Recreation Books

I was quite pleased with this book, especially the expanded edition, which includes information about his offspring. I wish it had more photos, but the photos that are there are choice. Wolfe did his research. And interesting read and a must have if you're a fan of Secretariat.

This book is great and chock full of beautiful, rich, and colorful photos; Secretariat almost looks real in some of them. It has just as much accurate information as Bill Nack's "The Making of a Champion," but doesn't go into the tedious detail of related bloodlines and the syndicate deal made for Secretariat. I found this book to be better than Nack's because of that, the pacing, and the gorgeous photos.

This book is a beautiful book, with great photos to supplement the text. It will be of interest to all.

I bought this book as a Secretariat and general thoroughbred racing fan. I discovered it in a book store in St. Petersburg, FL a couple of years ago, and just recently purchased it for my very own through Amazon. At that time, I remember seeing it on the shelf and with wide-eyes, removing it to sit on the floor cross-legged and look at the beautiful array of photographs. I couldn't believe that a coffee table book had been put together about my favorite champion.

And that's still how I feel. If one is looking for photos and photos and more photos of this red legend, this book is the one to own. I am just now getting around to the text, as I have read two Secretariat biographies already, but that is also well written and captures major and interesting details about this horse's life.

Thank you Raymond G. Woolfe Jr. for composing a book that is worthy of our 1973 hero.

On Oct. 4, 1989 the evening news shows carried the story that Secretariat had been euthanized. I cried my heart out. Called in sick to work the next day. My personal hero had left us. The current generation of Barbaro-worshippers can't understand what it was like to watch The Red run. You knew you were watching history unfold, as much as when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. Secretariat lifted up an entire nation, kissed it and put it back down. We were sick of Vietnam, sick of Watergate, sick of being the trashcan the world kicks down the street. Secretariat, the most magnificent assemblage of bone, muscle, brain and heart walked out in front of us and said, "watch me." Simple and to the point. Bred in America. Homegrown and hardworking. And setting the gold standard for perfection. This book simply reminds everyone how he was and how he made us feel. Nearly 20 years later I still cry my heart out on October 4th. But I look at his photos and read the stories about him and I am grateful to have been a witness to something that defies description.

This wonderful, entertainingly written account of a Sports Illustrated writer's sabbatical at the religiously-based St. John's University will surprise and delight you (as, I think, the experience did him).

Like many of the reviewers before me, I've grown tired of the NFL and NCAA Division I football, and now prefer small college and high school football. This is a great way to be introduced to the game at that level, although you never really get to know John Gagliardi as well as you'd like (a fact that frustrates Murphy). Murphy will at times give away how a particular game ends early in the chapter dealing with it, but it's never a great distraction because the story is so well told.

The only shortcomings to me are the lack of photos or stats, plus I detect an occasional bit of smugness on the part of both Murphy and his wife in their dealings with the locals (News flash: Minnesota is NOT the Bay Area), but he IS a very funny and perceptive writer and this is a worthwhile read.

I really enjoyed this book that is about a football season, but also about so much more, including marriage, raising children, coaching and the personalities at this small school in Minnesota. While we often think of Lombardi and Bear Bryant school of hard-driving coaching, it turns out the softer style of coach Gags can also be successful. This book reminded a lot of First and Last Seasons: A Father, A Son, and Sunday Afternoon Football, another book about football but also a lot more.

I read this book after reading Mr. Murphy's "How Tough Could It B?" and loving it. Although I'm not much for football I thought I'd give this book a try because I enjoyed his writing. It was terrific - a great commentary on St. John's and its coach as well as another look at Mr. Murphy's refreshingly real family (well, perhaps they are not real but they sure are like my husband and children). I'm waiting for another book please!

Lack of pictures and statistics of Gagliardi's 50 years in coaching cause this book to come up just short of 5 stars. Also, I expected the author to provide a few more "game details". I actually found the epilogue, where St. Johns makes it to the Divison III championship game the following season, more exciting than the body of the book.

I read this book for the first time when I was a horse-crazy little girl. I absolutely loved it then and I still enjoy re-reading it. It is a wonderful story, especially appealing to horse-crazy children.

I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone! :) This is one of my favorite books!

Bill Wallace writes this book as though it's real life. Once you start, you an hardly put it down!
Luke, a young city boy, is the son of divorced parents. he lives with his mom on his grandfather's farm. because his mom lost her job. Luke never wants to do anything at the farm because his mom made him leave all of his friends when they moved.
After a long summer, Luke befriends an old horse called Beauty. They share a special bond with late summer walks and secrets. But when a terrible accident happens, Luke does something that may break that bond.
This book is great for children and adults. It has adventure, suspense, and funny, laugh-out-loud moments, too. It shows that when you have a bond with a clase friend, keep it for it will become one of your greatest treasures. I give this book a four out of five star rating.

This book is a lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I collect fairy tales and happened across this one several years ago. It is told in the first person. The writing is absolutely sure-handed and the characterization is beautiful. I have read most of the author's other books but none of them come close to the heights of storytelling she reaches in this novel. It drew me in from page one, and I was overcome with a rush of disappointment when I reached the end because there was no more.
This is also a great read-aloud book. It is too bad that it is out of print because I often loan my copy to friends. Fortunately all of them (so far) have returned it - with great praise. Everyone who is a lover of fairy tales should give this one a try.

The best-known and best-loved of Robin McKinley's books is also one of the best of the fairy-tale retellings -- "Beauty," a more enlightened, fully-drawn version of "Beauty and the Beast." There's a depth and a richness to the story and characterizations, as well as a beauty of atmosphere and writing.

Beauty (real name is "Honour") is the ironically-named heroine of the story -- she isn't beautiful, but is very intelligent. She has two sisters, the beautiful Hope and Grace, and a benevolent, wealthy father. Then all their lives change suddenly: the ships their father owns are lost, and the money goes with them. One of the sisters marries a poor but worthy country lad, while the other lost her beloved fiancee who captained one of the ships. After selling their possessions the family moves to the countryside.

The father leaves on a trip -- and returns with a single rose, a gift for Beauty, which carries the price of either his life or his daughter. Beauty leaves to go live at the castle of the mysterious Beast, with only her plowhorse to accompany her. She arrives at a castle of invisible servants, magical books, friendly animals, and a melancholy Beast who asks her to marry him every evening...

There is nothing new in fairy tale retellings now, but when McKinley first wrote "Beauty," it was a relative rarity. And even now, few of them are as intelligently written and have such solid heroines. Rather than giving her story a contrived "twist," McKinley merely fleshes out the storyline and gives the characters personalities.

The writing is excellent; McKinley writes the more prosaic passages of cottage life and the surrounding friendly village, as well as the more dreamlike, fantastical scenes in the Beast's castle. Lots of atmosphere, either in the poor but warm surroundings of the house, or the eerie feel of the castle.The dialogue is nearly flawless: McKinley doesn't write ye-olde-formal prose, but the characters never sound -- or think -- like modern Americans.

Beauty is a great heroine -- brainy, kind, wry-humored, brave and strong. Though the "Beauty" element is discarded, it is done so with the apparent understanding that this "Beauty" has brains and guts rather than a pretty face. The Beast himself is a little more shadowy; we never get inside his head the way we do Beauty's, but then the book is hers, not his. Beauty's father and sisters are equally well-done, avoiding the cliches of nastiness in favor of being likable or haunted.

Robin McKinley's debut "Beauty" is still among the best-loved fairy-tale retellings. With the help of a gutsy, brainy heroine, it rises above a mere retelling and becomes THE retelling.

We have used several other camping guides to Colorado and this one is the best. Information is up to date and accurate.

I've used this book so much over the past 2 years I may need to replace it soon. While the rating system took me a little while to figure out (the numbers do NOT represent the ranking, just the location on the map), the book is very user-friendly. In addition to giving accurate directions to each campground, it directs you to the correct page and area in both the Colorado Atlas & Gazetteer and Colorado Recreational Road Atlas. By rating Scenery, RVs, Tents, Shade, and Privacy, the book helps you locate the campgrounds based on what is important to you. The elevation info is great if you have young children who might not appreciate waking up in the snow and I love that the book tells you which tent sites are the most popular since we tend to reserve campsites well in advance of trips. This is a great book.

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.

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.

Dugout Wisdom is a nice little book filled with inspirational stories and insights into the backgrounds of baseball players, managers, and executives. A very positive aspect of this book is that proceeds go to help scouts. On the postive side, it is a good book to use as a time killer, when you just have a moment or two because each "chapter" is only 1 or 2 pages. It is convenient that way. There are also some truly inspiring stories of how these baseball lifers' lives were changed by an incident or person. Each chapter ends with the name of the scout who signed the player. I thought that was a neat touch.
On the negative side, the stories mostly seem a little shallow, almost as if it were written for a 5th grader. As a matter of fact, I would recommend it for a younger reader, to be sure. Overall, the book is a pleasant read with a positive message. But ultimately, I was slightly disappointed. The stories left me wanting more details. The stories would have been so much more effective if they had taken the time to go into more depth.

Dan Migala's book was truly inspiring and a wonderful gift to share with so many that are struggling with attaining their dreams. It was important to read that so many of the players struggled through adversities but never gave up. Many people today need to know that anything you really want always comes with a price. I think Dan's book showed that well. I wish it could be translated into a book for young children to read and learn from as well. Maybe that dream is already happening!

If you need something to get you motivated in your dreams - this is a great place to start. The stories in this book really make you feel like you can do anything if you just put your heart into it. Dan does a great job compiling these stories into such a unique book.

Over my 30 Year career Coaching in Professional and Olympic Sport (24 in Baseball and the last 6 in Cricket)I've encountered countless 'How To' Books. Unquestionably though 'Dugout Wisdom' is far and away the BEST I've ever perused!

Each and every Page is a new and exciting experience of common sense methods on how any person can live their life to their absolute fullest. It's TRULY a life changing Book with life changing concepts - All one has to do to is apply them and they're guaranteed to flourish in their personal and professional journey!

Dan Migala should be highly complimented on this innovative and highly inspiring Book of LIFE LESSONS!

Sincerely,
Mike Young
Australian Cricket Fielding Coach
Former Minor League Manager (Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians)

Each night when I tuck my young boys into their bunk bed, they ask if I will 'sit with them'... some nights my patience is fried, but many nights I say 'ok, get to sleep and I'll sit down here for a few minutes.' I open the closet door a bit and lie on the floor of their room, with a sliver of light allowing me to open up a book and read.

It has become one of my favorite times of the day... a rare 15 minutes of complete quiet while two of my favorite people fall fast asleep nearby.

Recently it has allowed me to read nightly excerpts from Dugout Wisdom and can't help but think what a perfect book it is, in many ways... but especially for those few quiet minutes of my day. It is that rare kind of book that sparks a new thought, re-focuses me on what's important or inspires me in some small way. It also reminds me of the role that baseball has played in bonding me with my father as well as with my own sons. Great job! I recently bought an extra copy to send to my dad... I guess I'll have to buy another couple soon to inscribe to my sons.

Dear Sister,
We have a new best friend.

Joy! Today is Book Club day, and Joyce McGreevy, the author of "Gardening by Heart" is coming to talk to/with our group. We just finished her book and I loved it. It isn't a novel. It is not a self-help book. It isn't a gardening book. It isn't a poetry book. It is a poetic story about nurturing our hearts, our gardens. Hmm, is it a story? No, actually. There is no story-story, just a string of anecdotes and remembrances involving the author's mother and siblings and friends and jobs.

Her writing is the thing.

She writes like a poet, but it isn't poetry per se. Well, I'll go upstairs and get the book and excerpt it for you...hold on...

Without looking, I just opened the book to this page:

Strawberries at Dawn

"The first pale amber rays of sun have backlit the somber mountains. A coastal live oak rustles. The birds are stirring. In my garden, the poppies are rolled up tightly like saffron scrolls. I'm on my knees, coffee within easy reach, as I set a blue salvia into the ground the way a parent might ease a sleepy child back into bed."

Dawn is the best time of day to do almost anything. The phone holds its tongue and there are no appointments. One's mind is fertile with dreams whose meanings flower best in a hushed world."

[Isn't that wonderful?] more...

"In the garden, time itself seems to expand. Later in the day I may fret about getting to this appointment or achieving that task "on time", but early in the morning I seem to have all the time in the world. The killing frost of anxiety is held at bay, letting ideas and insights establish strong roots."

She starts each chapter with a quote from another author or poet.

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."--May Sarton, Journals

She advocates keeping a nature journal...at the office.

"...it consisted of a burgeoning collection of index cards, each of which bore a hastily penciled sentence or two about something I had observed, whether on the way to work, from my window, or during a lunch break....The French say of good gardeners not that they have a green thumb but that they have un main vert, a green hand. With every entry I penciled in I was keeping my hand green and subsequently nurturing the heart, even in the midst of computers, stark white partitions, and fluorescent lighting."

Don't you just love her? I can't wait to meet our new best friend.

Love,
Your sister

If you like to curl up with volume of beautiful, rambling prose, then this is the book for you.

If you grow impatient with an author who takes 9 pages to discuss an idea that could comfortably fit into 2 - 3 paragraphs, then you should look for a different book. The writing style reminded me of Charles Dickens, who reportedly was paid by the word.

Yes, the book is beautifully written, but I simply lost patience with it. I also found it to be a bit preachy, as if the author believes herself to be the only one who knows the joy of simply being in a garden, observing all of its wonders, and must teach it to the rest of us morons. (I'm a bit sensitive to preachiness, however, and the average reader might disagree!)
It all depends on your personality.

I just finished reading this lovely book over a two day period while sitting in my garden. Joyce McGreevy's advice about living in the moment and appreciating even the smallest living thing should become words to live by for all of us hurtling through the beginning of this new century. She encourages her readers to establish and maintain contact with nature, even if it is just being aware of the new sprouts on our pepperomia. She offers receipes, practical advice and unique ideas about how to engage even a recalcitrant child or a grumpy crumudgeon in the wonders of the natural world.
This is a MUST read for all gardeners no matter what your experience!

This book is a jewel, a profound pleasure to read. From the first page, one enters a world of flowers and tendriled plants, Earth with its seasons and cycles, touching memories, wisdom, and wit. The book uses this material to present a rich philosophy for living life.

The author not only recounts delightful anecdotes, but also offers abstract ideas with precision clarity, utilizing graceful and wonderfully chosen vocabulary. Her metaphors and similes sometimes make you gasp, they are so fresh and original. They are also beautifully couched within the overall garden theme.

This book puts the reader in touch with the richness, depth, and beauty of life. It is true writing by a gifted writer.

I'm free, free, at last! Emancipated from a gardener's work ethic--weeding, deadheading, fertilizing etc. Joyce McGreevy goes literally to the heart of gardening and nourishes the soul with her grace and wit and exquisite writing. McGreevy's descriptions of her mother's gardens as a place for relating to people, for celebrating the spirit of the day or season, help the gardener to not only grow the roses, but wake up and smell them and share all that with others. Just BE in the garden. Of course, there won't be a garden without some routine work, but this inspirational little book shows us how to use our gardens or other people's gardens to renew our connection to the earth, to all creation, and to heal from modern day busy sickness. I hope to hear more from this talented writer.

We live about four hours from the Bay Area. We own two of the other Trailblazer books. Since we trust their accuracy and like their layout, that alone convinced us to try their Golden Gate guide. Just don't make the mistake of buying this older version. Click on the author's name and it will take you to the newest edition. It blows away all the other hiking books for the region. We use it for 3-day weekend getaways to where it's cool.
Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Walk, Bike in San Francisco & Marin

I just bought this book based on the reviews and will be returning it. We live in Sausalito and the Marin Headlands are essentially our backyard. I bought the book to find new areas in the Golden Gate area to explore but when I looked at the area I know well, the Marin Headlands, the information ( map and route description ) were inaccurate and misleading.

This book is excellent but readers should know the authors have recently revised it for 2004/2005. They've added more maps and photos and a section for family outings. The easiest way to find the new edition is to click on the authors name. Note the title has changed slightly too. It's now Golden Gate Trailblazer: where to hike, walk, bike in San Francisco and Marin.

My vacation to San Francisco lasted three weeks. I bought Golden Gate Trailblazer when I arrived and walked many miles with it as my guide. Treasured memories are Limantour and McClures beaches at Point Reyes National Seashore which I never would have found on my own. There's so much more to the Bay Area than Fisherman's Wharf and the cable cars and traffic. This book excels when it comes to organization with maps in every section and a very detailed index. I highly recommend it to hikers and walkers who have never visited this part of California's coast. Like me, you'll probably be surprised at all the places these local authors have packed inside.

Simply said . . . wow. What a find! High on my list for seeing all the offbeat and major sites around the City and along Marin's rugged coast and bay wetlands. For years I've been the chauffer when guests come and stay. Now I just hand my friends a copy of Trailblazer and tell them to begin at trail #1, The City. For trails in the Golden Gate National Recreation area and Mt. Tamalpais, this is the most detailed book. You really get a feel for northern California and its history by reading it. Maps are A+ too.

Collins gets it. Baseball people have a certain way about them, and Collins obviously is one of them; he also knows how to write about them. This book--an in-depth and endearing look at the 2002 Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League--shines with the polish of good baseball writing about a great baseball subject. The players and team staff come to life, as does the ebb and flow of a summer on the cape. The poignancy of this moment in time, in these specific lives and in this specific baseball season, got me a little misty-eyed at the end. These are the kinds of dreams everyone should have, at least once in awhile, even when they have to come to an end.

This is such a big part of why I love baseball.

This is a terrific book for any fan of baseball. The book discusses three main characters in how they came to baseball how they played growing up and in college and then how the fare in the Cape League. I've passed the book on to several others who have loved it as well. A must for any baseball fan.

This book offers excellent insight into what collegiate players will do to make it to the big leagues. The glimpses of small town fans are also interesting. The reader is exposed to a part of baseball few know much about. Informative and fun to read.

Simply a fantastic book. Well-researched, intriguing, personal, etc. Shows why baseball is unique as compared to all other sports. There are so many nuances always to explore. The Central Illinois League, another amateur summer league, is a good example of a smaller version of the Cape Cod League as well. Either way, this book was an easy read on a long plane ride. No other sport could have produced a book's topic/story like this. Well done, Mr. Collins. Well done, baseball, as always.

If you like decent writing and/or, you are a baseball fan, just read it. I thought about the book long after I had finished reading it.

I really like this book. It's hundreds of color pics. break down each move 1/2 step by 1/2 step and from multiple angles. You don't even need to know how to read. Just follow the pics & arrows highlighting the important grips and positioning. I use volume 2 ("the guard") a little more, but both are really great.

This is a great book. Sequence of pictures are taken from two different angles to capture all the details. Tim Cartmell does a great job describing each step of the technique in simple words.
It covers most of the situations encounter when passing the guard. Will definitely boost you BJJ game.

I'm a blue belt, and this book can definitely improve your top game a lot. No other book cover the subject with so much depth. Sometimes the pictures aren't as crystal clear as Kid Peligro's ones, and you have to get used to the unusual layout. Aside from that the book is awesome and I think intermediate bjj practitioners will get the most out of it.

I'll start off by mentioning the only negative I can think of or noticed:

There are quite a few typos and grammatical errors in the technique descriptions/instructions. However, they only cause a minor distraction, and not enough to warrant giving this book anything less than 5 stars. The reason for this is because all you have to do is look at the accompanying picture and the problem is solved. For example, the instructions will say, "Grab with the right hand or swing to the right" and then you look at the picture and the guy is grabbing with his left hand and swinging to the left. I'm assuming those who buy this book already practice BJJ and are only purchasing the book for reference, so it should be easy to "understand" what the typos meant to say. This, however, leads to the best part of the book.

Everything else about the book is great. The only negative I mentioned above may actually go unnoticed by some. The reason for this is that the pictures are awesome. One may be able to learn a technique just by looking at the pictures. They're that good. The flow and clarity of the pictures makes the detailed instructions seem as an optional supplement.

Another thing that this book does well is it's order. The book starts from the ground up, literally: breaking the guard on your knees, passing the guard on your knees, standing up, breaking the guard standing up, etc, etc... More importantly, whenever the opportunity is given, the authors split the techniques into alternative "finishes" depending on whether or not the opponent reacts.

If you're looking for a well written book with plenty of details for BJJ as a reference, I cannot recommend this more. It's really great to look through and see a technique and think to yourself (or scream out loud), "That's what I should have done in that last fight/roll/etc!"

I will be buying volume 2 for sure.

Too many books try to cover too much in their text. This often results in poor details, a small snapshot of someone's game, or unconnected techniques that don't integrate well. It is a fantastic idea to spend an entire volume on one aspect of the game.

I'd read Cartmell's good work in "Effortless Combat Throws" and liked it a lot. I'd never heard of Beneville, though, as per most of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community.

However, the most important qualification is whther your information is accurate and effective. This book is exactly that.

The book opens up with imporatant details on posture and position. What it is, why you need to get there and - of course - how. This is golden information to the beginner and early intermediate, but more advanced practitioners will even find some useful info here.

Then, onto the guard passes. The passes shown are the same ones you're taught in every class. The details, though, are intricate and accurate. There are a number of options for each pass and photos aplenty, along with concise, accurate text descriptions.

The book covers more than passing and is THE text for the whole game from inside the guard. It covers posture and position, passes from the knees, passes from standing, submission attacks from inside the guard, defenses and counters to attacks and even a great section on a ttacking the turtle position.

More still, the book ends with some great drills that will help you develop the skills described in the book.

This book pioneered the contrasting coloured uniforms on the models and the blue vs white is still a great idea. The photography is great and has views from multiple angles. As said earlier, the text is concise, clear and descriptive.

It's clear that the authors know their subject and have planned this book well. Kudos to them.

Great book to have for anyone who enjoys an adventure. Lots of walking options within the city

I found this book (rather thick - 251 pages) on the shelves of my local Santa Cruz library shelves. At first I thought it was rather boring - the cover is dizzying to look at. Then as I opened and perused thru more pages, I realized that this was a work of love - Adah Bakalinsky's love (a San Francisco local, and an emigrant to the US).

Adah Bakalinsky has expended previous editions and the January 2007 is the 6th edition.

What I liked about this book:
* informs the reader on some cool areas to walk in San Francisco, with cool architecture, and routes that will have your blood pumping.
* the 27 walks are all detailed with a map layout, interesting points of interest, photographs, and many factoids.
* Appendix 1 contains "An Informal Bibliography" (one pager with more info on the San Francisco)
* Appendix 2 lists all the staircases (across 36 pages) for each neighborhood in San Francisco and rates each one according to a 1 to 5 scale of combined: steepness, length, location, elevation, and beauty.
* and ... it was FREE.

Whether you are from out of town visiting San Francisco, a local denizen, or a Bay Area suburbian, you are sure to enjoy this book, even if not completing a walk from start to finish. The details are worth reading before each walk, as one is sure to add more mental details and moments of enjoyment as one walks across the beautiful city of San Francisco.

I love this book!! We live an hour north of S.F. and when ever we go to the city we start with one of these great walks. We have gone and explored neighborhoods we never would have without this book. San Francisco is such a beautiful city and getting to the top of some obscure staircase always gives you a unique and beautiful view. It is a must for anyone who lives in or near S.F.

San Francisco has over 50 hills with scenic vistas and small neighborhoods - so these nearly 30 urban walks are top picks for any who want to walk the city's byways. The revised expanded edition has been updated with new maps and color photos and adds three new walks, while an appendix lists the City's 600-plus public stairways. It's a 'must' for any San Francisco travel collection going beyond the general-interest city guide.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Adah's book is a great collection of walks all over the city. As the name implies, all the walks focus on the stairways for which San Francisco is so well known. This has two implications: one is that these walks will wear you out; the second is that, on sunny days, you get incredible views from the tops of all the stairways Adah has you climb.

For locals, the 27 walks cover the entire town from Glen Canyon to Lands End to Potrero Hill. No matter how long you've lived in San Francisco, I guarantee you'll see great spots you've never been to before.

Most of the walks are well off the beaten path for visitors, but a couple cover the classic tourist areas of North Beach, China Town, and Telegraph Hill. The Russian Hill North walk, done on a sunny day, will have anyone believing San Francisco is the most beautiful city on earth.

Adah provides maps, directions, and a great deal of color commentary for each walk. She tends to focus on eccentric details of the local architecture and flora for each walk, lending a whimsical quality to the whole experience.

Two last things to keep in mind. First, because the views are such a big part of these walks, Adah's trips are much better in good weather than in bad. Second, Adah is sometimes a little loose with her directions; I recommend cross checking the directions and the map often.