Pacific Books

This revised edition is very comprehensive, written with a sense of humor and candor. Looking forward to visiting the island with book in hand to "test out" the recommendations.

I found this book to give good recommendations for places to see on the island. Some were not as spectacular as described. Also it would have been helpful to have better overview maps. Those are obtainable for free in other publications such as rental car guides. Places to eat were good recommendations.

Whatever you need to know about the Big Island, it's in this book. Excellent info, updated and concise, in a very readable form.

First rate guide to the Big Island. I bought their Kauai book years ago when I visited, and this one is just as good. You truly feel like your getting insider tips, and not just a project for a travel writer on assignment. Don't hesitate on this one.

This is the most amazing guidebook. It's very detailed and gives excellent information and advice! I highly recommend it.

I heard about this book and was able to find it easily online and at a great price.

I enjoyed reading this book so much I finished it in less then a week. Parts of it are featured on a PBS documentry called "The War" (Or somthing like that), anyhow, the book gives all the reader could ask for; loss, comraderie, and the absolute brutality of war. It is my favorite first person account I have read so far, although William Foley's "Visions From A Foxhole" is exceptional as well. If you were ever curious about a Marine's combat life, read this book, and if you have already read this book, go out and thank a veteran, or current soldier for what they have done for you so that you should never have to experience the horrors of war with your own eyes. Thanks Vets and current men of all wars.To those Marines: SEMPER FI

This book gives us an idea of how the shocking horror of the Pacific conflict turned normal guys and to-be college professors into focused killers that simply didn't have the option of seeing the other side as human. When the author describes why no prisoners were taken by either side, you've already read so much that it makes sense.

Anyone who believes combat is a visceral experience similar to that seen in the movie 300 needs to read this book. Mr Sledge's book is recommended reading for every enlisted Marine at the beginning of his career. I argue that it should be required reading for every elected representative before they vote to send Americans into combat.

This book is a personal memoir of a US Marine who was a member of a front line company (Company K, 3 battalion, 5th Marine Regiment) in two World War II Pacific theater campaigns. It is not about tactics, operations, or strategy, but about what life was like for for men in front line units in the Pacific, the dangers and the depravations they faced. This book is important because of the perspective it can give the reader.

Though its focus is almost entirely on one small band of men (the men of Company K), it provides the reader with important context for understanding the world. Most obviously it gives one a window into what it means to be solider and the "face of battle", how war brings out the best and the worst in human kind, how disease and stress can be as deadly as bullets and shell fragments, and how dehumanizing the whole experience can be. Reading this first hand account makes these statements more than cliches, it makes the personal cost of war tangible in a way third person accounts can not.

Although I suspect this wasn't the authors goal, the book also provides those of us in the post baby boom generations an important perspective that can help us make sense of the arc of history from World War I to 80's. During the World Wars hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people had similar experiences, it must have had a profound impact on how they approached the world, which in turn must of have shaped the inter War and post War periods. Before reading this account I wasn't able to really appreciate how World War I lead to an increase in nihilism or the pain Vietnam War protests must have caused some veterans. Without reading this (or a similar account) one can't have a full grasp on modern history.

As a native Oregonian, the attraction of reading a diary of one who made the Oregon Trail journey was met with eager anticipation. Early on, the diary though very interesting, soon became a series of calamities that left the reader thinking, what else could this poor family possibly endure? As the journey continued, it became apparent that the author had taken great liberty and creative license to spice up this historical adventure. By the end of the diary it was discovered that this work was fiction, which resulted in great disappointment, leaving the reader feeling mislead. As a work of fiction based on possible Oregon Trail experiences, this book proves to be entertaining, however it is not a true diary.

It has been years since I have read this book. I can still, to this day, remember the effect this book had on me. I was eight or nine at the time. I remember reading the diary entries and feeling as if I were right there next to Hattie, walking in the dirt or the snow. I cried at times when something bad had happened to Hattie or the people around her. I felt compassion, and found myself wanting to reach into the book and help the people myself. I learned many things about life in that time period that I had never known. I had learned about pioneers in school, but I never imagined that it would be as hard or as rewarding of an experience for them to go through.

The book made an impact on me from page one. I highly recommend it.

This book is a great one. It is about a girl named Hattie and about her life going on the Oregon Trail. She faces many troubles and all the things that happened to her. It is very emotional. There's good times : ) and bad times : ( . But it all works out well!!!!!( I hope I didn't spoil the ending for you!!!!) : )

I read this when it first came out, when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I loved this story and could not put it down. Plus, when we started talking about the Oregon Trail in class, I was really interested in it and prepared for it. It is my favorite book of the Dear America series, and it is one of the most amazing children's story ever. The only criticism I can make is that sometimes it is hard to sympathize with Hattie; she is not the best Dear America character.

I love 'Oregon Trail' stories and this one was no exception. The story is stunningly written, and a careful line is trod between emphasizing the dangers and discomforts of the trail without making the story seem scary or unpleasant to the reader.

My only real gripe about this book (and not even a big enough gripe to drop a star, so take it for the whining that it is) is that the adult characters can be pretty stupid at times. I know this is a staple of children's literature in order to forment conflict (after all, conflict couldn't form very easily if all these adults were competant), but it's simply infuriating that the two resident thieves in the group are continually treated with 'Christian charity' in an atmosphere where one's possessions often meant the difference between life and death. It may seem very natural, to our modern American eyes, to overlook the theft of a sweater, but when that's the only sweater a child owns and a cold night is falling, you can bet that is a much bigger deal than previously realized.

Nevertheless, this book is still superb. Buy it, read it, enjoy it. Just be prepared to explain to your children that being 'charitable' doesn't mean you have to be a victim.

Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully is simply breathtaking, the most thoroughly researched and lucidly thought out history of an event that I have ever read. Setting out to tell the story of Midway primarily from the Japanese side they have created the new standard of that crucial battle in the dark days of 1942 that shines as an example of scholarly effort without parallel.

First these authors clearly did their homework, and to say that they explore the battle in the utmost would be an understatement. Setting the stage for the battle with germane explanations of the geopolitical, then strategic, and then operational backdrops that led up to 4-5 June 1942 the authors then delve into the battle wielding an awesome array of salient information ranging from the psychological makeup of the senior Japanese commanders on the scene, to Japanese naval doctrine of the time, to the naval architecture of the four Japanese flat tops, to how many bomb carts each carrier had (and are thus able to derive such details as the quickest possible practical TIME, down to the minute, it could have taken to re-arm waiting dive bombers and torpedo planes in the hangar bay) to even the names of individual Japanese pilots in the CAP and when they were launched. What emerges is a picture of the battle in toto, grounded in a thorough understanding of the pacific campaign and the entire war itself, aided by a completely fresh and unbiased look (which subsequently shatters many myths about the battle) and delivers not just the most accurate picture of what happened and why during the fighting, but also what it meant in the larger scheme of how the rest of the war was fought and ultimately won (or lost by the Japanese). This is truly the stuff history is supposed to be about.

What is better yet is that the book, in a surprising cut against the grain for pieces written by more than one author, reads both like an erudite intellectual analysis and Tom Clancy-esque action thriller. Throughout the book you are taken from the strategic and coolly logical minds of senior commanders, to white knuckle seventy degree dives in the cockpits of cascading American SBD's flying through walls of flak and marauding Japanese zeros. Later you are privy to the acts of desperate survival of Japanese engineers sweating in the asphyxiating air of the engine rooms in their carriers as the ceilings above them start literally glowing red from the heat of uncontrollable fires ravaging above and blocking their only route of possible escape.

After setting the stage of the history of the Japanese naval war in the Pacific up until the time of the battle and explaining the strategies, doctrines, and technical features (i.e. carrier air wing make up, command organizations, etc.) of both the American and Japanese navies the authors place you onboard the ships of the Kido Butai for a minute by minute account. This in depth and detailed account takes you from the moment they sortie from Hashirajima bay to their ignominous retreat mere weeks later. The writing is crisp, fast paced, and clear, conveying information, tension, emotion, and action all at the same time without compromising any of those features. Told primarily from the Japanese side it is taut and disciplined, delivering information to the readers as it came in real time to Nagumo and the staff of the Kido Butai on the cramped bridge of the Akagi and under fire, instead of giving the reader a truly "God's Eye View" of the battle. There is just enough delving into the worlds and actions of Nimitz in Pearl Harbor, Flether onboard the Yorktown, Spruance onboard the Enterprise, and several other American forces to give appropriate context and understanding, but the reader is basically experiencing what the Japanese commanders were going through. This allows the reader to truly appreciate the Clausewitzian "friction" that plagues any battle, and to understand the decisions the commanders made at the time. After the fact everything is tied together by the authors to deliver a true picture of exactly what happened each minute of the battle. The scope of the battle and the author's telling of it is enormous, covering not just the more familiar strike on Midway istelf and ensuring carrier duel, but the ordeal of survivors from each carrier as they attempted, futilely, to save their ships then abandoned them, to the harried Japanese retreat and the less familiar American attacks on the Mogami and Mikuma which ultimately led to the latter's destruction.

The book sets the record straight on many things, of which I cannot mention all. When the American dauntlesses rained down upon the Japanese carriers at 1020 however it is clear that their decks were NOT full of a strike package just moments from launching to crush TF 17, this was a myth that was propagated by Mitsuo Fuchida after the war's end for self serving purposes as well as dramatic flair. VT-8's heroic and fatally doomed torpedo attack did not draw down the Japanese CAP, instead it was just one of a series of hurried and poorly organized American attacks that virtuously threw the Japanese into confusion and left them reacting to conditions rather than shaping them. The Americans were not so outmatched as is commonly believed, but still won a glorious victory ableit against a deeply flawed plan developed by the actually bullying and overbearing Yamamoto (who was restricted from leaving Kure Naval Harbor while in Japan to visit Naval General HQ in Tokyo on fear that other resentful officers there would literally kill him.)

The lessons the authors draw from this battle are applicable even today. The Japanese primarily lost the battle, and the entire war for that matter (although for the entire war the relative industrial might of the US played a far more important role than it obviously could have in this single, early on confrontation), due to an operational rigidity born of national culture and character. This rigidity left it unable to correctly learn lessons from its past operations, anticipate future operations as well as enemy capabilities and reactions to such, and, most critically, to adapt to real world circumstances when their overly elaborate plans inevitably began to unravel against determined and unpredicted enemy actions. (The Japanese expected to face a cowed, fearful, and largely reactionary and passive US Navy at Midway, and not the aggressive and ably commanded force that Nimitz actually sortied to meet them and that guided itself on the flexible principle of calculated risk rather than dogmatic devotion to operational planning.)

I simply can not say enough good about this book. It is useful to anyone with an interest in history as an example of the heights that that discipline can reach and the edifying fruits it can bear when practiced properly, to those in the military who seek a better understanding of how war actually is fought and can be fought best, to someone who wants to read about a real world battle written with the excitement and drama of a great fiction author.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Haven't finished its reading yet, this book is a superb job about the battle of Midway. With every data carefully referenced and a lot of research in the JPN archives, most of them ignored so far in western bibliography, this book torpedoes a lot of myths that have risen around the famous naval battle over the years.
Reflects, in my opinion, the real "fog of war" that both navies had to fight with those days.
It is mainly focused in the Japanese side, giving credible answers to questions that had been ignored over the years by all history books that I have read.

"Fantastic" is not enough to describe this book. The research which has gone into it and the amount of details presented is absolutely unbelievable.
In the wake of this book, I don't think there will be any further need for continued discussion over the relative action of the US and IJN fleets and what really happened near Midway on that fateful day.
The explanation of Japanese tactical and strategical thought which lead to their demise is clearly spelled out and it finally lets the reader understand the how and why of the action Adm. Nagumo took at the time.
Altogether, I could not have asked for a better book on the subject.

Simply a must-read for anyone with a serious interest in what happened off Midway in June 1942, and why events unfolded the way they did. The authors explain not only what happened, but why - in exhaustive detail. And therein lies the reason I could not in good conscience give this outstanding work 5 stars.

When the subject is as complex as this battle, and the research so comprehensive, any author has a responsibility to write as concisely as possible. Doing so respects the reader's time and improves the chances of the less dedicated making it through the text. Not only is this book unnecessarily wordy, the authors sometimes use three or four paragraphs to explain a point only to spend another paragraph or two summarizing and/or providing 'in other words' alternative explanations. Frankly, the average reader may be hard-pressed to finish this work. I half expected the last page to be a submission form for three hours of credit.

With that said, the afterglow is a pleasant one for those of us with a deep interest in this battle and the patience to read through to the end. The authors do a fine job of explaining why they're explaining. For example, with great effect they use Japanese carrier procedures and doctrine as evidence indicating what was actually happening in specific timeframes. Another example is showing the real role the decimated American torpedo squadrons played, which was critical but not for the reasons most people believe. The research appears impeccable and the conclusions reached on points where absolute evidence does not exist make sense.

The authors are perhaps a bit snarky when addressing some other sources on the battle, but I believe that to be a product of their own passion for accuracy, the battle, and the Imperial Japanese Navy as opposed to any intended animosity.

Bottom line: highly recommended, but be prepared to invest some time.

I was rather surprised that the authors make no mention of the actual prime source for the Battle of Midway that most Americans carry around in their heads: the 1976 film, "Midway." With familiar names like Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Robert Mitchum, Hal Holbrook and Charlton Heston, the film reinforces the popular wisdom that an under gunned American Naval task force, on June 5, 1942, surprised the main fleet of Japanese carriers bearing fighter planes helplessly exposed on the decks. Certainly I had never heard the names Yamamoto, Nagumo and Genda prior to seeing the film one rainy summer afternoon. After reading Parshall's and Tully's masterful study of the battle, I was even more surprised to learn that this enduring version of the Midway encounter came not from the understandable pride of American historians, but from the pen of Fuchida Mitsuo and Okumiya Masatake, whose "Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan" [1955] served as a template for historians, school books, and even Hollywood.

Since Japanese historiography has shaped the Midway story for over six decades, Parshall and Tully decided to address their gripping minute-by-minute account of the battle through the eyes of Japanese experience and intentions in order to restore a sense of perspective. In truth, much of Mitsuo's narrative and interpretation is not as much defective as it is deficient. Midway was the product of complicated forces; its individual tactical events at many turns had lives of their own. Thus, only by breaking the battle into dozens of microcosmic signatures could Parshall arrive at something resembling a true chronology of the encounter, though war is such a hellish psychological event that exactitude is its first victim.

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was for the US the beginning of the beginning. For Japan it was the beginning of the end. It may not have been clear to Americans in 1941, but Japan's eastward expansion to Hawaii was something of a Pickett's Charge moment save that Japanese efforts had, for a time, a more favorable psychological outcome. Parshall's map [20-21] makes the Japanese problem crystal clear: advancing across the Pacific meant investment north and south as well as east. Japan at this point had been at war since at least 1937, first with China and then throughout Southeast Asia.

In these circumstances the Midway situation takes on a whole new look. The Empire's interest in seizing the Island had little to do with westward expansion, and much to do with protecting its holdings. Possession of Midway would allow the Japanese to cut US supply lines to Australia. Achievement of the goal was certainly within capability, given the limitations of the US Pacific Fleet, had not the ambitious Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku overreacted to recent US sorties with a complicated plan of his own for Midway. Yamamoto violated a basic tenet of war--massed force--to execute simultaneous action toward Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. Parshall is careful to note that this Aleutian action was not a feint, as is popularly believed, though Dutch Harbor had questionable value in any strategic equation.

With two carriers off to the cold north, Yamamoto proceeded to Midway with four carriers instead of six, and just a one carrier advantage over Halsey's three. [Bill Halsey, of course, would be hospitalized with shingles and replaced by Ray Spruance for the Midway expedition.] The result is basic history, with the US destroying all four Japanese carriers with the loss of only the Yorktown. Parshall certainly does not diminish the accomplishment, nor do he and his colleague entirely deny the element of luck. More often, he takes the dramatic edge off of events, reminding his readers that in war the best schedules go awry, runways get congested, radios break, intelligence gets manhandled, and weather conditions change.

Parshall believes that that US Pacific fleet was not quite the crippled eagle it is often portrayed to be. Between the Pearl Harbor and Midway encounters the Lexington and the Yorktown had embarrassed Yamamoto on several occasions in his back yard. The US Navy had learned quite a bit about aerial warfare despite the fact that at Midway its planes were somewhat inferior. Vice Admiral Nagumo, commander of the strike force, found himself repeatedly surprised by the Americans' tactics and capabilities, though admittedly some of these tactics--with tragic and needless loss of life--were as much a surprise and shock to the Americans' own commanders.

Parshall observes that American forces did enjoy an overall edge in technology, planes notwithstanding. Photographs of the late Soryu, Kaga, Hiryu and Akagi carriers throughout the book reveal tinker-toy vessels of another generation, which in some cases were actually Gerry rigged when designers changed schemes. US carriers enjoyed greater simplicity and a much more efficient deck technology, particularly in the design of elevators which allowed for rapid turnover of planes for duty. Most notably, American carriers enjoyed much safer and more efficient fire control systems, which gave the Yorktown an added essential day. From a humanitarian standpoint, Parshall brings home the terrible suffering of Japanese sailors primarily from fires resulting from poor ship design. As a rule the rank and file of the Japanese Navy manifested an amazing courage and devotion to duty; Parshall's account puts the responsibility for their plight in the appropriate places.

Parshall's decision to write from the Japanese perspective was quite daring and very successful. As befits a military work, nearly one-third of this book is composed of maps, photos, and an exhaustive bibliography. It is hard to imagine how the author could have been more helpful with his illustrations of ship movements and time lines. And yet this is a work with a gripping story line. The revised truth about Midway is still a captivating tale, about commanders coping with strain and sailors loyal to their comrades. For all its technical information, Parshall's work can best be described as eminently human.

I might look at other guidebooks as well, but if I were limited to just one, this would be it. It covers pretty much everything, covers things in detail, and gives honest opinion. If an attraction, restaurant, or hotel sucks, they tell you. The text, maps, and pictures nimbly steer you toward what's worthwhile and away from what's not. They can't cover everything on Oahu, but we'll definitely be carrying this book with us on our upcoming trip.

We purchased Hawaii Revealed last year & it went with us everywhere. When we were planning our next trip to Oahu, we ordered Oahu Revealed before we left so we could read up and decide what we wanted to do before we arrived. The information provided is accurate, and the opinions are right on.

This book is awesome!!! We brought it on our honeymoon to Oahu and found ourselves never leaving our room without it. At first my husband wanted to explore on our own and not have to worry about what other people had to say about different areas but after 2 days - he made absolutely sure we had the book with us wherever we went! This book not only gives excellent recommendations for dining, hotels, activities, etc., it told us about incredible "hidden treasures" we never would have even known about, as they are off the beaten path. Just to name some examples - a little macadamia nut farm near the north shore and the Maunawilli Trail hike and this beautiful rock formation that had the center blown out of it during a storm years ago. Friends of our who didn't have the book couldn't find it because its hidden in a neighborhood. We found it NO PROBLEM! Incredible! I've bought this book for many other couples going to Oahu and they have thanked us Sooo much for it! Buy it! It's worth 10 stars!

We have the other Andrew Doughty Hawaii travel books and this one did not dissapoint us.

For an upcoming trip to Oahu, I recently purchased three guide books. My favorite is Oahu Revealed for the following reasons:

Written it a personable, entertaining style - more like advice from a friend.
Steers you away from sights and activities not worth the time or money.
Contains lots of fold-out maps and color photos.

I couldn't put the book down. I stayed up half the night reading it. You become absorbed in the story, very well written.

All I can say is it's a good thing I didn't have much else to do. I could hardly put the book down. Great story, it flows and is easy to read. The story line was fun while intriguing and touching...Melissa Good is truly and artist with words. I have already purchased Hurricane Watch and am looking forward to starting it.

As the first Melissa Good novel that I have read. I found it to be engaging and the contemporary setting was refreshing.

While the relationship element was predictable, fortunately Goode stayed on the high road by not dipping to graphic details, leaving that to our own imagination.

The twists and turns of the actual story line were compelling and fairly true to life, in the 21st century. It was fun to to identify with the people and situations. It is apparent that Goode has more of this story to tell.

Kudos to whoever is making this novel into the movie. Cannot wait to see it!

An uber with a duo every bit as vibrant as those in her beloved X&G sagas. Whoda thunk the world of corporate computing could be so darn entertaining and compelling. With one of the best rescue scenes ever. Dar and Kerry are alive and living in Miami.

This was the first "uber" piece I had ever read and I was pleasantly surprised by what a good story it was. I didn't know what to expect in the beginning, and even had a hard time getting past the first chapter. But, I persisted and made it through. Boy was I glad that I did. Ms. Good has written about two very strong characters who are different as night and day. I found myself intrigued by their relationship and couldn't wait to read more. I have now read all of the DaK series and would still say that this one is my favorite. However....
What I didn't like was the large amount of inconsistency in the story. At first Kerry's siter's name is Susan, then it's Angela. Her father's name is Kevin, then Roger. Kerry's personnel file says she's 26, but she tells Dar she's 27 (okay, I can overlook a birthday). There are at least four or five other inconsistencies that I can't think of right now...but it bugged me...a lot. The grammar was fine, in my opinion, but there were some typos which should have been caught during editing. And I don't buy Dar working for ILS for 15 years when she's only 30 (I may be bleeding into some of the other books).
The point of the matter is....honestly I really did like this book. That's why I continued to keep reading the other stories. Yes, I wish the love scenes had just a little more "umph" to them and I wish Kerry wouldn't say things like "oh, poo." I gave this four stars, mainly for the continuity issues....but it is a good read and I would recommend it to my friends.

Ordered this book before our Jan. trip to Kauai. We have been on this island many times, but this book gave us lots of info about trails. It tells you the difficult trails, the easy trails, how to get there, what to know before you start, etc. Really a very good buy for hikers who want to see more of this beautiful island.

Guess where my wife wants to take me on her summer vacation? Hint: she likes lush resorts with hiking opportunities.

I've been to the other islands of Hawaii several times, but never to Kauai. I don't need the usual 50 pages of cajoling to enjoy myself that most guidebooks feature, and in this era of goooogle, I certainly don't need out-of-date hotel listings. This is a book crammed with info that I may find useful when I get there, concerning the rugged activities that make flying all those hours worthwhile, written in a plain and honest prose. I'd venture to say that this is the most convincing guidebook I've ever encountered.

Another reviewer complains about the absence of maps. I'd agree that lack fo maps would be a problem, except that the maps one finds in other guidebooks are almost always next to useless. My advice: get a real full-sized map and correlate!

We returned this year with their new third edition for 2008 and found remarkable changes. Hiking the Kalalau Trail again.....was even better the second time around. When it comes to organization and finding ez access to all the cool trails, this one is the winner. The strategies for getting around this beautiful island were incredibly useful.

Have only made it partially through the book and am very impressed with the outline and the depth of knowledge of the subject. My wife and i are returning to PoiPou on the south shore at the end of April, 2008 and we are making daily plans from this book.

A must to throw into your backpack when heading out to the trails. All of the information you will need to plan a day of hiking, biking, or paddeling is in this one little book.

Where this one shines: compact and to the point, definitely our style. It covers all of the island and the hikes they list inside Haleakala Crater and near Hana were terrific. Bring your binoculars for the whale and windsurfer action. We had several guides with us, but the most consistent useful information came from this one.

Friends asked us how we saw and experienced so much in just a week and we attribute it to doing our homework first - mapping it all out with the Trailblazer.

The places we did get to check out were awesome. I know we wouldn't have found the "aquarium" without this book and that was our favorite snorkel spot. I wish we had more time in maui to explore.

Beaches are the reason we went to Maui and this was the guide we used to find them. There were several dozen to higrade. When we arrived we noticed many of the street signs were missing or twisted the wrong way so we navigated using the maps and mile markers in the Trailblazer guide. Even our rental car map didn't have the detailed streets this book had.

We have three kids and they spent hours and hours boogieboarding and their UV protected rashguards that we also bought on Amazon paid off plenty. The bike tours were closed so we hiked in Haleakala State Park. Trail distances we needed and trail distances we got. We felt like we were on another planet. They suggested we bring warm clothes and water, thank goodness we did.

Organized, detailed, dangerous places to avoid, the advice was priceless. This was our first time on Maui and this book really did blaze the trail.

All the fun stuff. My teenage boys loved it and wanted to try everything they listed. Our hikes were group affairs, waterfall destinations being first choice, Haleakala took second. This book is organized by region with all the activities linked to the highway mile markers and cross referenced on the interior maps. This saved us time and we also spent less on gas.

In six days we really covered ground. We drove the entire beautiful coast stopping here and there to snorkel where they indicated it was best for beginners. Excels when it comes to easily finding the snorkeling and hiking zones and wild beaches. We are big Trailblazer fans now.

We decided to visit two islands because we had heard how different they were: Maui and the Big Island. We chose the trailblazer books to guide us since they were both crammed with incredibly helpful information. For hikers and snorkelers and sightseers they are a gold mine. They are written in clear language and the outings are well arranged with accompanying maps.

The tips for getting out to Hana were treasure trove status and put us out in front of the chain of cars we saw heading out at 2pm. Leaving at 7:30 am before the tour buses made all the difference. We could have used another few days on Maui and regret taking only one hike down into the crater. We plan another visit in 2009 and our first order of business will be watching the sunrise on Haleakala and taking a helicopter tour.

Thanks Trailblazers for sharing and demystifying wowie Maui.

This book is amazing, and is my husband's new found hobby book and is already well-read. It is extremely thick for being a mere paperback, and arrived damaged. My only complaint is that it seems to not be ready for the hard wear and tear these mycologists will surely be exuding. The book itself is even more than we hoped for, and is an amazing resource.

It's an excellent book, but could be perfect if it has color spore charts, one of the most important taxonomic features are spore color and Arora recognize this on his book, why let that out?

Superb field guide for the mushroom greenhorn and connoisseur alike. Great color photos with all sorts of information about the little guys that you could ever imagine. They also warn about which ones to stay away from - always a good thing. Even if you're not into them that much, it's still a great book to have around the house just in case you ever want to know what kind of mushrooms are growing in your neighborhood. This would be an excellent book for a classroom or a great gift for a kid who's into being outdoors. Boy & Girl Scouts and groups like that would find this book indispensable for outings and general knowledge.
*Note* There is also a pocket guide that I own that is great too, and much more easy to lug around than this compendium.

One of, if not thee, most comprehensive field guide for wild mushrooming ever published. Amazing work.

It's a big book and covers a lot. The pictures are great. If you're looking a mushroom bible, this appears to be it.

Great book, I bought it after having figured out which islands to visit using the book by the same authors, no worries Hawaii, which is a must buy if you don't know where to go and what you want to do. Following input from the first book we picked 1 day Honlolu, 5 days big Island and 9 days Kauai.
The big island trailblazer is unique in that the information on trailheads and how to find them is really really accurate, if you have to follow a dirt road for 2 miles and then stop next to a hidden bridge then that information is there. You rarely spend hours searching for stuff, the detail on where to look for something once you get to the end of the trail is less good, but that is because in the islands appear not to go in for signposts in a big way, so we were often looking at something and wondering whether or not this is it. Best ofs were generally good, didn't understand focus on Hilo, we went there on a Sunday and it felt like a run down sad little town, but maybe on a weekday there is a different vibe. The only negative is that restaurants mentioned a little more information on them to help you chose would help unless you like the sticky table-top ketchup bottle and drip coffee atmosphere and generic grub, this is fine if it is what you want, but you don't need a guidebook to discover such places, of course to be fair the book doesn't target the foodie population nevertheless a little more selectivity would help though or just a little more text on the restaurants. From personal experience if you are staying in Kapaa on Big Island try the restaurant Rapanui, a small hole in the wall joint run by a saturnine chef from New Zealand and his partner, its location is not attractive (in a mall when you enter Kapaa on the coastal road from the north on the left after the bend in the first mall), and it is BYOB but the food is really, really well cooked, from a European stand point, fresh, flavourful, beef melts in your mouth, rice/coconut nuttily satisfying, great, cooked but crunchy veggies, freshly made sauces, not a bottle or deep fryer in sight. Another great place to eat is Jays on the road towards southpoint, before the turn-off to Puuhoonuau (I forget the spelling) national park, two step snorkeling and the painted church from Kappaa, it is described in the guidebook, really spectacular and don't be put off by the appearance of the kitchen/living area. Oh and for sandwiches, a satisfying stop is Choicemart on the Highway 19 approximately in the area of the Manago Hotel, Choicemart is on the left, there is a great Vegan Cafe next to Choicemart and the sandwiches sold there and in Choicemart are spectacular. The locals recommend Choicemarts plate lunch especially on Lau Lau Friday. We tried to get it on Sat and it was all sold out. And the snorkeling at two step was the best we had on the island. Ok after all that digressing: if it is culture/food you are after then you need an additional book or to do some food research ahead of time online, for hiking, biking, walking and general reliable information then the trailblazer is a great book. Another option is to get the No worries Hawaii that has almost all information on all islands best ofs etc and then supplement that with a more foodie cultural guide for the islands depending on what you want. We did this for Kauai, although Fodors Kauai while better on culture etc really did badly for hiking and trails and was way less reliable than the Sprouts books.

Lots of detailed info, good maps, great pics, best directions and extremely well laid out for picking out all the cool places everywhere on the island. We lucked out and got to see lava flowing down the mountain near the volcano. For driving directions and staying out of danger, it's full of dos and don'ts.

This was this best thing we took with us on our honeymoon. It's so well organized and we used it as a tool to plan our daily escapades. I highly recommend this book for travelers who haven't been before and are looking for ideas and advice from authors who tell it like it is.

Two years ago we took a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. Unfortunately we were in port too short a time and only went on a few packaged bus tours. We returned to the island we liked the best (the Big Island) last month and fortunately had the Trailblazer along as our prime guide. We hiked to and swam in the Blue Lagoon which is on the cover: the highpoint of our vacation.

In the back of the book are hotel and restaurant suggestions from which we made our reservations and were quite pleased. For accuracy and good practical advice it's right on target.

Reading this guide was truly a breath of fresh Hawaiian air. The authors passion and knowledge of this island jumps off the pages. For our family it delivered so many fun little sidetrips since our 3 kids love the water. What made it different from all the other travel guides was the intelligent way the sightseeing places were presented following along on the highway. It made picking and choosing the day's activities so easy.

There was always something to discover around every corner. It is concise, to the point and took us through fields of lava to white sandy beaches and reef pools where it was safe to swim. Turtle watching became a favorite pastime.

If you haven't yet been to the Big Island, you owe it yourself to get a copy before you go to see what's in store.

YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. We have traveled to the big island many times, but still have not discovered or seen everything. This book reaches beyond of the general guide books and one of the other more popular reads about the island. Great for those who are into hiking and especailly for driving tours. Snorkelers will like some of the off the beaten path places to go.