Pacific

John Haines has often quoted the novelist Hermann Broch: "Political indifference is ethical indifference." Haines adds that soon it becomes esthetic indifference as well. "For the Century's End," Haines's latest book, contains poems that are exemplary of political, ethical and esthetic commitment. Poems such as "Blood," "Politics and the Dead," and "Kent State, 1970" show a meticulous attention to craft, a deep, melancholy sense of history, and an abiding sympathy and outrage on behalf of history's victims. In poems such as "In the House of Wax," he creates grim historic panoramas in the sparest of words: "Crowned heads and axes fall,/thugs and jailors rise/and displace each other/in this long, uneasy walk/we have littered/with claims and captions." Not many contemporary poems can claim to be "important"--i.e. to combine excellence of phrase and image with urgency of message. These are, and these do.

I thought it was great. 1st person Prentiss N. Gray wrote daily of his trips in Canada , Alaska and the lower 48. My favorite was his British Columbia hunts/explorations between the Peace and Fraser rivers as the title of the book sugests. He took his Wife and 2 kids on hunts as well and documents thier success and failures. Well written and how it was in the 1920-1930's PHOTOGRAPHS WERE FANTASTIC and lots of them almost 1 full page original photo of Prentiss' for every 2 pages. The Scores of photos are worth many thousands of words and the book would be worth it for the photos by themselves. The wilds of B.C., Alberta, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, etc makes you want to go there

Great ariel photography book, part of a series on each of the main islands. I can't get enough Hawaii photos, so this book and the others are all part of my collection.

This book covers the entire state in one easy-to-carry book. Whether you're looking for romantic bed and breakfasts in the Wine Country, the hippest restaurant in San Francisco, or the best beaches in LA and San Diego, this book is all you'll need. It covers hotels ranging from a beach front motel in Santa Monica to the best places to stay in Yosemite's camp grounds.

We will be there in 1 1/2 months. the book was so helpful. I so looking forward to our trip. we have gotten a few books so far for our trips. we were in Ireland last year. please email us back and let us know about the back page.

The most complete guide out there. Right on the money with every review. They pull no punches when it comes to telling you the good and bad of the city that never sleeps. A must for anyone visiting Las Vegas.

After learning that a recent promotion would also lead to a transfer to Alaska I was eager to learn all I could about the state, and all of its outdoor challenges (fishing, Denali, hiking, and so on). So I decided to oder 2 books.. Frommer's Alaska 2003 and Fodors Alaska 2003.

This Frommer's book is by far the better read hands down in my humble opinion. As the author gives the book a very friendly, and warm tone feel, while keeping upfront and honest opinion's. It is NOT advertisment driven. The author is a life long Alaskan who knows the in's and out's of the state.

Great tips on where to stay, where to dine, and what to avoid. Even tips on how to cook your freshly caught Salmon or how to order it to ensure it's fresh and best tasting. Tons of info on finding some of the best fishing (Salmon, Halibut, Trout), even in the smallest of towns. To the best hiking trails and senic routes (if traveling by car or train within the state). Of course the 3 main cities of the state are covered in depth. Anchorage, Fairbanks and the smaller city and state capitol of Juneau.

It also includes a wealth of info on The Bush, such cities as Nome, Barrow, Kotzebue and Kodiak. A nice read but, I dont plan on spending much time in the Artic.

Although the book does have info about cruises, I did not read in depth in this erea "yet", as I am not cruising, but living there. However, if it's as good as the rest of the book you won't be disappointed.

Also, the free map of the state in the back was a real bonus and had I known I was going to receive a free state map I would not have oredered the Rand McNally Alaska state map and saved myself $4.

If a good all around guide on Alaska from a honest and up front person is what your looking for I highly recommend this book.

Godspeed.

With honest, forthright, outspoken, and candid opinions, this is the best of the few Alaska travel guides there are.

I am a traveller/adventurer from the extreme parts of Northern California along the Pacific. I am not a tourist. That said, I am not writing this review from a tourist's point of view. I AM writing this review from the point of view of an ADVENTURER, and so my opinion of this book is based on the usefulness an adventurer can get from it.

Some things I like about this book are:

1) The author's honesty. If he thinks there is something you ought to see that other guides tell you isn't worth your time, he'll let you know. If he thinks something is a waste of time, or if something is overpriced or overhyped, he'll let you know that, too. He's not afraid to tell it like it is, which has saved me time and money.

2) He's lived in Alaska since day one, so he knows the subject. He's also an adventurer that has explored much of Alaska and knows where you can do or what you can do to get the most for your money. He is especially knowledgable about Southeast Alaska, and the kayaking and other types of adventuring you can do there.

3) The author lists URLs for everything/every place that has a URL. This is handy for updates, more information, and photos. A very nice touch.

All in all, I have found this guide to be superior to Fodor's when it comes to outdoors adventuring (hiking, kayaking, flightseeing, skiing, etc.); and while it is better also than Lonely Planet for the same reason, Lonely Planet does have some useful and valuable information for the traveller/adventurer as well. But unlike Fodor's, the lists of hotels and restaurants is not as comprehensive. However, for the adventurer/traveller, this book is the best one out there, hands down. It lists numerous outdoor equipment rental companies, large and small; it lists most of the companies that offer expeditions into the Alaskan wilderness; and it has exact prices at the time of publishing, with URLs to visit to get updates.

Again, I recommend this book over Fodor's if you are going to Alaska for adventure. If you are going as a tourist (cruise ship tourist or just short-on-available-time tourist), this book is also useful, but isn't as thorough when it comes to touristy stuff. I do recommend Lonely Planet for outdoor adventuring as well.

The author of this book is Bill Goodwin, not George McDonald. There have been many changes in the islands since 1991-92, so your best bet is to buy a copy of Frommer's South Pacific, 8th edition.

Given the fact that I was a kaamaaina (local of the Hawaiian islands) for a few years, I thought I'd never use a travel guide for Hawaii. When we were planning for our anniverary trip to Hawaii this fall, we decided to look into a few guide books so we can use it to suppliment our knowledge of the islands. This book is so well-organized by categories, we ended up using its maps and recommendations for eateries and restaurants daily. On top of that, we saved so much money on food and we also got to eat at all the places the locals eat! Having the book made our trip worry-free! We definitely recommend this book for all those who plan to visit the Hawaiian islands!