Koncocoo

Best New Mexico Travel Guides

The Lightning Field: Travels in and Around New Mexico
The author skillfully weaves. physical description, history, and personal anecdote, whether he is. exploring the stark beauty of the high plains of northeastern New. Mexico or the remote border region of the boot heel. Eaton, who works for the U.S. Department of the Interior in Sante Fe, offers ten stories written in the 1980s and 1990s about people and places in and around New Mexico. His is not the New Mexico of Santa Fe and Taos but rather the more remote state of Chaco Canyon, where he served as a ranger for five years, Quemado of the "Lightning Field" in the title, and Abiquiu, where there is a Benedictine monastery.
Reviews
"The stories range from a trip to De Maria's "Lightning Field" to the Christ in the Desert Monastery to his experiences working at Chaco Canyon."
"The true excitement of New Mexico is not the cities and hotels, which can be found elsewhere, but the unique way in which humanity, now and throughout a colorful history, has lived in and died in and related to the strikingly beautiful geography of New Mexico. Drive past the new suburbs of Albuquerque and you are suddenly confronted by the overwhelming presence of nature. Each experience is also an encounter with one or more colorful characters, including many native Americans, religious seekers, and loner forest rangers, not to mention rattlers, coyotes, and eagles."
"I dont... save yourself the time, money, and boredom... read something else!"
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New Mexico Off the Beaten Path, 8th (Off the Beaten Path Series)
No trip to New Mexico would be complete without soaking in the Spence Hot Springs, exploring the Puye Cliff Dwellings in Santa Clara Canyon, crafting adobe bricks at Lundeen's Inn of the Arts, or crossing Whitewater Creek via Mogollan Catwalk, a metal walkway that hugs Glenwood's Whitewater Canyon. Richard K. Harris , a former tour guide, has written or cowritten twenty-nine other guidebooks, including Hidden Southwest, Getaway Guide to the American Southwest, and National Trust Guide: Santa Fe. He has also served as contributing editor on guides to New Mexico and other ports of call.
Reviews
"NM is a great destination for motorcyclists, and this book clues you in on a lot of the information you wouldn't normally get in the average travel book."
"The book has nice information in it, it has great information in it."
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Best New York Travel Guides

Downtown: My Manhattan
Written by native son who has lived through some of New York City's most historic moments, Downtown is an extraordinary celebration of the magnificent, haunted place that Hamill continues to call home, and that people from all over the country and the world have come to call their own. However, his gruff, seen-it-all voice, filled alternately with wonder at the beauty of a building, disdain for modern trends and indignation at how some worthy historical character has been forgotten, is that of a wise older relative revealing the true past of a place he loves. Hamill is an excellent novelist (see in particular Snow in August, 1997), but in his latest book, he wears his hat as one of the last of the old-time newspapermen whose life and work simply define New York City. As he escorts readers around the island of Manhattan, he takes heavy glances back into history--insisting that New Yorkers constantly experience "aching nostalgia"--as he not so much classifies but revels in the distinctions of NYC both as a "concrete place and as an idea."
Reviews
"Incidentally, that encyclopedia comes in an ibook and I often check for more information when hiking around NYC or when reading a hard copy book like Hamill's -- an essential companion while exploring this fantastic city."
"Hamill has spent most of his life here and is so convincing in this telling that you would think he was actually here in previous centuries."
"PH loves NY, and especially Manhattan - warts and all, and all its' stories of the people who have lived there from the earliest days until now."
"Downtown. New York is such a remarkable city with such a great history. Born and raised in Brooklyn, journalist/writer Hamill, in his simple yet poetic style chronicles the life and times of Manhattan, the city he loves and in which he has spent his life. Harlem is downtown although it is far uptown (and Hamill does not feel competent to write about it in detail not having neither lived in it nor absorbed its essence as the rest of the city). New York's history is as old as the history of the New World. As the City expanded northward with the passage of time, so Hamill expands his narrative northward, explaining how the "Knickerbockers", the offspring of the unions of old Dutch and English, moved northwards into elegant houses on fifth avenue outside the increasingly teeming streets of downtown. And this is the ongoing theme of the book as Hamill describes the growth of the dangerous neighborhoods of the Five Points and later the Tenderloin, precursors of the Forty Second street/times square district that would threaten the city in the seventies and eighties and the other neighborhoods that developed, Greenwich Village, The Flat Iron district, the lower west side that is today called Tribeca."
"Mr. Hamill's "Downtown: My Manhattan" makes me want to make another trip to this great city."
"The history of New York City, particularly downtown is fascinating."
"Good book."
"As a fan of NYC, I read this first on my Kindle."
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Best New Jersey Travel Guides

Explorer's Guide The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May, Includes the Wildwoods: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations)
A tool you'll turn to before, during, and after your trip, these guides include these helpful features: chapters on lodging, dining, transportation, history, shopping, recreation; a section packed with practical information, such as lists of banks, hospitals, post offices, laundromats, numbers for police, fire, and rescue, and other relevant information; maps of regions and locales; and more. Jen A. Miller , a writer/journalist who specializes in the Jersey Shore, has appeared on TV and radio and in print.
Reviews
"Like many who purchase this book, I'm not new to shore vacationing but have been spending short summer trips there since I was a little girl. To start, the author fills you in on little fascinating details and sidebars that relate to the location's culture, history or both. The room/dining descriptions have a friendly feel, as if a local herself were describing the establishments to you in person, detailing thier pros, cons, and points of interest."
"We travel to Cape May, NJ every year and every year we do the same things, eat at the same restaurants etc."
"This is a good introduction for those new to the New Jersey shore from Atlantic City south to Cape May."
"At first glance, the book seems like a winner: great writing, beautiful layout on a heavyweight paper, and nice graphics."
"As someone who grew up with Lake Michigan beaches as her guide, I had absolutely no idea what was going on "down the shore" when I moved to the Philadelphia 'burbs."
"Fabulous resource!"
"I brought Jen Miller's guide to Wildwood last week for our annual family trip with my in-laws."
"The author's comprehensive knowledge of the area is made more enjoyable by her unabashed love for it."
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Best New Hampshire Travel Guides

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
Reviews
"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"My heart goes out to Mr. Knight."
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Best Nevada Travel Guides

Lonely Planet Southwest USA's Best Trips (Travel Guide)
Featuring 32 amazing road trips, from two-day escapes to two-week adventures, you can cruise historic Route 66 or be captivated by red-hued rock formations, all with your trusted travel companion. Lavish color and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - 116 easy-to-read, full-color route maps, detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Stretch Your Legs, Detours, and Link Your Trip Covers Route 66, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Arizona deserts, Phoenix, Santa Fe, New Mexico's Enchanted Circle, Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Austin, San Antonio, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Monument Valley, Moab, Utah, Denver and more. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Amy C Balfour, Michael Benanav, Greg Benchwick, Lisa Dunford, Mariella Krause, Carolyn McCarthy and Ryan Ver Berkmoes.
Reviews
"What a great collection of road trip ideas: really well done!"
"Great for my road-trip to the Grand Canyon."
"Perfect purchase!"
"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST."
"This and its companion "Southwest USA" were quite handy in Arizona."
"have travelled all over the world with Lonely Planet Guide Books."
"This book is put together in a way that makes it hard to customize and somewhat unwieldy."
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Best Ohio Travel Guides

The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili (American Palate)
From its 1922 roots with the Slavic-Macedonian immigrant brothers Kiradjieff in a burlesque theater, Cincinnati chili has become a million-dollar industry supporting 250 chili parlors. Cincinnatian Dann Woellert is a member of the Campbell County Historical Society, Norwood Ohio Historical Society and Taft Museum of Art.
Reviews
"If you like Cincinnati chili and have at least a passing interest in Cincinnati history, then you will find a lot to like about this book. We are provided with details such as what area of Macedonia each chili pioneer's ancestor lived in, where the pioneer lived in Cincinnati in each stage of his career (often down to the specific street address), and other extraneous facts."
"This book is a wonderful read about the many families who started the chili craving in Cincinnati."
"We formerly lived in Cincinnati and, of course, loved Cincinnati Chili."
"Overall a fast and interesting read about one of the things that makes Cincinnati unique."
"This book told the compelling history."
"While I have not tried all of the parlors mentioned, I grew up with the development of Cincinnati Chili starting in 1948 and remember many of the locations included."
"The book is interesting - a lovely tour of the Cincy chili industry."
"Ironic that while stationed in "paradise"- he longs for his own home paradise of a familiar chili parlor."
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Best Nebraska Travel Guides

The 1935 Republican River Flood (Disaster)
On May 31, 1935, a storm system surged along the Republican River, bursting its banks in a matter of minutes with a roar that could be heard miles away. She has spent many years compiling the history of the flood, meeting with survivors and traveling along the river to document this exciting chapter in the Republican River's history.
Reviews
"The flood is fascinating as it happened in a part of the country that is considered a dry climate and the weather pattern that caused the flood is extremely rare. Sure, the river has had high water levels since, but nothing like what caused the flood."
"Ms. Hayden did a superb job of recreating the devastation, destruction and despair of the hardy people who inhabited the Republican River Valley."
"This is an amazing story."
"Great history of an area where I grew up south of Idalia, Colorado."
"Great book if you live in the area.I went to the book signing and got the author to sign it and listened to her talk.My family said it was so interesting I had to order 2 more books."
"Great read for such a tragic event -- well researched and written."
"This is a very interesting and well-researched book."
"my mother was a child during this flood."
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Best Idaho Travel Guides

Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park
In these accounts, written with sensitivity as cautionary tales about what to do and what not to do in one of our wildest national parks, Whittlesey recounts deaths ranging from tragedy to folly—from being caught in a freak avalanche to the goring of a photographer who just got a little too close to a bison. Behind the gripping adventure, drama, and heartbreak of the stories told in this uniquely authoritative book are deep lessons—not only in personal responsibility but in the role of national parks in our society. Lee Whittlesey's compelling study of Yellowstone fatalities wisely reminds us of both the price and the pricelessness of protecting wild nature. While guides may wish to discuss the role of wolves or forest fires in a wilderness ecosystem, their passengers too often just want stories of the misfortune of their fellow travelers—and this is the seminal work on the subject. The sheer weight of new material added to bring this second edition up-to-date is a clear indication that the Yellowstone landscape continues to demand both our awe and our respect.
Reviews
"Covering over 300 deaths since the 1800s, Death in Yellowstone ranges from drownings to bear maulings to burns in hot springs to murders to Native American attacks to poisonous plants to carbon monoxide to runaway coaches."
"By minding the rules, being cautious and using common sense, we can still enjoy these parks and live to tell about it."
"If you have ever been to Yellowstone, this is MUST read!"
"But if you're a fan of Yellowstone, I highly recommend the book for all the stories of deaths that are unique to Yellowstone."
"The author does a great job of explaining the intricacies of each incident when details are available, and uses his great personal knowledge of the park to help the reader understand how and why these incidents occurred."
"This book is so well written and researched."
"There are signs all over the park and lots of reading material the park officials give people so I was interested to see how many people achieved death in the park and by what methods."
"Seen this at Yellowstone this year, wife said she had to have it!"
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Best Maine Travel Guides

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
Reviews
"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"This was a slow read."
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Best Texas Travel Guides

Yonderings: Trails and Memories of the Big Bend
It was a time before Terlingua Ranch and chili cook-offs, and you could drive a hundred miles without seeing another vehicle or another person. He also writes about the lower Big Bend as it is found now, and what one can still rediscover just over the next rise. An eighth-generation Texan, BEN H. ENGLISH was raised mostly in the Lajitas-Terlingua area.
Reviews
"Yonderings.. had me remembering great times, places, views, and feelings, many times throughout each chapter."
"Reading this book has made me homesick for Sanderson and that entire region of West Texas that I like to call No-Man's Land! With a book that is filled with adventure and with stories from Ben's history, this book is for anyone who is looking for that read that has Texas History mixed in with personal stories of a famous landmark in a part of Texas that isn't talked about much."
"As a child of the Llano Estacado, whose family drove through the Caprock to go just about anywhere else in the state, I've long been fascinated with the mysteries all the mesas, gullies, red dirt and mesquite brush it held. Then, as each chapter unfolds, the reader feels more and more connected with the area and all of its hidden treasures and threats, as well as with the author and his family and friends. I highly recommend this book for anyone with an adventurous nature, and for those who just dream of learning more about this beautiful, wild, surprising State we live in."
"“The untold numbers of forgotten souls who had lived and died within our purview had left no more visible mark upon the land than melted snow at the close of a warm spring day.”. First let me say, finally, there is a nonfiction book that has photos that go with the chapters they represent. He shares the history of the area from Terlingua to the mining operations for uranium, magnesium, cinnabar ore to candelilla wax. After reading English’s book I now want to visit the park again and especially to hike what is considered the most beautiful spot in Texas – the Chisos Basin South Rim trail. I can relate to why English concentrated so much on using topographical maps while hiking that region, as well as overstating in a gentle reminding way that you don’t go off a known path unless you know the area. I was laughing while reading that passage and imagining I was sitting on the hill with the author and that pastor witnessing the stupidity of that particular driver. If you love hiking and being outdoors then this book will take you a journey to parts of the Big Bend region less traveled."
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Best Iowa Travel Guides

Oddball Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series)
Leaving out the traditional scenic trips to the Mississippi River bluffs and the Amana Colonies, this guide will take the adventurous traveler to the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, the home of the "Lonely Goat Herder" marionettes from The Sound of Music , and the world's largest Cheeto. — The Daily Nonpareil Jerome Pohlen is the author of the Oddball series and a regular travel commentator for 848 on WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio.
Reviews
"I bought this book for my recent foray down to Des Moines for a conference. On the way home, I took a cornfield tour guided by Jerome Pohlen's fun book."
"...not enough to actually visit but that really is one of the attractions of the book--you can appreciate the sights without having to experience the hot humid weather, lack of any cuisine expect red meat and bud, etc."
"Interesting read; great condition."
"If we get tired of historical sightseeing, this book will be helpful in guiding us to the World's Largest Cheeto."
"Not quite as good as the other oddball books, but still a fun, quirky read."
"Great book."
"Great book for exploring some unknowns."
"The person I gave this too absolutely loved it!"
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Best Hawaii Travel Guides

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
**Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography** * Included in. President Obama’s 2016 Summer Reading List* A deeply rendered self-portrait of a lifelong surfer by the acclaimed New Yorker writer. As Finnegan’s travels take him ever farther afield, he becomes an improbable anthropologist: unpicking the picturesque simplicity of a Samoan fishing village, dissecting the sexual politics of Tongan interactions with Americans and Japanese, navigating the Indonesian black market while nearly succumbing to malaria. Barbarian Days is an old-school adventure story, an intellectual autobiography, a social history, a literary road movie, and an extraordinary exploration of the gradual mastering of an exacting, little understood art. Frantically juggling work and family, he chases his enchantment through Long Island ice storms and obscure corners of Madagascar. In other words, it is, like Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, a semi-dangerous book, one that persuades young men…to trade in their office jobs in order to roam the world, to feel the ocean’s power, and chase the waves.” —The Paris Review Daily “Fans of [Finnegan’s] writing have been waiting eagerly for his surfing memoir…Well, Barbarian Days is here. )…A lyrical and enormously rewarding read…Finnegan’s enchantment takes us to some luminous and unsettling places — on both the edge of the ocean, and the frontiers of the surfing life.” —San Diego Union-Tribune “Barbarian Days gleams with precise, often lyrical recollections of the most memorable waves [Finnegan has] encountered…He carefully mines his surfing exploits for broader, hard-won insights on his childhood, his most intense friendships and romances, his political education, his career. Still, Finnegan considerately shows himself paying the price of admission in a few near drownings, and these are among the most electrifying moments in the book…There are too many breathtaking, original things in Barbarian Days to do more than mention here—observations about surfing that have simply never been made before, or certainly never so well.” —The New York Times Book Review “Without a doubt, the finest surf book I’ve ever read… All this technical mastery and precise description goes hand in hand with an unabashed, infectious earnestness. Finnegan has certainly written a surfing book for surfers, but on a more fundamental level, ‘Barbarian Days’ offers a cleareyed vision of American boyhood. “Which is precisely what makes the propulsive precision of Finnegan’s writing so surprising and revelatory… Finnegan’s treatment of surfing never feels like performance. Through the sheer intensity of his descriptive powers and the undeniable ways in which surfing has shaped his life, Barbarian Days is an utterly convincing study in the joy of treating seriously an unserious thing…As Finnegan demonstrates, surfing, like good writing, is an act of vigilant noticing. That pairing makes Barbarian Days exceptional in the notoriously foamy genre of surf lit: a hefty, heavyweight tour de force, overbrimming with sublime lyrical passages that Finnegan drops as effortlessly as he executed his signature ‘drop-knee cutback’ in the breaks off Waikiki…Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery…Finnegan is a virtuoso wordsmith, but the juice propelling this memoir is wrung from the quest that shaped him…A piscine, picaresque coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard.” —Sports Illustrated Overflowing with vivid descriptions of waves caught and waves missed, of disappointments and ecstasies and gargantuan curling tubes that encircle riders like cathedrals of pure stained glass…These paragraphs, with their mix of personal remembrance and subcultural taxonomies, tend to be as elegant and pellucid as the breakers they immortalize…This memoir is one you can ride all the way to shore.” —Entertainment Weekly “[A] sweeping, glorious memoir…Oh, the rides, they are incandescent…I’d sooner press this book upon on a nonsurfer, in part because nothing I’ve read so accurately describes the feeling of being stoked or the despair of being held under. But also because while it is a book about ‘A Surfing Life’…it’s also about a writer’s life and, even more generally, a quester’s life, more carefully observed and precisely rendered than any I’ve read in a long time.” —Los Angeles Times “Gorgeously written and intensely felt…With Mr. Finnegan’s bravura memoir, the surfing bookshelf is dramatically enriched. He makes surfing seem as foreign and simultaneously as intimate a sport as possible…Surfing is the backbone of the book, but Finnegan’s relationships to people, not waves, form its flesh…[A] deep blue story of one man’s lifelong enchantment.” —Boston Globe “Finnegan’s epic adventure, beautifully told, is much more than the story of a boy and his wave, even if surfing serves as the thumping heartbeat of his life.” —Dallas Morning News “That’s always Finnegan’s M.O. Finnegan is a sober, straightforward author, but the level of detail, emotion, and insight he achieves is unparalleled…A must-read for all surfers — not just because of its unblinking prose and subtle wit, but because it’s the only book that properly details what it’s like to cultivate both an award-winning career and a dedicated surfing life.” —Eastern Surf Magazine “Finnegan describes, with shimmering detail, his adventures riding waves on five continents. It’s a pleasure to paddle into and makes for a hell of a ride.” —The Millions “As it progresses the whole book turns into a portal…It’s tempting to say that Barbarian Days will bring readers as close as they’ll get to the surf, short of actual surfing. Finnegan recaptures the waves lost and found, the euphoria, the danger…the allure.” —BBC.com “Panoramic and fascinating…The core of the book is a surfing chronicle, and Finnegan possesses impeccable short-board bona fides…A revealing and magisterial account of a beautiful addiction.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Like that powerful, glassy wave, great books on surfing come few and far between.
Reviews
"But, a visit to Webster’s Dictionary will provide you with a meaning more relevant to William Finnegan’s book about the surfing life. “Barbarian Days A Surfing Life” can be viewed as a memoir of some fifty years of William Finnegan’s life as a family member, a surfing fanatic, a writer, a world traveler and a Quixotic searcher of new and near perfect waves in remote places around the world; places like Indonesia, Fiji, Bali, and Madeira. For those of us who surf, the book will bring special meaning covering as it does the history of surfing, evolution of surfboard designs and transition from the long board to the agile short board and on to tow in surfing to enable a rider to catch a wave fifty feet high, waves that could not be surfed before tow in technique was developed. For the reader who has tried surfing or body surfing and felt the power of the ocean then decided not to take up surfing, this book will still hold much meaning as a story about the zone where ocean meets land, where people try to co-exist with the power of the surf and where a life style built around surfing continues to evolve."
"I gave up about half way through."
"This book has stayed with me, the writer himself read the audiobook which felt like quite an intimate experience."
"I've lived in CA only as an adult and have frequently traveled to HI, mostly Oahu and Waikiki and surrounding towns of Diamond Head."
"But there's more between the pages here than a long drop down the face of a towering twenty footer or a race through a closing out pipeline on a thin piece of foam and fiberglass."
"It's a bit technical and, unless you surf, you won't have any idea what Bill Finnegan is talking about as he describes wave formation, board design, or how to approach stake-off point."
"Loved reading about Southern California during the 1950s and ’60s and how Finnegan learned to surf in CA and then Hawaii."
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Best Georgia Travel Guides

Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir
From her years as a spirited, secretive child, through her university studies—a period of exquisite freedom that imbued her with a profound appreciation of friendship and a love of travel—to her escape to a new life in California, Mayes exuberantly recreates the intense relationships of her past, recounting the bitter and sweet stories of her complicated family: her beautiful yet fragile mother, Frankye; her unpredictable father, Garbert; Daddy Jack, whose life Garbert saved; grandmother Mother Mayes; and the family maid, Frances’s confidant Willie Bell. Her “southern memoir” is a tale straight out of Faulkner, rife with episodes of dissipation and disillusion, parents who loved and fought with equally wild abandon, and ancestors with names like Big Mama and Daddy Jack. But she and her husband were sufficiently compelled to relocate from Northern California to North Carolina, settling in a university town with a far enough remove to allow her an objective distance from which to analyze the signature episodes of her childhood. With her trademark skill for capturing the essence of place and time, Mayes candidly reveals a youth riddled with psychological abuse and parental neglect that, nevertheless, ignited a fiery passion for adventure and self-discovery. “With perfect-pitch language, Mayes unblinkingly describes her growing-up years… One can almost taste the mushiness of ‘a pot of once-green beans falling apart in salt pork’; one can almost smell the cloying scent of honeysuckle, gardenias and overripe peaches that infuse the always-too-humid air.”– USAToday.com “Just the right balance of humor, irony and tragedy. “ Under Magnolia is a gorgeous, dreamy remembrance of hot Southern afternoons, mothers in red lipstick and Shalimar, Elvis turned up loud to cover up the family troubles that ran deep. In her new southern memoir, Under Magnolia , Frances Mayes describes the birth of her extraordinary sensibility, the deep-pooled clarity of her writing, her giddy love of nature, and her sharp and satirical eye for those who brought her up to honorable womanhood in the tortured South of her girlhood. “No one could have invented a more combustible, joy-starved pair of glam and oblivious parents or a more incandescent child to dive into the blue ruins, explore the sealed-off passages, blacked-out dreams and neglected outlets by the beams of her own incredulous eyes; then break the surface a smart-mouthed, truth-seeing sensualist, fully in attendance to the vibratory moment. The deft framing, the exacting word picks, apposite references, high speed wit, singled out synecdoches of a life; the cadence, phrasing, and pulse of a muted Georgian accent are all signature to the prose and poetry, stove-tops and passport stamps of Frances Mayes. Frances Mayes, a petite, brainy beauty from what we used to call politely 'a troubled home' has written an unnervingly honest and refreshingly open account of how a child can be neglected even amid privilege and a large family...
Reviews
"The author has painted a word portrait so vivid that the reader feels as if he/she has had an extended visit to the places she describes. Lee Smith makes the reader"know Appalachia while Mayes lets the reader know the South."
"While on a book tour stopover in Oxford, Mississippi (home of the University of Mississippi, William Faulkner, and ground zero for the Southern Gothic literary genre), Ms. Mayes takes a stroll through the grounds of the unoccupied Faulkner home and becomes inspired to leave her Tuscan and California lives behind and return to her roots in the southeastern US. Ms. Mayes grew up in Fitzgerald, GA, which gives her an opportunity to revel in all the typical southern literary conventions."
"If you did read it, now is the time to follow Frances Mayes from California back to the south."
"So that is why this book was interesting to me, as I recognized a lot of the people she mentioned in the book (although she misspelled my aunt's name when she was mentioning the matchbooks!)."
"It's like a trip into my own past, but with the beautiful poetry and prose of Frances Mayes."
"Thinking about it now, I think it's a connection to a simpler time that I feel, the kind of life Mayes describes was the life of America's small towns and incipient suburbs of the 1950s. The main differences that I noted were Mayes' emphases on the outdoor life of a Southern girl, the heady atmosphere of Fitzgerald-- the smells of flowers, bushes, rain and river that permeated Mayes' being."
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Best Oregon Travel Guides

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 1)
Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her. Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2012: At age 26, following the death of her mother, divorce, and a run of reckless behavior, Cheryl Strayed found herself alone near the foot of the Pacific Crest Trail--inexperienced, over-equipped, and desperate to reclaim her life. While readers looking for adventure or a naturalist's perspective may be distracted by the emotional odyssey at the core of the story, Wild vividly describes the grueling life of the long-distance hiker, the ubiquitous perils of the PCT, and its peculiar community of wanderers. But Strayed doesn't want sympathy, and her confident prose stands on its own, deftly pulling both threads into a story that inhabits a unique riparian zone between wilderness tale and personal-redemption memoir. Two months before Wild was published I stood on a Mexican beach at sunset with my family assisting dozens of baby turtles on their stumbling journey across the sand, then watching as they disappeared into the sea. Echoing the ever-popular search for wilderness salvation by Chris McCandless (Back to the Wild, 2011) and every other modern-day disciple of Thoreau, Strayed tells the story of her emotional devastation after the death of her mother and the weeks she spent hiking the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail. As her family, marriage, and sanity go to pieces, Strayed drifts into spontaneous encounters with other men, to the consternation of her confused husband, and eventually hits rock bottom while shooting up heroin with a new boyfriend. Woefully unprepared (she fails to read about the trail, buy boots that fit, or pack practically), she relies on the kindness and assistance of those she meets along the way, much as McCandless did.
Reviews
"Although I did not hike the PCT I did backpack in Yosemite."
"Cheryl Strayed's memoir of an 1100 miles trek on the Pacific Crest trail is an astonishing story of a spectacular and breathtaking adventure of coming to terms with grief and survival during a difficult trek through snow_clad mountains and thick forests for two months beginning in the Mojave desert and hiking through California and Oregon to the Bridge of Gods in Washington."
"This book is not for everyone, you either seem to love it or hate it, but I loved it."
"The author tells her personal story which includes a lot of her flaws and mistakes. I'm grateful for the author's willingness to share this with enough detail to make the reader understand her state of mind and her experience of events."
"Having hiked, during my long life, on four continents, along trails of varying degrees of intensity, I empathised with every painful step this young, intelligent and courageous woman endured on the extremely challenging Pacific Crest Hiking Trail on the North American continent."
"I am an experienced hiker and Cheryl Strayed was an outdoor person but not a hiker of the type who usually attempts an extreme hike. Her writing is so good that I could envision each part of the trail as she hiked along the PCT."
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Best Delaware Travel Guides

Maryland and Delaware Off the Beaten Path®: A Guide To Unique Places (Off the Beaten Path Series)
Maryland and Delaware Off the Beaten Path features the things travelers and locals want to see and experience––if only they knew about them. Whether you’re a visitor or a local looking for something different, let Maryland and Delaware Off the Beaten Path show you the Old Line and First States you never knew existed.
Reviews
"Some locations need to be updated -- restaurants listed in Havre de Grace which have been closed for more than 7 years."
"Great Christmas present for my brother and sister-in-law who live in Delaware."
"My sister enjoyed getting this book."
"Still reading & making day trip plans!"
"Lots of information."
"Lots to see and do in Pennsylvania's neighbors."
"The book had a lot of information on Maryland, but not much on Delaware."
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Best Missouri Travel Guides

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: St. Louis: Including Sullivan, Potosi, and Farmington
With new hikes and updated text and maps, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: St. Louis points hikers to the best outdoor trails and rambles within easy reach of the city. Using clear and entertaining narrative, "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: ""St. Louis" eliminates doubts about where to hike and what to expect when you get to the trailhead. Choose among short and long hikes, hikes for children, hikes for dogs, hikes for wildflowers and for waterfalls, historic and scenic hikes, and many others. Trail Descriptions allow you to assess each trail before you hike it. Detailed Trail Maps provide you with accurate trail information. Trail Profiles help you visualize altitude gain and loss. Directions and GPS coordinates lead you to the trailheads. Whether you live in St. Louis, St. Peters, Washington, or Sullivan, "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: St. Louis" provides you with the information you need to choose the perfect day hike in your area, including trail lengths, hiking times, and trail difficulty.
Reviews
"I like how the trails are organized and separated with categories and that some trails can fall into several categories."
"Directions listed to get to the trailheads, parks, natural areas and conservation areas are accurate. I like to make notes after I hike a trail or an area, so I do wish there was a blank page or two included with each chapter so that trail and area notes could be made. In addition, when the book is updated, it would be great to have a website or something online linked to the book."
"We have used the older version of this book many times over the years."
"Fun book to find places to hike."
"All of the important facts that would keep you on the trail are true, but the trails were a lot easier to follow than suggested, and some of the scenery points did not exist?"
"We go hiking all over missouri, and this book has shown us several new and cool places."
"I read the write-up on the hike I've been doing for 16 years."
"The author does a good job outlining the difficulty of trails and things to look out for."
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Best Utah Travel Guides

Lonely Planet Southwest USA's Best Trips (Travel Guide)
Featuring 32 amazing road trips, from two-day escapes to two-week adventures, you can cruise historic Route 66 or be captivated by red-hued rock formations, all with your trusted travel companion. Lavish color and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - 116 easy-to-read, full-color route maps, detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Stretch Your Legs, Detours, and Link Your Trip Covers Route 66, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Arizona deserts, Phoenix, Santa Fe, New Mexico's Enchanted Circle, Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Austin, San Antonio, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Monument Valley, Moab, Utah, Denver and more. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Amy C Balfour, Michael Benanav, Greg Benchwick, Lisa Dunford, Mariella Krause, Carolyn McCarthy and Ryan Ver Berkmoes.
Reviews
"What a great collection of road trip ideas: really well done!"
"Great for my road-trip to the Grand Canyon."
"Perfect purchase!"
"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST."
"This and its companion "Southwest USA" were quite handy in Arizona."
"have travelled all over the world with Lonely Planet Guide Books."
"This book is put together in a way that makes it hard to customize and somewhat unwieldy."
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Best Vermont Travel Guides

Fodor's New England: with the Best Fall Foliage Drives & Scenic Road Trips (Full-color Travel Guide)
Check out Fodor's travel guides to Boston and Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. “Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher….aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times “The Fodor’s guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions.” – Chicago Tribune.
Reviews
"Great product!"
"Just used to follow the foliage on its recommended route."
"This book was complete and very helpful during our trip to New England."
"Bought it for my sister."
"Very informative and well organized."
"Comprehensive guide to towns and attractions."
"An excellent resource for trip planning."
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Best Minnesota Travel Guides

Exploring the Boundary Waters: A Trip Planner and Guide to the BWCAW
With more than 200,000 visitors annually, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is among the most alluring wilderness areas in the country, unique because it is most often explored by canoe. Exploring the Boundary Waters is the most comprehensive trip planner to the BWCAW, giving travelers an overview of each entry point into the wilderness area as well as detailed descriptions of more than one hundred specific routes - including a ranking of their difficulty level and maps that feature the major waterways, portages, and the designated campsites.
Reviews
"Its a great book to pair with the Boundary Waters Canoe Camping book (it has pretty pictures and more info on other things you need to know about the boundary waters besides just the portages)."
"I have entered the BWCAW at several different points and as I read the route descriptions for these areas it was very easy to visualize my trips all over again."
"The one drawback that I did find was that, unless you were actually holding a map of the BWCAW right in front of you while reading, it was hard to figure out where the routes and portages were."
"Fully detailed and even helped even though I've been there before."
"Give many options on which lakes to try."
"Well researched, a little older, but information on planning routes is invaluable."
"Shows the specifics for every route in the BW."
"better than beymer as it contains line drawing mas so you can pick a route or create your own, which is the purpose of these books."
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Best Arizona Travel Guides

Guide to Arizona Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails
Easy, moderate and difficult routes are color coded, while symbols quickly show kinds of vehicles allowed on each trail. A separate mileage log ties numbered locations along the route to a custom map featuring a detailed relief background.
Reviews
"I used this one to find some really cool places in SW Arizona."
"I love this guide."
"Great for planning and routing."
"We will also take along our Co. and Utah books as we plan on swing back up that way for a few days before heading home."
"Very nice book with spiral binding makes it easy to lay open for use."
"You will find tons of cool trails, descriptions and directions with GPS coordinates from start and finish."
"Absolutely love this book!"
"I'm not a daring off-roader (can't afford to break the equipment), these books make it very clear which trails I should explore and which I should avoid."
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Best Florida Travel Guides

Oh, Florida!: How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country
shows, it’s both of these and, more important, it’s a Petri dish, producing trends that end up influencing the rest of the country. Without Florida there would be no NASCAR, no Bettie Page pinups, no Glenn Beck radio rants, no USA Today , no “Stand Your Ground,” . It’s a state where the voters went for Barack Obama twice, yet elected a Tea Party candidate as governor. It attracts 90 million visitors a year, some drawn by its impressive natural beauty, others bewitched by its manmade fantasies. "This entertaining book will amuse and astonish Floridians and anybody interested in the absurdity of the Sunshine State or human nature in general."
Reviews
"Craig Pittman captures the irony, diversity, and bizarre stories of America's bellweather state."
"It is shocking to see how Senator Cruz or Governor Bush, two names n the news now, continue long traditions of folly that began in the Civil War era. Folks who are not really from Florida see little reason to demand and pay for government services like health care, decent prisons or schools."
"Along with plenty of good laughs and oddball facts, the book lives up to its title and explains the many ways Florida has influenced the rest of the nation, right up to Supreme Court decisions."
"If you live in Florida, are thinking of moving to Florida, or simply plan to visit us sometime soon, I highly recommend you read this book."
"Oh, Florida presents the often confounding, perplexing, and sometimes shocking details of the adventure and misadventures of Florida Man and Florida Woman in a vivid and entertaining manner."
"The book is a must read for natives and wannabe natives to appreciate our special state."
"He is an excellent story teller who points out the oddities that take place his beloved state (he clearly loves his subject)."
"Pitttman is a fantastic writer."
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Best Tennessee Travel Guides

Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Regional Hiking Series)
This guide features 82 hikes within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America's most visited national park. Kevin Adams is the author of numerous books, including North Carolina Waterfalls, Backroads of North Carolina, and Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia .
Reviews
"The introduction provides very helpful information on using the guide, the maps, bears, bugs, weather, the seasons, backcountry campsites, permits, regulations, and much more."
"We found this book very helpful for choosing a number of different day hikes during a recent trip to the Smokys."
"The author does a great job of sharing his experience, but I have found a lot of information that counters some of it, so it has been difficult to figure out exactly what I want to."
"Very helpful and accurate!"
"I am planning a trip to the Smokies in May."
"This was a gift--he really liked the layout of different regions, the detailed maps, trail descriptions, etc.--best book I've seen on hiking the GSM trails."
"This book has given me all the information possible for a wonderful hiking experience."
"we got this book so we could plan out hikes before a trip to the Smoky Mountains."
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Best Wisconsin Travel Guides

Birds of Wisconsin Field Guide (Bird Identification Guides)
This interactive field guide features 111 species of Wisconsin birds organized by color. Naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer Stan Tekiela is the author of more than 175 field guides, nature books, children’s books, wildlife audio CDs, puzzles and playing cards, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti in the United States.
Reviews
"I just love this little book!"
"Brand new condition book, fast shipping..."
"It also provides all the pertinent information about the bird regarding the size, migration route, feeding and nesting patterns, etc."
"I have used this book for years."
"We'd all look out the window and keep asking each other, "What's that white and black one with the red on its head?" My son is going for his Naturalist badge in Cub Scouts, and one of the things he can do for the badge is keep a log of birds he sees for a week. I got out the Birds of Wisconsin Field Guide, which I'd bought awhile back, thinking that owning it would teach me birds' names by osmosis (it didn't). The pages are color coded, so if you flip to the red part you find birds that are primarily red, the gray part has birds that are primarily gray, and so on."
"This is an ideal quick reference book for those that would like to identify the birds in the backyard."
"This is a great little book!"
"Nice but maybe more of a pic book needed if you are s novice."
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Best Michigan Travel Guides

Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Michael Schumacher relays in vivid detail the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, its many productive years on the waters of the Great Lakes, its tragic demise, the search effort and investigation, as well as the speculation and the controversy that followed in the wake of the disaster. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Great Lakes ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald , an event given lasting fame by singer Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, " Schumacher recreates both the ship's final trip and the controversies that later eddied about the wreck's cause and the ultimate disposition of ship relics. Even as he dissects the rancorous disputes that arose among family members of the dead, historians and others seeking to either memorialize or exploit the shipwreck, Schumacher never fails to bring a sympathetic and knowledgeable view of the story, as well as great respect to the memory of the 29 crew members who died. Schumacher chronicles the Edmund Fitzgerald from its 1958 launching as the largest freighter on the Great Lakes to its 1975 sinking, memorialized by the song.
Reviews
"Michael Schumacher's "The Might Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a very good but superficial narrative of the tragic loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald in November 1975 and the subsequent investigations, theories, and activities surrounding its loss."
"Mighty Fitz is the only book I've read on the topic and the detail Schumacher goes into almost makes you feel as if you're onboard during the tragic final run."
"If you red this book, be sure to listen to Gordon Lightfoots spine-chilling "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"... "When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck. Sayin' "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya". At seven PM a main hatchway caved in. He said, "Fellas, it's been good to know ya". The captain wired in he had water comin' in. And the good ship and crew was in peril. And later that night when his lights went out of sight. Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"."
"I would recommend this work to anyone who has an interest in the almost three hundred year history of modern (e.g. European/American vessel) shipwreaks of the Great Lakes."
"A great read and good history."
"Very interesting!"
"This book was very informative, being a teen ager at the time of the Gordon Lightfoot song about the sinking of the Fitzgerald this has always haunted me and made me want to find out all I can about this ship wreck that seemed to be such a mystery."
"I'd been a member of The Titanic Historical Society for over a decade, and to me, this book is to the SS Edmund Fitzgerald what the book "Titanic: The Triumph and Tragedy" was to the story of the Titanic."
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Best Wyoming Travel Guides

Lonely Planet Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Travel Guide)
Lonely Planet Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. User-friendly highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices, emergency information, park seasonality, hiking trail junctions, viewpoints, landscapes, elevations, distances, difficulty levels, and durations Focused on the best - hikes, drives, and cycling tours Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, camping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, summer and winter activities, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Contextual insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, geology, wildlife, conservation Over 47 full-color trail and park maps and full-color images throughout Useful features - Travel with Children, Clothing and Equipment, and Day and Overnight Hikes Covers Yellowstone National Park area, Mammoth Country, Roosevelt Country, Canyon Country, Lake Country, Norris, Geyser Country, Bechler Region, Grand Teton National Park area, Jackson and more. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. Bradley has lectured on Central Asia to the Royal Geographical Society and recently traveled across Asia in the footsteps of Marco Polo for a five-hour French-German TV documentary.
Reviews
"Good description, a bit more plentiful in suggest hotels and restaurants than the Canadian one."
"Can't go wrong with Lonely Planet books."
"It helped us hit a bunch of areas in Teton and Yellowstone with only 2 days to do it in."
"Outlines and provides good descriptions and synopses of hikes and activities."
"informative but paper was cheap so tore easily."
"Reasonably helpful in planning our trip."
"Just what I needed for a trip next year."
"My husband LOVES this book!"
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Best Montana Travel Guides

Lonely Planet Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Travel Guide)
Lonely Planet Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. User-friendly highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices, emergency information, park seasonality, hiking trail junctions, viewpoints, landscapes, elevations, distances, difficulty levels, and durations Focused on the best - hikes, drives, and cycling tours Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, camping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, summer and winter activities, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Contextual insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, geology, wildlife, conservation Over 47 full-color trail and park maps and full-color images throughout Useful features - Travel with Children, Clothing and Equipment, and Day and Overnight Hikes Covers Yellowstone National Park area, Mammoth Country, Roosevelt Country, Canyon Country, Lake Country, Norris, Geyser Country, Bechler Region, Grand Teton National Park area, Jackson and more. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. Bradley has lectured on Central Asia to the Royal Geographical Society and recently traveled across Asia in the footsteps of Marco Polo for a five-hour French-German TV documentary.
Reviews
"Good description, a bit more plentiful in suggest hotels and restaurants than the Canadian one."
"Can't go wrong with Lonely Planet books."
"It helped us hit a bunch of areas in Teton and Yellowstone with only 2 days to do it in."
"Outlines and provides good descriptions and synopses of hikes and activities."
"Very useful and informative."
"informative but paper was cheap so tore easily."
"Reasonably helpful in planning our trip."
"Just what I needed for a trip next year."
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Best Colorado Travel Guides

Lonely Planet Southwest USA's Best Trips (Travel Guide)
Featuring 32 amazing road trips, from two-day escapes to two-week adventures, you can cruise historic Route 66 or be captivated by red-hued rock formations, all with your trusted travel companion. Lavish color and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - 116 easy-to-read, full-color route maps, detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Stretch Your Legs, Detours, and Link Your Trip Covers Route 66, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Arizona deserts, Phoenix, Santa Fe, New Mexico's Enchanted Circle, Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Austin, San Antonio, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Monument Valley, Moab, Utah, Denver and more. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Amy C Balfour, Michael Benanav, Greg Benchwick, Lisa Dunford, Mariella Krause, Carolyn McCarthy and Ryan Ver Berkmoes.
Reviews
"What a great collection of road trip ideas: really well done!"
"Great for my road-trip to the Grand Canyon."
"Perfect purchase!"
"THIS BOOK IS THE BEST."
"This and its companion "Southwest USA" were quite handy in Arizona."
"have travelled all over the world with Lonely Planet Guide Books."
"This book is put together in a way that makes it hard to customize and somewhat unwieldy."
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Best Illinois Travel Guides

Frommer's EasyGuide to Chicago (Easy Guides)
Answering an insistent demand for this guidebook from loyal readers of the Frommer's series, the Chicago residents among our writers have labored hard to capture the unique spirit of this dynamic city that every American must visit at some point of their lives. Before moving to Chicago, she lived in Las Vegas, where she co-authored Pauline Frommer's Guide to Las Vegas and Frommer's Las Vegas Day by Day.
Reviews
"And I know the suggestions are good because 1) the things I've done out of this guide have been really fun and/or tasty, and 2) the recommendations from this list actually overlap the recommendations given to me by local friends. Overall, I'm really happy with this guide, and I'd recommend it to people visiting the city for the first time AND to people who've lived here for a year or two but are interested in seeing more of the city."
"If you are going to visit or stay awhile, all the sights, the centers and flavors are represented in clear concise fashion."
"Informative and helpful in the planning process."
"I've been using Frommer's guides for over 20 years and they never fail to disappoint."
"Good guide to Chicago."
"Very concise and well written, especially as regards architectural sites."
"I looked thru the book before I gave it to her and was happy to see that all the places I would recommend were in here."
"We don't automatically like every Frommer's guide, but we really liked this one for Chicago a lot."
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Best Kentucky Travel Guides

Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge: Your Definitive Guide to the Jewel of the Southeast
Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge is the definitive guide to trails in the Red River Gorge Geologic Area, Natural Bridge State Park, and Clifty Wilderness. Currently, he is an MFA candidate in the Warren Wilson College Program for Writers, and has been awarded writing residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Montana Artists Refuge, Fishtrap, and the Oregon State University Spring Creek Project.
Reviews
"I highly recommend this book to anyone planning on doing some hiking/camping in the Gorge or surrounding areas such as Natural Bridge."
"This book offers details at every turn, which especially comes in handy during creek crossings when you're deep into the trail system."
"There are several books about hiking in the area, but this one is very clear and has good maps."
"Very clear descriptions of how to get to the trails, what the trails are like and a rating system based on five factors."
"If the maps had been printed on topos, I'd had given 5 stars."
"The coordinates for the trail head were right in this book and we were able to hike in and climb for the day."
"The directions to the trails are exactly accurate and the trail descriptions are wonderful!"
"The absolute best reference guide to the beautiful Red River Gorge, the hidden gem of Kentucky."
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Best North Dakota Travel Guides

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. Though the ‘stranger’ in the title is Knight, one closes the book with the sense that Knight, like all seers, is the only sane person in a world gone insane—that modern civilization has made us strangers to ourselves." —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times "Michael Finkel has done something magical with this profound book… [His] investigation runs deep, summoning…the human history of our own attempts to find meaning in a noisy world."
Reviews
"Not only is this story of Chris Knight one of the most compelling that I have read in some time, but the lengths that you went to, to research his venture into the woods of Maine, to understand him, to get to know him, clearly better than anyone else has, and to represent him with such dignity, astounds me. While some, especially those whose homes were burgled, might still never understand what would cause a person to want to live in such extreme conditions let alone in solitude, far removed from the ‘regular’ world, after reading the book, while I will never spend a night, let alone an hour in the woods, what drew Knight makes sense to me now. It’s not to say that after reading THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS that every reader will feel compelled to pick up and leave their jobs, families, and the comfort of modern society behind, but it sure does offer food for thought."
"I wanted to read this book as the Maine woods have been a part of my life and I was unfamiliar with this story until I saw this book. I realized from the start that at the core of this story was an important topic I already have been worrying about that I feel American society either is unaware of or is purposefully ignoring: the neuro-atypical person and the challenge of how they will live (not thriving but suffering) in modern America. Knight was content and found peace in living that life until he was caught with the help of sophisticated surveillance equipment while robbing food from a nonprofit camp for disabled children (including kids on the Autism Spectrum). The heartbreaking part of this story is that the suffering that Knight endured was due to square pegs not fitting in the round holes of modern American society, his relief and contendedness was found living in isolation in nature, but this is not really allowed in America, and when possible it's only available to those who are able to financially support themselves due to an inheritance or some income stream that they are lucky to find that meshes with their talents and abilities. But this book provides more food for thought, for me at least, than just Knight's hermit years story. I hope this book is a catalyst for Americans to think about this issue, with the rising rates of Autism and mental illness, we have more people this decade than ever before who are not fitting in with the mandatory American public school system and who are not fitting in to work jobs as adults enough to support themselves independently let alone the issue of if a person is happy or content."
"Many of us dream of secluding from the busyness of modern living—the fast-paced, noisy, cyclical nature in which life has become; yet many of us do not have the courage or tenacity to pursue such a dream, much less achieve this dream for the amount of time that Knight did. On a practical level, Michael Finkel has written this biographical account excellently."
"My heart goes out to Mr. Knight."
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