Stevens Books

The other day I found myself in the passenger seat of my own car for an extended trip. Miles from nowhere with not much left to talk about and nothing but scratchy country music on the radio I noticed the guidebook I had received as a gift, stashed in the sidepocket and promptly forgotten. Raised on the Mountainers "100 Hikes" series, I knew guidebooks to be invaluable on the trail, but as reading material dryer than Central Oregon scree in mid-August.

As I thumbed the pages of "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Seattle," I quickly moved from bored to engaged to engrossed. This book was good! In addition to finding dozens of previously overlooked trails within a short drive of my Seattle home, I learned many new and fascinating details about the places I've been hiking for years. The trail descriptions are accurate and appropriately detailed. The navigational instruction are clear and include useful visual landmarks in addition to the usual distance cues. What's best though, is that into the brief trail write-ups Weber and Stevens manage to weave bits of local history, trivia and entertaining lore that greatly enhance the hiking experience. I even found myself reading several sections aloud to my travelling companion. Finally, the authors also understand that sometimes the best hiking tip is not the trail itself, but the location of the local frosty mug or renowned double deluxe burger at trails end!

Whether you are new in town, just visiting, or a soggy Seattle native like myself, "60 Hikes" makes a great addition to your recreation library.

This is one of the best books I have found for the newbie hiker in seattle. If you have a GPS it is even better as you can just the coordinates in the book to find the starting point for each hike. The Maps are great! The descriptions are great!

First of all, I am Bryce Henderson Stevens, and I am not the author of this book. By a coincidence, we share the same first and last name, and I resided in Olympia, Washington, for many years, and have made some of the hikes detailed in the book I am reviewing. I now live in Clinton, Tennessee, but visit my Olympia home whenever I am able. I purchased copies of this book in part because the author and I share the same first and last name, and I invite my friends to examine it and discover the authors' pictures and realize that I am NOT the author. That being said, my recommecation is still based on having hiked many of these trails, and having several hiking guides in my personal library.

By another coincidence, my cousin, George Henderson, published "Lonely on the Mountain: a Skier's Memoir", this year, which is a recollection of his early years skiing and exploring Mount Hood. So, the hiking, climbing, and exploring interest is in my family, and may come with my own name. And in a third, curious coincidence, I have published my own memoir of having been camping just a few miles west of Mount St. Helens on 18 May 1980, when it erupted, which can be found in "Teaching Through Stories; Yours, Mine and Theirs", by Betty Roe, et alia. All of this not withstanding, I offer this review of the book, without prejudice in favor of the authors, neither of whom I am personally acquainted with:

Excellent directions and trail descriptions, including elevation maps keyed to the entire trail, let you know what to expect as you plan your hikes, and which trails may be too difficult for beginning hikers. Key information is provided in "at a glance" sections for each hike, and many of the featured hikes a have follow-up section on nearby activities of interest. This is the most informative trail guide in my library.

This well structured hiking book fills a gap in the suite of similar books that cover the Olympics and the Cascades in Western Washington. This volume does a good job identifying interesting hikes close to the metropolitan Puget Sound Basin--the title says it all. The book also adds features that many other hiking books lack, most notably good hike maps and hike profiles. You can do all the hikes in this book without supplemental maps.

This book has a bunch of really good hikes right near Seattle and the Eastside which is what sets it apart from others I have seen (although it also has some farther out in the mountains). There are a lot of great options if you don't feel like driving too far. Really good if you have kids, or if you want some hard and some easy hikes. The book says it has 40 hikes available year-round, which is great in the winter months. Definitely recommended.

Before I read this book, I though High-School was going to be a depressing four years full of Bullies and beer breath that I would just have to block out and bear. But now, thanks to this magnificent read, I have things to do, ways to connect with people--even conversation pieces if your desperate. This book takes everything that should be good about highschool and serves it to you with a side of onion rings. A must have for a bored teen.

As a teen myself, I know (especially during the summer) how hard it can be simply to find meanful activities to fill your days when all you ant to do is catch up on lost sleep. I really enjoyed 97 Things simply because the activites listed in it are realistic and hold great potential for a fun or meaningful experience, whether by yourself or with friends (trust me, I tried both). 97 Things's condensed form and pure practicality make it a great summer handbook or otherwise. Great companion for any middle through high-schooler!

97 things to do before you finish high school
By Cindy
This book provides eye opening information which shows you how to prepare your self for a personal development like. How to create a journal, how to look closely to a work of art this kind of things relate to you and teaches you how to improve or prepare your self for the future. These are things that most people don't think about in high school.
This book covers all the most significant things that you can relate, to and it is really interesting how things have there own way of teaching. Young people would really appreciate reading this book because everything would make sense and it will be way easier to try to do something when you have confidence.
Before I even read this book I never thought I would ever do something that could embarrassed me, like confess to a crush. Come on, a girl like me would never ask a guy out, but now that I have read that section in the book and learned me that every one should have confidence and trust them self's. You really don't loose anything and you'll get it over with. Buy this book! It is a great guide for teenagers.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. There were so many ideas about small things that make the high school experience more fulfilling that I haven't even thought about. Some of the things in this book I have already done and I have already recommended this book to a friend. It was a lot of fun to think about how meaningful a lot of the things that you do before you graduate high school really are. And the not doing of some of these things are the things that a lot of people regret not doing later in life.
Lisa Macklin , Age 16, Ny

I absolutely love this book. I'm a senior in high school and havent satisfied much besides spening a lot of money on off campus lunch. This book goes into dept of things I should do from taking roadtrips, holding a fashion show, trying martial arts and cooking and tells me how to do it easily. I'm so excited to plan my senior school road trip and this book will tell me exactly how!! It covers many different categories and genres so there is something for everybody!

I must say that I truly enjoyed this book! I read it all in one day, which is what I do when I enjoy a good book.
Steven's brother, Mike, was in my class at school. And although some of the short stories don't connect with me, many of them do.
The things that struck me the most were his vivid descriptions which brought back so many memories. I've been gone from Aberdeen for over 28 years, yet when I read the story about the "Nat" I could actually see it and hear the sounds. I hadn't thought of the "Posse" or Alcho Chumley for many many years. It brought back memories of school days and certain teachers. It brought back memories of "Aberdeen Days," fireworks, the boat dock, spring hollow, the library, the "Sweet Shop," the movie theater, the library, hula hoops, marbles, and the Neeley Honey Company. It brought back my childhood in a wonderful way. I would recommend this book! Thanks Steven for writing it!

Aberdeen Stories is a wonderful book about children growing up on a farm in rural Idaho. Steven Stoker's writing style is akin to Archibald Rutledge's. When reading the stories you feel as if you are sitting on a front porch listening to the author talk of his boy hood. While delightfully funny, Steven's serious side and his deep feelings of family unity and love are very apparent.
A must for everyone who enjoys reading about a simpler life in rural America.

You watch the news and about all you hear is bad news. Turn off the T.V. and read this book and enjoy the daily activities of a boy growing up in small town America. It's the best book I've read in a very long time. Return to a time when a mop was instantly transformed into a hero's horse. A box was the rocket ship that would take you to another galaxy. A boy saw the world through his eyes and now that he's a man he has put his memories to paper. THANK GOODNESS because we all need this type book!

A very interesting book.Good clean fun for all ages.

Usually, I'm not much for a lot of nostalgia, but when I heard about this book I just had to check it out. Why? It is about my home town and written by a classmate of mine. However, I've shared it with friends and found that regardless of when they went to school or where they grew up, in small or larger towns, they share the same stories. With the horror of this week of 9/11/01, reading this was wrapping myself in the warmth of a comforting quilt of wonderful memories of growing up. Thanks, Steve! Move over Garrison Keillor!

This book has so many great accounting best practices it should serve as a goal for every company. It is an invaluable reference guide to anyone who is just starting a business, or needing to improve the efficiency of their accounting functions.
I most liked the fact that the book is so easy to read. You won't have to be a CPA to understand this book.
My only suggestion is that the book should have a companion CD or web site with all of the best practices already in an electronic format.

Looking for best practices in all areas of accounting? This is the place! Liked the presentation format.

I found Accounting Best Practices a valuable resource for objectively evaluating my accounting department's business practices and procedures. Mr. Bragg has identified the specific tasks of each of the accounting departments's functions and has made suggestions for efficiencies. The author states the key factors in the successful implementation of the best practices in accounting.

Each chapter presents an exhibit of "Implementation Issues Best Practices" describing the implementation costs, ease and duration of each suggested practice change. This information allowed me to implement the easiest and least costly changes to my accounting department's procedures, thus gaining credibility with upper managment to support the changes involving addional resources.

As a Controller, Best Practices assisted me to focus on the value-added tasks of my department and identifying where my staff's efforts are best utilized to support the corporate objectives. My department has become more efficient, allowing for individual growth opportunities. I highly recommend this book for anyone managing an accounting department. A very concise book that is easy to read and use.

Divisional Controller, CMA

Best practices helped me improve accounting operations and cut costs. Appendix B alone is worth the price.

This book has the right idea of putting the main points in the tables for quick reference and the narrative for each point. In addition, I like the Ease, Duration and Cost of implementation of each best practice which gives me an idea for prioritization. Ordered more copies for the departments. Wish they had more books like these that give practical suggestions instead of theory.

Steven Feinberg knocks one out of the park when it comes to understanding how high-performing individuals separate themselves from others by how they see and interact with conditions around them. The author gives real life examples of leaders and situations that illustrate how individuals become "advantage-makers."

Both insightful and enjoyable to read, I looked forward to every opportunity to pick up this book and continue where I left off. Page after page, Steven Feinberg brings fresh perspective on how exceptional leaders create winning opportunities. Simply put, it's a must read for anyone who is interested in being a "game changer."

I tend to speed-read these kinds of works if I spend any time at all with them because there seems to be a jillion of them.

The goal with any book I spend much time with is to find two or three things so helpful or interesting that one of them will pop to mind the next time I need to insert an anecdote or example into a conversation, lecture or seminar presentation.

What a pleasure it was, then, to find myself actually moseying through Dr. Feinberg's book and savoring the ride.

Words on the page tell you a great deal about the author. Does he or she care about the language? Does he or she write with confidence? Does he or she have a knack for telling a story? Does he or she invite belief that this is a subject they actually know something about? Does he or she deserve the minutes they are going to soak up from the 525,600 you have available in the current year if you hang around?

Steven Feinberg passes the smell test with The Advantage-Makers, especially if you are in senior management or aspiring to it or if you simply want to know some of the important things effective leaders know and do and understand better how they know it and do it.

The Advantage-Makers is crisply written by a competent wordsmith who thinks engagingly as well as authoritatively. No speed limits or discard barrels by the roadway needed on this one.

As a 30-year entrepreneurial executive in Medical equipment and high-tech start-ups, I have spent countless airplane flights reading case studies and books on successful management techniques and strategies. Prepared to find The Advantage Makers merely one more attempt to re-package the same material in a different format, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Feinberg had a new and refreshing approach with a unique perspective.

Mr. Feinberg's use of real life experiences and apropos vignettes brings home his message of what it means to be an advantage maker in today's fast-paced environment. Mixing lessons learned from his own childhood with humorous "pearls" from his current family members, Feinberg holds your attention, translating the wisdom derived from his daily interactions into sound management philosophy.

I was inspired by his concept of optimizing one's vantage point to better assess the problem and see potential solutions, then adapt strategically to the opportunities to create an advantage and influence outcomes in one's favor through collaborative decision making.

I highly recommend The Advantage Makers to executives at all levels who are looking for insightful suggestions on how to maximize their influence and effectiveness as leaders and to drive their enterprise to realize its true potential.

Just read the first few pages of Advantage Makers and you'll be so impressed you will NOT be able to put it down. The book opens with a simply brilliant example of how to change your perspective so that you rise completely above and beyond the way your peers and competitors assess challenges, growth and change so that you will not only compete more effectively, but create advantages that to others don't even appear to exist.

Leadership is a very abstract concept. There are 16,000 books covering what makes a good or bad leader. But very few of the books actually make it easy and credible for the reader to grasp what characterizes an effective leader. That is what this book achieves. The writing is compelling. The examples are stunning. A most read of anyone who wants to not just understand but master the critical dimensions of advantage makers. Thank you Steven!

Out of quite a few books about Aikido that I own this is the one I return to most often. What sets it apart from other books is the demonstration of fundamental aikido techniques both with and without bokken. It concentrates on a small, but representative number of techniques. These are explained very well. Quality counts more than quantity. I have used the book to devise training lessons.

This book was actually recommended to me by a black-belt, Aikido student and I have never regretted it's purchase. I tend to study sword-styles, and Aikido offers several movements based on sword-fighting principals (as well as actual sword-fighting based on old samurai movements).

It also has a bit on the history of Aikido, breathing, meditation, the life of Ueshiba Morihei (the founder of Aikido) and a glossary of Japanese terms. The rest of the book is mostly dedicated to movements. All in all, this is a must-have for anyone even remotely interested in Aikido.

It's by far one of the best books i've ever read on Aikido. This books shows all the basics of classique aikido.

Great book with very nice pictures.

This was the first book I ever bought on Aikido, and after reading more than 12 other books on the subject, it still stands out pretty good. The historical overview of the art's founder, Morihei Ueshiba in the first few chapters is very informative, as is the section where Stevens explains Aikido's philosophy and the religious principles that influence it. The photo illustrations of the various techniques are quite good, especially where they first show you the bokken (wooden sword) version of a technique, then show you the empty hand technique that was developed from it. Not an extensive catalogue of techniques, but a great introduction. I highly reccommend it.

One of John Steven's early works that I am aware of on aikido, is also one of the better ones that I have acquired. The excellent photographs of the various techniques, which blend in the principle of swordmanship and spiritual elements of aikido are unmatched. These photos and the large page format are a leap from the martial arts books of the sixties and seventies. Ideally I would have liked to have seen a similar format follow-up book authored by John Stevens that takes more advantage of his knowledge of Eastern philosophy as can be experienced through aikido, but the other books he has written are good additions to read along with Aikido: The Way of Harmony. If you are looking to be introduced to aikido or want to give a gift that encompasses the art from the elementary to the advanced, this would be my pick. Stevens avoids getting to heavy on the Japanese terms and philosophy that might scare of the beginner. The sad part about the book is knowing that Shirata Rinjiro recently passed away.

Very typical of this series, plenty of fascinating glossy magazine ads that capture the period as well as anything can. A really impressive series; I've got just about all of them. This one is more foreign than the others since it's period is now bordering on history, rather than just nostalgia.

At that time photography was not used in commercials. Beautifully ilustrated and full in text this book a real back to American Life Style in the 20's, throught products that made that age.

Lots of hand drawn type. The pictures are happier and more whimsical than the 30's or 40's.

If you're into copying type, don't bother with the 60's -- the type is really boring. The 20's has one has everything from campy to elegant type... I'm looking forward to the release of the 00's-10's (turn of the century).

As an illustrator I have found this book to be a valuable resource for color combinations, patterning and clothing styles.

I finally caved in and bought this volume in the _All-American Ads_ series, and now I'm going to have to buy the others. I'm doomed.

I'm in love with this book, and there's a lot to love about it. The production values are outstanding--the colors are brilliant, the images as crisp as they can be, and the selection of ads is wonderfully varied. It's a visual treat--Taschen has done it again.

If I do have one complaint, it is that the emphasis is on full-page, full-color ads. While I am a painter and find this book a visual delight (the colors! Oh, joy!), I'm also a geeky cultural historian. I've looked at a lot of magazines from the period--enough to know that some of the most telling ads about the anxieties, attitudes and preoccupations of the time aren't the largest, most sophisticated, or visually striking ones. But since this book has been produced primarily as a showcase for graphic design of the period, and not by hopeless history nerds, I have no trouble giving it five stars.

I am delighted to have Karen's book in my possession and would recommend this book to anyone who loves animals, owners or not. Karen writes that the purpose of this book is to allow "you to explore [the] many ways in which you can show even more love and appreciation for your companion animals and gives you the opportunity for learning how to peacefully coexist with all the animals who share our earth." You don't have to be an animal owner or an activist to play a crucial role in their well-being. In fact, most change for the better will take place through the everyday choices ordinary individuals like you and I make. Things like, picking up fallen fruit to discourage wild animals from coming onto your property, or feeding feral cats, adopting older pets, or not placing "free to a good home" ads. This book is written by someone who truly loves animals and cares about their well-being. Rather than make us feel guilty, this book equips us with a myriad of options. You don't have to be a vegan or have a houseful of rescued animals to be playing an important role in their lives. Start where you are and do what you can - at the end of the day everyone's actions, small and large, are what counts. That's the message I take from this book. There is something here for everyone - from animal-friendly products to purchase; to organizations to join, places to volunteer and where to send letters of concern; right down to things we can all do right near home to make the lives of animals a little better. Karen has done animal lovers and advocates everywhere a great service in writing All For Animals. I suggest you keep this book close at hand as a reference, and buy one for a friend.

All For Animals: Tips And Inspiration For Living A More Compassionate Life by Karen Lee Stevens (founder of All For Animals, a pro-animal organization based in Santa Barbara, California) is a straightforward, detailed, "pet owner friendly" guide to living a life kind to animals. Stevens' informed advice ranges from purchasing household products and cosmetics that have not been animal tested, to spaying and neutering to curb pet overpopulation, to making healthier food choices. All For Animals is a must-read guide and reference for every animal lover, and a very useful consumer information resource for the shopper who wants to know which brand-name companies have a cruelty-free track record.

Wondering how you can help animals? The new book "All for Animals: Tips and Inspiration for Living a More Compassionate Life" by Karen Lee Stevens helps answer that question. This book is full of simple, easy ways to adopt a cruelty-free lifestyle. For example, buy household and personal care products that haven't been tested on animals, have a meat-free meal, attend an animal-free circus, voice your opinions against dissection of animals in the classroom and show your support for animal protection legislation. "All for Animals" includes interesting animal rescue stories written by people who share what they learned from these encounters and the profound emotional rewards they received. In all these instances, the animals were saved from lonely, painful lives and introduced into environments where they were loved and well cared for. "All for Animals" also includes a reading list for those interested in learning more about animal issues, a list of on-line resources, and a list of companies that don't test their products on animals. "All for Animals" isn't preachy, overly sentimental, or graphic to shock you to into living a more humane, compassionate life. It simply offers information on how to be more animal-friendly in ways that makes sense. You'll learn to love and appreciate your companion animals more deeply as well as respect the rights of all animals to a peaceful existence.

This book truly has a "sleeper" effect. It comes off as unassuming and just generally pleasant, and when I finished reading it I sort of shrugged and thought, "Well, what a nice little book."

Ha! The truth is, this book is quietly but steadily reshaping my life. I guard against being strident towards others and generally despise "confrontation," but All for Animals has helped me learn that in the past I've been completely silent where this wasn't necessary. This book has suggested to me a peaceable yet strong way to express myself to others in the context of hurt toward animals. I suspect this is because it has given me a whole new way to talk to myself on the subject.

For instance: this week at work I found myself getting up and walking around my cubicle and engaging myself in a conversation with a fellow who was talking about killing chickens for research and tossing off casual remarks like "Well, if you have to kill an animal, why not a chicken?"

We had a spirited yet amicable discussion. In the end, the fact that I've been a mostly a vegetarian since I was a teenager wasn't sufficient ammunition against the fact I was wearing leather shoes. But because the discussion was kept at a friendly level, what I took away from it wasn't animosity against this other person, but self-examination about those leather shoes. Had I not read this "nice little book," I know I would have overheard my coworker and thought, momentarily, "Gosh, that's not right," but brushed it off and not got up and talked with him. And was I beating myself over the head about wearing leather? No, not at all: I was just calmly (but steadily) wondering about it.

Karen Lee Stevens has something special to offer in a world that stampedes to become polarized and politicized around animals as an "issue." The deep beauty of this book is its ability to reach out to the human species with warmth and subtle depth and say: I understand that you can't do everything all at once, just try this one little thing and see if you like it. I am eager to see Ms. Stevens continue and expand upon the gifts she has to offer, and I challenge savvy booksellers to place this title not just among the animal-related offerings but in the (human)self-improvement category as well.

We love our animals and they love us-unconditionally. This book by Karen Lee Stevens is about those very special companions.

Do you have a special animal companion in your life? When you look into his or her eyes, what do you see? Do you consider this animal an integral part of your life--a member of the family? Most of us give our companion animals a great deal of affection and would never allow them to be hurt, abandoned, or abused. In return, they give us unconditional love and devotion.

This book allows you to explore many ways in which you can show even more love and appreciation for your own companion animals and gives you the opportunity for learning how to co-exist with all the animals who share our earth.

All for Animals doesn't describe painful animal experiments or show graphic pictures of animal suffering. Instead, the book offers quick and easy ways you can be kinder to animals and treat them with more respect. Even if you choose to do only a few things suggested in this book, you'll feel good about yourself for helping the animals.

Each chapter in All for Animals contains an uplifting, inspiring story about animals by such well-known authors as Gina Spadafori (author of Dogs for Dummies, Cats for Dummies, and Birds for Dummies) and Greg Louganis, Olympic gold-medal diving champion (For the Life of Your Dog), coauthored with Betsy Sikora Siino.

Additionally, story contributions have been made by Pets: Part of the Family, pets.com, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the National Humane Education Society, and many others.

Karen Lee Stevens is the founder of ALL FOR ANIMALS, a Santa Barbara, California-based pro-animal organization. Karen's love of animals began in early childhood where she spent countless hours as a volunteer at the Santa Barbara Humane Society. Through her Web site, online newsletter, and numerous magazine and newspaper articles, Karen seeks to educate consumers about cruelty-free living and respect for all animals. A graduate of San Diego State University's Business Administration and Marketing program, Karen now makes her home in Santa Barbara, California.

I enjoyed reading about Karen and Cassidy and I learned a lot about animals. As a publisher, author of 27 Books, 109 revised editions, six translations and over 500 magazine articles, I, too, love to write with a furry friend on my desk. My late cat Cricket helped me for more than 20 years. His passing resulted in a book about aging, declining, grieving and memorializing cats: The Older Cat: Recognizing Decline & Extending Life.

I recommend Karen's book to everyone who likes to read about animals. You will discover the responsibilities of animal guardians and what you can do to help our companions...

If you are serious at all about hiking in the White Mountains of New England, then this is a "must have." It literally is the Bible of hiking in the whites. I cannot believe the monumental effort that it took to compile this guide. I have several other hiking guides to the area, and each has its own approach, but they cover a limited number of hiking trails. The AMC Guide is "the reference standard" and I believe comes very close to addressing all the hundreds of trails that exist in the Whites with the only exception being some of trails in the Randolph Mountain Club on the north slope of the Presidentials. In the a pocket in the back cover are 6 topographic maps, covering the White Mountains with all the trails shown. If you are a hiking enthusiast and a map-hound like me, don't even open this until you have a 3-day weekend!

This is by far the 'hiking bible'. Every trail you can think of in this jampacked 500+ page book with 4 maps is here! Little hikes to backpacking hikes for days and days...its all here.
The details are rich and very accurate. The levels of difficulty I found very on the mark.
I used this book to plan my first hike up Mt. Washington via, Tuckerman Ravine and it was invaluable. It was very accurate and when I reached the top, I felt if I hadn't had this book, I never would've tried this scenic and challenging trail. I would've missed out and taken the less interesting Jewell Trail!
We went back and did it again a month later using this book and took the Ammonoosuc Trail and my goodness...was I glad we did. The scenery was breathtaking...
We've done probably about 50 or so trails from this book so far and they were ALL very detailed and informative, with info on difficulty which I like very much.
The book gives alternate trails to the same places and where the AMC huts are and shelter. Mileages and information on dangerous spots. Even whether to try it in slippery conditions.
Don't hike without it!

Tracy Talley~@

This is a really nice trail guide. You will find all informations about trails in the White Mountains. Three maps are included. The only negative point is that there is no photos in this book. Photos are very important for me.

If you are going to hike in the White Mountains and only have room for one book, then this is it--hands down! It is no surprise how good this guide is when you look at the two editors.

Firstly, Gene Daniell, who, among many other things, has climbed all 48 four-thousand footers in the state of New Hampshire in EVERY month of the year. On top of this, Gene has donated many years of his time as Secretary of the Four Thousand Footer Committee. This club offers guidance and direction for the thousands of avid hikers who yearly strive to climb NH's high peaks.

And Steve Smith is a devotee of the Whites as well. I once bumped into him, accidentally, while shopping in a hiker's enthusiast store in Lincoln, NH (The Mountain Wanderer). As we conversed, it became clear I discovered a rich hiking resource. When he offered to autograph my copy of the AMC Guide, I then realized who he was and that he owned this store.

The AMC White Mountain Guide, whose first edition released in 1907, clearly has as its objective to provide the most accurate, thorough and up to date account of trails in the Whites. Towards this end, with Steve and Gene's expertise, they have refined and packaged the 27th edition in a manner worthy of the most avid hiker's respect.

Excellent topographical maps accompany the guide, offering extensive coverage of the trails discussed. A discussion of how to prepare safely for hiking the Whites is also present. Elevation gains are provided for the various trails and destinations. Moreover, a high level of forethought, in the form of potential alternate trails and escape routes, is all here for the novice and expert alike.

All this is done, thankfully, while adhering to succinctness, since few hikers want to waste their precious and sacred hiking hours reading flowery digressions. Not surprisingly then, the result is a piece of literature of which the owner quickly and particularly grows fond.

I have wandered through the forests of the Whites for over 40 years. I now hike in all twelve months of the year. Through the years I have invested money in many different items which promised to enhance my experience. I can honestly say, without a doubt, none of the dollars were better spent than the ones which went into the purchase of my first AMC White Mountain Guide.

Whether you're planning a backpacking trip through the Presidentials or a series of family oriented dayhikes, this book is a neccessity. I just returned from a week long camping trip in the White Mountains and this book never left my side. It includes 100's of detailed trail descriptions as well as suggested hikes for different abilities and the maps for each region. In addition, the introduction includes some very useful information about the park.

One problem I had with this book is that the difficulty of the trails is sometimes understated. This is not really the books fault as difficulty ratings are very subjective. I would highly recommend looking at the maps in conjunction with the trail descriptions to understand the elevation changes. I'm from Maryland and did not fully understand what a 4000 ft. elevation change in 4 miles meant until I got up there (it's not fun and could be dangerous to someone not in good shape). I cannot stress enough that if this book says something is difficult or dangerous, it most certainly is. It might be prudent to talk to a ranger about a certain trail if you are unsure BEFORE you attempt it.

One other fault with the book is that it does not tell you which parking areas require a pass. The best advice for this is to just spend the 5 dollars on the week long pass to avoid the 100 dollar fine.

Thanks goes to Steve Martin for bringing to light a significant, and nearly forgotten, history. Through artifacts (Steve's impressive and beautiful collection of opium paraphernalia, and period photographs) and down to earth story telling, I found myself transported to opium dens in the East and West, and imagined the lives and circumstances of those who were entranced and enveloped by the narcotic.

The pictures are gorgeous, the writing evocative, and the topic and the objects themselves provide a fascinating portal for history.

When the paraphernalia associated with opiates comes to mind what do you picture? Syringes? Drippy candles? Bent spoons? These are the gear of the heroin user but what about heroin's long dead uncle, opium? The paraphernalia of the two drugs couldn't be more different. This book will take you back in time when drug use was at least practised with style and flair. The opium pipes, lamps and other accouterments illustrated in this book are gem-like works or art made from rare and precious materials such as silver, ivory and jade. It's a world long lost but the author manages to bring it back to life for a brief moment and dazzle us with the promises of chemical bliss that tempted our ancestors. Getting addicted back then was no doubt as painful and ruinous as it is today, but they sure knew how to do it in style!

The Art of Opium Antiques is one of the most artfully illustrated and artistically written books on the subject. Throughout its pages Steven Martin traces the cultural use in China alongside the artistry and astounding craftmanship of the time, from the low and common to the truly decedent. Photos of amazingly ornate apparatus are peppered throughout alongside diagrams depicting the main components of a typical pipe or lamp. Historical photos help put one in the mind frame of the times, allowing one to contemplate how this blissful habit, aided by dedicated artisans progressed up until its zenith during the nineteenth century. Martin's vast collection and grasp of the subject are equally great, allowing one to walk away with a greater appreciation for opium related antiquities. There is no doubt this book will help spawn new collectors as well as reconfirm the addiction of the collector aficionado, for this book is a grand spring board for newbies and opium-porn for the serious collector.

This book is really helpful to identify antique opium art. I work for Asia Galleries in San Francisco where we sell a lot of antique opium artifacts. I had hard time to find a book that helps me to study about details of opium art, but in this book I see many dampers, pipes, lamps, and opium scrapers are similar to the ones Asia Galleries have; therefore, I was able to gain some knowledge through this book. Now, I am confident to explain details of our antique opium art to customers. I would like to say thank you to Steven Martin.

Such a great book! Instead of just relating the well-known disastrous effects of opium, the author of this book brings new insight into the history of the drug by exploring Opium paraphernalia as an art form. It works!

We are brought into the mythical Opium dens of a not so distant past, with the rich illustrations of this text. A rare photo of an 1880 Butte, Montana bunkhouse "opium den" is particularly amusing. However, it is the lush photographs of the drug paraphernalia that make this work so worthwhile. The extensive captions that accompany each photograph have enabled the author to not only inform the reader about the use and artistic achievement of these artifacts, but entertain as well.

The result is a more humanizing view of the addiction itself. Knowing that these beautiful instruments were the tools in which to feed a deadly addiction gives us another vantage point to view this era of history.

Anyone with the an interest in the history of China, the Chinese Diaspora living in the USA in the late 18th/19th century or the history of Southeast Asia will find this book particularly fascinating. The Art of Opium Antiques will be an essential addition to your bookshelf.