Travel Books

This is a magnificent, beautiful book. We left it open on the kitchen table, and everyone who passed by turned to a new, exquisite image. I've now snatched it back to my office and expect to browse repeatedly when I have a chance for a cup of coffee and a brief get-away moment. It is truly a gift.

Maine The Home Place by Murad Sayen is an especially appealing photography book. Not only is this book visually pleasing as you view beautiful scenes in Maine, but it also is very emotive as you also "feel" Maine. The quality of the photos is superior and most of them look as much like paintings as photos. If you are ever fortunate enough to look through this book, go directly to page 28 ( one of my favorites)and enjoy the compostion of hands. There have been numerous artists who have highlighted hands in their composition but never with the unique approach that this one does. I have only had this book on my coffee table for one month, and have already "sold" 5 copies. People's responses were so positive that 5 lucky people will be getting this book for Christmas. Maybe you could be lucky also. If Maine was ever your home, I think you will enjoy having this book around as much as I have, and Maine was never my home.

The thing that strikes you as you turn the lush pages--the land and seascapes, the faces--is the surface sense of calm. And yet, below those surfaces there is always a suggestion of great energy, of processes being carried out. In the cover photo, for instance: a country church, maple trees in their October regalia, a cemetery, the cornstubble foreground--lies the hint that things are in motion, even there below the ground. The world is moving toward a new incarnation.

This dualism--or energy and calm--kept me turning pages, forward and back, over a period of many days, looking closely at colors, faces, cloud formations, ice crystals on a pond, dawn sunlight on a lighthouse.

At first I quibbled that Sayen has confined his camera to so few regions of the state; and yet, in truth, this only reminds us that art, in order to be universal, must be local. To develop the kind of intimacy that Sayen (a confessed "outsider") obviously has with his subject, it is necessary to keep it focused.

With "Maine: The Home Place", Murad Sayen has created a masterful book, far more than another of the garishly colored "coffee table" books that publishers seem to crank out each year. This is a book that bears repeated readings, and which, for me, continues to offer fresh discoveries. In addition to the photographs, there is a series of elegantly written essays and photographer's notes. For anyone looking to be delighted and deeply moved by the complexity within simplicity, "Maine: The Home Place" is a volume that will do that.

When I opened Maine: The Home Place, I didn't know how much I was opening up. I looked through it, then I realized I needed to look into it: I did so at two pages a day until I went through the book. I especially love two of the pictures (although each page and picture looked more like a composition in a painting than a camera capturing a scene): The Androscoggin at Bethel, November and North Pond, Greenwood, October. There is a disarming directness in the simple presentation that drew me into the pictures, and into myself. The captions reminded me these places are here, in this world. What I found myself doing since I opened Maine: The Home Place is seeing myself and the world around me differently. Cezanne says that "Art is a harmony parallel to nature." I am wonderfully confused by Murad's presentation of nature and art that has gotten into my heart through my eyes. What more can you ask from a book than to make the world and yourself more alive? Maine: The Home Place is a book that will do that year after year, picture after picture. Great job, Murad Sayen.

Murad Sayen shows us in his amazing pictoral that Maine is more than a magnificent coastline dotted with harbors and lighthouses. His photographs and essays capture the essence and beauty of Maine that those of us who are fortunate to live here can now share with the rest of the world.

He is masterful in his use of lighting. The effect is mystical and invokes a strong emotional response to his work. For all those who want an unlimited opportunity to escape to Maine, whenever the spirit moves you, I highly recommend Maine: The Home Place.....the way life is!

I've personaly been to Mata Ortiz and everything the book contains is acurate! Go ahead and buy it, of course there is no substitute to actualy going there but this will give you a great idea of how things are.
Thanks!

We just visited Mata Ortiz, and it is great to be able to connect all the faces and stories with the beautiful objects these humble artists create.

This is a great book for all that are curious about Mata Ortiz pottery and the people who make it. If you want to start collecting, it's a great book to have for a reference source. All artists mentioned in this book are of high caliber, as good, some even better than the Native American potters of the Southwest. At this time, these wares are also less expensive and affordable to most people. Hopefully they will be a good investment for the future.

Susan Moesch

A wonderful collection of photographs combined with dialoge about this remote village in Mexico. It describes the journey to get there, then details the lives of the talented people who live there. The photogtaphy is outstanding. A must for any person collecting or thinking of collecting pottery from this village.

"The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" is a treasure trove of information about the treasures that are the Mata Ortiz people and pottery. It is well laid-out, well written, and well...wonderful!! The only thing that would make my copy better are autographs by Juan Quezada himself and every other potter in the book.

Unfortunately for whatever reason, Juan's son Alvaro is not featured in the book. He is indeed an exceptional artist.

I was able to meet Alvaro and Juan Quezada in Nov 2006 in their family gallery in Mata Ortiz and found them and their entire family to be humble friendly and genuinely thrilled that people love their wonderful creations.

If you have not had the opportunity to visit Mata Ortiz, "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" will inspire you to go. If you have, it will make you pine for it and it's people.

My grandparents got this for me before I left to study abroad in Paris for a few months. It didn't take me long to realize how useful it is. I literally didn't leave home without it! It had everything I needed and was small enough to fit in a purse, but not so small that it was difficult to read. The metro map in particular was accessible and very, very helpful. Highly recommended to anyone going to Paris, whether it's for a few days or a few years.

This book (mine is spiral bound, but the one here does not look it) is very useful to the traveler. The maps are very clear, in full color, and easy to understand. My only complaint is that when you are looking at a page, if you want to view the continuation of that page, there is no reference to what page to view next. There is a small diagram showing what section the page highlights, but I do not find that quite as clear. But overall, a good, portable map of Paris for visitors.

I spent the fall semester of 2003 studying in Paris. I'm a type A so I was really prepared before leaving -- I'd done a ton of research and I couldn't imagine arriving in Paris without a map. So I headed down to my local bookstore to buy one. I happened to come accross this Michelin map and it was perfect!!

It has ring binding so it's really easy to keep open without creasing the pages. It's also broken down by arrondissement and in the back is a road index. All of the metro stops and even taxi stops (a God send at times) are marked down!! And in the inside cover you find a map of the Paris Metro system. It's also really really thin and can easily be taken wherever you go.

I really couldn't have down without this Paris Pocket Atlas!

My friends all purchased their maps in Paris (Paris Pratique). Trust me though this one is far better and more convenient!!!

I loved it!!

I bought this map for my trip to Paris. It is such a great map. Very readable and so well organized. Having a map in a booklet format like this is indispensable.

This pocket Atlas of Paris is a book/map that truly amazes me. I bought it based on the reviews here, and I am still awed by it. The navigation of the pages is well-done and user-friendly. You can quickly lookup and flip to the right neighborhood you need. The level of detail is amazing. Even pedestrian-only shopping arcades are there. The metro stations are easy to find and use. With this spiral atlas and a mini-compass velcro-strapped to your watchband, you will never be lost in the maze of Paris. Key sights and monuments are labeled and drawn in brown (with the correct building geometries!). Wanna change plans on the fly and zip from one neighborhood to another? no problem. You will spend less time looking for sights and more time touring. We even used the one-way street detail of the atlas to pre-plan our drive thru the hustle of Paris traffic; Zipping around the Place de Madeline and Champs Elysees was a real rush and treasured memory. The whizzing by of passing scooters made me feel like I was an X-wing in a Tie-fighter dogfight. I wish I could have a guide like this for every city we tour.

The product came on time, well packaged, and exactly as described. A great shopping experience.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

I currently own CO, TX, TN, VA and now AL atlas & Gaz.
all are useful for home hunting, trying to locate a key area, etc.
don't count on this for in depth directions. but a good look at contours and gps this works.
this one isn't as good as the TX or TN version.

These are fantastic maps! I have several others, and use them quite often. I don't know of another one that will be better than this one.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

I think Myanmar is a beautiful country. The Lonely Planet series is great. However, by going to Myanmar you are supporting an oppressive government that kills innocent people for purely sadistic reasons. I hope you will not visit the country nor buy this book until a democratic regime is installed there.

This is about the best book available on Myanmar that I know of. I used it extensively.

Problems include the hotels in Yangon that are listed. There are several that are very nice and about $30. US that are not listed.

There's a brand new airport in Yangon and new capitol city. Both are missing as far as I can tell.

Like all travel books, it's outdated when it comes off the press. It is quite good overall however.

An excellent book and take the advice. Myanmar is a cash-only society. You cannot use credit cards anywhere and there are not any ATM's anywhere in the country. Also, your currency must be new and without folds or marks.
The book's advice on Yangon was wonderful!

We recently visited Myanmar, and used the Lonely Planet guide extensively to research our trip, and while there to help us get around. It is by far the best English language guide for Burma we could find, and was extremely detailed and helpful. Using Lonely Planet certainly enhanced this travel experience.

There is no other guide which comes close to being as useful for visiting Burma, either as a first-time tourist or an veteran traveller. Its overall descriptions, information on transport, reviews of hotels etc are all generally reliable and up-to-date. The accounts of restarants in Rangoon however is probably somewhat dated, as the restaurant scene in Rangoon changes quickly and there are many new restaurants today (more than a year and half since publication) which are not mentioned.

I would recommend reading The River of Lost Footsteps by Thant Myint-U for an excellent and entertaining history of the country, either before going or during your trip. The LP Myanmar and The River of Lost Footsteps are the only two books you'll need.

I took this book as a reference to plan my weekend trip, and value added agenda to my travel destination. I don't think it is worthy to drive to those routes just for a good view, but whenever you plan to somewhere, you definitely can check this book to plan your route or schedule. I am not a professional traveler, or driver. I travel only for fun and relax. Based on my limited experience from testing this book's recommendations, I recognize it as a good reference.

This book was great. We drove many of the roads mentioned in this book while on a vacation which included 4 national parks and 5 states. It was a really great trip. The byway scenery between the parks were very picturesque. Thanks National Geographic! I doubt we would have found some of these Highways and Byways by ourselves!

National Geographic travel books never disappoint. Each scenic drive description is brief out of necessity, but they might prompt the reader to seek more information elsewhere for targeted areas. Not really suitable for armchair travel though.

Lots of information. Easy to use. I will be able to avoid printing information from the "America's Byways" web site before we depart on a road trip.

Even with exorbitant fuel prices, America is still the best bargain for travel bargain. This book proves it, over and over. The photography is simply superb, all in color, and gives the reader a wonderful opportunity to anticipate what might be found along each route discussed. While certain routes, e.g., Woodward Avenue out of Detroit, going north, would not have made my list, this is a minor quibble, since the Guide is intended for folks who have NOT been on the highways discussed.

The writing style is clear, informative, and easily read by anyone. The book is very well organized, and the remarkable photography closely follows the text.

In short, whether you intend to visit one state, or several, this book is an absolute must in terms of planning your trip. It not only describes the routes themselves, but attractions that closely border them. I have probably traveled thirty or forty of the routes described. In almost every instance, after reading this book, I wish I had had it with me when I made the journey.

This book earns a definite five-stars. It is very nearly a perfect travel guide to a lot of America. Even if your travels are confined to an armchair, you will enjoy this book endlessly for what it will teach you about America's geography and history.

Highly recommended, but don't loan it out.

Jeanette does a masterful job of weaving history, politics, intrigue, and love. Her detail to the landscape will positively transport you to another time and dimension. The characters are so realistic and raw you will miss them terribly the minute you finish the last page. Don't miss Frankie and Jillian's story. This is art. I would read absolutely anything this gifted woman writes!

This book started out slow - but reels you in quickly and efficently. After the first few chapters, this book is hard to put down. The story is fantastic and the characters are so believable. This novel is very well written and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys diving into a great story.

This book was breathtaking! I loved it from the beginning, and it only got better with each page I read. Even now, months after I finished it, I still find myself thinking about Frankie and Jillian. And I would have enjoyed it just as much if the time travel aspect was omitted because I was so completely enthralled with the contemporary part of the story. The characters really jump off the pages. Ms. Baker is a wonderful writer, and it's obvious that she knows Ireland well.

that needed a little more time before it was opened. It was full-bodied, great legs, beautiful nose but sounded some sour notes on the finish. This writer is truly without equal with regard to her exhaustive research into contemporary and medieval Ireland, and she loads her prose with such exquisite details. Her characters, from the contemporary lovestory of Jillian and Frankie to the medieval romance of Nell and Donal, are each sound and three-dimensional. But the story takes a wrong turn with the light treatment of the demise of a minor character, in the wake of which I felt the main characters should certainly have behaved with more decorum. Three-quarters of the way through, the author falls back on tired devices, like the confession that keeps getting interrupted until it's too late, etc., and at any rate, I lost much of my empathy for Jillian by the end of the book. Frankie, as the hero, stopped making interesting choices and was just not compelling romantically. The love scenes just left me cold.

It's been a looooong time since I've gotten so pulled into a book that I've abandoned EVERYTHING in order to park myself on the couch and read the bulk of it in one sitting. NELL absolutely blew me away, put me through an emotional wringer the likes of which I haven't been through in years. Jeanette Baker writes with a clear, deft, evocative hand, bringing her characters to brilliant life. And she brings the reader right into that life with them. I've no doubt at all that these characters--and this book--will stay with me for some time to come.

The product came on time, well packaged, and exactly as described. A great shopping experience.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

I currently own CO, TX, TN, VA and now AL atlas & Gaz.
all are useful for home hunting, trying to locate a key area, etc.
don't count on this for in depth directions. but a good look at contours and gps this works.
this one isn't as good as the TX or TN version.

These are fantastic maps! I have several others, and use them quite often. I don't know of another one that will be better than this one.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

The product came on time, well packaged, and exactly as described. A great shopping experience.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

I currently own CO, TX, TN, VA and now AL atlas & Gaz.
all are useful for home hunting, trying to locate a key area, etc.
don't count on this for in depth directions. but a good look at contours and gps this works.
this one isn't as good as the TX or TN version.

These are fantastic maps! I have several others, and use them quite often. I don't know of another one that will be better than this one.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

Fabulous for those who have been to Rome. Mandates that you return to see it anew and deeper. Great job.

My wife and I recently returned from Rome, and one of our many fine moments in that glorious city was sitting on top of Michelangelo's Campodiglio, with Mr. Sullivan's book in hand and understanding for the first time exactly what Michelangelo did and why -- and thus helping us understand more deeply the greatness of his accomplishment. So it went with magnificent works such as Borromini's San Carlino or Bramante's Tempietto. Similarly, we came to understand the failures -- what the architect wanted to do and didn't quite get there. Mr. Sullivan's goal, was to help us move beyond admiration or puzzlement at what we are looking at, and understand what was done, and how well it did or did not work. Very well written, tough in its judgments, and infused throughout by a love for the city. Don't go to Rome without it.

A good read for those who love history, it is an excellent companion for travel to Rome

George Sullivan's "Not Built in a Day" is a unique and wonderful combination of scholarly knowledge, art, passion, and wit. The author recently gave a series of slide lectures at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. based upon the material in the book, which I attended. His lectures were exceptional -- insightful and enjoyable, a college-level crash course on the history of European architecture that was set entirely in Rome! He really made the buildings come alive through his enthusiasm and humor; I especially liked that he not only had definite opinions on buildings, but also explained clearly what architectural qualities those opinions were based on. This same in-depth but accessible approach can be found in the book, which is unlike any other guide to Rome that I have seen. I would enthusiastically recommend it if you are going to Rome, and if the lectures show up at a museum near you in the future, I would enthusiastically recommend them as well.

This remarkable book is a must read if you are planning your own itinerary in Rome. The author's love of Rome and its Architecture are apparent from the first page. He organizes the overwhelming amount of information into compact and readable units. Pick a time period or Architectural style of interest and follow the detailed path laid out by the author. The added information of the art to see inside each structure makes this the only "guide" book to Art & Architecture that you will need on your visit to Rome.