Southwest Books

It's a fascinating book and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone seeking to get a hold on the North Korean regime's mindset. It also amply shows the current situation to be far more complex and historically rooted than our politicians and media suggest in their 'they're just evil' mantra.

I found the Bradt travel guide indispensable. I traveled to the DPRK in August 2005. I am a U.S. citizen. The trip was arranged through the National Lawyers Guild. I and another lawyer from the US represented the NLG at the 60th Anniversary Liberation Day events in Pyongyang. The trip was routed through China. I believe the NLG picked me because I have good contacts in China and I speak Chinese.

As a result of the 1945 Teheran Conference, the Soviet Union agreed to enter the war against Japan. VE day was May 8, 1945. It took several months to move sufficient Red Army forces from Berlin to the Manchurian border. Chiang Kai Shek's nationalist army never really fought the Japanese, so the whole Northeast (except for the rural base areas of the Chinese Communist guerillas) was under Japanese occupation. The US was counting on Soviet help to rout the Japanese in Manchuria and Korea, and then help with the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. The U.S. got its wish. Two days after the August 6, 1945 Hiroshima bombing, Soviet forces smashed across the Manchurian border and liberated all of Korea and north China in less than a week. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. In both Koreas, August 15 (VJ Day) is Liberation Day. In the face of U.S. demands, the Soviets agreed to withdraw north to the 38th parallel. U.S forces then entered the south. That's how the division of Korea into two hostile states began.

The trip I was on was for a conference in Pyongyang celebrating the victory over Japan and pledging international support for Korean unification and support for North Korea against the threats made by the U.S. Government.

There were about 100 delegates from around the world. We all stayed in Pyongyang at the Yanggakdo Hotel on Yanggak Island in the Taedong river. The hotel was full. In addition to the conference people, there were hundreds of rowdy Chinese tourists from Beijing tour groups. Room prices are posted on an electronic sign in the lobby. All prices are in Euros. Third class rooms were 70, 80 and 95 Euros/day. 2nd class were 140, 150, 160 and 170/day. First class was 170 and 180. Deluxe rooms were 370 and 420. I picked the 80 Euro room, guessing that it would be higher and have a better view. I guessed correctly. I was assigned room 34-2. My large, new, air-conditioned room had a refrigerator/freezer, big bathroom and a great view, facing upriver toward the Juche Tower. Room prices included all meals, which were scheduled around our itinerary. I was not told that meals were free. When I paid my bill (for seven days), I was charged only 420 Euros for my room, food, conference registration and transportation. The guide/minder sought a "donation" for the minders. I donated 80 Euros. So, the cost for everything, including the tip, was 500 Euros for the week. If you have a choice, avoid this isolated hotel and try to get into the Koryo, which is downtown and near the postage stamp store and a department store. You will have little contact with ordinary Koreans if you stay at the Yanggakdo Hotel.

I got my visa in China, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. Shenyang is the site of the DPRK Consulate nearest the DPRK border. No one was allowed into the DPRK Consulate. It looked like an impressive two story colonial building. A burley Korean was standing at a small opening in the gate and collecting stacks of Chinese passports for visas to Pyongyang. I told him, in Chinese, that we were there to pickup our visas. But he did not speak Chinese! He waived us away when he saw my American passport. A tour operator who spoke Korean interceded for us. The official eventually took our two passports and told us to return in an hour. When we came back, the burley official smiled and returned our passports. They had DPRK visas stapled inside. We next went to the DPRK airline company (Koryo) in a hotel in Shenyang. The clerk spoke Chinese. I told him we had visas and showed him our U.S. passports. As soon as he saw the passports he said, "No ticket, no way!" But I told him we already had a reservation. He checked his reservations computer and found our names. He then agreed to give us round trip tickets. The fare was $150.00, round trip, Shenyang to Pyongyang. We left the next day, August 10. It was a forty minute flight to Pyongyang. For me, the high point of the trip was the drive from the airport to the city. It's a 30 minute ride through rolling green countryside. There were cars, trucks and bicycles on the wide road. There were hundreds of busy peasants walking along the roadside carrying tools and leading water buffalo. They looked poor, but no worse than the peasants I saw in rural China, in Sichuan, on this same trip. Some of the peasants were smoking, so they must have had some disposable income. Rolling through the gradual hills I suddenly saw the monumental Arc de Triumph on the road ahead. Through the arch I could see the monument to Cholinga, the flying horse, and then huge revolutionary tablets capped with red flags. These were like the monuments around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but they were on a much larger scale and very impressive. No city in the world has monuments on the scale of Pyongyang. Wow!

No, I haven't been to North Korea, but who has? This was a quirky and fun book for an armchair traveller. The Bradt travel series prides itself on going where Lonely Planet fears to tread - places like Iraq and Kabul - as well as the world's most bizarre country, North Korea. The author briefly mentions how difficult it was to write a travel book where museum employees refuse to give opening hours or phone numbers of their establishments, and where special permits are required to travel from one city to another. I suspect the author could write a second book about what he went through to write this book.

Part I consists of 91 pages of background (history, politics, entry documents, etc.), and Part II is about 120 pages of typical travel information regarding hotels (not that you have any choice), restaurants, shopping (hahaha), attractions, and so on. There are 22 color photos, 27 maps, and some black and white drawings. A brief language guide gives translations of such useful phrases as "Yankees are wolves in human shape" - the author does have a sense of humor - as well as more commonplace words and phrases. There is almost nothing here about atrocities or the dire poverty that others have noted. However, the author does coyly mention that it would be pointless to write his book in such a manner that it was banned from being brought into North Korea.

I actually did travel to North Korea, through the Korean Friendship Association. This is about the only way non NGO Americans can make their way into the Hermit Kingdom. I am wondering if this book gives Americans any advice as to how to get into the country. I would love to see past the major showcase cities we were allowed to tour. Nowadays you have to be prepared to 'Praise the Leader" everyday if you want to take the KFA trip. Not a good idea for those Americans who would ever like to visit South Korea or fly on an airplane. I bet the CIA has your picture before you even land in Pyongyang...
Alas, I heard you could use those passports the were issuing in Key West as a novelty item. Apparently they look so good, all you have to do is hide your accent and pay up at the DPRK embassy in Beijing and your on your way to Pyongyang.... I don't know if I would feel for you if you get caught though. haha
Sucks to be a cracker sometimes

Robert Willoughby's travel guide to North Korea is fascinating on two counts. In the first instance, on the travel front itself, the author has covered several far-flung corners of the country, going beyond the more accessible capital city of P'yongyang, the Diamond Mountain resort, and the tourist-oriented luxuries of Mount Myohang. Although it is not always clear how Willoughby--or those others who contributed to his book--won permission to visit these remote locations, the guide book is explicit in pointing out that few if any foreigners are free to roam the country at will. Visits must generally be part of package tours, most of which originate in China, and the severely underdeveloped road and public transportation systems limit the number of cities that can be accessed.

On the second front, that of a descriptive journal, Willoughby's guide contributes to the outside world's knowledge of North Korea, the most secretive and hermetically-sealed of all nations on earth. Nearly all daily news reporting in the United States focuses on a North Korea that is obsessed with acquiring nuclear weapons and has clearly earned its place in the "axis of evil." It is therefore a delight to be offered detailed descriptions of the country's geographic features and flora and fauna and to find out how ordinary people go about their everyday lives. It is also a welcome surprise to learn that in some areas, such as Mount Paektu on the northwest border with China, North Koreans are both gracious and relaxed in dealing with visitors.

Willoughby's book benefits greatly from his wonderful writing skills, his British sense of humor, and the careful background research he used to flesh out first-hand observations. I found many details in this book fascinating and available for the very first time, and I would have loved to have had the guide available while I was still an intelligence officer following North Korea in the 1970s through 1990s.

A book for treasure hunting in Oklahoma is long over-due (even though this was done several years ago). Precise information along with very well done maps and easy to follow stories. There is no other book like this nor can any other book compare with it's information. Money well spent for this interesting Oklahoma book is a treasure hunters dream come true. A must read book.

I thought this book was really interesting! It provides the stories of lost gold mines, buried outlaw loot, old Spanish mining efforts, and more. Includes lots of pictures.

For the serious treasure hunter, this book may provide a place to start looking for sources, but it doesn't contain any detailed maps or secrets.

Nonetheless, I would strongly recommend this book to people with an interest in lost treasure or with an interest in the history of Oklahoma. (I found out from this book that I grew up about 20 miles from a lost gold mine area!)

Steve captures the essence of the Wichita Mountains in an inspiring way. As someone who grew up in these magaical mountains, I appreciate the insight he brings to the book. The photos, maps, and stories offer great depth into an area that I've enjoyed exploring since I was a young girl. Thanks to Steve for sharing the stories of Oklahoma with the world. He's a great storyteller, an amazing author and photographer.

Although this book was originally published several years ago, it remains "the best" reference book for authentic treasure leads ever published, particularly for Oklahoma.

Many of the old west treasure stories recorded here would now be lost to history if not for Steve Wilson's thorough detective work.

I was shocked to read one review here stating "there are no detailed maps" in the book. I beg to differ with that opinion. This book contains several authentic treasure maps. It is an absolute fact that treasure was recovered using some of those maps. (Read "Shadow of the Sentinel" or "Rebel Gold" for the story of one treasure recovery). I'd go as far as to predict, that in the near future, other treasures will be found using the maps in this book.

Every day another treasure hunter enters the ranks of those who seek buried gold. They can do no better than to read, and read, then re-read the OKLAHOMA TREASURES AND TREASURE TALES.

To truly understand the way treasure maps are actually drawn and how they work this book is a must. Study these maps paying careful attention to the codes and ciphers hidden in them, then with some luck and lots of hard work you might be the next person to get rich from Steve's work.
Bob Brewer
Author/Historian/Cache Hunter

This is the definitive work on lost treasure in Oklahoma. The author gives an excellent survey of most of the lost treasures in the state which are commonly known (and some which are not so well known). The author seems to have researched the treasures in the western half of the state, particularly those in the Lawton area, more heavily than the treasures in the eastern half of the state. Nonetheless, on all of the treasures surveyed, there is sufficient information in the bibliography for the serious student to start researching any of the treasures.

The best thing about this book is its vast coverage; especially those places off the beaten track. It has a lot of practical information and despite being 2 years old now, it was still fairly accurate. Other travel books attempt to be encyclopedic about Nepal,... documenting everything without prioritizing the places that people actually do visit. David's book goes into a lot of detail about places of interest, both historical and practical info. For example, the book had an excellent section on Chitwan national park. In fact, on our recent trip it saved us from getting a guide. I thoroughly recommend this book. The author even keeps a website to update the readers. Great.

While in Nepal last year I found this book to be exactly what I needed to get around as easily as possible. I usually use Lonely Planet Guides when traveling, but in this case - the Rough Guide is superior. Now if I can only get it back from my friend....

great guidebook. Describes in detail the good, the bad and the ugly of Nepal. The language section was extremely useful. A few hours spent learning some useful greetings and phrases will pay off tenfold upon arrival in Nepal. Being able to bargain or ask for directions in the native language is a lot of fun and much appreciated, especially since most travellers do not take the time to learn anything more than "Namaste."

This book has given me comfort and a wealth of information about what I would like to do and see in Nepal. Having a well planned trip in advance is smart and this book will probably tell you everything you need to know about anything, and more. Food, health issues, places to stay, sights, special points, etc. Definitely worth the investment.

I just returned from Nepal using this guide. The book was very well-written with lots of practical advice-- everything from how to book an airline to what kind of diahrrea you may have picked up. Very accurate information re. hotels, modes of transportation, etc. Useful vocabulary list.

We recently travelled in the Grand Canyon-Southern Utah area, and found this an invaluable resource. None of the reviews was off-base... although some of the prices are outdated at this point, it's to be expected. One thing that's nice about this guide is that it's pretty durable, so after several weeks of use in the planning of the trip, 10 days of being tossed about in backpack, car and luggage, and being used as a reference in my post-trip write-up of our travels, it still looks fairly new. I could probably sell it used, but I think I'll keep it for when I head back that way in a few years.

I travel in the Southwest frequently and have a diverse collection of guidebooks to the region. Rough Guide is my favorite, with the intelligently written descriptions and opinions. The other guidebooks are drier or shallower in comparison (Moon, Lonely Planet, Let's Go, DK, and Frommer's).

I usually carry multiple guidebooks on my vacations, but during my recent trip to the American Southwest I relied exclusively on this book.

One of the reasons I recommend this book is that it covers the Southwest as a single region, so it includes New Mexico, Arizona, southern Colorodo, southern Utah, and Las Vegas. Most other books are State-based, so it would take multiple books to cover the entire region.

Another reason to pick this book is that it is opinionated. It lists top ten sites in various categories (national parks, museums, etc.), so that you can plan your time effectively. The auther even recommends against some things, unlike most guidebooks.

I am picky about maps, and the maps in this book were uniformly accurate and reliable. Driving tips and recommended routes were quite useful.

You will also find this book compact and light. While some other books are loaded with pictures, I find these books best enjoyed at home, before and after my trip, because they are too heavy to lug around during my trip.

Finally, I stayed in 5 hotels, all recommended by this book, and they were all safe choices. If you are looking for a splurge, I recommend Goulding's lodge at Monument Valley, especially for fans of old movies. To my surprise, I enjoyed the museum on site. Also, I used the inroom VCR to watch Stagecoach, and this was the perfect setup for my Monument Valley visit the next morning. At Canyon do Chelly NM, I would recommend not staying at the overpriced, dreary lodge. It's cheaper to stay at one of the places just outside the park. In Santa Fe, the El Rey Inn is convenient, friendly, and has a Route 66 feel.

On our recent trip through the grand circle of national parks in the four corners area, we carried several paperback guides, but quickly discarded the others in favor of this excellent book. We started reading it out loud as we approached each new town because of its wry observations, but quickly came to trust its preview of each new stop. We were never disappointed when we chose a non-chain motel from its recommendations, and we never got a bad meal wherever it said the food was good (and this was a budget trip).

It isn't perfect -- things change too fast. For instance, there are many new motels within easy distance of the Grand Canyon, easing the squeeze many travelers have experienced, and more are under construction. And they didn't warn us to avoid the grossly mis-named Kodachrome state park. But wherever I travel next, a Rough Guide will be with me, you can be sure.

This is the mother of all Southwest guidebooks, and as one reviewer stated, it is most useful because it covers multiple states (New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Utah, and Southern Nevada).

The maps inside are second-to-none. I always trust these maps, especially when I need to get off the major highways to a less-traveled road.

This book has medium-to-small type and thin pages, so they pack a lot of information into a small space. This is great for the traveler who doesn't want to lug around a huge and heavy book.

Every town has a good description, history, and information, followed by a list of practicalities like where to eat, where to stay, where to get more information. The Indian reservations are covered in great detail, and this was essential for my trip.

Love this book and I highly recommend it to anyone driving through the Southwest.

The so-called El Paso Salt War is one of those important events seemingly forgotten in the swirls of history. Yet it is a tale that ripples through Anglo and Mexican relations to this day.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons this chapter has gone relatively lost is the complexity of the story. It involves hundreds of people, many with backstories vital to understanding what happened and why. There are numerous shades of grey and nuances that demand a subtlety beyond the scope of most researchers and writers.

But not Paul Cool.

Years of intense study and investigation provided him insights previously undiscovered. Moreover, Paul has been able to take this huge amount of information and present it in an easy to understand, intelligent yet compelling book. His talent is a gift to the reader.

And make no mistake--Salt Warriors is a grand tale of greed, ego, ethnic and cultural hatred, duplicitous behavior and violence that no novelist could have come up with. If this were fiction, readers would dismiss it as a flight of fancy. But it's dead-on history. It really happened. And it impacts current border relations.

Paul Cool has done an incredible job of revealing the people and events of the Salt War, and of bringing them to life for the modern audience. This is a must for the library of any Old West history fan.

Salt Warriors is both a work of scholarship and a terrific read, one of those rare history books that is willing to consider the past on its own terms while reevaluating it in the light of the present. The best book on Old West history published so far this year.

The Salt War is one of those subjects that we have often heard without understanding its significance. Cool gives us an opportunity to catch up in a hurry. This book should appeal not merely to lovers of Old West history but to those who want to understand how it connects to the politics of our own time.

Although not as resonant in American borderland history as the Alamo or San Jacinto, the El Paso Salt War left a lasting imprint in Anglo-Hispanic relations, especially in western Texas and New Mexico. With this first full-length study of the Paseño insurrection in El Paso and environs, borderlands historian Paul Cool has advanced both our knowledge of history and our understanding of the roots of present-day borderland issues. Cool, with prodigious research and use of a myriad of untapped primary source material, has shed new light on this 1877 insurgency that saw murderous clashes between Mexican-Americans, known as Paseños, and newly arrived Anglo-Americans.

Hispanic settlers had apparently been communally utilizing and selling nearby salt deposits as a cash crop for generations. With the coming of Anglos and a differing concept of resource ownership, a culture clash and an ensuing clash of arms was inevitable. Paseños thought the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo guaranteed their unfettered access to the salt even as the region was ceded by Mexico to the U.S., but the Anglo-dominated Texas legislature had other notions. Mix in the personal tragedy of putative manager of the salt lakes and provocateur of Paseños, Charles H. Howard, his angst explained by Cool's insightful analysis of his humiliation and his southern notions of honor and gratitude, and the triumph of violence over diplomacy was unavoidable. And triumph it did, for three deadly months.

Neither institutions nor individuals come off particularly well- the Texas Rangers, the U. S. Army, local law officers, the main protagonists or antagonists- although the author probes the motives and depths of each and makes it all compelling. Most on the Anglo side are incompetent or craven to one degree or another, several are plain cowardly. Others, notably a Silver City contingent of hardcases masquerading as a peace force, led by Dan Tucker and John Kinney and including killer Jim McDaniels, are worse, functioning as little more than a gang of robbers, rapists and murderers. An especially valuable section for the reader's closure is a follow-up on the key participants in the Salt War drama, tracing their later, post-insurrection, years, often with poignancy.

This overdue study is beautifully written, and is a significant achievement in the scholarship of southwestern history.

I have just finished reading Paul Cool's first book, Salt Warriors. The story of the Salt War in El Paso in 1877 is a complex saga of politics, greed and personal conflicts and Cool has done a wonderful job detailing the events and the combatants. He has exhausted every possible source in the search for new and expanded details on the conflict. In doing so, he has managed to deliver a very balanced account of the trouble. In particular, the author has used his outlaw/lawman research experience to help provide greater detail on all the participants. The result is a triumph of research and writing, that stands above previous works on the subject. Cool's ability to unlock background details of the key players allows for a greater appreciation of the motives of both sides and thereby engages the reader in the events. Salt Warriors is a great read and a truly important historical work, written by a gifted author and indefatigable researcher. Congratulations Paul Cool. The book was long overdue but worth the wait.

The best book about the war over the salt flats just west of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas.

Wonderful book!!!! Everything you want to know about the beauty and wonder of the Southwestern USA.

This is a great mix of fantastic photography and well-themed chapters on a variety of subjects, that can be informative for anybody from a first-time visitor to a long-term resident or even a native.

For example, there's a welter of geological information on types of rocks and rock formations, how bajadas, sand dunes and other formations are created, and more. Along with that is climatolgical and geographic information on the different deserts, and subdeserts within the Sonoran, in this country.

Elsewhere, you get information in brief on the location of the different prehistoric Indian inhabitants, dinosaur and other fossils in the area, and yet more on canyon. rock and other formations.

A good coffee-table type book.

Very few books offer the balance of stunning photography of our glorious land with creative layout and insights into the natural sciences, especially the Earth sciences. In the past few years, as a native of the east, I have used this book to help me explore the magnificent landscapes of my new home. Mr. Wiewandt and Ms. Wilks have captured the beauty of this region in a book that is truly unique. As a souvenir of the heart of the "desert" southwest and as a planning resource for the inquiring travel, this book excels.

Thomas McGuire
Earth Science Author & Educator
Cave Creek, AZ

"If we intend to live on this planet...
we truly need to understand how it works."

Tucked within the pages this unusual new book is a custom-made 15" x 20" multi-color map of America's "Greater Southwest." The map, like the book, focuses on desert and canyon country of southern California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and portions of Colorado, Texas, and northern Mexico.

At the map's center is a spot called Four Corners, the point where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah meet. And at the top of the map, you'll see an enlarged view of southern Utah that features the many remarkable natural wonders located between St. George and Moab. This is Desert Solitaire country, as fans of author Edward Abbey know so well.

Over 300 miles from Four Corners, author/photographer/educator Tom Wiewandt lives in the Tucson Mountains, near Saguaro National Park in the Sonoran Desert. I met him at a pot luck dinner for the Arizona Native Plant Society, and was instantly impressed by his tales of dodging electrocution while taking photos of the area's powerful summer "monsoon" lightning storms.

Imagine my surprise two days later when a review copy of The Southwest Inside Out arrived, complete with award emblems for prizes this volume has already received. Five jaw-dropping minutes spent leafing through its pages convinced me that nature lovers worldwide need to know about the book.

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The Southwest Inside Out delves into the geological origins of stunning landscapes that abound in this part of the world, clearly written for those of us who are curious but have no formal training in the earth sciences. But this book is much wider in scope: it offers a holistic overview that integrates scenic wonders with pre-history, plant and animal ecology, Native American mythology, recent history, and travel tips.

The lively, informative text is fully indexed and cleanly organized with side-bars for easy reading. Each page has been designed for maximum impact by the talented Carol Haralson, who deserves special mention. Wiewandt's photos are sensational, and no lesser adjective will suffice.

Seven major subject areas bring this far-ranging section of the United States into sharp focus. My favorites are:

* DUNES, with their austere majesty, hosting rugged, idiosyncratic life forms;

* WHERE WATER COMES AND GOES, explaining how horrible floods and devastating droughts will always be beyond our control;

* STORIES IN STONE, including charts and photos that place such creatures as trilobites, dinosaurs, and saber-tooth cats throughout the region.

Within each of these chapters are gorgeous landscape and nature photos, well-researched information, plus numerous illustrations and original maps. Check out Wiewandt's splendid photo gallery for sample pictures like those in his book. You can download photos from the website, but remember to respect his copyright.

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Tom Wiewandt is a native to the American Southwest and has led photographic learning vacations throughout this region for 11 years, establishing a solid foundation for The Southwest Inside Out - An Illustrated Guide to the Land and Its History. His co-author, Maureen Wilks is a geologist and librarian for the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. I thought I knew the area well after living here for a dozen years, but I'm still a tenderfoot in comparison.

Two useful sections deserve special mention: "Where to Find Them" lists every worthwhile federal and state park and scenic area within this enormous geographic zone; and four pages of "Photo Tips" tell you what to do and how to do it for optimum results in such demanding light/rock/sky/desert environments.

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The Southwest Inside Out sits prominently on my living room table, and I could have sold a dozen copies already to people who happened to pick it up for a "quick" glance. This book is attractive, informative, well-written, and inspiring for all ages and interests. You don't need to leave it at home. It has been built and designed to carry with you on the road, to be read on the fly. I can't wait to travel to at least a dozen new places, ones I never knew to exist before visiting them through the eyes of Tom Wiewandt.

As one who finds the Southwest, particularly the Colorado Plateau, to be the most beautiful, thought-provoking, and inspiring place on Earth, I purchased this book with a great deal of anticipation. A cursory review at the Arches N.P bookstore revealed that the photography was excellent, even sublime. The collection of photographs avoids the trite, road tourist views in good measure, and presents the topics from a fresh, seldom-visualized viewpoint. The sections on slot canyons, hoodoos, and natural bridges were particularly entertaining.
The textual treatment was less impressive, dwelling in most part on fundamental things any roadie would glimpse. I would have preferred a more detailed discussion on the "why" of the formations and features. So far as gaining a deep understanding of what has made the Southwest the world's premier geological wonderland, other books may be more appropriate.
This being said, I was nonetheless enchanted by the book. I have visited every national park, most of the national monuments, and many of the out-of-the way marvels. So have the book's authors and I am impressed with their care of the subject. Especially for the first-time visitor to the Southwest, I would count the book an essential read.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

"Southwest Ireland" by Catharina Day is a valuable book for anyone going to this beautiful part of Ireland. I travel frequently to this region (mostly to Limerick), and find this guide very informative for not only typical guidebook material (places to stay, eat, etc.) but also for more uncommon information on sights of interest. The single strongest feature of this book is in the historical background it provides. This book is far and away the best of commonly available guides to the region from a practical history point of view. It includes an interesting introduction explaining a history of Ireland, the status of the Irish Republic today, and a very helpful glossary of political parties and terms. Religious and political issues (obviously including Northern Ireland) are explained, and all this background helps a traveler appreciate the people and places in this wonderful country.

I obviously can't comment on the accuracy of the entire book, but the entries here align very well with the places I have been (King John's Castle, St. Mary's Cathedral, etc.) so as long as the book is uniform, it is very useful and accurate. The book is not without detractions, however. Except for the first few pages which contain color photographs taken from the area, there are no illustrations of the places featured. The maps are not especially helpful or detailed, either. For these reasons I gave the book four stars, whereas the text would easily garner five.

Travelers may wish to pick up another guide with more user friendly maps and better illustrations to compliment this guide. All told though, this is a great guide to Southwest Ireland, and I recommend it, especially for the history.

One of the newest additions to the outstanding Cardogan travel guide series, Southwest Ireland: Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Clare by Catharina Day is now in a fully revised edition. Covering 170 places to stay, 190 top bars and restaurants, legends, stone circles, history, the nuances of its title counties, and much more, Southwest Ireland is as valuable for its in-depth tour of local lore as it is for its 16 detailed and highly accessible maps. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this easy-to-follow reference handbook, as useful for locating markets, activities, and tourist attractions as it is for simple reading pleasure about the wonders of Southwest Ireland. Highly recommended for business travelers and vacationers alike.

I was drawn in instantly, it was like I was there too, watching and hearing every thing that was happening right in front of me. Really shows how life was back then. Being a native Texan it was particulary interesting that this was a Texas story. Makes me feel like I knew Tom P. personally. A must read!!!

I have some personal knowledge of Tom P. Varnell. According to family research, he is a very distant cousin of mine. This book really brings the story to life. The book is so well written, you feel like you are there, sharing in all of the problems that Tom P faced. I bought two books, one for myself, and one as a gift. I have had so many requests to loan this book that I am going to order another from Amazon. I wouldn't part with my personal copy.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in life as it was around the turn of the 19th century.

I can't wait for Sherri Knight's next book to come out, as I am sure that it will be as interesting as this one is. Tom P's Fiddle - A True Texas Tale

Many of us would like to know what our ancestors lives were like. If we are lucky, we have relatives alive to tell the tales. But like the game of gossip, the tales differ from relative to relative, and a kernel of truth is in each story, but not the whole truth.

Sherri Knight has meticulously pulled together family stories and researched dilligently to find that kernel of truth and in doing so, has written the story of one man's life in the late 19th century. It reads as though we are the crowd watching the events as they unfold before our very eyes. We are the neighbors, the jurists, the lawmen, the womenfolk, who are seeing the events that are set in motion, when in a youthful moment of indiscretion, shots were fired.

Sherri Knight made me feel like I was living during the time of Tom P. The book read absolutely fantastic!! The entire family seemed so real that I just hated finishing the book. It seemed like I was leaving friends behind. The land and the times are particularly well portrayed. Just reading about Tom P made me want to have been able to travel back in time to that era! Thank you Sherri Knight for making 19th century Texas come so alive!!

I discovered this book when it became a finalist for the North Texas Book Festival Book Award for Non-Fiction. As a 6th generation Texan, I'll admit the cover drew me to this True Texas Tale. However, I'm a noted critic that authors fail to do justice to our frontier way of life and our rich, unique vernacular. Hollywood always seems to have a cursory presentation. But Sherri Knight's prose effortlessly drew me into the world of our ancestors, where life was as tough and gritty as our language.

I found the compelling story of Tom P Varnell populated with strong, engaging characters that often had to rely on their own sense of justice on the frontier. I was so drawn into Tom P's world that by the end I desperately wanted to reach across time and space and spend the afternoon at the Varnell ranch sipping a cup of Arbuckle with Docia. With the complete immersion that I found in Ms. Knight's illustrative prose, I really did find the next best thing.

When I went to Google to learn more of Tom Ps story on my own, imagine my surprise to find Sherri Knight had a complete blog that detailed her journey into Tom P's world. I was astounded by the vast amounts of research executed by this author. I highly recommend a visit, as you will be richly rewarded with vast amounts of supplementary materials and photos. I need not be a skeptic when it comes to Sherri Knight, she knows her history and she knows her Texas!

This book has wonderful stories of the rich history of communities of the Sandia Mountains. The photos are wonderful, and really add to the stories. The geographic orientation, beginning with Carnuel, and working around the mountain to Placitas emphasizes the rich variety of the area. I highly recommend it.

Out of all the Images of America books by Arcadia I have looked at over the past few months this one is by far the best. The book was written with love and care by someone who obviously loves the area and knows it very well. It is also the most imaginatavely layed out Arcadia book out all of them that I own. The book has many great photos as well as vintage postcards, maps, and advertisements. Needless to say its a must have for anyone living in the Sandia Mountains but also a wonderful addition to any New Mexico library.

It's hard to stop reading, engrossing, hard to stop reading!

My wife and are enjoying this book immensely, well written and the details of the areas of the places around us here in Tijeras are fantastic. This book brings the rich history to light in an enjoyable read. The photographs are amazing, to see the places as they were and are now.

Mike Smith, the author is extremely accessible for any questions or comments about his book, the region and the history.

Definitely a five star book, run now to get yours!

Growing up in one of the towns of the Sandia Mountains, I can ashamedly say that I really didn't do much digging into the history of the place. I don't know why really, I guess I figured it was just there and left it at that. Then comes along this little dandy of a history book wherein the unique history of the place I grew up in is laid before you through non-run of the mill descriptions, quirky photos, and some fantastic quotes from the people who have made up and make these towns.
This book is published through Arcadia, which has about, I don't know how many, of these history/photo style books. I have read a few books from Arcadia and maybe it's because this is one that specifically talks about the place I grew up in, but Towns of the Sandia Mountains seems to sit a few levels above the others Arcadia has out there.
This book reads like a dreamy ride through the past on an old desert road. Starting on Route 66 in Albuquerque and lazily winding it's way up into the mountain towns, past the towns, higher into the mountian, down a back pass, to the front of mountian and back into Albuquerque, picking up the towns of Carnuel, Tijeras, Hobbies, San Antonio, Cedar Crest, Canoncito, San Antonito, Sandia Park, and Placitas along the way, as well as a brief concluding chapter on Albuquerque touching on its growth into the mountain. Some of the pictures in this book are completely astounding to see. There are amazing photos of areas with just a few cattle grazing around that now have freeways and strip malls running through them. Pictures of places, if you know that area, you would never recognize. Pictures of Hippies and TB patients alike escaping into the mountains. People who made this town that you never knew who now you can know.
This book does away with the dull page after page of random portraits of people with boring captions style of history writing and brings new life to history.
If you live in the Sandia, used to, or are just interested in a unique area then I would say this is a good little read for you. Eight thumbs up!

New Jersey authors have contributed over 75 titles to Arcadia's Images of America series, some excellent, some not so good, depending on the knowledge and research strengths of the authors. New Jersey leads with 75 communities in the Images series, the most of any state. Massachusetts is second, with 67. New York has 30, Connecticut 16.

Arcadia's formula: "use local writers or historians to write about their community using 180 to 240 black-and-white photographs with captions and introductory paragraphs in a 128 page book." (I've included a description of how the Steubenville, Ohio volume was created in the first Comment.)

There are now apparently six volumes for New Mexico, and Towns of the Sandia Mountains by Mike Smith is an outstanding effort for the entire series, based on the dozens I've read through or glanced at in local bookstores. Smith expresses a real love for the area, and we've really enjoyed consulting his book on our drives between the Albuquerque Airport and Santa Fe over the past several months.

Smith maintains at least two blogs, one here on Amazon and a personal blog called "My Strange New Mexico". "'My Strange New Mexico' is a unique column of strange New Mexico history and lore. The column currently appears every month in Local iQ, 'Albuquerque's Intelligent Alternative.'"

Smith writes in his biography: "For most of my life, I have lived in New Mexico, loved New Mexico, loved history, loved the West, and loved to write. As a teenager I moved alone to Alaska where I spent a year-and-a-half hitchhiking all around the state, worked as a commercial fisherman, and lived in a tent in the woods before hitchhiking back down to the lower forty-eight states. In 1999 and 2000 I spent almost seven months becoming the only person so far to circumnavigate the entire 1,960-mile shoreline of Lake Powell, in Utah and Arizona, in a canoe. In 2001, my younger brother, four other friends, and I walked over 3,500 miles from Key West, Florida to Cape Gaspé, Quebec, to raise money for charity. ..."

Smith's love for New Mexico shines through this volume, and his writing and research are both outstanding. I've always enjoyed this series of books on localities -- it can be great fun to ask local residents about some of the entries. Some day I plan to track down Mike Smith and listen to some of the stories that didn't make it into this fine book.

Robert C. Ross 2008

I bought this fantastic little guide in a bookstore in Kathmandu. I used it during my trek around Annapurna and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Much better than the LP guide, and small enough that it doesn't get in the way.

I found the information in the book was great help. The maps together with the estimated timings were particularly helpful in deciding the route to take.

In addition to the treks Bryn Thomas also gives useful information on places to stay.

We used the book when treking from Jomsom to Pokhara and it was invaluable.

This is definitely the best guidebook to carry while trekking in the Annapurna region: loads of maps with most of the teahouses labeled, accurate times for both directions, interesting cultural information, small so as to make it more portable, and fairly up to date. I used it in November 2007, so there are some changes as one would expect, but still is excellent. Highly recommend!

This guide is all you need for the Annapurna. Beats the pants off Lonely Planet. Great maps, highlights, places to stay, etc.; small and lightweight; good gear list for preparing, info on when to go; bits on Kathmandu and Pokhara. We hiked the entire circuit and used Bryn several times each day.

I did the Annapurna Circuit trek (Around Annapurna) last September with this book. I was my bible.
The book has very good chapters about Nepal in general, Kathmandu and Pokhara but it's strength lies in the trail maps and text.
The maps are very very detailed (you can't get lost...), they indicate where is the next steep climbing and how much time does it takes to the next village. In the text you can find recommendations for eating and lodging (that never miss...).
The book covers all the popular treks in the Annapurna region but also offer side treks for more adventrous trekkers.

The bottom line : Worth every Penny!