Travel Books
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Related Subjects: Publications Image Galleries Travel Agents Attractions Lodging Preparation Tour Operators Travelogues Specialty Travel Transportation Guides and Directories Consolidators
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Travel Books sorted by
Average customer review: high to low
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Rubberneckers: Everyone's Favorite Travel Game
Published in Cards by Chronicle Books (1999-02-01)
List price: $12.95
New price: $7.57
Used price: $7.56
Used price: $7.56
Average review score: 

Rubber Neckers Travel Game
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-05
Review Date: 2008-07-05
This game is awesome! It makes the time fly by for our ADHD son. The whole family gets involved. After a long trip, we find ourselves still looking for items for a few weeks after we are home. Sometimes we let him make up the rules of the game.
A Real Hit
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-15
Review Date: 2007-07-15
This was definately a good purchase. My 9 year old twin girls loved it. The game challenges you to find certain road signs, types of cars, ect while on your road trip. The best part are the cards that ask you to get the attention of another car near you. The object being to wave or do some other instruction and get the other car to acknowledge you. It was a good time and did make the trip go that much quicker. It's great just to leave in the car even when you are on short trips.
Roadtrip
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-21
Review Date: 2006-08-21
Great fun. The driver definitely cannot play. It would be good for the kids riding in the backseat. We played all day and added our scores when we arrived at our destination.
Rubberneckers - Great fun for family car rides!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-18
Review Date: 2007-10-18
Rubberneckers is a great game to keep in the car for longer rides. The cards tell you to look for various things - types of signs, license plates, cars, businesses and restaurants, etc.. Wave at someone in another car and see if they wave back at you, see if you spot a police car that has pulled someone over. You score points based on what you find. Our nine- and eleven-year olds love it!
A MUST for the car
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-11
Review Date: 2007-07-11
My son (9 years) and I (don't ask) just got back from a road trip. Twenty-six hours of driving over ten days. We played this game until the last eight hours - then we switched to a book on tape (we were real tired by then). Anyway, it kept us entertained for the first 18 hours. Although the driver is not supposed to play (because some of the challenges require you to interact with other drivers), I could still join in the fun (by waiting until we were at a stop light, etc...). Most of the challenges were finding things such as a dog in the car, a person on a bike, a college decal, and even someone picking their nose. Combine this with the Ultimate Sticker Puzzles: License Plates Across the States: Travel Puzzles and Games! (Ultimate Sticker Puzzles) and you're good to go!
Travelers' Tales Thailand
Published in Paperback by Travelers' Tales Guides (1993-12)
List price: $15.95
New price: $10.95
Used price: $2.00
Used price: $2.00
Average review score: 

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-30
Review Date: 2008-05-30
Well written; excellent research. Will be using the book during my stay... I want to visit all these wonderful places that are off the track.
Thailand
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-18
Review Date: 2007-12-18
This book arrived in great condition. It is a very helpful guide to first time visitors to Thailand
Best book about Thailand for an introduction
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-11
Review Date: 2007-11-11
I've traveled to Thailand twice and studied Thai language for a year and a half at university. This book, for my money, is the best introduction available to the land, people, and culture of Thailand. It is not a straightforward travel guide; it is a way into the country without being explicit. As a westerner, from the essays contained in this book, I learned so much about a culture - and land - that is so different than the culture and land of the United States. Topics range from religion, agriculture, politics, and customs, to the bar scene, prostitution, and nature, etc etc etc. After reading this book you will come away with a fuller sense of who Thai people are and what Thailand is as a nation.
My favorite story is 'Mein Gott, Miss Siripan' by Susan Fulop Kepner. I love this piece so much I must have read it about twenty times now. It recalls the story of Kepner's beginning struggles learning to speak Thai while living in Bangkok on business. Her characterization of the fierce and indomitable Miss Siripan - her language teacher - is a classic; one of the most memorable characters in all of literature. Kepner, by the way, is now professor of Thai language at Berkeley. If anyone knows her or will meet her soon, please tell her that I am a HUGE fan of her writing! Khap khun!
My favorite story is 'Mein Gott, Miss Siripan' by Susan Fulop Kepner. I love this piece so much I must have read it about twenty times now. It recalls the story of Kepner's beginning struggles learning to speak Thai while living in Bangkok on business. Her characterization of the fierce and indomitable Miss Siripan - her language teacher - is a classic; one of the most memorable characters in all of literature. Kepner, by the way, is now professor of Thai language at Berkeley. If anyone knows her or will meet her soon, please tell her that I am a HUGE fan of her writing! Khap khun!
Excellent preparation for Thailand trip
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-02
Review Date: 2007-11-02
I usually don't do much preparation for international travel because my husband and I are so busy. We end up missing out on experiences during our travels simply because we didn't prepare. We definitely didn't want to miss out on anything in Thailand. This book was an excellent and easy read. I feel like I've already been to Thailand even though we're not going for another three weeks. Through the short stories and sidebar comments, the reader is presented tons of information about food, culture, and do-and-donts. Plus, this is a much nicer way of learning about Thailand vs reading a guide book that really just consists of lists upon lists. My only concern is that some of the excerpts used as short stories were originally published decades ago. However, I enjoyed reading them anyway since it offers more background info on Thai culture. I highly recommend using this book to prepare for a trip to Thailand along with a traditional guide book. I also recommend this to anyone who leaves to read and learn about other cultures. I definitely plan on purchasing Travelers' Tales, if available, for the next country we visit.
Good Book, But Make No Mistake
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-10
Review Date: 2008-02-10
This is a hybrid bewteen guide book and an anthology of travel stories. Quite a novel concept, except that it doesn't work so well as a guide book. There are only a couple of dozen pages on visas, weather and other practical issues towards the end of the book. This book works much better as a collection of beautifully essays - some of the best work by authors like Pico Iyer, Joe Cummings, Ian Buruma and many others.
These essays are highly varied in terms of style and theme. Some are downright romantic and introspective. Some provide a little insider's information on things that most tourists miss out. Some are incisive social commentaries which touch on subjects which may be considered taboo by the sensitive Thais. The editors have attempted to organise the articles in 4 main parts, namely:
1.Essence of Thailand
2.Some Things to Do
3.Going Your Own Way
4.In the Shadows
The 5th part only has one essay. The way these parts are named may cause some confusion. For instance, "some things to do" may contain Pico Iyer's musings on the impact on Thai tourism.
I would give it 5 stars for the great prose, highly enlightening pieces like "Who Was Anna Leonowens" by William Warren and the brutal honesty of many of the articles that are not afraid to go against everything the travel brochures tell us. It's an extremely goo read for people who wish to explore the kingdom or stay awhile. But for the somewhat misleading format and arrangement, I would minus one star.
These essays are highly varied in terms of style and theme. Some are downright romantic and introspective. Some provide a little insider's information on things that most tourists miss out. Some are incisive social commentaries which touch on subjects which may be considered taboo by the sensitive Thais. The editors have attempted to organise the articles in 4 main parts, namely:
1.Essence of Thailand
2.Some Things to Do
3.Going Your Own Way
4.In the Shadows
The 5th part only has one essay. The way these parts are named may cause some confusion. For instance, "some things to do" may contain Pico Iyer's musings on the impact on Thai tourism.
I would give it 5 stars for the great prose, highly enlightening pieces like "Who Was Anna Leonowens" by William Warren and the brutal honesty of many of the articles that are not afraid to go against everything the travel brochures tell us. It's an extremely goo read for people who wish to explore the kingdom or stay awhile. But for the somewhat misleading format and arrangement, I would minus one star.
Eastern approaches
Published in Unknown Binding by Cape (1950)
List price:
Used price: $5.00
Average review score: 

Eastern Approaches
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-11
Review Date: 2008-02-11
This is an exciting autobiography, which I have read and reread over the years. Of particular interest is the author's introduction into the SAS.
This book will become a permanent fixture in your library.
This book will become a permanent fixture in your library.
A Look Behind The Iron Curtain
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-26
Review Date: 2007-02-26
Pre WWII, Maclean finagled trips through parts of the USSR where no westerner had previously been, even crossing into Afghanistan from the north at one point. He spent much of WWI aiding Marshal Tito's effort to drive the Germans out of the Balkans. Fascinating stuff, this, eloquently written and he's a damn good storyteller.
Great Book.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18
Review Date: 2007-01-18
This book is of great historical value. The narration is witty and elegant. I would recomant it to everybody interested in European history.
Make a movie!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-18
Review Date: 2005-11-18
Great entertaining read, although it is said to have inspired Ian Fleming to write James Bond, this story is worth a place on the silver screen.
the truth is stranger than fiction
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-08
Review Date: 2006-07-08
This is a truly unique book and comparable only with Churchill's 'My Early Life' as an adventure history. Some people write adventure books, some people have adventures but Fitzroy McLean, like Churchill, or TE Lawrence, is able to do both. A rare treat and very easy to read.
Magic Elizabeth
Published in Paperback by Random House Books for Young Readers (1990-11-14)
List price: $3.50
Used price: $25.00
Average review score: 

A perfect little story
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-17
Review Date: 2007-09-17
Like everyone else on this list, I read this book over and over when I was a child and then misplaced it. I can honestly say that I never forgot it, though I did forget the title and twenty-some years later I was still going online from time to time and doing random hopeless searches for it. But - !I came across my battered old cover-less copy in a storage box over the weekend and reread it, and it is just as lovely as I had remembered, and the illustrations are even lovelier. It is a very simple but beautiful story; I highly recommend it for every little girl. I'm so pleased to have finally found it, and doubly pleased that it's been reissued.
This is a wonderful book from my childhood....
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-19
Review Date: 2006-01-19
I first read this book when I was eight years old (in the late 60's) and still have my copy of it. It is a great book about a long lost doll that is finally found after many years. I always wanted a grandfather clock because of the one in this story and mine has a proud place at the top of my staircase too. Wouldn't it be neat if there were hidden treasures in every aunt or grandma's house! This is a must read if you love spooky, but not too spooky, old fashioned stories.
I loved this as a little girl, bought one for my niece...
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-04
Review Date: 2006-07-04
bought one for myself and my sister. My first copy was from the Scholastic book sale at school in 1973. This is a very delightful and innocent mystery that captivated me as a child. This is a beautiful book to share with your daughters, nieces, granddaughters,etc. It is nice to sit back and remember when it was very cool not to be whiny, materialistic, over exposed and selfish..when it was wonderful to just to be a sweet, kind, helpful and respectable little lady.
Metaldiva Sez: Buy as many as you can for all the little girls in your family..great book about a tantalizing and gentle mystery..
Metaldiva Sez: Buy as many as you can for all the little girls in your family..great book about a tantalizing and gentle mystery..
Magic Revisited
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-26
Review Date: 2005-05-26
I had to buy this book! I read this book as a child, but misplaced my copy decades ago! When I realized that I could find it on amazon, that it wasn't lost to me forever, and that I could have my daughter read it, I felt like I was being given a gift. There is nothing like a truly good book when you're a child, and this book is a timeless wonder. I bought one for my daughter, for her third grade teacher, and for her second grade teacher whose daughter is named Elizabeth. Now its magic will inform further generations.
A perfect book
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-15
Review Date: 2005-09-15
I read this book over and over as a kid of eight or nine - it was an especially good book to curl up with when I was feeling lonely or blue. My dog-eared copy gave out finally, and I never could find another. Often I have been sad that I couldn't share some of the most beloved stories populating my imagination as a kid with my daughter. Imagine my joy when this lovely book came available again! I'm not ashamed to say I was emotional and shed a few tears of happiness (a good book will do it to me every time). And, of course, I bought a copy for my little girl, to whom I'm going to read it aloud.
This book is sweet without being cloying, it's an adventure mystery without villains or violence, it's a puzzle to be solved without competition, it's a "growing up" book without preachiness. It's charm is boundless. Adults will enjoy it, I think, as much as their children. Good reading!
This book is sweet without being cloying, it's an adventure mystery without villains or violence, it's a puzzle to be solved without competition, it's a "growing up" book without preachiness. It's charm is boundless. Adults will enjoy it, I think, as much as their children. Good reading!

The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite
Published in Paperback by Yosemite Association (2000-11)
List price: $8.95
New price: $4.83
Used price: $4.61
Used price: $4.61
Average review score: 

Not as Well Organized as I Had Hoped
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-02
Review Date: 2008-06-02
There are many glowing reviews of this book and it does provide the goods on how and where to go to get good shots. The maps (5) and sections are also quite simple to read. In addition, the sequential numbering of the points of interest is a help.
I was disappointed to find so much coverage of photographic technique. While some technique discussions directly relate to the unique character of Yosemite (for example talking about color and the lack of it in granite) most of it feels more like filler, and indeed makes it harder to navigate to the sections of interest.
The book also lacks an index so the only useful navigation tool is the brief table of contents. Without that table of contents it would be hard to find any particular section and even with it, you're going to have to resort to man-made book marks to find what you want. For example if Pohono Bridge and Fern Spring caught your fancy but you didn't remember to book mark it or remember its number you'll have to resort to scanning all of the maps and/or all of the numbered interest points because despite the page of content, there is no entry for this viewpoint in the table of contents (and remember there is no index).
I would prefer the maps be all together at the front or back so that it would work better as a reference book. I would also have liked to see some more examples of "out of the way" hikes to desirable vistas.
Finally, I would like the author to have provided some sort of "effort vs eye-appeal" rating to help me focus on which sunrise locations are the "not to miss" areas and which are "ok". Perhaps the author can even suggest a few itineraries. These more useful things could replace the "choosing film" techniques section and others like it that are a bit basic and detract from the otherwise good "where and when" information.
I'm tempted to get Harold Davis's book "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite & the High Sierra" just to make a comparison.
I was disappointed to find so much coverage of photographic technique. While some technique discussions directly relate to the unique character of Yosemite (for example talking about color and the lack of it in granite) most of it feels more like filler, and indeed makes it harder to navigate to the sections of interest.
The book also lacks an index so the only useful navigation tool is the brief table of contents. Without that table of contents it would be hard to find any particular section and even with it, you're going to have to resort to man-made book marks to find what you want. For example if Pohono Bridge and Fern Spring caught your fancy but you didn't remember to book mark it or remember its number you'll have to resort to scanning all of the maps and/or all of the numbered interest points because despite the page of content, there is no entry for this viewpoint in the table of contents (and remember there is no index).
I would prefer the maps be all together at the front or back so that it would work better as a reference book. I would also have liked to see some more examples of "out of the way" hikes to desirable vistas.
Finally, I would like the author to have provided some sort of "effort vs eye-appeal" rating to help me focus on which sunrise locations are the "not to miss" areas and which are "ok". Perhaps the author can even suggest a few itineraries. These more useful things could replace the "choosing film" techniques section and others like it that are a bit basic and detract from the otherwise good "where and when" information.
I'm tempted to get Harold Davis's book "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite & the High Sierra" just to make a comparison.
Essential! Get It Before You Go!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-20
Review Date: 2008-04-20
I took the trip of a lifetime earlier this month to Yosemite and San Francisco, and it was wonderful. Photography is a big hobby for me, and I spent every second looking for photo opportunities. I read that this was a great book to have and bought it before the trip. It is available at most of the gift shops in the park, but you'll love having ahead of time if you want to make some plans before you go. It's not much cheaper here than in the park, though- maybe $1. Anyway, this was an invaluable tool and I used it to plan most of my hiking and sightseeing while in Yosemite. I also had a PhotoSecrets book for San Francisco, but it wasn't nearly as helpful as this book. This is a great investment to make sure you get the pictures you want on your trip to Yosemite National Park.
One Afternoon's Read -vs- Endless Hours of Web Surfing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-02
Review Date: 2008-01-02
This is the first book I've ever bought to prepare for a trip. I usually spend endless hours searching out tips from links on websites and then printing them--now I look for a photographer's guide first! Michael Frye has given every tip on 'what, when, where, and how', including which filters to use for problem situations or enhancement. This guide is equally beneficial for those travelers looking for the perfect time and place for wonderment--those special spots not marked by signs with arrows and time tables. And the images are awe inspiring. Definitely something to keep out on the coffee table when you get back home.
The Yosemite Photographer's Bible
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-22
Review Date: 2007-11-22
Yosemite is a frequent photgraphic destination for me. I use Michael's book on each trip. There is so much to see at Yosemite that a plan is required. This book not only directs you to the best photo locations, but tells you precisely the time of year to get the best results. Highly recommended.
Very useful and a great value
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-27
Review Date: 2007-09-27
I used this for my first visit to Yosemite. It was very accurate and a great guide even if you're not a photographer. You should use it in conjunction with the free trail guide for the off road hikes. The trail guide has difficulty ratings for the hikes. We went to the top of Vernal falls and it was more difficult than the impression I got from the book. That was my fault not the author's. Great photos in the book too.
Pole to Pole
Published in Audio CD by BBC Audiobooks America (2006-11-01)
List price: $54.95
New price: $39.00
Average review score: 

Palins travels
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-10
Review Date: 2008-04-10
"Pole to Pole" was the second of former Python Michael Palins great travels around the world after the groundbreaking series "Around the World in 80 days", and is equally exciting, thrilling, and entertaining.
This time the team travels along 30 degrees east longtitude from the North Pole through Scandinavia, Russia and the Soviet Union, Africa, (and forced by fate South America) to the South Pole, this being the route covering most land. As with 80 days, and his subsequent travels, "Pole to Pole" is filled with a great, warm spirit of enthusiasm, interest, and real, honest, good humour. Palin guides us, the viewers, through the many different countries and cultures with his usual witty and insightful commentary, and does what the travel industry calls 'the Palin effect' (that you want to go where Palin has gone) great honour.
Describing Palins travel programmes in one word is impossible, but if I had to choose or be beaten to death with a shoe, I'd describe them as inspiring. Truly, utterly, completely, magnificently, and really inspiring. And there cannot possibly be any other quality in a travel programme that is better than that.
The extra material on the DVDs are, as with all the other series, abundant. Lots of clips and segments that didn't make it to the final cut and a half hour interview with Michael Palin.
Highest possible recommendation.
This time the team travels along 30 degrees east longtitude from the North Pole through Scandinavia, Russia and the Soviet Union, Africa, (and forced by fate South America) to the South Pole, this being the route covering most land. As with 80 days, and his subsequent travels, "Pole to Pole" is filled with a great, warm spirit of enthusiasm, interest, and real, honest, good humour. Palin guides us, the viewers, through the many different countries and cultures with his usual witty and insightful commentary, and does what the travel industry calls 'the Palin effect' (that you want to go where Palin has gone) great honour.
Describing Palins travel programmes in one word is impossible, but if I had to choose or be beaten to death with a shoe, I'd describe them as inspiring. Truly, utterly, completely, magnificently, and really inspiring. And there cannot possibly be any other quality in a travel programme that is better than that.
The extra material on the DVDs are, as with all the other series, abundant. Lots of clips and segments that didn't make it to the final cut and a half hour interview with Michael Palin.
Highest possible recommendation.
Palin is inspirational
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-18
Review Date: 2008-01-18
This travel documentary is exceptional, showcasing great landscapes and
various cultures with an element of uncertainty. But what makes it
inspirational is Michael Palin with his spirit of adventure, great sense
of humor and ability to connect with local people.
Palin's journey shows us how people across different ethnicities and
cultures have one thing in common - the 30 degree longitude (as he
travels along this route from North Pole to South Pole). It gives us a
sense of how in spite of our differences in race, religion and culture
we still share the same planet.
We can learn the political, social and economic situations unfolding in
those countries during early nineties. The world has changed a lot since
Palin's journey but his adventures will always be relevant regardless of
time.
This vicarious experience inspires me to embark on a real adventure.
various cultures with an element of uncertainty. But what makes it
inspirational is Michael Palin with his spirit of adventure, great sense
of humor and ability to connect with local people.
Palin's journey shows us how people across different ethnicities and
cultures have one thing in common - the 30 degree longitude (as he
travels along this route from North Pole to South Pole). It gives us a
sense of how in spite of our differences in race, religion and culture
we still share the same planet.
We can learn the political, social and economic situations unfolding in
those countries during early nineties. The world has changed a lot since
Palin's journey but his adventures will always be relevant regardless of
time.
This vicarious experience inspires me to embark on a real adventure.
Michael Palin opens the world.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-06
Review Date: 2007-12-06
What can one say about Mr. Palin and his enlighting series of discovery and adventure. Pole to Pole and Around The World In 80 Days were the eye opening quests that brought a new look at adventure and the world around us. I first saw these at University and just new I wanted to see the world as Mr. Palin has. Which I now have. He takes the journeys beyond the documentary range of The National Geographic. His, take things as they come and if it can go wrong it mostly likely will, coupled with his wonderful sense of humor. Can only lead one to smile and laugh. His style taught me the value of adventure and that all folks are just folks. Give respect and most of the time you get respect in return. Thanks to this gentleman the world is a little closer. Enjoy Pole to Pole and go see for yourself. It's all an adventure. Thank you Mr. Palin
A FINE JOURNEY
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-24
Review Date: 2007-11-24
MICHAEL PALIN`S DOCUMENTARIES ARE ALL A PART OF MY COLLECTION. ALTHOUGH THIS IS I BELIEVE THE EARLIEST OF HIS FOUR EFFORTS(SAHARA,AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS AND HIMALAYA ARE THE OTHER THREE)THE ENTERTAINMENT VALUE, HUMOR, AND PURE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PEOPLE, CULTURES AND COUNTRIES HE TRAVERSES IS SIMPLY STATED, EXCEPTIONAL. NONE BETTER. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND A MUST HAVE. THANK YOU MICHAEL FOR YOU TALENT AND YOUR PERSPECTIVES.
On top of the world, and underneath it
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-24
Review Date: 2007-10-24
After the success of Around the World in Eighty Days, Michael Palin embarked on a highly successful career as an adventure tourist. Each of his journeys has a hook: circumnavigating the Pacific Rim, going across the Sahara Desert, or in this case making the journey from the north pole to the south pole following as best as possible longitude 30 degrees.
Along the way, from snow to savannah, from Norway to Nairobi, the charm of Palin's travels comes from the unassuming way he interacts with the people he meets on route. His personality carries the relatively unstructured travalog along on a sea of well-meaning interest and curiosity. He tells us when he's tired, anxious, and bored. We are touched by the genuine friendships he makes, however fleetingly, and the partings are often touching. In Pole to Pole the meat of the journey is Africa and we travel from relatively cosmopolitan Egypt to what in politically incorrect days was referred to as Darkest Africa. Even in 1991 witchdoctors outnumbered the western kind, and random violence was never far from view. Indeed, at one point Palin stays with a European estate owner in Zambia and his family and after the visit is concluded we learn from the voice-over that they were slaughtered six months later.
I spent a few formative years in southern Africa and it was shocking to me to see how little had changed since last I saw it. If anything, most of the change was for the worse: the old trains and buses simply have grown older, the disorder greater. Only in South Africa did time seem to have moved on. For the casual viewer the sheer range of experience in Africa should be fascinating, even though we get the merest glimpse. How can one capture a continent in just a few minutes of video? Like many people, I suspect, my favorite moments were of Palin sitting on top of the slow train creaking its way through Sudan, talking with those who can't afford to travel any other way, and seeming perfectly at home. Somehow Palin makes us forget how unlikely it all is: a well-paid BBC personality squatting among the illiterate and impoverished, interacting with them as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps no other TV presenter could really pull it off convincingly.
In the end the "hook" seems a little forced: Palin flies in to the north pole and he flies in to the south pole. It's not really much of an epic journey but it was more hazardous than it might seem: when he made the trip to the South Pole there was inadequate navigation and infrastructure and it would have been all too easy for him to have perished due to half-baked preparation and execution on the part of those tasked with ferrying him around. Fortunately all survived and went on to make several other telejourneys to various parts of the world; journeys which are now slowly being remastered onto DVD and released by the BBC. If you don't have the chance to travel much beyond the usual tourist haunts, by all means pick up a copy of Palin's travels and experience the sights, sounds, and people you will otherwise never know of.
Along the way, from snow to savannah, from Norway to Nairobi, the charm of Palin's travels comes from the unassuming way he interacts with the people he meets on route. His personality carries the relatively unstructured travalog along on a sea of well-meaning interest and curiosity. He tells us when he's tired, anxious, and bored. We are touched by the genuine friendships he makes, however fleetingly, and the partings are often touching. In Pole to Pole the meat of the journey is Africa and we travel from relatively cosmopolitan Egypt to what in politically incorrect days was referred to as Darkest Africa. Even in 1991 witchdoctors outnumbered the western kind, and random violence was never far from view. Indeed, at one point Palin stays with a European estate owner in Zambia and his family and after the visit is concluded we learn from the voice-over that they were slaughtered six months later.
I spent a few formative years in southern Africa and it was shocking to me to see how little had changed since last I saw it. If anything, most of the change was for the worse: the old trains and buses simply have grown older, the disorder greater. Only in South Africa did time seem to have moved on. For the casual viewer the sheer range of experience in Africa should be fascinating, even though we get the merest glimpse. How can one capture a continent in just a few minutes of video? Like many people, I suspect, my favorite moments were of Palin sitting on top of the slow train creaking its way through Sudan, talking with those who can't afford to travel any other way, and seeming perfectly at home. Somehow Palin makes us forget how unlikely it all is: a well-paid BBC personality squatting among the illiterate and impoverished, interacting with them as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps no other TV presenter could really pull it off convincingly.
In the end the "hook" seems a little forced: Palin flies in to the north pole and he flies in to the south pole. It's not really much of an epic journey but it was more hazardous than it might seem: when he made the trip to the South Pole there was inadequate navigation and infrastructure and it would have been all too easy for him to have perished due to half-baked preparation and execution on the part of those tasked with ferrying him around. Fortunately all survived and went on to make several other telejourneys to various parts of the world; journeys which are now slowly being remastered onto DVD and released by the BBC. If you don't have the chance to travel much beyond the usual tourist haunts, by all means pick up a copy of Palin's travels and experience the sights, sounds, and people you will otherwise never know of.

The Restaurant Manager's Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation 4th Edition - With Companion CD-ROM
Published in Hardcover by Atlantic Publishing Company (FL) (2007-09-25)
List price: $79.95
New price: $43.99
Used price: $45.00
Used price: $45.00
Average review score: 

Outstanding book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-15
Review Date: 2007-03-15
This book is very detailed and to the point. It covers all areas of the restaurant business. Then menu planning section is great. It gives so much foresight.
A must-have
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-07
Review Date: 2003-03-07
Doug Brown's Handbook is a must-have for all restaurant managers and prospective owners. I wish I'd had this when I first started out, but you can be sure it will be required reading for all my managers!
Ordering directly from his Atlantic Publishing Group is the way to go - it arrived quickly and in perfect condition.
Thanks, Doug.
A solid, no-nonsense, all-encompassing curriculum
Helpful Votes: 25 out of 32 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-16
Review Date: 2003-05-16
Now in a completely revised and thoroughly updated third edition, The Restaurant Manager's Handbook: How To Set Up, Operate And Manage A Financially Successful Food Service Operation by Douglas Robert Brown is a solid, no-nonsense, all-encompassing curriculum to teaching oneself the basics of the restaurant business. An exhaustive compendium of step-by-step instructions, advice, checklists, legal issues, as well as encompassing an extensive listing of state restaurant associations (and so much more!) fill the pages of this "must-have" reference for anyone with a serious and dedicated interest in the dynamics of food service oriented small business ownership. A companion CD-ROM with printable versions of all the handy and useful sample forms is included.
solid handbook
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-19
Review Date: 2007-07-19
this is a solid, almost academic, handbook. it's points you toward the things you need to figure out but you'll still need to get additional information on your local regulations. personnaly, it discouraged me from opening a buisness at this time.
2004 Writers Notes Book Award Winner
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-18
Review Date: 2005-05-18
The Restaurant Manager's Handbook is a no-nonsense, coverall manual for the food establishment industry. It's the essence of a successful handbook-no jokes, parables, and preachy lectures, just the facts. If you delve into the heal-thy index for fault, you'll abruptly bump into a page number for an answer, and if you're currently running a restaurant and afraid to appear inadequate, you can load the handy CD-ROM and pretend you're checking your e-mail while figur-ing out the monthly audit procedures or why the beer is flat. I'm not kidding. The next time your favorite kitchen runs short of the daily special or closes down for a lack of permit, serve them a copy of this great reference book.

Secret Sedona: Sacred Moments in the Landscape (Special Scenic Collection)
Published in Paperback by Arizona Highways Books (2005-10)
List price: $12.95
New price: $6.41
Used price: $5.73
Used price: $5.73
Average review score: 

Secret Sedona
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-24
Review Date: 2008-06-24
This is an amazing work, which draws you into the mystiques of our past and makes us seem so inconsequential in the greater scheme of lives gone by.
Sedona Splendor
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-19
Review Date: 2008-06-19
I have lived in Northern Arizona for most of my life and visit Sedona often. This book, with its wonderful images and text, make the reader feel like they are in Sedona. As a photographer I find the images outstanding and the messages in the text inviting.
A Rare Treat of Reverence and Delight
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-23
Review Date: 2008-05-23
Elegant and unique - the best of it's kind! This book is one that I enjoy over and over again, enriched each time by the authors' reverent vision and writings about this sacred and profoundly beautiful landscape.
The new edition's 22 Hikes are described and well organized (i.e. Easy Hikes, Hikes along Water, Hikes to Arches, Hikes into Canyons, Vista Hikes and Loop Hikes) and are wonderful for all levels of ability. I keep this book out for guests and visitors to see and have given it as a gift to out-of-town guests. Lindahl's photography and writings blend the beauty of Sedona in both mystical and poetic ways. I was especially impressed with the combination of rich native historical information and journal narratives that create a sense of being in the timelessness of the place. This book gives me a new appreciation of the natural world through the author's keen attention to detail and the way his profound descriptions and relationship to the land keeps me right there with him on his deep and meditative journeys.
Arizona Highways Magazine
The new edition's 22 Hikes are described and well organized (i.e. Easy Hikes, Hikes along Water, Hikes to Arches, Hikes into Canyons, Vista Hikes and Loop Hikes) and are wonderful for all levels of ability. I keep this book out for guests and visitors to see and have given it as a gift to out-of-town guests. Lindahl's photography and writings blend the beauty of Sedona in both mystical and poetic ways. I was especially impressed with the combination of rich native historical information and journal narratives that create a sense of being in the timelessness of the place. This book gives me a new appreciation of the natural world through the author's keen attention to detail and the way his profound descriptions and relationship to the land keeps me right there with him on his deep and meditative journeys.
Arizona Highways Magazine
Fine for what it is, but not at all what I wanted
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-20
Review Date: 2008-04-20
I am in the process of planning a short, expensive trip to Sedona and purchased a slew of books on the area from Amazon including this one. "Secret Sedona" is a large, thin book of landscape and nature photographs very similar in style to an Eliot Porter portfolio. That's nice, but it's hardly the sort of practical information I am craving right now. It's the sort of book that you could buy in Sedona and easily pack into your suitcase as a souvenir, but not the sort of thing one would bring from home on the trip, and really not all that useful in planning a vacation.
Fantastically Gorgeous Gift for Sedona Lovers!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-30
Review Date: 2007-08-30
I love this book. My parents are long time Sedona residents, and every time I visit them I purchase a few of Lindahl's "Secret Sedona's" to take home as gifts from vacation. The photography is phenomenal, as well as the written word, which decribes Sedona in the romantic fashion it is in reality.
An easy read, with pictures worth a thousand words and beautifully laid out, I recommend this book to anyone, whether you live in Sedona, visited Sedona, or have even never been there! (It will make to want to do all of the above.) 5 Stars!!!!!
An easy read, with pictures worth a thousand words and beautifully laid out, I recommend this book to anyone, whether you live in Sedona, visited Sedona, or have even never been there! (It will make to want to do all of the above.) 5 Stars!!!!!
Southern Ladies and Gentlemen
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Bantam (1985-02-01)
List price: $3.50
New price: $29.95
Used price: $2.29
Used price: $2.29
Average review score: 

Wonderful reading!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-08
Review Date: 2008-04-08
What a trip! We just moved to the South a few years ago (First Atlanta, now the Delta), and I'm wishing someone had recommended this a while back. It helps with so many things! All the contradictions, the unexplained rules, the assumptions and the wacky productions...King helps it all make sense, with great humor and flair. If you enjoy this, I also recommend Gayden Metcalfe's books: Being Dead is No Excuse (about funerals in the South) and Somebody is Going to Die if Lily Beth Doesn't Catch that Bouquet (Southern weddings, obviously). Enjoy!
Southern Ladies and Gentlemen
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
Review Date: 2008-02-13
This book was delivered earlier than expected. I had read the hardback copy which I lost through loaning it. The book is about southerners and for an southerner, it explains all the people I have come to know.. I know every character described in the book.
Lawdy, Lawdy!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-31
Review Date: 2007-12-31
This is my second reading of this book, separated by 15 years. I fondly remembered it as an hilarious work, yet this time halfway through I realized that I, and most of my family, lurk in the pages. We Southerners have families loaded with women who "go to pieces" and men who think they still live in the Middle Ages. We have legacies of spoiled, sassy belles and proud, wounded gallants still fighting the War Between the States. Sometimes we leave Mama's house shuttered for decades because "she never wanted her things disturbed". That which would cause hardly a concern in Omaha becomes a major issue in Richmond. Although the names change the cast is the same. It's all here, and none of it is made up-each character continues to thrive by the thousands in the South. If you want to understand Southerners you cannot just eat burgoo and wine jelly with custard-Southern Ladies and Gentlemen is a must for any true aficionado of this beautiful culture.
Buy multiple copies -- you'll be giving them out!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-30
Review Date: 2007-07-30
Indispensable for both natives and transplants. Absolutely the best analysis of the Southern mindset that I have ever encountered -- I'm a native -- and a dangerously funny read to boot. Ms. King writes with a caustic wit wrapped in an ever-so-delicate velvet glove. I quote her insights often, and almost always end up having to get yet another copy to give to someone. The South really has its own flavor -- from Faulkner to Foxworthy -- and Florence King has it all neatly summed up. Everything I have read of hers so far is worthwhile.
The humor holds up well
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-19
Review Date: 2007-02-19
Even after 30 odd years (yes, I really did read this back in the 1970s) this book remains very funny. It's also 'spot on' for the morals and manners of its time and place, but as a work of sociology or anthropology, some of its declarations and observations are more historical than immediate. I don't mean all of that deliciously eccentric Southernicity has vanished, but thanks to cable/satellite tv and the Internet, the "South" has become substantially more culturally homogeneous with the rest of America. And those quirks that remain have almost become national treasures. (For example, even in Ohio restaurants I'm now asked whether I want sweet tea or unsweetened. Ten years ago, there was no choice above the Mason-Dixon line: Iced tea came unsweetened and you had your choice of white, pink, or blue packaged additives.)This book captures a South not all that dear to sharecroppers or blue-collar TVA workers, but one close to the hearts of debutantes and daughters of the Confederacy. It's often hilarious reading, but don't expect this to be a complete and accurate social roadmap to the south of 2007.

Stairway Walks in San Francisco
Published in Paperback by Wilderness Press (2004-05)
List price: $14.95
New price: $19.00
Used price: $6.74
Used price: $6.74
Average review score: 

It's a 'must' for any San Francisco travel collection going beyond the general-interest city guide.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-07
Review Date: 2008-02-07
San Francisco has over 50 hills with scenic vistas and small neighborhoods - so these nearly 30 urban walks are top picks for any who want to walk the city's byways. The revised expanded edition has been updated with new maps and color photos and adds three new walks, while an appendix lists the City's 600-plus public stairways. It's a 'must' for any San Francisco travel collection going beyond the general-interest city guide.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Fun book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-02
Review Date: 2008-01-02
Great book to have for anyone who enjoys an adventure. Lots of walking options within the city
We are buying our 2nd edition of this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-01
Review Date: 2007-12-01
We've have been using Edition 1 (published 1984)for ten years. It's our most often used reference for San Francisco hiking. But the copy is now very worn and torn from carrying in back pocket on all those stairway hikes. Almost lost it several times on loans to friends. We are buying the latest edition (No. 6) as a replacement. We'll keep and treasure Edition 1.
No better way to see San Francisco.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-18
Review Date: 2007-11-18
We love to see the City close-up and enjoy the neighborhoods. During our reviews of Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, and San Francisco's crookedest street (Lombard Street) - we've used this book to find secret stairways and understand their twisted history. This book is an invaluable resource to making your trip to San Francisco unique -- and get some good exercise too!
A Great Way to Fall in Love With San Francisco
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-20
Review Date: 2008-03-20
Adah's book is a great collection of walks all over the city. As the name implies, all the walks focus on the stairways for which San Francisco is so well known. This has two implications: one is that these walks will wear you out; the second is that, on sunny days, you get incredible views from the tops of all the stairways Adah has you climb.
For locals, the 27 walks cover the entire town from Glen Canyon to Lands End to Potrero Hill. No matter how long you've lived in San Francisco, I guarantee you'll see great spots you've never been to before.
Most of the walks are well off the beaten path for visitors, but a couple cover the classic tourist areas of North Beach, China Town, and Telegraph Hill. The Russian Hill North walk, done on a sunny day, will have anyone believing San Francisco is the most beautiful city on earth.
Adah provides maps, directions, and a great deal of color commentary for each walk. She tends to focus on eccentric details of the local architecture and flora for each walk, lending a whimsical quality to the whole experience.
Two last things to keep in mind. First, because the views are such a big part of these walks, Adah's trips are much better in good weather than in bad. Second, Adah is sometimes a little loose with her directions; I recommend cross checking the directions and the map often.
For locals, the 27 walks cover the entire town from Glen Canyon to Lands End to Potrero Hill. No matter how long you've lived in San Francisco, I guarantee you'll see great spots you've never been to before.
Most of the walks are well off the beaten path for visitors, but a couple cover the classic tourist areas of North Beach, China Town, and Telegraph Hill. The Russian Hill North walk, done on a sunny day, will have anyone believing San Francisco is the most beautiful city on earth.
Adah provides maps, directions, and a great deal of color commentary for each walk. She tends to focus on eccentric details of the local architecture and flora for each walk, lending a whimsical quality to the whole experience.
Two last things to keep in mind. First, because the views are such a big part of these walks, Adah's trips are much better in good weather than in bad. Second, Adah is sometimes a little loose with her directions; I recommend cross checking the directions and the map often.
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Related Subjects: Publications Image Galleries Travel Agents Attractions Lodging Preparation Tour Operators Travelogues Specialty Travel Transportation Guides and Directories Consolidators
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