Pacific

If you can go to San Francisco and take Don Herron's Hammett walking tour...do it! I promise you will be entertained, informed and exhausted (remember, SF is a city of hills.) Don is really an expert on the life and literary merits of Dashiell Hammett, especially the works he produced while a resident of this beautiful city by the bay. Over the many years that Don has guided this tour, he has uncovered (and willingly shares) many fascinating facts and factoids about Hammett and 1920s San Francisco. If your travels never take you there, however, this book is a worthy substitute. Beautifully produced and well-written, Don's book is perfect for the armchair traveller and any hard-boiled mystery buff.

This book reveals the greatness of this plane that was developed before the war and the amazing feats that was accomplished with it and the men who flew them.Often used successfully as a fighter against the Japanese Air Force.This plane built by Douglas Aviation Co along with the Grumman F4F Wild cat kept us in the battle the 1st year of the war until more modern planes were produced, Having flown many hours of patroling as a crew member in this plane I can vouch for it's authenticity.An excellent and well written book.

I found Day By Day to be compelling reading as I share the same love and awe of nature as Mr. Petersen and his family. We enjoyed a cruise from Vancouver to Sitka, Juneau and Glacier Bay some years ago. The observations of these areas in the book were particularly interesting to me. To experience Glacier Bay cruising alone in a small boat was truly an awesome feat. The book describes the wild life viewed in detail indicating how to keep oneself safe while viewing bears, etc.

Tips on fishing these beautiful waters also were of interest. The catching of about every game fish, crabs, and digging clams was included in the book. This book is also a guide to great places to eat along the way, on land sights not to be missed, hot springs for bathing and best places to anchor.

To anyone owning a boat, the mechanical problems described and how they were corrected would be very helpful. Also, a novice would find invaluable the detailed descriptions of tides, times to avoid certain waters and highlights of the many inlets and coves he explored and which are named in the book.

There are numerous instances of protection and guidance as the result of his leaning on the almighty and trusting in God's care.

To read this book is a must for anyone contemplating cruising these waters and it would be a valuable companion on one's trip.

John McKinney will never be accused of writing comprehensive hiking guides. Most of his books cover a broad area of California, and don't mention every trail one might encounter. His books do, however, cover the some of the best trails in California, and those with limited time would do well to consult his guides.

This guide to the national parks of California is no exception. Avid hikers with a lot of time to explore the a Park might want to supplement McKinney's book with a local guide, but for the vast majority of visitors, with limited time, this should be the first book they look to for hiking ideas. The book covers every national park, monument, and historical site in the state. As might be expected, Yosemite receives the fullest treatment (27 hikes) while Cabrillo National Monument, Manzanar Historical Site, and the Eugene O'Neil Homestead receive less attention. Every hike description, however, is full of historical and scenic attractions, includes a map, and provides sound directions to find the trailhead.

It's hard to argue with the content of the book. Of the 150 hikes McKinney describes, I've hiked over 40, and all deserve to be included in a book of this sort. One could easily add other walks to this list (where is the trail to Little Baldy in Sequoia) but nothing should be excluded. A good guide and worth the price.

Two years ago I took my first vacation all by myself. I had a brand new car, a little money, and a lot of time. I found this book while browsing and bought it to take it on my vacation. Each night, I selected a different trip for the next day, highlighted the route, and studied the points of interest I'd be most interested in taking. This small amount of planning gave me great confidence to strike out alone on my vacation.

One year ago, I took a similar vacation, this time with a very special friend. We repeated some of my favorite trips of the previous year and we planned a few new ones. Again, we would spend the evening marking maps and studying points of interest.

"Roaming the Backroads" was so useful on these two trips because the author gave maps, historical information and points of interest along the way. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to explore Northern California and who wants to get off the major highways to do it. Now the book lives on my coffee table and we still pick it up to plan a day trip or to remind ourselves of the pleasures of past trips.

So often as I read books about the participants of World War II, I get all the technical information I can ever need. However, a book like this allows me (one who has never served, and is in constant awe at the people of this generation who did so without questioning) to get a glimpse of the personal side of the men who fought. In this unique volume I can read the actual thoughts of Jerry Walsh as he goes through the Pacific Theater of War. A must read for all WWII historians interested in the real stories of history.

Toward the end of his life, Montana poet Richard Hugo wrote a detective/mystery novel that features a detective who is the antithesis of the tough, clipped speaking, hard drinking, noir detective so common in the American detective story. Al "Mush Heart" Barnes is a loveable, poetic, common man, a man with an eye for a good looking woman and a skill for solving murders. Barnes has moved to Plains, Montana in his retirement from the Seattle Police Department, and works as a Deputy Sheriff. Suddenly, two men are murdered by axe and Barnes' detective work takes him to Kooskia, Kamiah, and Orofino on Idaho's Clearwater River and then to the Portland metropolitan area, where he uncovers truths about an old murder, new murders, and some of his close friends. If you happen to enjoy Richard Hugo's poetry, his unmistakeable voice drives this novel and his lyrical writing and philosophical observations make this book an aesthetic delight.

This book is a wealth of amazing information for anyone from a photographer to someone wanting to know more about the history of this amazing area of the United States. The photos are up-to date (no 1970 fuzzy poor quality images) and the read is nicely paced.

Quotes from those that founded this land, history about the ages of the stone and rock types found here. Lots of info on the animals, plant life and the story behind many if not all of the ghosts towns that are found here (one used to have around 10,000 people living there but shrunk to 1 in less than 10 years).

Of course on top of all this history and images, are descriptions of each area of the Death Valley National Park and what to see in each area (along with driving instructions).

I'm going to Death Valley to photograph this amazing land in two weeks, this book is my must-have companion for the trip.

Death Valley - land of contrasts, a place of extremes, an unexpected haven of biodiversity, a photographer's paradise, and the largest national park outside Alaska. In a place this large and diverse, naturally, you will need something to let you know where you are, where you want to go next, and what to expect when you get there. And this map and guide is an excellent means of doing just that.

First of all, it contains a map of considerable detail, showing all roads down to those that are doubtful whether they even exist, with mileages shown to the tenth of a mile, points of interest, mines, springs, mountain ranges & ridges, flats, valleys, etc. Also, there is an extensive index to all features shown.

In addition, a tremendous amount of information about the park is provided, including its geological history, human habitation (which includes four separate Native American groups during the last 9000 years, and whites who arrived as part of the mining "boom" of the second half of the 19th century, first to prospect for precious metals, and later for borax, of 20-mule-team fame, and finally to establish tourist facilities), climate, flora & fauna (nearly 1000 plant species and numerous reptiles, birds and mammals, which exist thanks to numerous springs in the valley, which compensate somewhat for the lack of rainfall, and and also because of adaptations to the hot, dry conditions), road information, desert travel precautions (critical in an area where temperatures reach 120 degrees F. in the summer), fees, supplies & services, campground & lodging info, and detailed information on 49 points of interest, including viewpoints and scenic drives, ghost towns and mining ruins, trails (the longest of which is seven miles to Telescope Peak, at 11,000' the highest point in the park - unfortunately, there are only a few others, mostly of short duration) and other unusual features, including Racetrack Valley, home of the famous "erratic" rocks (which leave tracks behind them, but it is still a mystery as to how they move), and Scotty's Castle, a mansion at the north end of the valley, which has guided tours. There are also several nice color photos included.

Since this is one of my favorite places to visit (I also drew the 7 1/2' quad map which includes Shoreline Butte when I was a cartographic technician with the U S Geological Survey), I recommend both Death Valley and this map & guide, which is probably the best reference you could have with you, short of a guide book.

This is an excellent reference for painting and carving decorative or gunning decoys. The information is presented clearly and the color pictures provide exceptional, close-up detail that waterfowl artists require. The reader will gain realistic carving patterns and painting instructions from this book. There is information about 22 species of dabbling and whistling ducks (male and female). The information I found most useful was the paint mixing instructions. The mixing instructions are easy to use and provide a great quick reference to get the correct mix of colors. This is an excellent choice for the novice or expert waterfowl artist.