Editorial Review

This smart little book offers helpful advice both for those embarking on their first cruise as well as salty veterans. Read more

Reviews (41)

The Essential Little Cruise Book, 3rd.
Having never taken a cruise, I found this book very imformative, answered many questions I had.Would recomend this book to any first time cruiser.

over-hyped, under-delivered
A waste of money and a big disappointment. There were no "insider" tips offered. A very general overview of cruising.There is far more good information available from internet cruising blogs. Anyone want to buy a slightly used book?

Neat little book, especially for first-timers -- But not incredibly informative!
I've never been on a cruise but am going on my first next month!I decided to get this book because of the decent reviews and reasonable price.I must say, it definitely has several tips that I think will be useful:the best cabin is in the center of the ship both horizontally and vertically, bring Dramamine just in case, and don't think because you feel the cool breeze from the ship moving that you're not getting sunburned!It also has some interesting tips on cruise etiquette (like never decline an invitation to sit at the Captain's Table at dinner)...Some of the items are pretty obvious (don't go into a door that says "Crew Only") and seem to be there to just to lengthen the book.
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Subjects:  1. Cruise ships    2. General    3. Ocean travel    4. Reference - Cruise Guides    5. Travel    6. Travel - General    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / General   

Reviews (4)

A disapointing bike travel book
I had pretty high expectation of this book.Unfortnately I was disapointed.With the exception of the chapter dealing with how to navigate through towns and cities there was nothing that hasn't been written about a thousand times before. Along with the fact that everything was written as though you've never seen a bicycle before.What's up with that!?!It's not totally with out merit if you've never done any distance bicycling.But there are certainly better books out there that cover the same material and in a much more entertaining fashion.I suggest you look else where for your bike touring information.

Really good
I was new to bicycle touring (but not road biking), and I picked up the first edition of this book in a used book shop. The book is well written in an informal, friendly style. The text is supported by several simple but clear illustrations, and there are many scenic (black and white in 1st edit) photos which inspire wanderlust. Most importantly, this book conveys a wealth of information specific to touring, including equipment, how to set up your bike, camping, and trip planning. You get the sense that the author is really an expert, as he peppers each chapter with useful tips that I was not aware of previously. He also includes some surprisingly good (considering their brevity) practical chapters on riding skills, training, injuries, and repairs. In summary, the book is clear, concise, conveys the fun of touring, and contains a lot of useful info. Of the 3 books on this subject I've read, it was by far the best, the most relevent, and I'd highly recommend it.

Good for Novice
Richard Lovett does a good job of describing, in a general way, the three basic modes of bicycle touring: vehicle-supported, "credit-card" (i.e., inn-to-inn), and loaded (camping).It's rare to find *any* books on touring, so on that basis, the book is great.And if you've never toured before, this is a good, informative book.However, if, like myself, you're looking for in-depth hints and kinks on loaded touring, you won't find them here.Ergo, four stars for this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bicycle touring    2. Camping    3. Cycling    4. Cycling - General    5. Physical Education    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Sports & Recreation / Cycling   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (2)

If this were a movie you'd say it's a good story but...
... but the events described in the journals actually happened, and they are fascinating! Their means of travel, of survival, of communicating with the Indians, of hunting game and chasing and being chased by bears -- all described in such detail that you can easily picture it. In addition to being adventurers, these men were romantics and intellectuals. It is no wonder that once their journals reached the east, people started coming west in droves to see the beautiful lands and abundant game they described. The CDs are great for a long drive or the daily commute.

All the good stuff
Are you a Lewis and Clark buff, just starting out? You've read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, and perhaps a couple other Lewis and Clark books. It's time to read the journals, but you aredaunted by the thought of all that early 19th century wordiness, spellingand such?Read more

Subjects:  1. (1804-1806)    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Description and travel    5. Expeditions & Discoveries    6. History    7. Lewis and Clark Expedition    8. Unabridged Audio - History    9. United States - 19th Century    10. United States - Colonial Period    11. West (U.S.)    12. History / General   

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Fishing - Flyfishing    3. Fishing - General    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Russian    6. Subjects & Themes - Travel - General   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Motorcycles - General    3. Special Interest - General    4. Transportation    5. Transportation / Motorcycles / General   

Reviews (12)

One of my favorite cookbooks!
I've been a fan of Eating Well magazine for years, so it's no surprise to me that they would produce such an exciting, delicious and usable cookbook. Every recipe is based on real food, not the Frankenfoods that many dieters are used to. The recipes do take some time to prepare, but the outcome is well worth it.
Misleading title and endorsement from South Beach Diet
It seems odd to review a cookbook without having used it, but I consider I made a lucky escape with this one. I don't usually buy cookbooks online unless I can at least check out the index, but seduced by the rave reviews here, the promise of "good carbs" in the book's title, and the endorsement on the cover from the official South Beach Diet site, I put it in my shopping cart.
Great resource
If you care about the nutritional value of your meals, but don't want to sacrifice flavor this book is a gem. So far I have made several different recipes and I have been pleased with the results.I recommend adding extra herbs and spices for those of you who are "flavor-junkies" like me.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Health & Healing - Diabetic & Sugar Free    4. Health & Healing - Low Fat    5. Cooking / General    6. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Reviews (2)

Disappointed
I bought both the Periplus Thai Dictionary and the Phrase book and was very disappointed in each. They are very basic and use some transliteration that is inaccurate. There are no 'bp' or 'dt' sounds given. These sounds are lumped together as 'p' and 't' respectively, which is simplistic and misleading. Also the books' transliteration aviods the 'eu' sounds, (written as 'ue') wish is also simplistic, inaccurate, and leads to mispronuciation of many, many, Thai words.I wish I'd spent a little more money and bought better books.

Repeating my review for the same authors' Thai Dictionary:
I bought the phrase book and the dictionary as a set, and was similarly impressed by each. I think they should be bought together, as they complement each other very well. Anyway, here's what I wrote at the other site . . . I'm working hard to forgive Amazon for misspelling my name, but what the heck, this review needs to get out:
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Far East    2. Communication    3. Conversation and phrase books    4. English    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. General    7. Indic & South Asian Languages - General    8. Polyglot Phrasebooks    9. Thai language    10. Travel    11. East Asia, Far East    12. Language self-study & phrasebooks    13. Thai (Siamese)   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Far East    2. Communication    3. Conversation and phrase books    4. English    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. General    7. Polyglot Phrasebooks    8. Southeast Asian    9. Travel    10. Vietnamese language    11. East Asia, Far East    12. Language self-study & phrasebooks    13. Vietnamese   

Reviews (1)

A detailed, yet friendly, description of the Islands.
As the title suggests, this book accurately describes the attractions inthe San Juan Islands and does so for those traveling by boat or by car.Iconsider this book critical to planning a trip to the islands and importantto have on board the boat when traveling there.Safe harbors, hikes,history, public parks, marine and bird life for all the accessible islandsare included. Detailed, hand drawn maps of all areas of interest are in thebook. Hundreds of excellent photographs. 255 pages of valuable andinteresting information that is well organized and illustrated. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. San Juan Islands (Wash.)    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - Washington   

Reviews (7)

Accurate and entertaining
This is an excellent guidebook. Most importantly, the maps and descriptions are very accurate yet still entertaining to read. Something for Everyone
This new guidebook covers ALL aspects of the Great Sand Dunes. There is something for everyone interested in this beautiful, unique ecosystem in Colorado: natural and cultural history, hiking and climbing and other recreational activities, and local events and attractions . . . this book has it all. Want to know about the eolian (wind) geology that formed the dunes? Want to know which picnic spots are the best? Want to know what rock pro you can leave at home when climbing The Prow route on Kit Carson Mountain? The Wingers seem to provide information and resources about everything! Their easy, conversational style draws you into the delights of the dunes and echoes the small-town friendliness of the surrounding area. And this is a guidebook that can travel with you - its quality binding and sturdy pages will hold up to frequent use, which is inevitable once you experience this special area of Colorado.

Wingers have a Winner!
Charlie & Diane have surprised the hiking public once again with their great new guide to the Sand Dunes. Soon to be declared a National Park, this full color book is set up in easy to understand color-coded sections, a firstthat I have seen.It is focused on a small area, so understandably goes into great detail, something many guidebooks can not do as they pretend to cover a huge aray of peaks, or trails, or entire state or regional hiking concepts.If you like getting every last bit of info on a cool place like Sand Dunes, well, this is your book.You will probably wake up with some grit in your teeth, but that's OK, sand is the name of the game here. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Camping    2. Great Sand Dunes National Park    3. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colo.)    4. Guidebooks    5. Parks & Campgrounds    6. Travel    7. Travel - United States    8. United States - Mountain - Colorado    9. United States - West - Mountain (General)   

Reviews (6)

How to get started in bike touring
This book does include several things any experienced rider ought to know already.Where it succeeds and succeeds well is in helping a person to think about what they will need on tour.This is not a book for experts but it is an excellent book for anyone considering bike touring who either hasn't done it before or who has tried and had a difficult time.If you have ever had the thought of traveling by bike, buy this book to find out why traveling by bike can be so much fun.

Never done it before? Start here
Mr. Lovett starts with the basics, and is careful to include viewpoints not his own. (Most importantly, he includes the words of a female cyclist when discussing topics such as women's safety on the road, hygiene, andclothing selection.) He loves the sport, and it shows in his writing. Thisis not the advanced treatise that an anonymous reviewer criticized as"written for morons" (how brave!), but Lovett does not claim itto be. It is methodical, and it points the reader to more advancedinformation when it is needed. This is a good book with which to start yourtouring library.

A book for complete morons
If you are the kind of cyclist who needs to be told to avoid patches of loose gravel, this book's for you! Of course, if you are that stupid, you shouldn't be allowed on a bicycle at all, and people probably should make aserious effort to keep sharp tools and implements away from you, also.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bicycle touring    2. Cycling - General    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Cycling   

Reviews (1)

The best book on backpacking.
I have many books on backpacking, this one is the shortest and the most useful.This book gets right to the point and is chock full of information, while it seems other books say a lot of things such as "find out what poison ivy looks like" or "learn how to use a compass" this book actually gives you the information.It also has great (b&w) pictures which are relevant and helpful.Whether you are planning a dayhike or something much longer this book will be a valuable resource, I think it's the best of them all! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Backpacking    2. Camping    3. Hiking    4. Outdoor Skills    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Sports & Recreation / Camping    8. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Spanish    6. Subjects & Themes - Travel - General   

Reviews (2)

This is a reference book.
If you're looking for great prose, go elsewhere.This is not a criticism, for the similarity in description makes it easy to compare places within and among states. Great for finding all/most of the hiking options in an area!
This provides a state by state listing of hiking areas, the governing bodies (and their addresses!), a listing of the best hiking areas and trails and a description of the areas and the wildlife/flora to be found.It's a wonderful resource for the beginning planning stages of a trip, andhas proven to be very accurate. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Description    2. Guidebooks    3. Hiking    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Sports & Recreation    6. United States    7. United States - General    8. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    9. USA    10. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Subjects:  1. Backpacking    2. Guidebooks    3. Hiking    4. Outdoor Life    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Travel Guides - U.S.    8. United States    9. Walking    10. Wilderness areas    11. Camping & woodcraft    12. Travel & holiday guides    13. USA    14. Walking, hiking, trekking   

Subjects:  1. Parks & Campgrounds    2. Travel    3. Travel - United States    4. United States - Mountain - Colorado    5. United States - West - Mountain (General)   

Reviews (1)

Good Text for beginners
If you're looking for something to help you get started in geography, this is the ticket.But if you're attempting to explore more in-depth realms of geography (nature vs nurture) this book will be of little help in getting you on your way. Though it aids in basic understanding of why people in different regions can be different culturally, no one book can adequately encompass the volume of information required to assess such information on a global scale.Feel free to use this book for an elementary college geography class. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geography    2. General    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Travel - General    6. Regional geography    7. Science / Geography   

Reviews (1)

Full of useful information
I have used several differnt travel guide book, and have found the AAA Essential series to be the best. This book is accurate in the best places to see. It also has the things to do to see the local culture, and explains when places are open and closed. It is also lightweight and slim, so it is easy to carry along anywhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. Reference - Guides (General)    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel / General   

Subjects:  1. Italy    2. Travel    3. Travel & holiday guides