Park Books

We have always used the Unofficial guide but discovered the Complete WDW just recently. This book has a myriad of awesome colorful pictures--here's what WDW looks like! The only drawback is that, unlike the Unofficial guide, this book doesn't ever criticize WDW or give actual reader input.

Bottom line: it's worth the money. WDW lovers will read and reread the book!

I purchased this book right before a fall trip to Disney World with my 3 teenagers, and it was the best thing I did. A lot of detailed information about restaurants and tips on where to get good snacks was right on target. We were able to find some wonderful out-of-the-way places to eat for a good value while in the parks that we may not have stumbled upon on our own. The book also recommends various attractions by placing a check mark next to them, which helps plan your day if you are trying to make the most of your time. Overall, this is an excellent book with exceptional insights.

Very interesting, informative, with a fantastic amount of interesting pictures of Walt Disney World. It's small size will make it easy to carry- even to take along to the parks. The authors certainly did a lot of research for this book. Wonderful!

This was an excellent guide. The pictures were vibrant, the facts entertaining. This guide is good if you want to learn about the parks/rides/entertainment. It's not a commando scheduler.

This book will give you the best idea on what to expect from a ride. I combined it with the WDWR Econoguide and it was the best mix. I had borrowed about 8 guides from the library and these two are the best.

These are two feelings I got from reading this memoir. Life in NW Wyoming is not easy. Days are spent with horses and one's life is taken by horses. In fact, if you love horses this is a great book.

One thing that kept creeping into this book is the distance the author had toward his parents, especially his father. Little but dialogue is written about the father, but he comes across as callous and more worried of turning the boy into a real man. The boy, in turn, writes about his concerns about the man he will become. At times that dragged on too much.

Still, it's wonderful prose written in a manly tone. For rugged cowboys and ranchers it's a perfect read.

What an unrelentingly gripping series of stories -- life, death, animals, boys, girls, men, women, horses, snakes, water, wind, earth, blood, fire and sky. Mark Spragg's style is a bit like David Hockney doing his photograph collages. He doesn't show you everything, just bits and pieces to make the whole. He lets you put some of the pieces in place. What a style. It's shot through with his own strong character and some compelling scenes of raw Wyoming life. The stories follow an amazing arc that you don't see coming until the last chapter and then you just kind of want to start all over again, and meet the boy that became the man. Beautiful stuff. Look, I'm not really out here trying to sell my book at every corner but the people who told me about Mark Spragg are readers of my book, "Antler Dust." I had three recommendations from "Antler Dust" readers to check out Mark Spragg, mostly because, I believe, of the detailed outdoors action and the fact that my book takes place in a neighboring state, Colorado. I am going to read more Mark Spragg but for others who like him, please also consider Antler Dust.

I'd worry about peope who don't hurt themselves laughing while reading Wapiti School. My goodness, these stories are terrific, sometimes tough and bitter, sometimes perfect poetry. Just wonderful.

Mark Spragg writes beautifully, even poetically, of teenage life in a Wyoming family struggling to make ends meet by catering to "dudes" come West for the seasonal fishing and hunting. His collection of stories is varied, but all are tied to the splendor of unshod love for the land and for the horses he rides through a journey that will steal your heart.

The author writes excellent prose with innumerable well turned phrases and descriptions. The subject matter is primarily his adolescence on a Wyoming dude ranch and hunting guide service that his family, Pennsylvania expatriates, operated in the 1960s, some vignettes from his adult life and descriptions of friends and conditions in windswept Wyoming. The chapters are actually a series of essays rather than a progressive narrative with the ones about life and work on and around his father's ranch, where he essentially lived as a hired hand in the bunkhouse with hardened wranglers from about the age of fourteen, being the most interesting.

I enjoyed the book principally due to the excellent writing and colorful recounting of the author's experiences as a real "cowboy" in an era when most of us male baby boomers only experienced the same thing through ubiquitous western TV shows and movies of the 50s and 60s. It was a life in another era when so many of us grew up in boring suburbia. I recommend it for these reasons.

But maybe I missed something because I never came across any explanation for the author's seeming sense of hurt, isolation, melancholy and general unhappiness that begins, for unstated reasons, during his college years.

I am an adult and have just discovered this jewel. I have to say, I loved it. Of course, it's not like Koontz's adult books, but it's not designed to be. The tale held my attention and I loved the characters, especially Amos.

This is a good book for younger children who want to be a little scared, but not too much and the message is timeless.

Highly recommended.

It is a nice story, with a definite "good" advise for kids. I think it would make a good introductory book for youngsters into the "suspense/horror" genre.

I have been looking for a copy of this book for years. It was the 2nd book I read by Koontz and fell in love with it. I had read it over several times and fell into the story and art work everytime. Even though it's been over 10 years since I've last seen or read the story, I remember it as if I read it last week. I only wish it was more available for others to enjoy as well. This is definately a story for those who are still a child at heart.

I remember reading this book when I was 10, it's stuck with me ever since. Now with kids of my own I can only appricate the story's plot more. I love this story and am only sadden to know that it is no longer in print for other adults and children to enjoy cheaply.

I read this book to my kids when they were little, sometime around 1990 I think. We had just moved into a new house( another Navy Move) and of course the children were in new surroundings. My wife was working nights and I was fortunate to be at home with the kids. My children and myself loved the story and it has remained one of their favorite memories of childhood.(Not the only book I ever read to them of course) Even tho' the book is not all sugar and spice its wonderful illustrations helped tremendously. I'm not a fan of Koontz particularly, as I think most of his books are the same tired old things, but I think this book is great for the young and the old.

This is the third edition of this book that I have bought. I love the format of them. They are imformative, yet entertaining. I am a "planner", and this helps keep me organized. We had made the major decisions of where to eat & where to go when in advance. I've been a Disney fan for years as are my children now. This book gave helpful tips when it came to deciding where & when to do things. I highly recommend it & look forward to the next edition.

We used this for many months before our vacation last year. It was almost drenched with highlighter markings long before we left for Florida. When we got there, it was like our Bible as we toured the parks. It has everything you need to know for Disney and beyond. Her sense of humor is most amusing and she does let you know where to eat without losing your mind or cookies with toddler in tow. So buy it and then keep it, because you will write notes in it and after your trip it will become almost a souvenir of sorts with all your little articles and receipts etc, tucked away in side. You will look through it a year or two later and laugh at your comments about whatever you were thinking at the time. We had teenagers and toddler and everything worked out great, she has some real tips that do everyone good, not just the kids. Mom and dad won't lose their mind trying to please everyone. We are heading to Universal as well this year, so we will definitely be buying her Universal book.

Since we take so few vacations, I like to make sure they're planned well so everyone gets the most out of them. I bought 3 Disney books (Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger and Birnbaum's 2001 edition too) but this is the one I found most useful for planning a trip with a 4 & 6 year-old. The tips saved us $1000 on room costs alone! The reviews of the Disney and off-site hotels offer useful details not found on websites. The excellent ride reviews feature details to help parents determine if it's too scary for your child (tells you if dark, noisy, surprise elements, etc) - not just a generic "may scare children under age 5" warning. The book is fun & easy to read... and with her realistic advice for visiting Disney with kids, you'll have more fun and be less stressed-out on vacation than if you did it without her book.

As you see from most of the reviews of this book it is an excellent source of information. As the author notes, the level of enjoyment of your trip is directly related to the amount of research you do before your trip.

In addition to being a great source of information before we left, it was a great read on the drive to Orlando. As parents, so much time is spent on the planning that the joyful anticipation of the trip is often left to the kids. The more we read and closer we got, the more excited we got.

One personal caveat that is inferred in the book, but not stated expressly is that the Disney experience can be lost on young kids. Our six-year-old had an absolute blast, our 3 1/2-year-old was a bit tentative about the characters and some of the shows, but our two-year old was scared by the characters (I don't think he understood that they would be life-sized) and the shows created sensory overload. Several parents of young children we talked to said they would not repeat the experience with a child younger than four. We heartily second that.

I have a three year old daughter, and this book was a tremendous help in planning out trip to Disney World. It told us when and where to find the characters (a BIG item for planning the days), what rides to ride first, and most importantly, the information about FastPass. I highly recommend the book to anyone taking kids to DisneyWorld.

If you are going to Walt Disney World you should invest in this book. It will really pay off. Disney offers so much to do, and can be so crowded, that you have to know what you're doing before you get there to have a good time. This book makes that possible. Nice to look at, well organized and well written, it will save you hours of wasted time at every theme park and provide many other interesting ways to spend your time. The restaurant and resort chapters are first-rate, too. I bought five Disney World guides before our trip, and this one was the most useful. Beforehand I thought only our kids would enjoy Disney, but thanks to this book I, and my wife, had a great time too.

I was so impressed with this colorful guide to my FAVORITE PLACE -- Disney World! My family makes the trek to Orlando twice a year, and I thought I knew a lot about it. After reading this Complete Guide I know about a thousand times more than I did before! I can't wait to go back and look for some little treasures I learned about from this book, like the Mary Blair doll in Small World, or the funny things the birds say after everyone has left the Tiki Room.
There are photos on nearly every page, and they make me feel like I am right there strolling down Main Street USA or about to go down Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. These pix alone are reason enough to get this guidebook. They will make you want to book your next vacation right away.
Do yourself a favor and get this book!!!

Anyone who is headed to Disneyworld should buy this book, even if you have been there before. It has really helped me plan our trip. I have been using it for the past two weeks to get ready and now I feel like a real expert. Lots of great information and photos, very well organized and fun to read too!

I have a whole shelf in my bookcase just for books about Disney World, and The Complete Guide is now my new favorite.

What you notice first is the color. The cover is a brilliant red, with a great pic of the trolley show performers on Main Street USA. Inside are bright glossy pictures on just about every page. These are not the typical staged shots you normally see from Disney World. There is a backstage photo of a Lion King dancer putting on makeup, a shot of the author from the inside of a Richard Petty race car, Tweedledum taking a cell-phone call from a guest and a close-up of the Cinderella mosaic at the castle. There is even a historical photo of Warren Beatty signing his cement block in front of the Great Movie Ride. I could go on and on just about the photos in this book.

My reason for really loving this guide, though, are not about the pix. I love the explanations on each attraction's back story. I have gone on these rides not knowing the story, but am looking forward to riding again now that I can put the ride in perspective. For example, I never knew the full story behind DinoLand, the Harambe Village or Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. Now I do!

If you are interested in a beautiful Disney World guidebook that is unprecedented in its depth and details, check this one out. You won't be disappointed!

Julie and Mike Neal are a husband-wife team who appear to live at Walt Disney World. From what I understand, Julie does the writing and Mike does the photography. Both excel at their respective crafts.

Literally every feature at Disney World is described in honest detail. There are lots of hints on how to optimize your time.

It is not, in my opinion, an exaggeration to describe this guide as the equivalent of a paid companion, intent on making your experience at Walt Disney World unique and thoroughly enjoyable. Visitors of every age can plan the itinerary best suited to their interests with the help of this marvelous guide.

Don't think of visiting Walt Disney World without consulting this book, preferably several months in advance so you can really take advantage of its detailed descriptions and comments.

Jerry

This book was published the year I married....I received SIX copies as shower gifts! It was a sign....I was destined to use this cookbook forever. And, so far,that has been the case.
I have found very few recipes to disappoint and many to thrill. The steamed lobster with ginger and scallions is always amazing-especially with lobster fresh off the boat. Singer's stuffed lobster is excellent, though not for the squeemish as you need to kill the bugs before you cook them. Jerry Giorgio's stuffed mussels are also a crowd pleaser.
A friend recently cooked Chicken Adobo for our book club and everyone took the recipe home. Katherine Hepburn's Brownies are delicious and a perfect end to every picnic. And where else was I to look when assigned to make matzoh ball soup for my daughter's kindergarten class?
If you love to cook, you will love this cookbook.

Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook is a celebration of the New York Food world. She is the food columnist for The New York Times Magazine and spent five years working on this amazing book. The first recipe I tried was "Katie's Café au Lait Cheesecake with a Mocha Crust." The ingredients looked delicious with cinnamon and chocolate wafers for the crust and a rum and coffee flavored filling. I made it for Easter and everyone was very impressed.

Since the author is a food columnist I knew she would be selecting winning recipes and so I felt confident enough to make the recipe for a big occasion without even trying it out at least one time for myself. I was very pleased with the results and can recommend the recipe to you for any occasion.

Whether you are interested in trying lots of new recipes or you just enjoy reading cookbooks, the New York Cookbook has so much to offer. Page after page of delicious information mingle with the even more delicious recipes. Some of the fun recipes include:

New York Penicillin - a chicken soup made by Aunt Marie Stacey. This stock/soup is then used in a variety of recipes and is very easy to make.

Irish Soda Bread - Make two loaves of bread in no time at all.

Simple Fresh Tomato Sauce - The perfect sauce for pasta made with fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano and a little brown sugar.

Shrimp Fried Rice
Shish Kebabs
Meat Loaf
Rosemary Chicken
Chicken Paprikas
Pan-Fried Sole
Yoko's Japanese Salad Dressing
Marrakesh Carrots

Some of the sweet treats include: "Coney Island Fudge" made with cream and semisweet chocolate, "Zoe Morsette's Oatmeal Macaroons," "Aunt Olga's Cardamom Cake," and "Katharine Hepburn's Brownies." If you love ice cream, you may want to try out the recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce and Butterscotch Sauce.

A few of the highlights in this book include:

Food Walks - Wander through food markets
A Few Essential Ingredients in Italian Cooking
Manhattan Clam Chowder
In Search of New York Steak
A Trip Down Menu Lane
Festivals

The New York Cookbook is an extremely well-researched feast that will satisfy the cerebral appetite as well as please your family and friends when you try out the delicious recipes. These recipes have been created by some of the best cooks in New York and you can use them with confidence, knowing you are making something wonderful for dinner or dessert. This cookbook was a wonderful gift from a friend who loves visiting New York and I already have plans to buy copies for friends and relatives. This is a highly collectible cookbook with recipes you will look forward to making year after year.

~The Rebecca Review
Author of Seasoned with Love: A collection of
best-loved recipes inspired by over 40 cultures

As a native New Yorker, I consider this a classic ... wonderful anecdotes and recipes from a vast array of people who live in the city. Molly's affection for the city is evident (her brother, Paul, played for the Yankees), and her knowledge of both food and the city makes this cookbook a gem.

This book has the best spaghetti sauce recipe --my husband and I loved it--it was a way to bring NY cooking to Hawaii since there are not many good italian restaurants out here like in NY, which I miss. On the downside, not all recipes were good. For ex, I did not like the Madison Square burgers nor did I like the Pad Thai noodles (I tried recipes from Keo or Cooking light for Pad Thai which were better). I will try some more recipes from this book and hopefully will have better luck.

Cooks Magazine recommended this cookbook as being very authentic. I bought it because of their review. They were absolutely right. The recipes are original/authentic New York complete with history and original photos. It's a great read even if you never make any of the recipes.
I highly recommend this book.

For all the planners out there, this is the book for you! I have just finished planning my family's first trip and can't imagine how I could have done it without the Passporter. This is a God-send! Don't go to Disney without it!!

If you're heading to Orlando then this book is a must. A friend recommended it and I promise you'll save 100x the cost of this book in $$$ savings and headaches.

What a great way to get information and stay organized. Wish this book was available during the last 10 times, I've been to Walt Disney World. It's going to be a great collector's item for my kids. Keep in mind though that you may still need some of the other Walt Disney Books that are available. To list a few: Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Dining Guide, Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids by Kids, Birnbaum's Walt Disney without Kids, Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando. No matter how many times a person goes to Disney World there's still new information available that will save you lots of aggravation when you arrive in Orlando.

I was planning my family's first trip to Disney. I wanted to get the most out of our vacation, so I purchased 3 Disney travel books: Birnbaum's, The Unofficial Guide, and Passporter's. Passporter's was by far the best!!!!!! It has all the information you need about restaurants (good luck finding much information elsewhere!) and the maps were far superior to the ones handind out by Disney! I had to rip them out of the book to use them while we were in the parks because the Disney ones were hard to follow. It was a priceless addition that helped with our trip so much! Don't hesitate to buy!

When planning our trip I have bought just about every book I could find about Walt Disney World. I have to say that the Passporter is the best. They put just the right amount of information. I found the section called "Feasting" very helpful in choosing the restaurants for my family. Also, I like that it has places to write your itinerary and other info needed such as reservation numbers.

I was going to buy the softcover edition of Austen's complete works, but after seeing this hardcover edition, I decided it's a better buy. It's not that much heavier compared to the softcover (surprising as that was one of my concerns), it's beautifully gilded, with ribbon marker attached. The 'leather' covers make it less susceptible to stains. The print is a comfortable size and the paper is thicker than I normally find in these collector type editions so they won't tear or wrinkle easily. The only negative for me is that the novels are not broken down by volumes. Each of Austen's novels was originally published in 3 volumes. This book bypass that and has continuous chapters instead. Not a big deal really unless you're a purist.

What a DELIGHTFUL anthology of all Jane Austen's novels! I was especially impressed with the beautifully embossed midnight blue and gold leather binding of this edition, gilded pages, and the sewn in ribbon book mark. This certainly is a worthwhile addition to anyone's library. In fact, I've already recommended it highly to several other people. (This is precisely the new volume Grigg purchased in the hit film "The Jane Austen Book Club"!)

Included as a bonus are the original pen and ink illustrations charmingly rendered by Hugh Thomson, which are both witty and expertly drawn. They capture the essence of the time period and the stories superbly. In addition to all six well-loved Jane Austen novels, the lesser-known "Lady Susan" is also present in this comprehensive volume. To purchase this entire edition, with high quality paper and such a beautiful binding for under $20.00 is unbelievable! By all means, purchase a copy immediately for any Jane Austen lover you know. They will treasure this volume forever!Jane Austen: The Complete Novels, Deluxe Edition (Library of Literary Classics)!

This book can't be beat for price (you'll pay more for the individual paperbacks) and the binding looks like a much more expensive edition.

Jane Austen: The Complete Novels, Deluxe Edition (Library of Literary Classics)
This is a beautiful book. Since it contains all the novels it is a handful but nicely bound with a leather cover and edge gilded pages. Since it is a weighty volume it has to be well made to stay together. I am half way through the book and it still looks like new. An incredible bargain at this price.

The Jane Austen collection is a complete volume of her novels that are being presented this season by Public Television stations across the USA. I like this book because it provides me with the actual novel from which the TV productions were derived. The only problem with the book is that it is a bit heavy to hold.

We love Cynthia Rylant and this is amongst her best. We were sad when this book came to an end. We wanted to keep reading! The story is funny and engaging. Both my children (ages 8 and 9) loved it and kept begging for more. I loved it equally.

My 10-year-old daughter read this book in her 4th grade class. She loved it so much that I bought her one of her own and read it again with her at home. It is a really cute story. I can see why a 10-year-old would love it.

This is my favorite story to read aloud to my second grade students. The characters are so endearing! Ms. Rylant paints a beautiful picture of true friendship without being preachy. She also includes enough suspense to hold the reader's attention and enough humor to keep them smiling. I love to read it to my students in late fall/early winter because of the vivid descriptions of the ice storm and changing weather. We feel like we're right there with Kona, Stumpy, and Murray! A truly remarkable story.

Would you belive that a dog would help a squirrel instead of chasing the squirrel? Well belive it or not, in the story "Gooesbeery Park", a dog named Kona has a friend named Stumpy that is a squirrel. When a terrible storm hits Gooseberry Park, Kano begins to think that Stumpy and her newborn babies are in deep trouble. Kano goes on the most dangerous adeventure for Stumpy.He will have to go through the most difficult part. That is to go throught the ice cold park. Will he be able to do this in time? He will just have risk anything just for his best friend! Will Kano make make it to Stumpy before the weather gets worser or will he fail his adventure? Who knows what will happen to Kano?

I think people should read Gooseberry Park because it is exciting. It was hard to put down.

The book is a very good reference on a large number of campgrounds. It has a strength in that it provides pictures, unlike for instance the Moon guide. In my opinion, the book would be better if it covered the CGs more evenly: the authors' choices of "best" very often coincide with "most popular" (read: "most crowded") and the quieter campgrounds do not get the coverage that may be of interest to readers.
Another annoyance I found is numbering of campgrounds. They are not numbered and listed in a logical order that would allow reading about closely located ones in a sequence. Instead, you can read on one and the adjacent one on the map is fife pages down, yet the next one in the text is 50 miles away. This makes one go back and forth between the map and the text if you are trying to get impression on CGs in a certain area.
However, all this notwithstanding, I think this book is well worth having.

We have camped in Colorado for years, but this guide gave us new campgrounds to explore and try. We like the idea that the author includes ratings on both tent and RV "friendly" places, as well as including shade and sun, spacing and privacy aspects.
Love the pictures!
We find the format easy to use and the organization by regions is good, too, although the San Luis Valley should be kept separate from the Eastern slope.
This is the first summer we've used the guide, but will keep it in use for many years.

I do not own an RV, but noticed that the book is full of campsite info from all around the state, and includes whether the sites allow RV's, tents, pets, if they have hook-ups, ect.

We used this book to determine every campground we'll stay at in CO.
The pictures were wonderful and the ratings were very useful. We are tent camping so it was nice to find a book that not only catered to the RV campers but the tent campers as well.

We have lived, and extensively camped, in Colorado for more than 25 years, so we speak from experience when we say this is a must have reference to Colorado's BEST PUBLIC CAMPGROUNDS (BLM, City and County, Forest Service, State and National Parks, and State Wildlife Areas). "Colorado Campgrounds: The 100 Best And All the Rest" is by far the most informative guide you can buy!

It divides the state into 9 geographic regions and covers 434 public campgrounds with inside information and ratings on the author's "Top 100". For each of these select campgrounds, you will find a listing that opens with a color photo, the campground's general location, elevation, number of sites, recommended RV length, season, maps, and phone numbers. Directions, a discussion of the campground's distinguishing features (usually including specific site recommendations), a "heads up" on the campground's popularity (with comments on reservable sites), a brief listing of facilities, special notes for RVers and for tenters (often with more site recommendations), and information on recreational opportunities. As if all that weren't enough, the book also rates each of the "Top 100" for scenery, desirability as a destination for RVers and for tenters, shade and privacy. The ratings are on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.

Admittedly, this is not the campground guide for the RVer seeking the sorts of facilities available only in commercial campgrounds. If swimming pools and full hookups are at the top of your list of campground priorities, you will be better served by other guide books. For the rest of us, this one is simply the BEST!