Best West South Central U.S. Regional Travel
Setting out on a winding road trip, Theroux discovers a region of architectural and artistic wonders, incomparable music, mouth-watering cuisine—and also some of the worst schools, medical care, housing, and unemployment rates in the nation. Theroux pulls no punches in his quest to understand this overlooked margin of American life.” — Boston Globe “A vivid contemporary portrait of rural life . * Penguin * His ability to sum up a people or a city in a few lines is undiminished * Daily Telegraph * Theroux's work remains the standard by which other travel writing must be judged * Observer * The world's most perceptive travel writer * Daily Mail * [Theroux] has the power to transport us and get under the skin of a place... the stories in Deep South make for a compelling listen -- Duncan Minshull, BBC Radio 4 This engrossing book reminds us that despite the poverty, maybe because of it, everyone has a story to tell and it's the writer's job to bear such testimony * Financial Times * HMH hardcover, 2015. Previous ISBN: 978-0-544-32352-0.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Take him or leave him, Paul Theroux always brings out a lot of interesting emotions in his readers. It is far harder to read about the issues that face locations closer to home. I remember reading The Kingdom by the Sea, which chronicles Theroux's journey around Great Britain. I think Deep South might elicit a similar response from American readers. If you're offended by the way Theroux nails the Southerners for not having a great vocabulary, or being poverty stricken... well, that's how he saw it. I know of many South Africans that didn't like Dark Star Safari and thought he was full of himself and didn't do the country any justice. But what I do know is that I love how Theroux tells the story of the Deep South through the people he meets. He meets quite a few people along the way and he tells their story with a keen eye for detail."
"This book is a passionate reminder about a forgotten part of America--not the kitschy, faux romantic, touristy South, but the real place, authentic and tragic in its humanity..."
"Theroux, having traveled extensively in Africa, notes the similarities between the poverty of the South and that of Africa.. Theroux also inserts some discussions of some of the Southern authors such as William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor and Charles Portis and talks about Southern Gothic. He also meets a 90 year old author, Mary Ward Brown whose short stories he recommends. To sum up, I love the idea of getting off the main highways, and engaging the locals."
"I love when Mr Theroux is writing about a specific person in the south, and I think he understands the culture of the South very well."
"And yet, the black and white races somehow manage to get through some of their differences through voluntary segregation and acceptance of the social structure in the South."
"In South Carolina, I saw many shacks similar to those described in the book, lived in mostly by black people; I suppose they are still there. He talks at length with both blacks and whites; whites who lived there tended not to talk to blacks, and vice versa."
Full-color maps and images throughout 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 Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, literature, cinema, music, architecture, politics, environment, food, drink, and more Free, convenient pull-out New Orleans map (included in print version), plus over 22 color neighborhood maps Covers Uptown, Riverbend, Mid-City, the Treme, CBD, Warehouse District, French Quarter, Garden District, Central City, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater, and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalize your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I only thought the NEW ORLEANS guide was mildly lacking in some aspects to help me visualize this fine city and the various parts of the town."
"I liked the EAT DAT guide a lot!"
"Great content as always from Lonely Planet guides."
"Good detail and interesting entries -- plan to have a great trip!"
"Recently visited New Orleans and this book was spot on for us."
"No glossy photos,it's all ugly and marked sections by colors.The one sleeping section is unexplainaby marked with blue dots,making what is written hard to read."
Fully updated and revised, this comprehensive guide features forty-seven trails in Big Bend National Park. Written by top outdoors experts and enthusiasts, each guide invites you to experience the endless adventure and rugged beauty of the great outdoors.Hiking Big Bend National Park features forty-seven of the finest trails in Texas-from short day hikes to backcountry treks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Gives very accurate descriptions of the trails."
"great book about Big Bend trails..."
"Great book."
"May be the best book around for hiking Big Bend National Park."
"Essential reference and guide for anyone going or wanting to go to Big Bend!"
"Great book: information is very usable and easy to understand."
"This is a great park and should be visited by anyone who enjoys the outdoors."
Best Arkansas Travel Guides
Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Natural State has to offer! Wyatt and Janie Jones are Arkansas natives, whose love of their home state inspired them to write Hiking Arkansas , also published by Globe Pequot Press.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He studies history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, so the product was up his alley."
"Because I grew up in Arkansas, the book is more interesting to me than it probably would be to folks who weren't raised there."
"Lots of great information!"
"this is my third copy...I just keep sharing this great little book!"
"I enjoy reading about Arkansas."
"This told us many interesting things of Arkansas."
"Very fun and interesting reading."
"Fun book!"
Best East South Central U.S. Regional Travel
The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes — and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. When this American transplant to Britain decided to return home, he made a farewell walking tour of the British countryside and produced Notes from a Small Island . Accompanied only by his old college buddy Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March morning in north Georgia, intending to walk the entire 2,100 miles to trail's end atop Maine's Mount Katahdin. As Bryson and Katz haul their out-of-shape, middle-aged butts over hill and dale, the reader is treated to both a very funny personal memoir and a delightful chronicle of the trail, the people who created it, and the places it passes through. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he nevertheless plunges into the wilderness and emerges with a consistently comical account of a neophyte woodsman learning hard lessons about self-reliance.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm a sexagenarian who, on a recent vacation, happened to walk out and back on the first three miles or so of the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (Springer Mtn, GA) and, in a fit of exhilaration, decided then and there that I would, by golly, hike the AT before I died. As I was joyfully entertained by his incisive sense of humor, I was simultaneously and seriously learning history, biology, geology (and several other -ologies) as well as being discomfitted by Bryson's documentation of our culture's dismissive practices regarding ecology."
"Read one and except for a few events, you've pretty much read them all and almost any extended backpacking trip involves the same rigors, risks, weather and that mixture of misery and exhilaration."
"One of the funniest books you will every read."
"Bill's storytelling captured me immediately...I was taking every step he took, I enjoyed every vista he looked out on, I was eavesdropping on his conversations with his fellow hikers and feeling the spectrum of emotions held for his friend and hiking companion."
"An adventure that walks you experientially and historically through the nation's longest series of trails from Georgia to Maine while feeling every fear from blisters, hunger, thirst, wildlife, climate changes, man's limitations and nature's nuances, all the while trekking with a forty pound pack on your back, and any one of these could do you in, well it's a wonder why the wild is so compelling."
"With the film in theaters, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. I loved this book, and place it among Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild," Cheryl Strayed's "Wild," and Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man" in terms of well-written essays that explore our yearning to return to a simpler, untethered way of life."
"Unfortunately some of his stories about what happened to people along the trail, made me not that interested in walking any trail."
"I think Bill Bryson is an incredibly good writer whose humor extends to poking as much fun at himself as he does at others."
Best South Atlantic U.S. Regional Travel
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 explains how Walt Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to make every minute and every dollar of your vacation count. "If a restaurant serves bad food, or a gift item is overpriced, or a certain ride isn't worth the wait, we can say so, and in the process we hope to make your visit more fun, efficient, and economical." And because they've found that "spontaneity and self-discovery work about as well at Walt Disney World as they do on your tax return," The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is packed full of essential advice for anyone braving the frontiers of the mother of all theme parks. "Indispensable". ― The New York Times.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Recommend, if you are going to Disney."
"This book is right on about everything I read in the book. With Disney this book is a must."
"This one covers it all- the rides, theater and attractions of WDW, including every hotel, restaurant, foodcart, with breakdowns in popularity for multiple age groups, fear factors, height restrictions, and a ton of Disney trivia that will prove invaluable in saving time, energy, money and will greatly increase your any trip immensely."
"It's a very informative book."
"In this book, TONS of reviewers like you and me who have made the trip give advice and tips on how to make the Disney experience less stressful, more enjoyable, and less expensive. Wanna save 4 hours a day of standing in line at the various attractions at each of the parks?"
"So, you have to flip back to find the restaurant section, then figure out what place is in which park. It is also huge and heavy, so don't expect to carry this while you are touring the parks."
"Very informative book on everything about Walt Disney World and beyond."
"I have read 3 versions of this book, and I love to just read it to get my "Disney Fix" when I'm not there."