Travel Books

Certainly the warmest and friendliest guidebook out there, this one also happens to be the best. Although he may or may not have written the entire book, it sure feels like Rick Steves is there page after page talking to you one on one, telling you all about the places to go in and around London. Leaving little out, covering things you'd never think of on your own, this is a book to buy and pack and take with you. Well worth the price!

Went to London. I wasn't able to see everything, but this helps get you on your way. Going back soon.

Had the opportunity to visit london for a short stay. Book was an imense help on finding a hotel ways to move around.

This book was excellent. I found it very helpful in finding places and in getting background information about the places I wanted to see. I would recommend this book as one that you should purchase when Planning a trip.

I am a big fan of Rick Steve's guidebooks so understand my bias. We used this 2006 version in Dec 2006 to find lodging, a few restaurants and many of the walking tours. All information was still up to date and excellent. However, please note that the 2007 version should come out in Jan 2007 or close to that time and will be even more current. Great tips and easy to read information on days and times that sights are open or open late is essential and very helpful in planning the trip.

I am in London right now delighted with how helpful this book is. Many guide books try to give too much information and end up more like phone books. This book is perfect in that it gives you the most important information about what is worth seeing. His tips on saving time and money are right on. This is the best book you will find for a visit to London.

I loved this book. I used it to help plan my trip beforehand and it helped me re-evaluate the plan when I couldn't cover all the stops I wanted.
The information was very accurate with great tips.

My wife and I went to London for a week and this book was excellent for time management to see what we could actually pack in and what was worth checking out. Additionally, Rick's writing style is great and we often found ourselves laughing at his commentary that was right on the mark.

My wife and I returned for our 4th trip to London last spring and the most current edition of this book has always gone with me. I tear it apart while I'm there, taking sections with me for the day as I explore. It is updated annually so I always get the newest version before I leave. Rick's guides are not comprehensive - they don't list every hotel or eatery - but they do filter out the best ones in each area of town and that is what I want in a guide book. Recommendations on hotels, sites, local culture and transportation are more valuable than those on eateries. Maps are simple but accurate, providing enough direction to keep you from getting lost while still encouraging you to wander a bit and discover your own gems. There is a heavy emphasis on history, the arts and experiencing life with the locals. The abbreviated tours - like the one of the National Gallery - help you see the "best of" the site when you don't have time to see it all. First timers, don't leave home without it.

This was a great book for maximizing our time in London. It is very thorough and a great resource that covered all aspects of our travel. I wish I had read it more thoroughly before we went, but it was great as we traveled. Next time we will avoid more of the lines and get our museum passes and discounted tickets where Rick recommended.

Polidori's work is not just about the places he photographs. This book is something to recommend to people with no understanding of Havana or it's history as well as those that do know the city. He has captured an eerie world, ghostly and abandoned, yet clinging to life. It's a dark tropical dream. If you find peeling paint and dark hallways strangely inspiring, you will treasure this collection of work from a masterful photographer with a great appreciation for decay and its warmth as well as sadness. Look at these photographs and enjoy their mysteries.

Being Cuban American and having visited Havana numerous times as well as having the opportunity to actually see firsthand, many of these grand interiors Polidori so eloquently displays for all to page through and imagine the events that have transpired in these interiors. The joys, the struggles, the rise and fall of a culture with all it's social graces. This book captures what I captured with my own eyes passing through those marvelous mansions of Cuba's golden age. Havana is truly a Paris of the Caribbean, although decayed and damaged, she is still beautiful, graceful and inspirational to all who visit her. Thus the term "Havana-itis", a disease thought to befall visitors who fall instantly in love with the grand ole dame. I believe there is still hope for her to be restored to her rightful brilliance one day, If only the current government would allow it.

There are two principal cities in the world where time seems to stand still. One is Pripyat' Ukraine which was abandoned following the Chernobyl disaster in April, 198. In that unfortunate time literally all the people left within 24 hours. The other is Havana whose middle and upper classes departed over several decades following the Cuban Revolution mainly to live in the United States.

Unlike Pripyat' where vegetation and wildlife replaced human inhabitants, the City of Havana lives on despite its painful decay.

Robert Polidori's Havana depicts several days in the life of the city in the early years of the new century. Probably by chance, the period he photographed represented simultaneously the zenith and nadir of the Revolution. His camera details the architectural heritage of the colonial era set among the blockish facades of Socialist reality. Even as neglect defaces these urban jewels, a certain spirit shines through recalling a city whose exiles in Florida still yearn to return.

As we enter the last days of the Cuban experiment in our hemisphere, the Havana so lovingly pictured here will not endure. Buildings and homes will be restored naturally enough. But the spirit of the urban caretakers of this legacy might have been lost forever if not for Polidori's lens. This is an amazing and dreamy work that belongs to a city and people whose heritage stayed behind.

These photos are breathtakingly spectacular. As soon as I saw this book, I had to buy it. It was the first time I'd ever seen anything that captures exactly what being in Cuba feels like: as if you were witnessing the beautiful ruins of a decaying Roman empire. It's the most spectacular, cinematic misery you could ever experience. And I'm glad that someone like Robert Polidori has captured it so faithfully before it all crumbles to the ground (or gets built over with hideous concrete Spanish hotels).

Visceral images of a unique city, in which splendor and squalor are juxtaposed, and the past is suspended within the present, decaying yet enduring. Robert Polidori has captured the beauty and melancholy of Havana, gazing unflinchingly at the ruins and the people who inhabit them. When the boycott is finally lifted, all this will be swept away by a tide of new development, so try to see it now and use this wonderful book as an introduction and a lasting memento. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

Roller Coaster is colorful and informative history of roller coasters by Robert Coker covers early models in an introductory chapter than focuses on the heart of the topic: innovations in roller coaster models and modern coaster innovations. The colorful coverage provides a solid, appealing leisure read which should attract a wide audience of those young at heart.

This book is basically another in a long line of coaster thrill books designed to prolong the excitement of riding these amusement park behemoths. This latest book is tastefully done and includes the requisite history with lots of familiar and some rediscovered photos and prints of old timers. A few of the newer beasts are included with enticing views of riders being turned in spine tingling directions. Coker's text is well written. This book has enough new stuff to warrant it's inclusion in your coaster book library.

This book is great.It tells really well about the rollercoaster itself and great pictures.(TWO THUMBS UP)

When was the last time you had so much fun screaming? Probably last time you were on a roller coaster, your hair tingling, your eyeballs popping, and your stomach churning. Robert Coker, a talented journalist, has been everywhere you've been and more, and he describes the different rides he's been on, whether wooden or steel, coaster or twister, with a different appropriate writing style that will make you feel you're in the same box, hurtling hundreds of feet downwards after a longslow climb.

Maybe the best part is Coker's sneak preview of coming attractions, rides they're building out there that we may not get to stand on line for just yet. But, a boy can dream, can't he?

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in roller coasters. It includes history of roller coasters, wooden roller coasters, steel roller coasters, and extreme machienes. It also has great pictures. Take my advice, this book is great!

Thank you for this book. It was exactly what I was looking for. My husband and I will travel to Senegal and Ghana early 2008 and we will be touring those places associated with the slave trade. I am also researching our family trees and am looking forward to returning to the Motherland.
The part of the book that gives a snapshot of each country on the west coast of Africa, things to take with you and proper behavior in each country was helpful. We would not want to do anything to offend our African brothers and sisters.
Continue doing what you are doing.

Sincerely yours,
Hazhin

This book opened my eyes. I was brainwashed about Africa and did not know it. It was if the book was speaking directly to me. This is a great book easy to read but alot of information

Roots Recovered is not only a practical travel guide, but also a valuable guide for tracing African-American ancestry! The resources and references in this book are extensive and the writers have traveled to these places--making it a treasure trove of information. The traveler can trace one's roots to specific African tribes. The book contains bits of history and is informative, as well as educational and helps Blacks with the misrepresentations about Africa. As a bonus, the reader learns how to travel for free or on a budget. I especially enjoyed these sections: useful phrases, watch you back, women travelers, photography etiquette and places of interest (not your ordinary ones). This book is a must read for anyone planning to travel to Africa.

I really like this book. The resources and references are fantastic and the author proves that he knows what he is talking about. His experiences were exciting, genuwine and informative. In addition there are individual chapters on various West African countries and what you might expect during your visits, plus great information on embassy offices, cheap air seats and safety. A must have for the traveler.

This book is very different. It is a travel book yet it touches upon history and brainwashing of African Americans and how travel to Africa can change the brainwashing. I love Africa so this book did not directly concern me but people who have a bad image of Africa should buy this book. This book is not what I expected but it was a pleasant surprise. This book will make a Black person not be afraid to go to Africa to see it because it informs you of all the misrepresentions.

A classic. As we rush into brave new environmental worlds where angels fear to tread, and as our kids grow up plugged in rather than playing in the dirt, this should be required reading in all schools (and required for the parents, too). Besides presenting a compelling and important argument, it's also a very good book.

I knew I would enjoy this book right from the start, when I found the following passages in the Foreward: "There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot..." and "For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television..."

If you can relate to those statements, you will love this book. Guaranteed. Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, but he was so much more. He was a visionary. Read those statements again, and when you realize that he wrote them back in 1948, you might be amazed. But as you read the book, you will come to understand how special he was. Facts or knowledge that we take for granted today (e.g., predators play an important role in a healthy ecosystem), Leopold was talking about them over 50 years ago. Time and again I found myself checking the copyright because I could not believe someone was actually thinking this way so long ago.

However, it's not just the ideas of Leopold that made him special. The way he wrote was special, too. His talent drew you in, even though he was writing about something that, by the sound of it, might be kind of dry. For example, in a section called "Good Oak," he connects the passage of years to the rings of a fallen tree that he is cutting for firewood. Starting with the 1940s he relates one environmental tidbit after another for decades or years: "Now our saw bites into the 1890s...when the last passenger pigeon collided with a charge of shot near Babcock." By the time Leopold is done cutting the fallen tree, the reader has received a fascinating and sobering account of what had transpired to the environment in the area of this oak tree for the previous 80 years. The way he used the backdrop of cutting the tree rings as "markers" of environmental mishaps was masterful. It is Leopold at his best, but fortunately, the book is full of writing like this.

It is divided into three sections. The first one follows a calendar year on his farm in Wisconsin, with Leopold relating little vignettes about chickadees, skunks, flowers, or whatever else he comes across. It is probably the most charming part of the book. Part two ("Sketches Here and There") contains short remembrances of Leopold's travels to different parts of North America. Unfortunately, the story usually has a "bad" ending - at least, for the environment or for a species (like the now-extinct passenger pigeon). But Leopold had a reason for that. He moves to part three, "The Upshot," where he spells out his ideas for saving the land and the wild things that live there. It is too much to discuss here, but Leopold again hits the mark. His goal was to try and change how Americans think about the use (and abuse) of our environment. Pehaps his biggest lament then, and mine now, is that not enough people care about what we are doing to the land.

That's why this book was published. The hope of this book was to change the hearts of the average American. It still is. Over fifty years later, it's still in print, and it's still relevant.

Five stars. Absolutely the best nature/environment book I've ever read.

"Thus always does history, whether of marsh or market place, end in paradox. The ultimate value in these marshes is wildness, and the crane is wildness incarnate. But all conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish." (from "Marshland Elegy")

"It must be poor life that achieves freedom from fear." This, from reflections on being caught on horseback during a lightning storm, is a comment on the "civilized" mindset that wanted all to be safe, and so feared and destroyed wildness.

These essays were written mostly in the 1940's, although some of them are about earlier times in the author's life. In a way, reading Aldo Leopold is like watching Humphrey Bogart in those old movies, with his smoking and tough-guy sexism. We understand these as disreputable today, but can put them in context. Likewise, Aldo Leopold was in many ways a typical countryman of his time and place. He loved to hunt and fish, and even reflexively shot wolves, like everyone else. He came to regret that, and in fact to realize that in the new era, where hunting and fishing have become mass recreations, that the old ways just don't work anymore. But they did in his day, and he does not retrospectively apologize for having been, in a sense, just another predator.

But he was also a college professor, and an expert naturalist and ecologist. In this book he is a poetic writer about nature and a loving reporter of all things wild. No matter where I lived I would love this book, but having lived not too far from his sand counties and walked his restored prairies makes it the sweeter.

I keep this book on my nightstand and read an essay or two after my pj's are on and before going to bed. My bookmark is a pencil for making notes in the margin when particularly wonderful passages are encountered. The margins are very full.

Aldo opens our eyes to worlds in our own backyards which have always existed but which have remained undiscovered due to our own dull-sightedness. I considered myself an avid nature-watcher, but the extent to which Mr. Leopold carries this hobby is humbling. He inspires any true fan to learn the names and habits of every tree, shrub, weed, thistle, bird, insect, and critter native to one's home county, and to hone one's journaling skills and master the talent of imagery and metaphor.

But, this book is not for everyone. I've read favorite passages to friends only to watch their eyes glaze with disinterest. If you're the outgoing, life-of-the-party, must-always-be the-center-of-attention type, then perhaps The DaVinci Code would be of interest. But if you enjoy solitary walks in the woods, canoe paddles on distant foggy lakes, or reading prose with your pj's on, then this is required reading.

Life got you down? Live in a big city? Take a refreshing break and escape to the Wisconsin countryside in this beautifully written little book about the land and the plants and animals that live and grow there. Aldo Leopold's writing is more compelling than John Muir's,and more knowledgeable than Thoreau's. In a series of short sketches you follow the cycle of the land from January to December. Along the way you learn about history, meet amazing plants and animals, and experience the drama of both the destruction and the rebirth of our land.

This is what it was all about. It is so fascinating to read about the research and development, as well as the engineering behind the greatest most powerful machine ever developed by man. The book lays out all the details. There are lots great photos and illustrations that really explain how this complicated machine functions. One interesting aspect is the explanation of how the engines function. You don't find that in too many books about the Saturn V rocket. If the reader is interested in the engineering and pieces and parts of the Saturn launch system, then Saturn is a must read. I strongly recommend this book.

Here is a level of detail that has rarely been seen on the subject of the mighty Saturn V. Amoung all the hype of getting people to the moon it was the LEM, Service Module and Command Module that took centre stage because thats where the people sat. The other 365 feet of machine had simply been forgotten.

Finally this important part of the apollo program has been reported in detail. Each stage is described with engineering detail down to the location of data link antennas. The F1 and J2 engines are also described in engineering detail down to the types materials the components are fabricated from. The design, fabrication and testing facillities are also described for all three stages of the Saturn V.

Amazingly most of this material came out of an archieve in England! That's how much NASA divested themselves from the entire project once it was over.

If you are a detail monger then this book must be on your shelf. The attached DVD presents the assembly of the Saturn V at the VAB in Florida and the launch of Apollo 11. The remander of the DVD shows footage of live engine tests at the various facillities (and one really nasty failure).

Very good photographs and diagrams of the production work involved. Also includes photos of the transportation equipment required to move huge rocket parts to the Cape and other testing areas. Text is minimal. The DVD is basic in scope.

If you remember and enjoyed the Apollo program you will love this book.Best yet play the DVD and crank it up on your surround sound when they test fire the engines.

The already impressive and prodigious output of Apogee has been further enhanced by this great volume on the Saturn launch vehicle program. The history of each piece of hardware is detailed along with each mission. As the distance in years between the events and our recollection of them grows, this volume preserves detail that may otherwise have disappeared into government archives or otherwise be lost forever before we return to the moon again.

Superb! As someone of Scottish ancestry who went to graduate school there back in the 1970s, I was naturally drawn to this book. Taken at face value, writing a book on three tiny, uninhabited islands is quite challenging, given the nearly four hundred pages this book encompasses. Mr. Nicolson writes stirring prose as he disects every aspect of the Shiants--history, geology, plant life, animal life, etc. From this, the reader can acquire knowledge on a wide variety of subjects that extend well-beyond these little isles--for example, I learned that the abundant defecation of geese is brought about their need to constantly reduce body weight or else lose the ability to fly, as these are indeed heavy birds.

As one interested in the history of the Western Isles, what these islands experienced has application for this entire area, in that many of the smaller isles have experienced the same trend towards depopulation that have beset the Shiants, with the last permanent residents leaving the Shiants in the early 1900s. The author contends that all of this a byproduct of modern, urbanized society which results in individuals in remote places feeling isolated, a psychology that didn't exist 500 years ago when what one could find on one island or the nearby mainland didn't differ substantially from the small islands you inhabited.

Humor abounds, especially funny to read about his father's experinces in the 1930s, the story of him walking around in the nude as he was the only one there, only to be surprised by unknown visitors having a pic nic. Also in the 1930s, his father invited two beautiful young ladies who were to serve as bridesmaids for the future Queen Elizabeth II for a visit. The author muses on why Dad ever invited them as the rat-infested house had no electricity and conditions were very primitive. The trip ends horribly for the young women, with a rat disrupting their sleep and their having to leave the isle the next day by wading out to the boat taking them back to the mainland. Conditions today are still just as primitive-no electricity, running water, etc.

Best part--the end--beautiful description of sitting on a high hill--with the Isle of Skye to the east, the Outer Hebrides to the west. What a place! What a book!

I bought this book to indulge my interest in Scotland's islands, and found that, and much more. Essentially, this is a memoor with history, geology, flora and fauna tucked into it. The three small Shiant islands in the Hebrides come alive in Nicolson's hands. He's an excellent writer, drawing the reader in without "effect". You can sense his total awe and regard for this legacy. And, except for the rats, you find yourself wanting to live there, for a few summertime weeks, simply exploring coves and beaches and the semi-desolate interiors of these islands. Along the way, you learn a lot, in pleasurable fashion. Nicolson truly touches on the islands' soul. Recommended!

A compelling book about the realities of life in the Scottish Islands. Adam has done an excellent job of blending historical details with his descriptions of this area. Well worth a read!

Not the other way around. This was the greatest theme I took away from Adam Nicolson's "Sea Room," the story of the three tiny, uninhabited Shiant (say "Shant") Islands in the Hebrides of Scotland, which Nicholson inherited from his father (the famed author Nigel Nicolson, the son of Vita Sackville-West).

Nicolson's approach to describing the islands for his readers resembles John McPhee's: it's an engaging blend of natural history (how were the islands formed?), human history (who lived here and why?), archaeology, and ecology (how do the animals and plants of the Shiants form a whole world?). The difference is that Nicolson's passion for place is quite specific: he loves the Shiants like one loves one's parents, infinitely and irreplaceably. You can't imagine him running off and writing a second book about another place.

Nicolson's prose is lyric and detailed at the same time; despite the length (350 pages and more), the story never flags. At the end of the book, Nicholson defends his continued private ownership of the islands (many feel they should be a public trust); I wasn't convinced, but I respected his strong urge to transmit his love of the place to his son and future generations of his family.

By the way, Nicholson publicly offers the keys to his cottage to anyone desiring to stay there (his e-mail address is in the book); but consider first that rats seem now to be part of the natural ecology of the place. But perhaps that won't phase you (it doesn't phase Nicholson a bit!).

Ah, what a fine book this is. Reading it is like spending time with a new friend. Nicholson has a sharp and curious mind and a generous spirit. You may not think you can be much interested in a group of three little islands in the Outer Hebrides - the Shiants - their climate, wildlife, prehistory, geology, archeology, socio-economics, agriculture, shepherding, folk literature, the sea currents around them, and the host of other topics covered in this book, but Nicholson draws you in. Soon you are immersed in whatever there is to be known about what amounts to less than a square mile of rock, cliffs, beach, and meadow.

The book is organized around the turn of the year, beginning with Nicholson's first journey to the islands in his own boat in the spring, and ending with the first gusty wet weather of autumn, as he sits at the window in a two-room cottage writing. Into this annual cycle he interweaves story upon story, often speculative, of how the islands came to be, how they came to be what they are, and the people over thousands of years who have lived here.

As the year passes, Nicholson sketches in the broad sweep of recorded history from St. Columba to the present, noting the several hands through which the islands have passed, including his father's and his own. A team of archeologists identifies the remains of Iron and Bronze Age settlements and spends a summer uncovering a long abandoned farmstead. The discovery of a buried cobblestone with an ancient inscription sends him on one of many attempts to unravel mysteries that he uncovers.

The book is based on considerable research, and Nicholson pieces together a previously unwritten history of the islands with references drawn from many old documents and interviews with historians and other experts. He helpfully illustrates his text with many photographs, drawings, and maps.

This book is for anyone who feels the magical pull of islands. You will not regard them quite the same way again.

I too, read this series when I was younger and although 15+ years have passed, they remain my favorite series of books. I have been eagerly awaiting the re-release of these books and will purchase them again, as an adult, for a quick, fun read.

I definitely recommend them for someone who's introducing their teenager to reading. I hope they get sucked into the story as much as I did.

I first read these books as a 7-year-old second grader. I still have the entire series lying around somewhere. Reading them as a child, I was absolutely enchanted. I re-read them as an adult, and they are still captivating.
These stories are absolutely excellent for young readers, particularly young girls, who want a great role model. Sheila is courageous, strong, and innovative; I love her creative mind. (Wait until you see how she fends off the first perceived enemies in the "other world"!)
Whether you're a parent looking for something to read to/with a child, or an adult fantasy lover, you will enjoy these tales. You can probably find the original six novels for sale used, too. (I was always hoping they would come out with more :)

I absolutely love these books. I only found the firt two at a clearence book store in the mall, and I truly fell in love with the books. Granted, they are more for young preteens than teenagers, but those of you who love a great fantasy story, this is a series for you. They should really put these books back into print, it would really be worth it if they would. So many people would love them, and I really hope publishers make them available again soon. I only have the first three, but have been going through pains to get the rest, seeing as how they are all so expensive these days. Keep looking though, it would really be worth your while if you could bye the books.

It's about time that they got around to print Secret of the Unicorn queen again. I love these books. They are the perfect adventure fantasy books for young adults. A little romance, some fighting and good triumphs over evil like any good tale. While they were printed over 10 years ago, they have never gone out of fad. Now all we have to do is wait till the other books come out in print too.

I read the 'Secret of the Unicorn Queen' many years ago when they were first released, I adored them then and I'm glad to see that things that I loved then are still present now.

The series follows a young teenage girl name Sheila who has a pretty normal life, the only thing out of the ordinary is her relationship with Dr. Rite an eccentric scientist.

When a accident happens involving his affectionate cat and a untested invention Sheila finds herself in the world of Arren, where unicorns are real, magic exists. She meets a group of women determined to free the land from a tyrant. Sheila joins them and can't help but get caught up in the fight.

While the book doesn't break any barriers and doesn't bring anything new to the genre it's still a solidly written story with likable characters, and engaging plot and even a few laughs.

Though intended for younger readers I think this series has appeal for older ones as well and not just as nostalgia.

I bought this as a gift for my sister, she escaped a near assault last year. I read most of the book before giving it to her . I really liked some of the common sense things women (and men) should look out for and be aware of their surroundings. For example it says that if a car is parked next to yours, and a person is sitting in the passenger seat - don't get in your driver side, slide in from the passenger side. This is so they can't grab you. After reading that I remembered 2 kidnapping cases that I have read about in the last year where this is exactly what happened.

Recommend for any woman or teenage girl.

I highly recommend this book. It is very well written and useful. The section on tips for avoiding problems is especially great, it gives many great ideas that I had not considered. Such as if someone is sitting on the passenger side of the car parked next to yours to go to your passenger side and enter there and slide over so the person cannot get out and easily grab you. The author makes the important point that prevention is the key, ideally by being aware and careful none of the self defense moves will ever be needed.

The self defense section is great as well. There are many pictures showing the different steps for different techniques to make it easy to figure out how to do the moves.

What a useful book! As a retired college admissions director, I would recommend this book without any reservation. It is a must read for female college students and although the author lovingly dedicates the book to the women in his life (his wife and three daughters), there is such a breadth of information that anyone will benefit from this read.
What makes this book stellar: 1) the author is highly credible with two black belts in both tae kwon do and aikido. He is personally committed through his roles as husband and father, 2) the book is easy to read and understand - not always the case with self-protection books that show pictures of contortionists that attempt to explain how you, the average person, can also perform these feats in three easy steps, 3) the books covers the critical elements of Attitude, Avoidance, Awareness and Action (Mr. Vogt's 4 As) but also expands to touch on current issues including identity theft and international travel and finally, 4) the book is concise, clear and easy to read in 165 pages. It makes a great gift for the college-bound set, for the daughter moving away from home for the first time and, really, for anyone who needs to increase their awareness of their circumstances in these times.

A must read for every woman, husband and father. Learn everything you need to know to protect yourself and your loved ones. Very detailed and covers every situation

Fred Vogt has written an excellent book on women's personal safety. Every woman will benefit from this easily read book. It is a very comprehensive book covering the many aspects of women's lives with numerous safety tips that can be easily incorporated into your daily life. While the book focuses primarily on prevention, there is a chapter on physical self-defense techniques which are illustrated with detailed pictures to simplify the learning process. I highly recommend this book. Buy one for yourself or your loved ones!