the most useful things I could have brought!

Berlitz makes, in my opinion, the best phrase books around. BERLITZ FRENCH PHRASE BOOK & DICTIONARY is no exception.

Colour-coded for easy reference, the phrase book contains information for any imaginable occurance while travelling in France. Plus, it easily fits into one's pocket.

To deal with tricky French pronunciation, Berlitz gives a phonetic transcription of each word. For those who want to just learn how the language sounds without having to rely on the transcriptions, there's a chapter on how French letters are pronounced.

The guide is inexpensive, too.

If you're going to be travelling to France for a brief period of time and need a simple, clear phrase book, try this one by Berlitz.

I recently went on a 3 week trip to France and this little book was a marvelous help. It divides itself up into categories, like travelling, eating, lodging, even one for friendly conversation. There's a food dictionary that's EXTREMELY useful. It also has tips on what is customary in the French speaking country you are in. I highly recommend this book for travelling, or even for someone who would like to learn french.

Berlitz French is OK, actually, but it's structured to be a lot more useful for you in emergencies and under unusual circumstances than for actual utilizing any French (however minimal perhaps) on a daily basis. So, if you're the nervous type, worried about what may happen and you want the French for such in your pocket, then this phrase book will suit you. If you want to exchange simple comments with French folk, answer questions about yourself in French, ask directions (and understand the answers), then Berlitz is not going to be as useful to you as say, Rough Guide French, or even Lonely Planet French will be.

Lonely Planet French, for instance, is basically two helpings of basic grammar followed by many sections of phases you won't likely ever use. For instance, the guide provides several pages each of lists of occupations, nationalities, college majors, items of stationary, jewelery, colors, insects, flowers, aquatic sports(!), electrical appliances, camping terms,and so on. Also provided are pat phrases to employ at a hotel's front desk, at a doctor's, at the optometrist, and eating out, among other mini-sections. The book, in effect, is set up to be taken out to be used once a day, if that.

It's an improvement on Berlitz phrase books, but not by much. Berlitz, in comparison, simply divides their books into 10 or so color coded sections such as: "sightseeing," "relaxing," "shopping," traveling around," "money," "eating out," etc. So, if you want to ask someone a casual question, for example, you have thumb to the "relaxing" section and then choose one of the half dozen choices there. If nothing suits your situation, oh well, tough luck.

Rough Guide French, in comparison, is structured completely differently. The first several dozen pages gives you numbers, days of the week, time, etc., and a 20 minute course in French grammar. Oh no, you might be saying, but it is presented very simply. For instance it presents a handful of common verbs and their conjugations. So on one page you can see how to say "I have," "he has, " etc. and "I like," "he/ she likes," etc. The rest of the book is split between an English-French dictionary, a French-English dictionary, and a multi-page menu reader. What makes the English-French dictionary pages unique, though, is that most every other page (at least) has dialogue boxes relating to the most useful word(s) on that particular page. For instance, when you thumb through the book for the word "live," you get the word itself, but also the phrases "I live in..." and "Where do you live?" It'll take you 10 minutes to find such a phrase in Berlitz or Lonely Planet in their "getting to know others' or 'relaxing' sections. But because Rough Guide is structured as a dictionary, with hundreds of really useful phrases highlighted in boxes within, you can access something you want to say rather swiftly...and actually deliver it just a minute or so after looking for it. Add the grammar section, where you learn useful verbs and how to conjugate their past tenses, and the number section, and you can easily learn to chat with someone about where you are from, where you are going, where you have traveled thus far, what you like/liked, and so on. Likewise, knowing how to say "have" makes it easy to ask whether a hotel has rooms, whether the room has a shower (after thumbing through the book for the word for shower), etc. And when the answer comes back that the hotel doesn't have one, or they say "we have...," you can actually catch what they are saying.

If still not persuaded, next time you're in a bookstore compare a Berlitz, a Lonely Planet, and a Rough Guide language phrase book side by side. If you just want a book for emergencies (say, breaking a leg, etc.) then Berlitz and/or Lonely Planet phrase books will serve you well...in your pocket until you are faced with such a situation, since they do have many more specific terms (like 50 different parts of the the body), but if you really want to be able to say some things in French on a daily basis during your trip you'll be much better served by The Rough Guide to French Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks). Cheers

My experience with other phrase books has been less than stellar, so I was unsure about the Berlitz version but a friend loaned it to me, saying it worked quite well, so I figured why not give it a try. To my delight, I found it very useful -- and relevant, too! For its size, it wastes no space on frivolous or obscure phrases. And the dictionary came in handy more than once. I highly recommend this (unlike the Italian one I had by another publisher. It was so bad I tossed it about halfway through my trip.) I haven't seen any better.

The David Sedaris selection about flying makes this book worth buying. I was on an airplane while reading his chapter and was laughing so hard that my seatmate kept giving me weird looks.

Enjoyed getting to experience other cultures through the eyes of the traveler while myself being the armchair traveler.

I wasn't able to travel this summer, so I was more or less stuck in my small town in the middle of Oklahoma. Luckily, a handful of well-chosen books escorted me to exotic--and some very familiar--ports of call, this book, 2006's Best American Travel Writing being one of the most memorable. This is a wonderfully diverse collection of writings, featuring what many of us think of as "exotic" travel narratives, as well as my favorite kind of travel writing, essays that question the nature of travel and what we learn in the process of leaving the familiar behind.

One of the gems of this collection is Alain de Botton's piece, "The Discreet Charm of the Zurich Bourgeoise." I, too, am fascinated by the comfortable, efficient towns and cities in the world, ones that are rarely tourist destinations, but are fascinating in their own, discreet way. This piece is very similar to his book, The Art of Travel, as he juxtaposes Pieter de Hooch's paintings and their seemingly unremarkable domestic world with his love for the sedate charms of Zurich. It won't appeal to the National Geographic type of tourist, but this is what makes travel writing such a vital genre to me--and why I buy books like this.

Other high points include Sean Flynn's portrayal of American sex tourists in Puerto Rico, Ian Frazier's beautiful memoir of small town Ohio, Michael Paterniti's remarkable piece about befriending a Ukranian giant, Kira Salak's tour of modern-day Libya, George Saunder's enthusiastic (and humorous) account of Dubai, and by far the most laugh-out loud selection of all, Christopher Solomon's "Let's Ski Korea," which is everything you expect and more.

I always delight in these Best American... volumes, and the Travel Writing remains my favorite to read and re-read. Tim Cahill did an amazing job in selecting these works, and I look forward to "traveling" in them whenever the simple pleasures of Ada, Oklahoma become rather less poetic.

It is a little bit hard to review this book because I have read most of the series and like them all. This is no exception and I thought that there are a few things that I can add.
As always a good/great selection of material and most/all are great reads. As has been stated elsewhere if you do not like one, you can skip it. However, I never skip a story. I sort of think that I might not finish one, but then I do and am glad that I did.
Not only do I like the stories, but I think of the book as a study guide for an aspiring travel writer. Thus far I have limited my travel writing by sneaking it into other nonfiction wrting that I do (I recommend this technique). I may never seriously go down the travel writting road, but the idea helps me notice things that I might not otherwise.
Here is a specific tip. Be sure to read the forematter of the book--the foreword and introduction. They are good reading too.
One small point. Compared to the others in the series that I have read, this edition would have to qualify for an R rating because of the story about prostitution in Costa Rica. I liked the story--and you can, of course, skip it if you do not like it--but I fell obligated to mention it. There was one other place (that I forget right now) that made me think the same thing.
As soon as I finished this book, I went out and bought one from the sports series!

I bought this book to supplement a travel writing course. I read many of the travel articles and found them interesting and well-written. It was especially helpful to read these articles without the pictures that must have accompanied many of them -- the writing for the most part was superb.

As I said, this book is a good help for plan our trip to Cuba next August.
There are a lot of details, descrpctions, not only about the kilometeres between the villages, as the places we can eat something or the places we can buy something... Than you, and I have a nice live!!

Recuerdos a Enrique

Bicycling Cuba turned out to be invaluable during our three-week trip to the western part of Cuba. The authors really know what they are writing about. Some of the most interesting and rewarding routes suggested in the book were not on the best maps available. The authors' way of describing the routes kilometer by kilometer was of great help because very often roads were unmarked. At the intersections we had no problems in choosing the right road. The book also contains a lot of other useful information, for example, on accomodation.
We warmly recommend Bicycling Cuba for independent cyclists planning a trip to Cuba.

Bicycling Cuba turned out to be invaluable during our three-week trip to the western part of Cuba. The authors really know what they are writing about. Some of the most interesting and rewarding routes suggested in the book were not on the best maps available. The authors way of describing the routes kilometer by kilometer was of great help because very often roads were unmarked. At the intersections we had no problems in choosing the right road. The book also contains a lot of useful information, for example, on accomodation.

We warmly recommend Bicycling Cuba for independent cyclists planning a trip to Cuba.

If you are visiting Cuba in the near future, BUY THIS BOOK. If you think you might tour Cuba,BUY THIS BOOK. If you don't plan to visit Cuba but enjoy reading travel narratives by those who have traveled to exotic places, BUY THIS BOOK. I have just returned from a two week bicycle trip with two friends and can report from experience that Bicycling Cuba is spot-on about everything. The Smiths have many years experience leading bike tours for a large bicycle touring company, so their guide book and route directions are presented as cyclists need and use them. Their routes cover the entire country, and the routes we follwed along the South Coast out of Santiago were accurate to a fault. Everything the Smiths wrote about the terrain, historical sites, social mores, laws,lodgings, and Cuban culture and society proved enormously helpful because everything is written clearly and, most importantly for cyclists, accurately. Anyone planning to tour Cuba by car, train, or bus will also find the book useful. I can't think of anything the Smiths left out, except maybe Fidel's personal telephone number! Europeans and other nationals should not pass up this book because it's in English. Even though written in English they will find the book invaluable. Now that I have been home for a couple of weeks I find myself picking the book up and reading about the places I have been and enjoying them all over again. Bicycling Cuba is about as close to Plato's Ideal Travel Guide as we are likely to see. Congratulations to the Smiths, and if you are thinking about a trip to Cuba, buy Bicycling Cuba. I'll bet you go.

Having never done any cycle touring, speaking very little Spanish and being a middle aged women travelling alone, I thought a few tips and hints and route advice would make my trip a little easier. I found it all and more in "Bicycling Cuba" by Wally and Barbara Smith. Their advice on what to take, where to go, where to stay, and gems to see was unsurpassed.

I had spent three weeks in Cuba previously and had used two guide books. The Smiths' advice, while not replacing a guide book, was the best: succinct, accurate and introduced me to friendly and helpful people. Their three main cycle tours, west, central and eastern Cuba cover the most scenic areas as well as the historic gems of this wonderful country. The route descriptions were accurate, easy to follow and contained good advice about difficulty, water availability, traffic problems and special sites.

The Smiths obviously love Cuba and this comes out in their writing. They include inserts about various social issues, economics and politics -- each fascinating.

I thoroughly recommend "Bicycling Cuba" with no reservations. My only wish is that the Smiths would produce some more books for other countries.

This book, along with a couple by Henry Miller and a few others of Durrell's, was responsible for causing my husband and me to leave life and jobs in LA and move to Greece for nearly a year. Bitter Lemons is part memoir, part political commentary, part travel writing, and part philosophy. It's the story of Durrell's fairly brief stay on the island of Cyprus, conflict between Greeks and Turks, impending world war, buying a house and trying to settle into a unique niche of the world. It's a book about Life and all its myriad difficulties.
Tip-top - and wonderful writing. It's one of those books whose memory will stay with me always.

An evocative memoir of the author's stay [1953-6] in what's now Northern Cyprus. Much of the landscape was still as he described it when we visited Belle Pais, Famagusta, Kyrenia, and Nicosia, the Tree of Idleness and other sites on our hiking trip to Cyprus in 2001. His adventures in buying and maintaining a house rival those of Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence"written many years later. The peaceful interludes in the hills are marred by foreshadowing of the political turmoil and tragedies that would engulf Cyprus in the following decades, leading to the departure of Durrell and other foreign nationals. Some of those towns and even cities remain ghost towns to this day

I visited Mr. Durrell's house in 1991 while visiting my relatives in the American Embassy (it has a little sign that says Bitter Lemons). I didn't want to go to Cypress; it was just something to do to kill time one summer with my family. I read the book on the way there and finished it a day before the trip to the Turkish side of the island. It was like a light had been turned on and it has never been out since. I plan and I go everywhere now and as often as I can. Good enough to purchase another copy after 15 years of use.

I read this book because I'm planning a trip to Cyprus next year. My only previous exposure to Lawrence Durrell's work was PROSPERO'S CELL, his evocative memoir of Corfu. In that book, he tells of having to leave the beautiful island because of the impending World War II. In BITTER LEMONS, Durrell once again finds an island paradise that he has to leave because of political violence. The early chapters of the book are mostly humorous sketches about the lazy life of beautiful Cyprus and the colorful local characters. His happy island home becomes a kind of salon for globetrotting artists and intellectuals. Then about halfway through the book, political trouble starts brewing and terrorism becomes a fact of daily life, destroying Durrell's friendships with the people he had come to love. During this crisis, Durrell, a schoolmaster, is enlisted to serve as an administrator in the British government. There, he finds himself in the frustrating position of watching the crisis escalating all around him and being powerless to do anything about it. Durrell documents the events leading up to a standoff between the British and the Cypriots, primarily the result of British bureaucratic indifference. The book is beautifully written. Durrell was a poet and novelist and his descriptive prose evokes the colors, tastes and smells of the island in a way that is very moving. I enjoyed the early part of the book more than the parts dealing with politics. Durrell could easily have written this as two books and, in a way, I wish he had. The book left me with a terrible sense of loss, but that is perhaps what Durrell intended. This is a sad book.

This book, along with a couple by Henry Miller and a few others of Durrell's, was responsible for causing my husband and me to leave life and jobs in LA and move to Greece for nearly a year. Bitter Lemons is part memoir, part political commentary, part travel writing, and part philosophy. It's the story of Durrell's fairly brief stay on the island of Cyprus, conflict between Greeks and Turks, impending world war, buying a house and trying to settle into a unique niche of the world. It's a book about Life and all its myriad difficulties.
Tip-top - and wonderful writing. It's one of those books whose memory will stay with me always.