Travel Books

Having worked on the Apollo launches at Kennedy, I was most interested in reading this book, as most of my interest to date has been with the history of the space program, not lunar geology which I admit I knew nothing about.

Mr. Harland does a very good job in bringing the surface explorations to life, and if I didn't know better, I would have thought he was a third astronaut taking notes while the other 2 went about their tasks. It is that detailed, yet still fascinating to read.

He has also done an excellent job in reproducing the photos. The quality is better than I have ever seen. He even went to great pains to remove all the crosshairs. A previous reviewer complained about the small photos, but the 40th Anniversary Edition is chock full of full page photos, many in color.

Also included are specs of all the manned missions and descriptions of all the other unmanned recon missions that went before.

If you want details of the entire missions, look elsewhere, but if you want to know what happened after touchdown, this is the book.

OK, I admit it:I'm an Apollo nut, and author of two space book titles myself.But this book is the best thing written on the lunar missions since Andy Chaikin's "A Man on the Moon." With intense detail and great narrative of the geological science behind the missions, as well as records of the collected samples, it's the best thing I have seen on the moonwalks.

Note: This is a very enjoyable read, but not a casual one. You should be prepared to invest some time into the process. Otherwise you will not reap the full benefit of this very enjoyable book.

At last,a book about the Apollo missions that does not dwell on Buzz's drinking, one-small-steps or the "unfolding human near-tragedy" that was Apollo 13. These are all great topics but they have been done to death. What Harland has done is chronicle the real reason - well, it later became the real reason - that Nasa went to the Moon. Once the euphoria ofbeating the Russians had worn off, six missions were sent to explore the surface of another planet. One failed, but the 10 men who followed in Aldrin's and Armstrong's footsteps managed to revolutionise our knowledge about the big white disc in the sky. Most of what they did was geology - so there are plenty of rocks here. If you don't know your pyroxenes from your olivines you might struggle a bit, but there is a helpful glossary. You are struck by just how damn hard these men worked in the precious hours and days they had on the lunar surface. there is human drama in this book, but it is in the imagined sweat and tears that must have been exuded to get these results. Finally, you are left reeling by the tragedy of "what might have been". Apollos 18-thru-20 were cancelled, and the Saturn 5s that were to carry further lunar missions now sit rusting in a Nasa carpark. As Harland points out, "they got bored with exploring another planet".

If you are interested in the Moon, or simply in why humanity goes into space, read this book.

David Harland's book is one of the finest I have ever seen on the Apollo program or on Solar System exploration in general. Getting beyond the techincal aspects of spaceflight, the spacecraft or the astronauts' personalities which have been done by other authors, this book brings out the excitement of exploration and the discovery of the unknown that the Apollo astronauts participated in. Many people have been exposed to a taste of this in the episode about Apollo 15 in Tom Hanks' excellent television series "From the Earth to the Moon" which showed how, under excellent teachers, the astronauts, coming from a background of engineering and aeronautics, became true scientists and explorers.

It is true that a lot of geological concepts are thrown at the reader from the beginning and those (like myself) who have no previous background in geology might be intimidated but I find that a careful reading of the excellent glossary contained in the book should give enough background to make the science generally accessible. Harland makes clear why the various landing sites were chosen and what the geological issues were that were to be investigated. Traverse maps showing the various geological features to be explored are included for each mission. The many photographs presented illustrate the main discoveries and their significance. Of special note are the panoramas personally assembled by Harland (which are also available on the internet's Apollo Lunar Surface Journal) which give a stunning view of the Lunar environment as the astronauts saw it.

Finally, I strongly urge someone who finds himself becoming more interested in the subject of Lunar geology to also read Don Wilhelm's "To a Rocky Moon" which presents the historical development of our ideas about the Moon up through the famous Kona Conference in 1984 which determined that the Moon was probably created due to a giant body impacting with the fledgling Earth and also Paul Spudis' "The Once and Future Moon" which gives a summary of our state of knowledge up to the mid-1990's and directions for future exploration.

In the last decade no one has been more productive than British writer David M. Harland at turning out histories of spaceflight written for a popular audience. All have similar features, a mastery of the secondary literature, especially that available through the NASA History Series, a digestion of a wealth of scientific and technical information, and an engaging writing style that focuses on narrative rather than analysis. "Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions" is very much in sync with Harland's earlier works and serves as a useful introduction to the subject. Not a scholarly work--there are no footnotes--but it does have an extensive bibliography. His emphasis in this book is on the work of the six crews of astronauts that landed on the Moon, although there is an opening chapter on the robotic precursors and concluding chapters on Apollo in context and exploration of the Moon in the 1990s.

The heart of this book are the six chapters dealing with the lunar surface activities of Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Harland expends the majority of the books space on the last three of this, and appropriately so because they represented the most significant scientific return of the program. NASA took a building block approach to exploration, something that seems obviously rational now but was not so well accepted at the time, with time on the surface and complexity of the mission advancing with every flight. The last three missions, of course, were extraordinary in collecting superb scientific data about the Moon, its origins, and the evolution of the solar system. Collectively, experiments carried out as a result of Apollo yielded more than 10,000 scientific papers and a major reinterpretation of the origins and evolution of the Moon.

"Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions" is a solid discussion, if uninspired history of lunar surface activity. Readers should read it in conjunction with two other major sources. The first is NASA's official history of the Apollo lunar surface activities entitled "Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions," by W. David Compton (Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration SP-4214, 1989). Is conveniently available on-line for those who do not need a physical copy at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4214/cover.html. Second, anyone who hopes to understand these missions must read the "Apollo Lunar Surface Journal," the brainchild of Eric Jones. Jones has placed on-line more detailed information about the astronauts on the lunar surface than anyone previously. This is available for all to review at http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/.

I agree with jt from New Jersey. I picked up "Far Cry" based on its review in the NY Time Book Review in 1986 (front page coverage). If you simply accept Mrs. Hawkins at face value you will fall in love with the setting, the time and Mrs. Hawkins approach to life.

Perhaps the book has a special place in my heart because I read it in a hotel bar overlooking the Arno in Florence while my pregnant wife was resting upstairs. I still reread the book and remember the bar. Funny.

I enjoyed "A Far Cry from Kensington" and recommend it. It's an entertaining story about an overweight young editor who matures in many ways (weight loss, new romance) over the course of the novel and exhibits strength of character in overcoming various tribulations. When she puts down a toadying literary hanger-on, this unpleasant person becomes something like a stalker. A good yarn; the last chapterlet is bang-up. It's one of those novels, which I think are pretty rare, where the last two pages are the best part.

I am a big Muriel Spark fan -- I mourned her passing earlier this year -- and was very interested in a book that is generally accepted as a companion novel to the brilliant "Loitering with Intent", one of my favorites. I was particularly intrigued given the reviews on amazon. So I want to caution prospective readers that there's no way that this is up to Spark's best work. It simply doesn't have the resonance or mysterious allusiveness that some of Spark's other books have. It's kind of a throwaway, in fact. So I think some of the reviewers below are getting carried away and overpraising the novel. Open it with reasonable expectations and you have an entertaining, intriguing tale ahead of you.

Muriel Spark's A Far Cry From Kensington (1988) is the bookend companion to her 1981 classic, Loitering With Intent. Both novels share a common theme, and like the earlier novel, A Far Cry From Kensington is largely autobiographical and takes place in virtually the same setting and time period: the literary world of early Fifties London. Both are explorations, via reminiscence, of the banality of everyday evil, taking place among the workaday, routine lives of the lower middle class. Less scathing if no less hilarious than many of its predecessors, the relatively unsung A Far Cry From Kensington is the most realistic and humane novel among the twenty-odd Spark has written. It is also exceptional in that it is the single Spark fiction in which a love affair blossoms into a successful relationship of duration.

The story of the universally respected though immensely overweight Mrs. Hawkins, A Far Cry From Kensington follows two divergent threads in her daily life: the mounting sufferings of a rooming house neighbor who is being anonymously threatened, and the problems that stem from her own continuous encounters with Hector Bartlett, a manipulative sycophant who hopes to use her footholds in the publishing world to advance his nonexistent literary career.

While Loitering With Intent can be read as something of a tactical combat manual, A Far Cry From Kensington is instructive in the art of deduction: caught up in a spiraling series of mysterious and increasingly serious coincidences, Mrs. Hawkins, short of both hard facts and physical evidence, actively unravels the odd events that are taking a toll on both the lives of her friends and her editorial career. Fully realizing she is as prone to misjudgment as anyone, Mrs. Hawkins, utilizing her intelligence, intuition, and instinct, nonetheless proceeds confidently and assertively to pierce the veil of secrecy and quiet conspiracy engulfing her. Spark is at a creative peak as she reveals the subtle turns, nuances, and moment to moment impressions in Mrs. Hawkins' mind as she forms her cautious conclusions.

Unlike Spark's finest novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), in which a significant portion of the mystery of human existence is shown to exist on a partially transcendent level, A Far Cry From Kensington eventually grounds that mystery in the knowable everyday. Though the author was to return to something of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie's vision in Symposium (1990), here she seems to be expressing that at least the mundane truths of human life can be ascertained by diligence of method, applied intelligence, and a fundamental willingness to be believe that some people are unabashedly predatory, unscrupulous, and ethically coarse at best. Another message of the novel is that the weak, the foolish, and the vacuous are among the most potentially dangerous individuals one can become involved with.

Upon its release, a number of critics publicly objected with pointed distaste to some of Mrs. Hawkin's behavior, she who enjoys "a puritanical and moralistic nature; it is my happy element to judge between right and wrong, regardless of what I might actually do." For exhausted with Hector Bartlett's elaborate attempts at manipulation, unhypocritical Mrs. Hawkins calls him a "Pissseur de copie" to his face when she encounters him in a public park, and continues to do so, to the detriment of her publishing career, throughout the novel. "It seemed to me," she says, that he "vomited literary matter, he urinated and sweated, he excreted it." Far from keeping this observation to herself, Mrs. Hawkins loudly shares it with authors, editors, and publishers, and since Hector is protected by best-selling author Emma Loy, finds herself fired from one job after another. But Mrs. Hawkins is without regret: "I can't help it. Sometimes the words just come out and I can't stop it. It feels like preaching the gospel." Thus in this and other passages, A Far Cry From Kensington supports speaking one's perception of truth under certain circumstances, regardless of consequence, even if that truth represents an enormous breach of upper class WASP manners and social decorum.

In Spark's vision as expressed here, building relationships of any kind solely for personal gain, manipulating others through callous, self-interested `networking,' and general toadyism are high crimes, all of which Hector Bartlett is guilty of in the extreme. In fact, Hector is one of Camille Paglia's "court hermaphrodites": "red hair en brosse, brown corduroy trousers, tweed coat with leather patches on the sleeves, a yellow tie and a green shirt: this was gaudy in those days, and Hector Bartlett was always dressed in bright colors. He was tall, with a pronounced stoop of the shoulders, which made him seem older than he was - I imagine at the time, he would be in his mid-thirties. His face was round with a second fat chin. He had a small but full baby-mouth as if forever asking to suck a dummy teat." Though many critics have felt otherwise, no amount condescending liberal piety can excuse Hector's routine aggressive subterfuge, moral mediocrity, and parasitic nature. It's unlikely that Spark chose this character's name randomly: "hectoring" is exactly what this he often does to those he encounters, and `Bartlett' suggests his "pudgy," pear-shaped physique.

Written in the plainest language possible but poetically conceived and executed, A Far Cry From Kensington belongs, with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Girls of Slender Means (1963), The Driver's Seat (1970), The Takeover (1976), and Loitering With Intent, among others, with the very best of Spark's work.

This is one of those books that cannot described in a nutshell. If you had to hazard a guess at a description, you'd have to place it firmly in the comedy/ tragedy/ drama/ mystery/ romance section, or simply file it under Spark: Muriel in the Classics section.

Narrated by the once round and central character, Agnes Hawkins (a.k.a. Mrs. Hawkins or Nancy), the story revolves around her experiences as a young widow living in furnished rooms in a semi-detached building in South Kensington. She colorfully describes her neighbors and acquaintances, and gives us tantalizing glimpses into their little secret worlds, in which she is a trustee and confidante.

Despite the mysterious black boxes and the lurking threat of enemies, known and unknown, our heroine manages to keep her head above water, remains a pillar of strength and finds true love among the rubble. Thanks to her diet plan (freely given to the reader as a bonus for purchasing the book), she gains new self-respect, and reinvents herself in a new country, a far cry from her humble beginnings.

A simple classic by an inspired writer.

Amanda Richards

I picked up a copy of Muriel Sparks, "A Far Cry from Kensington" on a friend's recommendation, and I loved it. Mrs. Nancy. Hawkins, the main character is a woman that everyone depends upon and needs to talk with. She has that certain way about her that summons trust and understanding. The fact that her figure is zaftig and that she is a widow lends credence she believes to her trust factor.

Mrs. Hawkins tells her story from a 30 year distance. It is 1954, post World War II, and she is living in a furnished room near Kensington. She has several neighbors of interest and Milly the landlady, was one of the more interesting. She was also a widow and was
Known as an organizer, She was able to organize everyone and everything. Basil and Eva Carlin were a quiet couple and lived on the first floor. Wanda Podolak lived next to them. She was a Polish dressmaker. Kate Parker lived at the end of the hall. She was a district nurse and suffered no germs at all- she was constantly cleaning. On the attic floor, lived a medical student William Todd.

Mrs. Hawkins was an editor at a publishing house and in due time she lost her job and went on to several others. She was excellent at her job, and, of course, everyone confided in her. She knew everything that was going on with everyone. Like the rooming house she lived in, Mrs. Hawkins spent her days and evenings giving advice. The rooming house becomes involved with Wanda and her anonymous letters that turn into blackmail and eventually into big trouble. Along the way, we meet Hector Bartlett, a charlatan who turns many lives upside down.

Mrs. Hawkins gives advice to many and one day she looks in the mirror and discovers that she is too obese. She resolves to lose weight, and by eating only half portions and then quarter portions, she does just that. Her fine bone structure is revealed, and her new body structure also attracts many men. She finds herself in a relationship with William Todd the medical student, which eventually turns into a marriage. Thirty years later,
Mrs. Hawkins, so wonderfully happy with her life in Italy, "a far cry from Kensington",
looks back at her life and continues to offer us advice.

Muriel Sparks has been called "Britain's greatest living novelist", and she was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1993 and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in 1996. She lives in Tuscany, Italy. An outstanding story, told by a wonderful novelist. prisrob

As a student of the Bible myself, I was immediately intrigued by this wonderful book. It is a very easy read with a unique writing style and a HUGE message. I can hardly wait for the rest of the series!

Mr. McConnell has expanded an already vivid character and introduced the reader to intimate details of culture and history. His story brings Zacchaeus to life!

This book transposes the reader to another time. Easy reading yet rich and moving. Taste the honey, sense the harlot and hear the message of hope. A stangely delightful combination. You will think about it long after you turn the last page. I will give it as a gift to the men in my family, but the ladies will want to read it too!

I thoroughly enjoyed your book... definitely food for thought in many ways, As you know I am very involved with abused children, I am also trying to "mentor" if that is the word a 23 year old young man in prison, Your book sheds another light on life.

This is a must read! If you love Swindoll and the word pictures that he uses in his writing you will LOVE this book. It is pratical, applicable and a very easy read. Great for devotional gifts to friends.

I have used these calendar books for years. Anyone who likes France and looking at charming pictures of France will enjoy using these books as their combination daily calendar and address book.

i love these photographs! i feel as i am there! thank you linda for taking me to france every time i open your book!

This is the tenth year I've used a "French Country Diary" as my appointment calendar, and I don't know what I'd do if they stopped making them! Beautifully bound - a page a week - with just the right amount of space to mark several appointments each day along with notes, etc. I'm always complimented on the gorgeous souledo fabric hard cover. It's a discreet and lovely accessory that'll bring joy to your every day!

This item was for my wife; she really likes it. Perfect for her.

This is the third year I have used a French Country Diary and will continue to record my years in this fine diary as long as it is published. The photography is outstanding and reminds me of treasured visits to France. Quality is excellent. I was delighted to find it on Amazon.

Don't expect to read this one over the coarse of a couple of nights- or even a week! You really need to set aside time to savor each tasty morsel, chapter by chapter, tale by spooky tale, to get all the enjoyment out of this book.

Divided into categories like "Military Ghosts," "Restaurant Ghosts," "Animal Ghosts," etc, the book is peppered with actual photos of many of the haunted locales, plus eerie illustrations. Some stories are frightening enough to make the hair on your arms stand up, while others are comforting, in that they'll make you believe that there is an afterlife in which our departed loved ones are still watching over us... and occasionally making mischief!

Another great book by a talented author.

I don't usually venture outside New England for my ghosts, but this bone-chilling collection was well worth every step of the journey! This is not a short read by any means. There are 380 pages of stories here, in fairly small print, and still you will wish there were more.

The author writes primarily about his regional area of New York. His writing style is inquisitive, with much information based in fact. I enjoyed his well-researched historical information about the places he visits, and the photos he includes. He then pulls it all together with contemporary stories, including eye-witnesses, credibly told and concisely written. He writes with just enough speculation to make you think, and I also enjoyed his wry sense of humor. Because there are so many well-varied stories, it becomes evident how many common threads run through ghost encounters and hauntings. You will be fascinated by what these people have witnessed!

It is tempting to read for hours once picking up this book. My advice would be to digest these stories slowly, if you can, to appreciate the full impact of each of these fascinating tales. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking substantial goose-bumps.

Mr. Pitkin has put together a stylish glossary of ghost stories, taking place in a series of Up State New York (among other places) Villages and Cities. Some hit close to home as I live only a short drive from where many stories are reported to have taken place. I bought two copies (one in a book store) and have lent it out to many friends who love it too. It is a wonderful book to take along on a country drive up and down New York State's open roads. The stories are told with honesty and an open mind, never attempting to capitalize on the "fright" factor, but instead bringing common sense to the stories, although there were one or two that had me sleeping with the night light on a couple of times. Truly one of the BEST books on true hauntings I have read to date. I look forward to more from Mr. Pitkin.

This is one of the best true ghost books that I've ever read, and I've read many. I would rank it high in my top ten. I thrilled to every page and had a terrible time trying to put it down even when my husband begged me to turn off the light and go to sleep. The information was presented concisely and deliciously, and I savored every chilling drop. But it gets better still as this is no book that you're apt to read in a single sitting and wonder what it was that you just ingested. This is a bounty of numerous spooky tales that will hold you enthralled with enough terrifying entertainment for a feast.

Most of the stories are even accompanied by photos, a rarity in ghost books, which helps the reader visualize the haunts.

In all, I can't recommend this book highly enough to ghost story enthusiasts who're looking for a good read and a bedtime chill. You'll gladly devour this book and wish you had more!

I'm an agnostic and a skeptic on the subject of ghosts, yet I found this book to be incredibly enjoyable and I was sorry to reach the end. I disagree with the other reviewer that these stories are Christian sermons in disguise. For starters, while Pitkin is obviously a "spiritual" person, he never indicates that he's a Christian. I do agree that he ends most of the stories on a heartwarming, spiritual note that I suppose could get old for some people; however, I wasn't irked by it--maybe because I took a while to read the book and therefore got it in smaller doses.

I think if you're reading a book of "true" ghost stories authored by folks who believe in ghosts (whether or not you do), you should expect to hear a bit about their spiritual beliefs as well. Are there any books of "true" ghost stories penned by absolute skeptics? I don't think so...

As for the stories, many are quite chilling, and Pitkin obviously knows his history. Most stories have accompanying photos of the houses, etc. in question, which is nice. The illustrations are mostly funny--actually, many of them are downright goofy. I was a little disappointed that there weren't more Massachusetts stories, as I live in MA. New York is well covered--I believe Pitkin lives there, and has written another book exclusively about New York ghosts.

This is one of the two best books of "true" ghost stories I've read. The other is "Haunted Happenings," by Robert Cahill.

I've rode bulls for quite a while and thought this book was great.

Highly recommended, excellent book about a misunderstood sport. While Rodeo and Bull-Riding fans will enjoy this book, it is a great book for folks not familiar with Rodeo/Bull Riding and the culture that gave birth to it and sustains it. As the PBR circuit grows in popularity it will be interesting to see if the PBR stays true to it's Western Values and Culture. I hope so...

Just finished the hardback version. As a bullrider and saddlebronc rider I have never read anything as painfully accurate about our sport as this book. The only drawback is I couldnt put it down and as i finished I wanted MORE. I hope he writes a second book..because Jeff Coplon knows more about rodeo than some cowboys. NICE JOB.

I just finished the book and I have to say this is the best I've ever read. If you watch the PBR, you have to buy this book. Donnie Gay, Tuff Hedemann, Ty Murray, Charles Sampson, they are all here.

This is a very good and captivating book and something every rodeo fan should read. If you want to learn more about bull riding legends like Don Gay, Myrtis Dightman, Wacey Cathey, Tuff Hedeman, Lane Frost, Jim Sharp and Ty Murray, this is probably the only place you can find it told so colorfully and honestly. It is also nice to read about the days when the world's top bull riders were cowboys and actually competed at rodeos, and not the pretentious PBR events. It also takes a look at how bull riding's popularity surged in the 90s. I just hope a similar book on bronc riders comes out soon.

In my opinion food is one of the most important experiences in travel. It is always so disappointing to me to have a mediocre meal when the chances to experience great and new food are so few. This book is very helpful as it contains a glossary of many of the more foreign dishes as well as a great guide by type of dining experience as well as cuisine. With a city the size of Mexico City it is great to have such a comprehensive and conscientious guide that is so portable at the same time. I am looking forward to visiting old favorites as well as exploring new ones with this books assitance. Also great is the list of websites in the back. This is a great resource for planning to make the most out of any visit to one of our favorite cities in the world.

This little guide entertained me, and helped us find some otherwise lesser known Mexico City dining spots. I like its personal, quirky character.

It does need a good going over by a more demanding editor to clean up a few flaws, such as missing items on the maps. There are key listings, in some cases, but no corresponding locator number on the map. The maps are very small scale and of low quality.

But, overall, it's a good buy for the Mexico City food aficionado.

My wife and I spent a week in Mexico City and without exception we had great experiences with this guide. We went to several Fondas and tried some of the restaurants as well.
Dollar for dollar this guide added the most benefit of any we bought to our enjoyment of this trip.

I was so excited to see that someone who loves to eat had finally written a guide to street food in Mexico City! This book is everything for which I had hoped. Nick Gilman shares personalized, specific information how to find the places, what to expect once there and explains food terms to clarify their culinary differences. Nick made me feel like I was one of his friends visiting him in Mexico City and he was telling me about some of his favorite places for food, giving all the insider details. I have already circled and underlined all the places where I want to eat so it will be like one treasure hunt after another.

This is the book I was hoping for. My best memories of Mexico tend to be of and around food. Planning another trip to Mexico City, I've been through the mainstream guidebooks, which are generally out of date and written at "arm's distance" from the food, the restaurants and the people who prepare it. Not the case with this book. I now have more options for great food than I will have time to exercise. Cantinas that serve free botanas (appetizers) with drinks? Yes. Particularly good food stalls in the mercados? Check. Maybe a quality Spanish restaurant in El Centro? Got it. Let's see, I know one night I'll want birria for dinner. Luckily Taqueria Tlaquepaque is around the corner from my hotel, and it's open until 9 p.m.
If you're going to visit Mexico City (or live there now) and like good food, buy this book. For making reservations at fine dining restaurants to finding a great cup of coffee on the spur of the moment, this book can't be beat.

Surprisingly, my library system got this book from Vancouver Public Library for me. I would suggest those who yearning for Lenin try your library system. The out-of-print copies may hide in libraries. I am on my way with the author from Siberia to Central Asia. The writing style is as similar as that of A Fortuneteller, and as enjoyable and as readable. I also got Tiziano's early book Giai Phong! The Fall and Liberation of Saigon (1976) from the library system.

I have never read a book that I have been unable to put down, and upon finishing - picked up a pencil, flipped back to page 1 and started again, underlining as I went. I have read the book 4 times now. Terzani is a brilliant and extreemly knowlegable writer who has embraced his love for SE Asia and put it to words so brilliantly. For me, a young Italian traveller living in Bangkok - this book is unsurpassable for ANYBODY who has visited South East Asia and fallen in love with it's charming and heart-warming character (excluding Singapore - Of course!). PLEASE contact me anybody is able to get copies of China: Behind the Forbidden Door, or Goodnight Mr Lenin.

Like one of the other people who wrote in, I too have not yet read Goodnight, Mister Lenin. I have just finished reading A Fortune Teller Told Me and it's been the first book in a long time where I wanted to read every single word rather than just scan through. Tiziano writes as if he is speaking, and this, together with his travels and constant search for answers which lead him on a colourful and fascinating journey, left me looking for more of his books. Mr Terzani you're a gem, thank you for sharing.

I think it is great book because it gives you an open window on the facts. It is obvious that in some way T.T. gives his opinion about the facts, but you also got all the space to try and imagine yours. In some situations I disagreed with his way of interpreting things, and this is the wonderful thing. Trough his eyes I've developed a critical vision about certain situations that came in depht to my attention thanks to his book. I agree with the idea that taxi driver or political leaders are not a onest and complete mirror of the state of things (talking for some minutes with these categories of citizen it is obviously not the same that would be living in a local family for a few years, but when you now it...), but they still are a contact with the community and for this pieces of local colture wherein you can read something. I didn't feel that this book want to be the "truth" about Soviet Union disgregation, it is just a great reportage.

Just wanted to chime in my two cents on "Fortune-Teller"--I've lived and travelled in Asia for the last 3 years, and Terzani's book is the only travel writing I've read that opened my eyes to ways of thinking outside the norm, the mundane, the Lonely Planet view of the world. Extremely worth seeking out.

Naturally, this leads me to wanting to read "Goodnight Mister Lenin", if it can be found. Anyone with a dogeared copy laying around, please let me know!

I was given this book by the author, who is my cousin. He is an extraordenery person but I was stunned by the quality of his writing and the subject matter. This book missed winning a pulitzer and has not been made into a movie because of technical problems. His Mexican friends do receive stipends but this tragically underrated masterpiece and the gut-wrenching stories of those prostitutes need more exposure.
I started by reading this book's sequel, "The Zone of Tolerence" (Red Light District), while David was visiting for a family reunion, so I asked he and his wife, Cindy several questions. She is the railroadman's daughter he became engaged to in this book. They later visited his prostitue and other types of friends mentioned in both books. Cindy was surprised that characters were real and that these bizarre tales were true. The Stuarts were not blessed with children so Lupita was David's only brush with fatherhood. David and Cindy have taken in strays from the University of Mexico. Foreign and domestic students drop out of colleges all over the county but because of this couple's compassion, many in New Mexico have been helped back on track by free rent and encouragement. Cindy was also trained in Archaeology but became a university administrator. Her doctoral thesis researches why students drop out and how a university can prevent this loss of talent and increase the certification of potential taxpayers. In my opinion it was fortunate that David did not marry Marta, the prostitute, or Iliana, the waitress made pregnant by another man. Judge this question for yourself while these books return you to that magical time of lust-fired first love and clouded judgement.
I agree with the other reviewers. David acted in a way that later triggered catastrophic conquences. I acted the same way in the states but, in a location where people are barely surviving, small mistakes can push kids over the edge. Not having a 911 emergency system killed Lupita, not David. Ditto for the the victims of the auto accidents-- moaning while the police stole their luggage.
What you also don't know is that David was assaulted and almost killed before he made his escape out of Ecuador. His notes were written in uncoded English so they could be read by the American educated elite who were doing the exploitation he was documenting. For starters, the peasents were sold with the land and a landowner's first rites with Indian brides was enforced. The horse rolling over him was another problem. While riding over the mountains on a mule train, Indian women would try and trade or sell their babies for food. David could not purchase food for these children because the packed food was for other starving people. Giving the women this food would only encourage them to try and escape the mountains and die on the way down. "No babies", was the non-negotiable rule of the mule skinners. This book is titled, "The Ecuador Effect", University of New Mexico Press.
These two books about Mexico now serve as a documentary of what Mexico was like before drugs poisoned and altered its social fabric. The only other book that changed my attitude was "The Corner" by David Simon and Edward Burns which chronicles the lives of addicts on one drug corner of Baltimore. If you readers need a manicured happy ending without warts, best stick with boy-meets-girl fluff fiction. Pain-on-page is real life. I feel it is my duty to read these types of non-fiction books, even if there is little, or no chance of improvement. Books, like the ones I have mentioned, are not a part of American, light-impact, popular culture. Is that why our problems rarely get solved?

This is a genuine can't put it down and hope it never finishes, wonderfully intelligent, joyful, intense, sad, emotional, laugh out loud book. This is one of a very few books that I'll ever read a 2nd time - and a 3rd ... We came to San Carlos (15 miles from Guaymas) in 2005 and loved the area so much we are building a house here. We go to Guaymas several times a week and it's surely changed since the author's Chronicle days - but it's still a lovely little city. This is a true story - and that's why the characters and situations ring so true. Much recommended.
Note - the titles are a little confusing but there is another "Guaymas Chronicles" book - the 2nd "half" of the story - Guaymas Chronicles - Zone of Tolerance.

As a chronicle, I would say the book is written exceptionally well. If it were a work of fiction, I would say the author failed to generate sympathy for the main character, himself. Because the chronicle is written so well, it may seem you are reading a fictional account that doesn't quite measure up. It is what it is. An exceptional recanting of a true story.

I won't give any spoilers but this was a great book, full of emotions and well written.

Stuart's book is at once touching, funny, and heart breaking. It tells the story of his life in Guaymas, Mexico in 1970 and how his life was changed with the influance of a scruffy street urchin who he made his Mansasera. Although only 10 years old, she knew more about 'la movida' (the moves' than he ever expected. Together they enter busdiness and manage to 'do things for people'. Together with an assorment of other colourful characters, Stuarts portrait of life in Guaymas is one of those books that is contagious - buy it and get one for a friend.

We carried this guide in our trip to the Canadian Rockies and it helped us a lot. We had information of all the available hikes. It is a very highly recommendable product if you are planning to visit this area.

I'm going to the Canadian Rockies for my honeymoon, and I couldn't ask for a better guide. The author includes every detail one could want. I'm looking forward to using it on the trip. I can tell I've chosen the right place, because the author himself has chosen to live there!

Best and most useful information for trip. Well written and concise. Much better and more useful than Frommer.

We spent a week in the Canadian Rockies, using this book as our guide. The book gives excellent recommendations for accomodations and activities - we did not go wrong following them. It gives more information that is beyond the basic, "usual", details. It also includes descriptions of many hikes, from 1-hour hikes to full-day hikes, as well as description of road-accessible sites for the non-hikers.

Moon Travel's "Canadian Rockies Handbook" is packed with the practical information needed to plan a great vacation in the Canadian Rockies. In a well-organized format, the handbook covers how to get there, what to see and do, where to stay, and a nice slice of commentary on the various towns and other sites of interest. The discussion about accomodations includes a decent range of prices and facilities. The focus is on the area in and around Banff and Jasper National Parks, a stunningly beautiful area with endless opportunities for outdoor recreation, sight-seeing, and relaxation. The handbook includes maps and diagram that are sufficiently detailed to enable to visitors to get to the main points of interest. The handbook also provides information on popular hikes, golfing, and white water rafting, among other activities.
This handbook is highly recommended to anyone planning a vacation in the Canadian Rockies, even if they have visited the Rockies before. This handbook provides enough detail in a compact format that it may inform regular visitors on wonders they may have missed on prior trips.