Insight FlexiMap Buenos Aires (Insight Flexi Map)

Insight FlexiMap Buenos Aires (Insight Flexi Map)

This map features: laminated finish which is waterproof, hard-wearing, durable, scribble friendly and tear resistant; detailed, clear cartography, as well as information on the top sights, useful addresses and a comprehensive index; and easy-to-use maps which will fold even when it's windy.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #48226 in Books

Brand: Insight Maps

Published on: 2006-05-11

Format: Folded Map

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Map

1 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Since 2000. Hammond, American Map, Langenscheidt Dictionaries, Insight travel Guides, Delorme - the famous names in the Langenscheidt family. These represent the most authoritative, up-to-date, and extensive travel and reference products available. In January 2003, the renowned Berlitz Publishing became part of the Langenscheidt Group. The Langenscheidt Publishing Group, the premier group of map and travel companies, offers over 4,000 North American and international street maps, road maps, atlases. language-learning, bilingual dictionaries, and travel-related products covering countries, cities, and languages in every continent.

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Customer Reviews

If you are going to Buenos Aires buy this map.
Just returned from Buenos Aires and found this map to be extremely useful. Rugged and able to be folded in almost any way without falling apart - subway map with easy to read stations always available - landmarks easily visible. With that I had such a map for all of the cities that I might visit.

Excellent map
This was a great map. It showed all the information that one needs to travel about the city. The subways and museums are well marked. The only information that it did not contain was the bus routes. One can get almost anyplace in the city by bus and it is incredibly inexpensive (30 cents) but it is difficult to find bus route maps.

Travel Map of Buenos Aires
I bought this map for my first two week trip to Buenos Aires in 2006. Used it to walk around and BA is a great walking city. The map covers all the tourist areas of BA and I do not recall once something was wrong with the map. Included in the map is a diagram of the subway and on the map itself are the stops. Which I found helpful to find the closet subway stop to my destination. I can recommend this map for people who like to walk.

One more thing, the map is laminated so I could write on it and draw dots on it as a reference point.

Bill

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Dominican Republic & Haiti (Country Guide)

Dominican Republic & Haiti (Country Guide)

Discover the Dominican Republic and Haiti

Plunge down the Rio Yaque del Norte, paddling for dear life
Witness the chanting, drumming and spiritual release of a Haitian Vodou ceremony
Hang with the Grand Rue artists, watching them turn scrap metal into cyberpunk art
Sip some of the world's finest blends at the Polo Organic Coffee Festival

In This Guide

Three authors, 105 days of in-country research, countless plates of 'the flag' (red beans, white rice and green plantains)
Expanded coverage of Haitian culture, Dominican Republic outdoor activities and off-trail adventures in each country
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler insights

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #48724 in Books

Published on: 2008-10-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

400 pages

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At the Mercy of the Mountains: True Stories of Survival and Tragedy in New York's Adirondacks

At the Mercy of the Mountains: True Stories of Survival and Tragedy in New York's Adirondacks

In the tradition of Eiger Dreams, In the Zone: Epic Survival Stories from the Mountaineering World, and Not Without Peril, comes a new book that examines the thrills and perils of outdoor adventure in the “East’s greatest wilderness,” the Adirondacks.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #93036 in Books

Published on: 2008-02-26

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Perfect Paperback

336 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
"For every hiker, climber or canoeist who gets into trouble, there are thousands more who don't. Peter Bronski's compelling account of misadventures in the Adirondacks is a necessary corrective for those who go into the mountains unwary of the dangers." --Jim Wickwire, author of Addicted to Danger: A Memoir About Affirming Life in the Face of Death and the first American to summit K2 "In this compelling book, award-winning adventure writer and former Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue team member Peter Bronski chronicles true stories of survival and tragedy, from famous historical cases during the early twentieth century to modern tales of harrowing struggle in the mountains and wilderness. Extensively researched, these gripping tales pull together historical accounts, firsthand interviews, previously untold stories, and expert analysis to retrace each misadventure. More than just a recounting of tragedy in the wilderness, At the Mercy of the Mountains is an affirmation of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity and an insight into why misadventure happens in the first place—and how to avoid it. It is a must-read for hikers, climbers, paddlers, armchair travelers—anyone who loves great tales of adventure."  --Associated Press

From the Back Cover
Every year thousands of outdoor enthusiasts venture into a six-million-acre wilderness that is the size of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon combined. They are attracted by its accessibility, spectacular views, and challenging terrain. But, when adventure is easy to find, so, too, is misadventure. In this compelling book, award-winning adventure writer and former Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue team member Peter Bronski chronicles true stories of survival and tragedy, from famous historical cases during the early twentieth century to modern tales of harrowing struggle in the mountains and wilderness. Extensively researched, these gripping tales pull together historical accounts, firsthand interviews, previously untold stories, and expert analysis to retrace each misadventure.
More than just a recounting of tragedy in the wilderness, At the Mercy of the Mountains is an affirmation of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity and an insight into why misadventure happens in the first place—and how to avoid it. At the Mercy of the Mountains is a must-read for hikers, climbers, paddlers, armchair travelers—anyone who loves great tales of adventure.

About the Author
Peter Bronski is an award-winning author who specializes in outdoor adventure and travel, nature and science.  His writing appears regularly in such magazines across the country as 5280: Denver’s Mile-High Magazine, Adirondack Life, AMC Outdoors, Sea Kayaker, Vermont Life, and Westchester Magazine.

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Customer Reviews

Excellent excellent excellent!
You don't have to have knowledge of the Adirondacks to love this book. I have never been there and don't know anything about them, but still found this book a wonderful read. What I found most incredible is the amount of research and intervieweing that went into it. Each story held so much useful and clear detail that I felt I got a true sense of the atmosphere and events as they unfolded. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure reads, especially true ones.

Fantastic read
I cut my outdoor teeth in the high peaks region back in the late 70s & early 80s. The beauty and unpredictability of the weather in this region are unmatched.
My spine tingled as I read the harrowing stories of people caught in the clutches of bad situations, and fighting to make the best of it.
I've been a Search & Rescue team member in Kern County Ca and Monterey county Ca, and been in some truely frightening situations, but none as scary as a severe thunder & lightning storm on the top of Giant Mountain. This book brought back the rememberance of my primal fear...feeling my hair stand up from the static building before the lightning strikes, the screaming of both me and my trailmates, as the thunder boomed, reminding us of how frail life really is.
What a great book!

A must read for anyone who loves the Adirondacks
I was born and raised in the Adirondacks, and I must admit that learning the details of some of these triumphs and tragedies was just riveting. Mr. Bronski has done an incredible job of bringing these stories to life and making you feel that you actually know the people involved and you are actually in the midst of all the drama, storms etc. I never looked at the Adirondacks as "dangerous", but the title says it all, "At the Mercy of the Mountains".

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Fodor's New York City 2009 (Full-Color Gold Guides)

Fodor's New York City 2009 (Full-Color Gold Guides)

Editorial Review
Excerpt from New York Times 10/12/08

You may think of Fodor’s as dependably bland, but its “New York City 2009” (Fodor’s Travel, 552 pages, $18.95) is the can’t-go-wrong choice for just about any first-timer to the Big Apple. First, it’s beautiful — great layout, nice maps, easy-to-read font on thick paper. And design matters with guidebooks: they have to be legible in low light, on crowded buses and in airports when you’re jetlagged and your contacts are killing you.

The best way to break up this mammoth city is by neighborhood, and Fodor’s devotes about 200 pages to that task. The neighborhood guides pack information into breezy prose, and have sections like “Where can I find ...?” which gives you two choices each for a coffee stop, “a quick bite” or cocktails in each neighborhood, eliminating possible excuses for entering a Starbucks or McDonald’s. If you’re browsing in the bookstore and you want a quick sense of why Fodor’s stands out, look at their seven-page section on ground zero that starts on page 48 and somehow manages to explain the site and the history in depth while also hitting the right notes about the tragedy.

To view full article go to http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/travel/12weekend.html

Product Description
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in New York City!

•Your vacation never looked better. This Fodor’s full-color guide paints an unforgettable picture of New York City with vibrant maps, vividly illustrated features, and stunning color photos.

•Updated annually, Fodor’s New York City provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s New York City features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in New York City.

•Experience New York City like a local! Fodor’s New York City includes unique photo-features that impart the city’s culture, covering the best ways to experience the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ground Zero, and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•Full-color pullout map

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #10745 in Books

Published on: 2008-08-26

Released on: 2008-08-26

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

552 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Best full-size guide to NYC." -- The Boston Globe

About the Author
Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by resident experts

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Customer Reviews

Useful New York City guide
There are tons of guidebooks to purchase for New York City and this is yet another. Is it the best? I would say no but that is only because it comes down to your personal preference and what info you are looking for. The book has over 250 glorious color pictures that will really take your breath away. It also gives in depth info on all areas of the diversified city.

All the info you need to plan a trip is here. How to get there, how much taxis are, other available transportation, sightseeing options etc. I do have a slight problem with its setup though. As it details each area of the city there is an intro page with choice pics for hotels and restaurants. This is great but it is only their few personal favorites. All hotels are listed together alphabetically by city section which is user friendly. But the main restaurant section is not set up the same way and lists all restaurants alphabetically and puts its part of the city under the restaurant name. I don't understand why they didn't follow suit like with the hotels and keep the lists per city sectoion. It gets confusing. You may find a restaurant review that you like and then see it isn't even close to the part of the city you'll be visiting. A waste of time.

Also, those pictures that are so lovely just make the book bulky if you choose to carry it around while on your trip. They are great for viewing as you plan your trip but that is it. The maps are very useful but I find that the reviews of almost everything are rather vague. They post an opinion buit don't really give you the reasons that substantiate it which really doesn't help much for everything a tourist will choose is based on personal preference.

This is certainly a good guide but for me I prefer one that when reviews are given they go in depth and give the reasons for their ratings. That helps me make my choices. I purchased this one and Frommer's as well and I much prefer Frommer's. They give detailed reasons for all their ratings. But again this is all personal preference.

I can recommend this guide book but just suggest before you purchase one make sure to read the readers reviews to make sure it will provide the type of information you need and want to plan your trip.

Fodor`s New York City 2009
I was sure about my satisfaction with Fodor's New York City 2009 and the Amazon.com service. Everything was very rapid, I got the book quickly.
Thanks to Amazon.

Handy book to have
I bought this book before our trip to NY and CT this past December. Came in really handy and helped us find our way around a HUGE city like NY. The restaurants they suggested all seemed right on target and the map was a God send!

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The Tummy Trilogy

The Tummy Trilogy

In the 1970s, Calvin Trillin informed America that its most glorious food was not to be found at the pretentious restaurants he referred to generically as La Maison de la Casa House, Continental Cuisine. With three hilarious books over the next two decades—American Fried; Alice, Let’s Eat; and Third Helpings—he established himself as, in Craig Claiborne’s phrase, “the Walt Whitman of American eats.” Trillin’s three comic masterpieces are now available in what Trillin calls The Tummy Trilogy.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #88064 in Books

Published on: 1994-09-30

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

400 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Throughout the 1970s, as he wrote the "American Journal" feature for the New Yorker, Calvin Trillin crossed and recrossed the continent. Braver than most transients, he dined in every manner of restaurant, sampling all kinds of native cuisine. He tirelessly sniffed out plain but great joints where the local people loved to eat. "[Don't take me to the] place you took your parents on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, [but] the place you went the night you came home after fourteen months in Korea." As a result of such hard-nosed pursuit of good food, this "Walt Whitman of American eats" produced three delightful books chronicling his gastronomic journey, and they have now been collected into The Tummy Trilogy. Trillin is a marvelous writer, affable and witty under any circumstances. He's also an extremely enthusiastic eater, so the books are filled with gourmet brio. Here's a sample from the first book, American Fried:

ME: Anybody who served a milkshake like this in Kansas City would be put in jail.

ALICE: You promised not to indulge in any of that hometown nostalgia while I'm eating. You know it gives me indigestion.

ME: What nostalgia? Facts are facts. The kind of milkshake that I personally consumed six hundred gallons of at the Country Club Daily is an historical fact in three flavors. Your indigestion is not from listening to my fair-minded remarks on the food of a particular American city. It's from drinking that gray skim milk this bandit is trying to pass off as a milkshake.

This book is almost as fun as tucking into a big, delicious meal (but no substitute, of course). Trillin's family, long-suffering in the face of a father's obsessions, is as winning as always. If you're a dedicated fan--or just dipping into the writing of this good-natured maestro--The Tummy Trilogy is a wonderful book. --Michael Gerber

From Publishers Weekly
New Yorker writer Trillin, known for his slow-burn, deadpan humor, reads a selection of 17 pieces from his previously published essay collections American Fried, Third Helpings and Alice, Let's Eat. Helpful introductory comments include, "I'm here to tell you that compared to a monkfish, the average catfish looks like Robert Redford." More broadly, the message for restaurateurs is to avoid the pretensions of establishments referred to collectively as La-Maison-de-la-Casa-House and to embrace the authentic merits of the Buffalo chicken wing, the Chinatown noodle and the New York City bagel. The message for the rest of us is to eat without shame or remorse, to approach every meal (even the dreadful scrambled eggs Trillin mentions he was once in the habit of making for his daughters) with the same welcoming smile that this deft writer and performer leaves on everyone who listens to him. Based on the FSG hardcover.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This trilogy consists of American Fried, Alice, Let's Eat, and Third Helpings, which were published between 1970 and 1983. LJ's reviewer was charmed by the food writings, stating that "Whether Trillin is writing about changing the traditional Thanksgiving meal from turkey to spaghetti carbonara, or about a clambake at a gentleman's club, his humor is of the very light sort, a cup that cheers, but does not inebriate" (LJ 4/1/83). This edition contains a new foreword by the author.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

Tummy
I still have not received my book and you or the seller have not responed to my emails. ARE you going to send me one or give me credit??????

I getting tired of no one responding. What gives???

trillin but....
amusing but not as clever or bitingly witty as Traveling with Alice. Trillin is a great food writer but at times he needs to edit himself. His shorter works are more entertaining

Funny Foodie Confesses All
This review refers to "Tales From The Tummy Trilogy" by Calvin Trillin(audio cassette)
He is in search of the perfect bagel. He researches the history of Buffalo Wings, and can tell you if the stain on your shirt that gives away you've been eating them, is from very hot or medium hot wings. He stresses greatly if his favorite cheese shop closes for a holiday. And has stories that will make you both laugh out loud, and ravenous for each and every dish he describes.

Calvin Trillin gives us an hysterical look at the serious foodie. He confesses all, and is proud of it! " Tales From The Tummy Trilogy" include selections from "American Fried","Alice, Lets Eat" and "Third Helpings" He travels the world looking for the best cuisine. No not your high priced fancy shamancy stuff, he's looking for some good old down-home BBQ, making friends with guys who's wife are from the old country and can make a decent dish without adding cream of mushroom soup to everything, and he shows his appreciation for a meal well done, by what else..having third helpings. This to the frustration of his wife, who is trying to keep him on a healthy diet.He pokes fun at his own food addiction and his need for passing it own to his own daughters.

His accounts may make you run to the fridge. I practically ate my way through this very funny book. I took to listening to it on the treadmill in the gym(to help burn off the extra calories i was consuming). I laughed out loud several times, and when I got stares from the other gym rats, I just smiled and held back what I was listening to, for fear of getting hit with flying water bottles!

This audio edition has 2 cassettes, for a total running time of about 3 hours. The reading itself was told with a very unique sense of humor, told in such a serious tone. The sound quality was very good. It is an abridgment. I had never read any of the books that had these selections, so it was all fresh and new to me. So I would say if you have already read them, this will all be repeat stuff(my reason for 4 stars).

Well, as much fun as this book was, I am glad I have finished it and can back to my protein bars and salads!

Enjoy the read....Laurie

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Michigan Atlas & Gazetteer

Michigan Atlas & Gazetteer

The first choice of outdoors enthusiasts. Beautiful, detailed, large-format maps of every state. Perfect for home and office reference, and a must for all your vehicles. Gazetteer information may include: campgrounds, attractions, historic sites & museums, recreation areas, trails, freshwater fishing site & boat launches, canoe trips or scenic drives. Categories vary by state

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #65283 in Books

Published on: 2000-12

Released on: 2006-12-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

120 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
DeLorme has been directly responsible for many of the major technological advances made in the mapping industry over the past 30 years.

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Customer Reviews

All what you need
If you go hunting or wild camping it is important to know what land is for public or private property. Also very useful by driving with car (any car). Easy to know which street/road are ok for different kind of vehicle, truck or motorcycle.
The size of the map could be better it is not very handy, but so you don't need to have magnifying glass to use this guide.

Wandering Michigan
We bought this book with the idea of just wandering Michigan for our week of vacation. We wanted to avoid the Interstate as much as possible. This book was great for our plan! There are many roads and towns on these pages that aren't on a regular map! We really enjoyed traveling back roads, while never feeling lost.

A Must For Michigan Traverlers or Even Those Who Live Here
This book is incredibly detailed and easy to use. Along with a GPS, there is nothing you cannot find. Whether an occasional traveler or a resident, this is a must to have for God's Country, Michigan's U.P.

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China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power

China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power

Route 312 is the Chinese Route 66. It flows three thousand miles from east to west, passing through the factory towns of the coastal areas, through the rural heart of China, then up into the Gobi Desert, where it merges with the Old Silk Road. The highway witnesses every part of the social and economic revolution that is turning China upside down.

In this utterly surprising and deeply personal book, acclaimed National Public Radio reporter Rob Gifford, a fluent Mandarin speaker, takes the dramatic journey along Route 312 from its start in the boomtown of Shanghai to its end on the border with Kazakhstan. Gifford reveals the rich mosaic of modern Chinese life in all its contradictions, as he poses the crucial questions that all of us are asking about China: Will it really be the next global superpower? Is it as solid and as powerful as it looks from the outside? And who are the ordinary Chinese people, to whom the twenty-first century is supposed to belong?

Gifford is not alone on his journey. The largest migration in human history is taking place along highways such as Route 312, as tens of millions of people leave their homes in search of work. He sees signs of the booming urban economy everywhere, but he also uncovers many of the country’s frailties, and some of the deep-seated problems that could derail China’s rise.

The whole compelling adventure is told through the cast of colorful characters Gifford meets: garrulous talk-show hosts and ambitious yuppies, impoverished peasants and tragic prostitutes, cell-phone salesmen, AIDS patients, and Tibetan monks. He rides with members of a Shanghai jeep club, hitchhikes across the Gobi desert, and sings karaoke with migrant workers at truck stops along the way.

As he recounts his travels along Route 312, Rob Gifford gives a face to what has historically, for Westerners, been a faceless country and breathes life into a nation that is so often reduced to economic statistics. Finally, he sounds a warning that all is not well in the Chinese heartlands, that serious problems lie ahead, and that the future of the West has become inextricably linked with the fate of 1.3 billion Chinese people.

“Informative, delightful, and powerfully moving . . . Rob Gifford’s acute powers of observation, his sense of humor and adventure, and his determination to explore the wrenching dilemmas of China’s explosive development open readers’ eyes and reward their minds.”
–Robert A. Kapp, president, U.S.-China Business Council, 1994-2004


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #17897 in Books

Published on: 2008-06-03

Released on: 2008-06-03

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

352 pages

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
National Public Radio China correspondent Gifford journeyed for six weeks on China's Mother Road, Route 312, from its beginning in Shanghai for nearly 3,000 miles to a tiny town in what used to be known as Turkestan. The route picks up the old Silk Road, which runs through the Gobi Desert to Central Asia to Persia and on to Europe. Along the way, Gifford meets entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on China's growing economy, citizens angry and frustrated with government corruption, older people alarmed at changes in Chinese culture and morality, and young people uncertain and excited about the future. Gifford profiles ordinary Chinese people coping with tumultuous change as development and commerce shrink a vast geography, bringing teeming cities and tiny towns into closer commercial and cultural proximity; the lure of wealth is changing the Chinese character and sense of shared experience, even if it was common poverty. Gifford notes an aggressive sense of competition in the man-eat-man atmosphere of a nation that is likely to be the next global superpower. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Advance praise for China Road

“How I envy Rob Gifford and his journey along China Road. How grateful I am to him for allowing me to share the trip through his vivid writing and his deep knowledge of and great love for China. As vicarious enjoyment goes, this one’s a ten.”
–Ted Koppel, managing editor, Discovery Channel

“Rob Gifford has found the perfect road trip. His years in China have given him a keen eye and a deep understanding of the country’s contradictions; he’s the perfect guide to this magnificent road from Shanghai to the Kazakhstan border.”
–Peter Hassler, author of River Town and Oracle Bones

“My gosh, I loved Rob Gifford’s book. His journey along Route 312 is a great road story–from Hooters in Shanghai to the Iron House of Confucianism. China Road is insightful, funny, analytical, anecdotal, full of humble humor and magnificent discoveries.”
–Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition and author of Pretty Birds

“Here is China end to end, told from its equivalent of Route 66 as Gifford journeys from Shanghai to the distant west, talking to truck drivers, merchants, hermits, and whores. Gifford portrays China with affection and humor, in all its complexity, energy, hopefulness, and risk.”
–Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

“Equal parts Bill Bryson and Jonathan Spence. Gifford is great company and great fun, and China Road is a terrific, highly readable book.”
–Jim Yardley, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Beijing correspondent

“A great book, a terrific read. Rob Gifford’s story is as engaging as any travel writing, but it is equally full of historical and philosophical wisdom about the future of the world’s largest country.”
–Joseph S. N...

Review
Advance praise for China Road

“How I envy Rob Gifford and his journey along China Road. How grateful I am to him for allowing me to share the trip through his vivid writing and his deep knowledge of and great love for China. As vicarious enjoyment goes, this one’s a ten.”
–Ted Koppel, managing editor, Discovery Channel

“Rob Gifford has found the perfect road trip. His years in China have given him a keen eye and a deep understanding of the country’s contradictions; he’s the perfect guide to this magnificent road from Shanghai to the Kazakhstan border.”
–Peter Hassler, author of River Town and Oracle Bones

“My gosh, I loved Rob Gifford’s book. His journey along Route 312 is a great road story–from Hooters in Shanghai to the Iron House of Confucianism. China Road is insightful, funny, analytical, anecdotal, full of humble humor and magnificent discoveries.”
–Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition and author of Pretty Birds

“Here is China end to end, told from its equivalent of Route 66 as Gifford journeys from Shanghai to the distant west, talking to truck drivers, merchants, hermits, and whores. Gifford portrays China with affection and humor, in all its complexity, energy, hopefulness, and risk.”
–Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

“Equal parts Bill Bryson and Jonathan Spence. Gifford is great company and great fun, and China Road is a terrific, highly readable book.”
–Jim Yardley, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Beijing correspondent

“A great book, a terrific read. Rob Gifford’s story is as engaging as any travel writing, but it is equally full of historical and philosophical wisdom about the future of the world’s largest country.”
–Joseph S. Nye, Jr., former assistant secretary of defense, Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University

“After six years in Beijing, NPR’s Rob Gifford has written a wonderfully reflective but also well-informed account of his road trip across China. His knowledge and insight about China’s past and present do a marvelous job in helping the reader understand all the challenges that confront this very dynamic country’s future.”
–Orville Schell, director, the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations


From the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

Best book I read on China, but not perfect
My first impression after reading the book was 'Wow, what an in-depth look at China, I wish such a book can be written by a native Chinese'.

The book is beautifully written and offers many in-depth analysis of Chinese culture that are very mind opening. It touches so many aspects of China in not so many pages. But that's both its strength and weakness.

Following are some critiques on the book.

As I thought more and more about the book, I couldn't help realizing that the author has a decidedly negative bias towards China. Almost all the stories and interviews conducted during his road trip are all negative snapshots of China, even though the author does try to sound objective by analyzing those snapshots through historic and culture context.

I also cannot help noticing a sense of ME, ME, ME in the book. The book seems to showcase more author's expert knowledge on China than China herself. The author tries to weave too many little stories together. Despite the seemingly expert views, the stories themselves are too shallow, and seem nothing more than platforms to showcase author's already formed view point. The stories themselves in fact could be so much more interesting if the author decides to dive into them and provide more facts, such as the AIDS and abortion stories.

Despite 20 years in China, author's view on China is decidedly an outsider's, a very knowledgeable outsider's. The book presents lots of reasons for what's wrong with China, but offers no solution. In fact, the author almost agrees that CCP's current policy may be the best police for China at the moment and praise the party for taking on such a gigantic task for building a country as big as a continent with 1/5 of world's population.

Finally, the book's title is poorly chosen. It has nothing to do with the future of China.

With all that said, the book is still an excellent read, but it is important to read it objectively.

very bias
the author is "tired of the optimistics" as he stated in the book. all he wanted to show is the negative side of view although part of them probably were true. if you really want to know a true china, you need to explore yourself broadly but not from anyone who only tells you what he wants you to know.

A great book
I was tasked with an unclassified China Culture Brief for our squadron's Commander's Call. I used many of Rob Gifford's facts, stories, and analysis, all of which went over well.

His story about the great wall petering out around the Hexi Corridor got my mind churning on how useless the wall really was (and the feasibility of other countries walls, for that matter.) His description of how SW and NW China are not really the China that westerners have in mind was very eye opening. How Rob encountered city upon city that have 1 million people yet are never even mentioned in the west is a true testament to how big the population size, something I'm just starting to wrap my brain around. The pictures in the middle are great, I wish Random House could have included double that amount. The cover picture is a wonderful contrast of old and new China, great idea for whoever brainstormed that one.

I read many international relations books for my job and this one was the best and clearest writing I've stumbled upon in a while.

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Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

These two fascinating cities reflect different aspects of China - Beijing is the traditional capital, the seat of political power and home to the ancient monuments of Imperial China; Shanghai is both a financial powerhouse and a city at the cutting edge of fashion with an interesting modern history. This DK Eyewitness Travel Guide provides in-depth coverage of these cities, including Beijing's Great Wall and Forbidden City, Shanghai's Bund and the French Concession, as well as the water towns of Suzhou and Hangzhou, graced with serene and timeless gardens and lakes. Explore China's cultural heritage through richly illustrated features - on everything from Beijing Opera to Confucianism, Chinese Gardens and the Cultural Revolution. Illustrated food features highlight the differing regional cuisines, and resident China experts have provided detailed listings of the best places to stay and eat. Specially devised walking tours take you easily to the heart of these bustling, enigmatic and ultimately bewitching cities.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #10142 in Books

Published on: 2007-01-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

240 pages

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Customer Reviews

Beautiful, helpful, packed with information and light
Since my wife and I would be going to China in 2009 (to see the next total eclipse), I wanted to "get the lay of the land "so to speak and find out more specifically what the cities had for us and more. While we would be on a tour, I still wanted to know more for myself as well as being able to tell more on the videos, websites and presentations I would create. I looked at about 10 books that I thought were good and covered what I wanted. I wanted to find more about not only the sights and traveling (mostly we would be in and around Shanghai and Beijing before and after the eclipse and because of this would not need a book that would include other parts of China)but more about the sights, monuments, art, museums;architecture and more. The layout of the book is splendid. What I really got this book for was the nice color illustrations, photos, maps.It is light enough for me to take with us. The information does have text that is small but that is because the book packs so much useful information (much of what I wanted to know about) . The sections for hotel and restaurant information will help those who might be finding their own way. But since we already have our hotels and most of the places to eat already arranged on the tour, I was not too focused on these but the restaurant information would help when we were had to fend for ourselves. The " Where to Eat " section is quite good and includes what to focus upon in Beijing and Shanghai.I have been all around the world and have cooked and eaten all types of food and recipes but I still found this part well done and helpful.However unlike some other books, it was difficult for me to locate particular restaurants on the map, because the exact location were not noted via a red dot or something to fine particular restaurants, a more easier process (for this I would use another book). However there was an excellent legend key/ set of symbols that can help find restrooms, tourist information and more. There are nice sections on excursions, nightlife information and walking tour info. There is an excellent Beijing street finder map and subway map. There is even a nice little phrase section to learn about the language. So if you are going to Shanghai and/or Beijing find this book and look it over even if you have to use a magnifying glass! (I could still see the type very well). The book is packed with a lot of great information, is handsomely laid out and has much of the information I was looking for. It might be the one for you too.

Great book.
It was my first time in China and I went to both cities. The book was very informative, complete, well illustrated, and easy to read. Everybody in my group kept asking me to read it. I got to see other people's books and they did not come close. I strongly recommend this book.

EYEWITNESS BOOKS
I have all Eyewitness Books on Travel & am hooked because of the photos. Most travel books have great info but nothing replaces arriving & seeing what you have identified from the comfort of your own home. As a person with one eye (due to cancer - too much chemo) this is very important to me. Faster than online....This one is exceptional & therefore I took the time to do a review for my next Asian trip. Hopefully it will help someone have a fantastic trip.

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Weird Massachusetts: Your Travel Guide to Massachusetts' Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets

Weird Massachusetts: Your Travel Guide to Massachusetts' Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #160207 in Books

Published on: 2008-05-06

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

256 pages

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Customer Reviews

Legends, lore, ghosts and more
Who would have thought there are so many bizarre and unique goings-on in my own innocent Bay State? This volume is stuffed full of fun facts, local history, and little-known oddities in this great new addition to the "Weird" series.

This book is so engagingly written I often had a hard time putting it down for the night. Jeff Belanger has really done the legwork in unearthing every stone and peering into every nook and cranny to uncover the little known people, places and things that have influenced the Bay State. A floating island crashing into waterfront backyards? Cars rolling uphill? Ghost ships, balancing rocks and Bigfoot? It's all here - amusing, mysterious, scary and strange! There are giant chairs, spooky abandoned asylums and the Cat in the Hat. (Did you Dr. Seuss was from the Bay State?) How about a Sacred Cod in the House of Representatives and a Holy Mackerel in the State House?

You will enjoy this wacky ride from one end of Massachusetts to the other, and you can rest assured you won't be missing anything along the way. I haven't had this much fun between the pages of a book in a long time!

Here's the award for the funniest (and most devious) story in the book: The Cape Cod Canal Resident Tunnel Permit. How many tourists have driven the length of the canal hoping to find this local oddity? (C'mon, was it you?)

Weird but great!
I don't have much attention span for lengthy books, so this one is perfect! It contains enough info to keep the reader interested, while not overdoing it. Makes a GREAT gift, too!

Fun and interesting stories, great for Halloween!
Weird Massachusetts is a fun, silly, enjoyable book enjoyable to read for anyone who enjoys good ghost stories, local legends and other weird events. Of course they are not true but like most people we all love to be scared and left with the question of "what if?" This book is highly recommended for people who enjoy a good fright and love to read stories about ghosts and goblins and want to share those with others around them.

Read this for some good, scary, fun!

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This Is Venice

This Is Venice

On the heels of the runaway bestsellers This is New York and This is Paris, Universe is pleased to reissue another title from M. Sasek's beloved and nostalgic children's travel series.

Like the other Sasek classics, This is Venice is a facsimile edition of his original book from the 1960s and is still timely and current in every way. The brilliant, vibrant illustrations have been meticulously preserved, remaining true to his vision more than 40 years later and, where applicable, facts have been updated for the twenty-first century, appearing on a "This is...Today" page at the back of the book. The stylish, charming illustrations, coupled with Sasek's witty, playful narrative, makes for a perfect souvenir that will delight both children and their parents, many of whom will remember this book from their childhood.

This is Venice, first published in 1961, presents indelible impressions of romantic, watery Venice, where under a brilliant blue sky Sasek the gondolier navigates the winding canals to visit such famous and glorious landmarks as the Palazzo Grassi, Piazza San Marco, Doges Palace, and the Accademia di Belle Arti.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #174214 in Books

Published on: 2005-02-22

Released on: 2005-02-22

Format: Illustrated

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

64 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
M. Sasek was born in 1916 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. An author and illustrator, he is best remembered for his classic stories on the great cities of the world. He died in 1980.

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Customer Reviews

Grest christmas present !!
Bought it for my niece for christmas...she loves this series of books!!! It was on her christmas list. They remember where she has been and were she hope togo !!!

Lovely to look at, difficult to read
The illustrations and design of this book are delightful, as is the case with the others in the series. I wish, though, that the text were less focused on facts and figures and more on evoking the scene. It's not entirely clear to me that this volume works as a children's book, even though a city with water for streets and boats instead of cars has a natural appeal for young readers. I just don't think the text describes anything much they can 1) understand or 2) find interesting. If you plan to read this to kids, bring your imagination. I simply make up a different story to go with the pictures, and my neice and nephew love it.

This is Venice
I bought this book for my children because I remembered enjoying them very much when I was a child. My reaction now to the "This is..." series is that they are very superficial and light, but that misses the point. As an introduction to new places, to intrigue a child's mind without overwhelming him or her, they are great. The impart an excitement and an optimistic openness. So what that they don't tell the whole story of any city? They light the fuse for a curiosity that will last the rest of one's life. Besides, I very much enjoy that late 50's-early 60's confident characature style.

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China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps

China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps

This first-ever humorous travel guide on China both dishes the dirt on the myriad travel mishaps that may befall any unsuspecting tourist and explains how to avoid them! Possible danger zones debunked include airports, hotels, hospitals, taxis, and bathrooms. Readers will learn essential skills like how to haggle, exchange currencies, cross the street, decipher menus, say useful phrases in Chinese, and more. The guide comes complete with survival tips on etiquette, a map, and resource lists. Don't leave home for China without it!

Veteran travelers Qin and Larry Herzberg are Chinese language and culture professors at Calvin College in Michigan.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #18937 in Books

Published on: 2008-02-01

Format: Illustrated

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

192 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Larry and Qin Herzberg are a married couple, and are both professors of Chinese language and culture at Calvin College in Michigan. They travel to China every year, both with students and without.

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Customer Reviews

Good buy
I got this for my Mum who is planning to travel to China next year and she is absolutely thrilled with it! I think it has been an eye opener for her and she is feeling much more prepared about her trip now.

Hilarious Survival Guide
This little book is great! Has good tips and is very funny to read. My Mom and I recently went to China and found many of the authors points to be right on. I liked this book better than the formal guidebook.

Old China Hand Says This Book is Most Helpful
Most of the reviews for this book are raves, which it deserves.
The last review, however, mysteriously pans it as a false picture of China. As an old China hand, who still visits China every year, I'm afraid the one negative review is due to the fact that this person only went to Beijing during the Olympics. Not only is Beijing not typical of most of the rest of China, with the most orderly traffic, for instance, but Beijing was really "sanitized" for the Olympics.
Traffic was limited, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were forced to return to their hometowns for the interim, and most Beijingers stayed away due to the giant influx of foreigners. This person hardly saw the "real China".
In any case, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone traveling to China, particularly independent, adventurous ones.

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Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small Town America

Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small Town America

“To say it very simply, freezer burn may very well have set in.” —neighbor on the frozen dead guy kept on ice in a backyard shed in Nederland, Colorado.   

 “Everybody loves a parade; we were just geographically challenged.” —David Harrenstein, organizer of a parade in tiny Whalan, Minnesota, where viewers are in motion and the “marchers” stand still.

“We haven’t lost anyone off these switchbacks in at least ten days” —Mailman Charlie Chamberlain, leading us on horseback 2,500 feet down the sheer walls of the Grand Canyon.
 
“Ours are the finest cow chips in the world today,” —Kirk Fisher, enthusiast, in Beaver, Oklahoma, world cow-chip capital and cow- chip exporter.

“We live out in the middle of the corn and bean fields, and there’s not a whole lot to get excited about, you know?” —Dan Moretz, on celebrating the day the sun sets in the middle of the railroad tracks in Hanlontown, Iowa.

“It’s like drilling for oil; sometimes you come up dry.” —Gay Balfour, who sucks problematic prairie dogs out of the ground with a sewer vacuum in Cortez, Colorado.    

“All you have to do is beat the flies to it,” —Michael “Roadkill” Coffman on the secrets of cooking with roadkill outside Lawrence, Kansas.  
 
“I ain’t gonna brake ´til I see God!” —driver named “Red Dog,” taking the track at a figure-eight school bus race in Bithlo, Florida.

“It’s a gift; you either got it or you don’t.” —Lee Wheelis, world watermelon-seed-spitting champion, Luling, Texas.
“I am the mayor, the board, the secretary-treasurer, the librarian, the bartender —that’s my most important title —the cook, the floor sweeper, the police chief, and I have the books for the cemetery, if someone wants to buy a plot.” —Elsie Eiler, the sole citizen of Monowi, Nebraska.

Celebrated roving correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning and bestselling author Bill Geist serves up a rollicking look at some small-town Americans and their offbeat ways of life.

“In rural Kansas, I asked our motel desk clerk for the name of the best restaurant in the area. After mulling it over, he answered: ‘I'd have to say the Texaco, 'cuz the Shell don't have no microwave.’”

Throughout his career, Bill Geist’s most popular stories have been about slightly odd but loveable individuals. Coming on the heels of his 5,600-mile RV trip across our fair land is Way Off the Road, a hilarious and compelling mix of stories about the folks featured in Geist’s segments, along with observations on his twenty years of life on the road. Written in the deadpan style that has endeared him to millions, Geist shares tales of eccentric individuals, such as the ninety-three-year-old pilot-paperboy who delivers to his far-flung subscribers by plane; the Arizona mailman who delivers mail via horseback down the walls of the Grand Canyon; the Muleshoe, Texas, anchorwoman who delivers the news from her bedroom (occasionally wearing her bathrobe); and the struggling Colorado entrepreneur who finds success employing a sewer vacuum to rid Western ranchers of problematic prairie dogs. Geist also takes us to events such as the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival (celebrating an inspiring bird that survived decapitation, hired an agent, and went on the road for eighteen months) and Sundown Days in Hanlontown, Iowa, where the town marks the one day a year when the sun sets directly between the railroad tracks

Along the wacky and wonderful way, Geist shows us firsthand how life in fly-over America can be odd, strangely fascinating, hysterical, and anything but boring.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #289667 in Books

Published on: 2008-05-06

Released on: 2008-05-06

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

256 pages

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
CBS roving correspondent and author Geist offers up an amusing and expansive collection of America's quirky, strange and offbeat nooks. The "Land of Lost Luggage" in Scottsboro, Ala., for instance, is where the millions of bags airlines "lose" every year wind up and "every day is like Christmas" for the locals. In New Glarus, Wis., photographer Kathy DeBruin has a reputation as the "Annie Leibovitz of cow portraiture." And then there's Boston's Museum of Dirt, where, among other amazing dirt is a display of dirt taken from Barry Manilow's driveway. While mirth is in plentiful supply, some of Geist's stories are real nail biters, such as his trip via mule train to deliver mail to the Havasupai Native American tribe. (Its members live on the floor of the Grand Canyon.) Geist's low key, deadpan humor hits the mark, and he has a gentle way of writing just to the point of ridicule before he backs off. Readers will find nearly 30 tales that will amaze and amuse and maybe inspire some extra stops on their next road trip.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This year marks Geist's twentieth anniversary as an on-air correspondent for the CBS News program Sunday Morning, and by way of celebration, he marks the occasion with this witty, good-natured exploration of small-town America. When Geist says "small town," he means small: one of the places he visists, Hanlontown, Iowa, has a population of 229. Yet the place is lively enough to have its annual Sundown Days, which celebrate the fact that, on the summer solstice, the sun sets on the railroad tracks. Then there's Loyalton, California (population 817), whose paperboy, age 92, delivers the paper from an airplane, sort of dive-bombing his subscribers. (He's a younger cousin of the Wright brothers.) Not all of the places Geist visits are quite so small—Chattanooga, Tennessee, has 154,762 residents—but they are all just as interesting (Chattanooga is home to the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame Museum). Geist, as usual, writes in a friendly, slightly off-kilter tone, pointing out these unusual places with their unusual people but never quite making fun of them. Pitt, David

Review

“A breezy account of [Geist’s] travels off the beaten, and sometimes left-for-dead, paths.” 
—New York Times Book Review

“Wise and funny.”
—Chicago Sun Times

“Geist genuinely delights in his finds, and readers will, too.”
—Library Journal

“Driving around the country through the eyes and words of Geist is precious. Clearly, Kuralt didn’t locate all the strange things.”
—Deseret Morning News

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Customer Reviews

Way Off the Road, the funny side of life
If you are a fan of Bill Geist's humor on CBS's Sunday Morning TV show, you will enjoy his trip down memory lane. Not only has Bill found people and events documenting off-beat human creativity (ie, the tiny town 2 blocks long where the "parade" stands still and the spectators circle around it), he has rewarded us with his keen observations of human behavior. Many of these small towns survive only because they are known for a certain wacky celebration. He also gives us insights of the frantic schedule and crummy meals he endures to reward us with those relaxed, funny Sunday Morning reports.Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small Town America

Off the road and a little off beat.
Bill Geist is a traveling man, and has been for more than twenty years. Apparently, he'll go just about anywhere there's something that's whacky, offbeat, downright funny, or even somewhat puzzling, such as the Frozen Dead Guy Festival in Nederland, Colorado. Once there, he always has something funny to say about whatever he thinks is funny, often in an irreverent, oblique, or mystical way.
Best known as the off-road humorist for CBS News Sunday Morning, he is also a widely read author, and his book Way Off the Road details some of his recent adventures. In addition to the aforementioned frozen dead guy, there's The Church of the Holy Barbecue in Huntsville, Texas, and a woman in Wisconsin who makes her living as a portrait photographer, only her subjects are exclusively cows. There's also a festival in Whalan, Minnesota, where the parade stands still and the spectators walk around it. Why, you ask? Because the town is only two blocks long, so if the parade moved, it would be over as soon as it began. You're probably beginning to get the picture of what Bill Geist thinks is funny.
Way Off the Road is light, breezy entertainment, chopped up into small segments perfectly suited to those readers who have only a few minutes at a time to read, whoever they may be. It's not as funny as watching him do his goofy stories on TV, but then, what is?

On the Road Again
There are some books that are not, and will never be, classics. Nevertheless, in their own way they have a certain charm and make for enjoyable reading. This particular book will put a smile on your face and even make you laugh a few times as the author explores some of the more unusual, if not bizarre, spots (and people) in the United States. Some reviewers have claimed that Geist looks down at these folks---I strongly disagree. If anything, there is a certain affection for them. Of course, this type of book, and the people in them, will not appeal to New Yorkers, since it deals with "fly over country."

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Fodor's Washington, D.C. 2009: with Mount Vernon, Alexandria & Annapolis (Fodor's Gold Guides)

Fodor's Washington, D.C. 2009: with Mount Vernon, Alexandria & Annapolis (Fodor's Gold Guides)

Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Washington, D. C.

•Updated annually, Fodor’s Washington, D.C. provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s Washington, D.C. features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Washington, D.C.

•Experience D.C. like a local! Fodor’s Washington, D.C. includes unique photo-features that impart the city’s culture, covering the remarkable monuments and museums of the Mall; the power of Arlington National Cemetery; the deliciously scandalous side of D.C.’s political past; and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•8 page color insert and full-color pullout map.

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #5089 in Books

Published on: 2008-10-21

Released on: 2008-10-21

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

368 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Each Fodor's guide is researched and written by resident experts

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Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

Like many of his generation, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe in the early seventies -- in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. Twenty years later he decided to retrace the journey he undertook in the halcyon days of his youth. The result is Neither Here Nor There, an affectionate and riotously funny pilgrimage from the frozen wastes of Scandinavia to the chaotic tumult of Istanbul, with stops along the way in Europe's most diverting and historic locales. Like many of his generation, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe in the early seventies--in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. Twenty years later he decided to retrace the journey he undertook in the halcyon days of his youth. The result is Neither Here Nor There, an affectionate and riotously funny pilgrimage from the frozen wastes of Scandinavia to the chaotic tumult of Istanbul, with stops along the way in Europe's most diverting and historic locales.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #10139 in Books

Published on: 1999-04-06

Released on: 1993-03-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

256 pages

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
After 20 years as a London-based reporter, American journalist Bryson ( The Mother Tongue ) set out to retrace a youthful European backpacking trip, from arctic Norway's northern lights to romantic Capri and the "collective delirium" of Istanbul. Descriptions of historic and artistic sights in the Continent's capitals are cursory; Bryson prefers lesser-known locales, whose peculiar flavor he skillfully conveys in anecdotes that don't scant the seamy side and often portray eccentric characters encountered during untoward adventures of the road. He enlivens the narrative with keen, sometimes acerbic observations of national quirks like the timed light switches in French hallways, but tends to strive too hard for comic effects, some in dubious taste. He also joins other travelers in deploring the growing hordes of peddlers who overrun major tourist meccas.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Born in Iowa, Bryson (A Walk in the Clouds) backpacked through Europe as a young man. While living in England some 20 years later, he revisited many of the same places, and here he jumps back and forth between old memories and new experiences. He begins with rather negative incidents and throughout spends a great deal of time on his woes, often due to hangovers, missed opportunities with young women, and difficulties with transportation and hotel personnel. Bryson is a rather talented, opinionated writer who obviously has spent a fair amount of time walking and traveling by bus and train in Europe. Since he is given to serious profanity at times and brushes upon topics such as sex with animals and prostitutes, this is definitely not family entertainment. His descriptive ability is considerable, and his commentary, while rambling, is generally interesting. His enunciation and inflection are good, but an affected British accent creeps in at times. It's like a self-indulgent memoir of which few will care and some will be offended. Only libraries willing to risk patron indignation at his profanity, some of his topics, and his repeated generalizations about nations and their people should consider.ACarolyn Alexander, Brigadoon Lib., Salinas, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Having groused his way across America in The Lost Continent (1989), Bryson (The Mother Tongue, 1990) now turns his attention to Europe. If it is any consolation to Americans, Bryson, an ex- midwesterner who has lived in England for the past 15 years, finds almost nothing to praise between the Arctic Circle and the Bosporus. Bryson's crankiness could have proved amusing--after all, Mark Twain's did in Innocents Abroad--but the humor here is meanspirited and juvenile (in Copenhagen, a hung-over Bryson notes that ``I needed coffee the way Dan Quayle needs help with an I.Q. test''), with defecation, flatulence, and eructation far too often figuring into the comic repertoire. Nor do original insights abound as Bryson retraces the steps of a journey he took two decades before, traveling from Norway to Istanbul, stopping at many of Europe's capitals (Paris, Brussels, Stockholm, Rome, etc.) along the way. He offers such comments as: ``Parisians are rude,'' ``Swedes are heavy drinkers,'' and ``the Swiss are dull and conventional.'' Consistency is not Bryson's strong suit either. While in Naples, for instance, he complains, ``I found...mean, cavernous, semipaved alleyways with...washing hung like banners between balconies that never saw sunlight.'' Yet when he reaches modern and manicured Milan, he pines, ``I wanted pandemonium and street life...washing hanging across the streets.'' Meanwhile, lines like ``let's be frank, the Italians' technological contribution to humankind stopped with the pizza oven'' are also no help. Smart-alecky and obvious, with the wit of Bryson's first two books curdled into waspishness. (Maps.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

why travel if u don't enjoy it?
i found this book to be such a downer. almost every new location he visits there's always something wrong. it might be the locals are mean, some parts of the cities are dreary and could be so much more beautiful, the trains run too slow, god forbid a local that can't help him because he doesn't speak english, or things are just too expensive. waaaah, waaaaah, waaaaaah. you know what? how about trying to find the positive things when you travel and write about those? use the negative things that happen as anecdotes but not the focus. i've been to many of those places he wrote about and have really great memories and i don't focus on the negative. so what, florence can be hot and crowded in the summer, but is that what i want to remember? no! i want to remember seeing the duomo for the first time or walking the boboli gardens. why do i want to read about someone bitching and complaining about how traveling can sometimes be work and things don't always go the way we want. that's part of traveling. he should feel lucky to even have the privilege to travel and probably be paid for it at the same time! the book is in the recycle bin.

Funniest book ever full of stealthy insights of Europe
I shouldn't like this book. I should hate this book. I should complain,deride and denounce this book because every time I read it, I wet my pants laughing. It should be illegal to make someone laugh so hard she wets her pants. It's embarrassing. This book is so addictive that I tend to pick it up wherever I see it. Since I am an avid reader, I pick it up in book stores and libraries. It's humiliating to be standing in a bookstore with your legs crossed and a warm stream of pee tickling down your thighs because you can't stop laughing. I should also be mad because Bill Bryson clearly stole all my experiences of travelling to Europe for the first time. I'm the one who couldn't understand the English language the way the English speak it, who thought they were angry when they said they were "pissed" and didn't know it meant "drunk." I'm the one who spent the night trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with the window because the innkeeper told me, "Fold the pane." Bryson stole all my material. The only reason I'm not mad is because he writes it all so beautifully, weaving the jokes into the story into the irony into the drama into the comedy, and does it so beautifully that this book disappears in hours when by rights it should take days to read because it is so full of experiences. I denounce Bill Bryson. Off with his head. Send him back to Europe, but please let him pack his pencil and his sense of humour before he goes. He is a national treasure.

Not a balanced view of Europe: 19 out 22 Chapters are on Western Europe
PROS:
- Bryson's writing style is fluid and funny.

- Good coverage of Western Europe: 19 out of 22 chapters are on it.

CONS:
- The subtitle of the book is, "Travels in Europe", but it should have been called "Travels in Western Europe" since that's where 90% of the book takes place.

- Bryson has minimal interaction with Europeans, only interacting with the locals briefly, even though he traveled alone. He seems to travel with his guidebook in hand, looking at buildings, but not really spending much time getting to know the people. Part of that probably is that he doesn't speak a foreign language well.

- Not terribly informative.

CONCLUSION: Don't expect to learn that much about Europe, but do expect to laugh out loud. If those are your expectations, then you will love this book. I gave it 4 stars because it was so funny, so entertaining, that it overcame the flaws I listed.

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