I have been cruising the Bahamas for over 30 years. For all these long times there was just one cruising guide available. And it was quite limited in scope. The along came Stephen Pavlidis. He has singlehandedly upgraded the quality and safety of Bahamas cruising . His Exumas Cruising Guide is the most complete information you can get for that area. I wouldn't think of cruising the Exumas without it. Stephen Crow, K4CPX

I have cruised the Exumas four winters on my Jeanneau 41. I wouldn't think of doing it without Steven's wonderful book. He includes, for example, many chartlets not to be found in any other guide. Hence, I was able to find anchorages not well known (and which had, as a result, more lobster!).

Don't even think of visiting the Exumas without this book (or any other area included in his other guidebooks without its associated book).

I found the book to be the Bible for getting in and around the Exuma Cays. More importantly, the book nicely deals with the history, geography, flora and fauna of the cays. There is no way that a person should consider sailing, motoring or paddling into the Exumas without this book in hand. Too bad it was not printed on waterproof paper and bound with stainless steel staples. If your headed for the Exumas be sure to read and bring a copy along. It might also help to secure it in a large zip lock plastic bag.

Anchorage: Early Photographs Of The Great Land is a splendidly produced compendium of historic black and white photography showcasing the Native Americas, landscape, settlement, construction emergences of the largest city in Alaska and the Cook Inlet. From its beginnings as a little railroad town to a thoroughly metropolitan community, Ann Chandonnet has gathered striking and memorable photos enhanced with her informative and engaging text telling the stories of the people who made the city what it is today. Anchorage is a superb photo history.

These early photos of Anchorage, Alaska provide a fine capsule history of the town's beginnings and evolution, creating a paperback packed with image sure to appeal to any who live in the region or to those with a special affection for early Alaskan history. A fine collection of involving images.

This book provided me with outstanding photographs of Anchorage and the surrounding area. It was great for our trip to Alaska to have a handy reference that also taught me something about the geology of the place. Highly recommend it.

This book is a fantastic find! Either on a trip to visit Anchorage or if you live here you need to have a copy with you always.

This was a very entertaining book that kept the readers interest from page one to the end. The author takes us into a world that very few people know much about and does it in a very engaging way. The book details what life is like on the oil supertankers that move oil between Alaska and Washington. The bit that makes this book so great is that this part of the world's oceans is one of the worst in terms of weather and rough seas, kind of like the Perfect Storm all year around. Because of this hard and dangerous environment these ships are built to take the punishment and the crews have very difficult jobs.

The author does a great job in describing the ships, the routes and the dangers they face. We also get an inside view of what it is like to work in one of the most dangerous jobs in the world of shipping. What struck me was that there are a number of foreign flagged ships that are working in this area and these countries and ships have far fewer safety regulations then the U.S. so a good number of these sailors get washed over board or injured in other ways.

This is just a good old fashion interesting and exciting book that would be enjoyed by many readers, not just readers that have an interest in the oil business. I suggest you give this book a try, you will be glad you did.

It's hard to imagine a better explanation of the issues of tanker hazards. Nalder shows that it's more complicated than just requiring double hulls, that the very nature of the shipping industry means ships will be built and operated ever closer to the edge, and the push to cut costs will continue to result in spills, leaks, and disasters. The mind-boggling size of the supertankers itself causes accidents: hosing out the cavernous hulls causes clouds to form, causing, literally, lightning inside the hull, which has caused explosions. The writing is clear, concise, and renders technical issues clear. If you live in a coastal state, or drive a car, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

analyzing of anchoring in rock

This book is written by a real-life professional homicide investigator. Mr. Gilmour was an investigator with the Alaska State Troopers for many years and was, and still is, one of the most astute criminal investigators you will ever meet. This book details the incredible amount of work it takes to catch a serial killer. The most amazing part is that he has not made any changes to the story to make it "more exciting" or "more readable." The story certainly does need it. In my opinion, in this book rivals Capote's In Cold Blood, but without making up any facts.

A fine quality art book to be enjoyed by all the family. A must have!

I read this book and was amazed at the bizareness of it, so I had to see the show! It is everything they say; where do these guys get their ideas? Of course, I had to try the coconut beer battered Spam.......delicious!

I must read for anyone thinking of coming to Alaska!

This is pretty much right on about the state of things in our Great State. People from Outside will scratch their heads at somethings, but let me tell you, it's all (just about) true! A great memory for a great state, or a good thing to send out when you are just tired of trying to explain the better things of life on the Last Frontier. Long live Spam...

From the moment I opened the sleazy pages of this political and moral incorrectness, I was moved. I was also in the bathroom at the time, but anyway,I was amazed at the humor , it's unique, clever and inventive. Something someone might expect if you visited a class full of third graders who were mutants, childish humor expressed in such an intellegent way, to make the stonchiest old republican titter. It really captures the crazy lifestyle of those isolated Alaskans and endears them to my heart. Because Iam one by the way has no bearing on this review...I'll be the first to tell you there are some real home grown stinkers come outa here ... Anyway, if you've got a funny bone grease it up and sit back with this book, it's got enough stories of fun, when passed on, It'll make you the highlight of many parties to come!! I highly recommend this creature for reading. A million laughs!! Thanks!!, Diva that digs it.

Informative and fun book, with a great blend of sailing information plus stories of the people and places that Hal and Margaret experienced on their long circumnavigation. This is a book about freedom and exploration. Hal assumes that readers already have a basic knowledge of sailing lingo.

Using his colorful descriptions and numerous maps, Hal Roth does an exceptional job of painting the picture of cruising. He includes those details and facts that make you feel like you are part of the read. Each chapter is long enought to make it a nightly read before turning in. However, the book is one you will always be ready to pick up. I even carried it in my briefcase, reading it during lunch. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in or already has some crusing experience. Enjoy!

Hal and his wife truly enjoy a constant ocean craving, that of the give and take of mother-sea. Writing to describe their voyages entails the hard and respectful lessons of the oceans and its many shores. They are the next generation of Hiscocks daring the gods of the world's oceans to provide safe-passage through masterfully coraling the largest element of our inner world. It is hard to review just one of Hal's books, since each one is uniquely built upon the next one with enhanced learning and understanding of the ever changing cruising life-style. Since the voyaging sailer spends 80-90 percent oftheir time anchored or stationary in one or many ports or spots, the title describes the feeling of both the sailing and the well earned restful and interesting places where outgoing people of this stature can grow in understanding of the Earth's 3rd world populations. The trick is to sucessfully be able to share these experiences through writing about them in a thoughtful and certainly captive mannor.

Kathryn Harrison's The Seal Wife is quite an intense read. It is the story of Bigelow Greene, a young man who moves to Alaska in 1915 to establish a weather station. He becomes obsessed with a silent Aleut woman he becomes sexually involved with and when she mysteriously disappears, his world, and perhaps his sanity begin to crumble. He becomes involved with another silent woman and his simple life grows more and more complex. The brutal Alaskan landscape serves as an excellent backdrop for this novel and its language. The Seal Wife is certainly not for the faint of heart--Bigelow is obsessed with sex and Harrison is not afraid to delve deeply into that obsession. If you can take that, try this intense read. It's hard to put down.

Kathryn Harrison, author of "The Kiss" and "The Binding Chair," underscores her reputation as a writer of compelling fiction with this tale of passion and obsession on the desolate Alaskan frontier. Fred Stella provides a superior reading.

It is 1915 when Bigelow, a young scientist, is dispatched to build a weather observatory in Anchorage. He is optimistic and enthusiastic, little realizing what life will be like in an arctic railroad town peopled by men and precious few women. The nights are endless and lonely.

Before long he is held sway by a seemingly unknowable woman, Aleut. She is not his only obsession - he designs a kite intended to fly higher than any kite has ever flown.

Harrison's recreation of an icy landscape in all its beauty and danger is spectacular. Stella's reading illuminates that world and her words.

- Gail Cooke

Kathryn Harrison's THE SEAL WIFE is far and away her finest work, and one of the finest works of fiction published this year. Written in a very spare style, Harrison doesn't waste a word, a paragraph or a chapter in telling this story of a US government scientist sent to the wilds of Alaska in 1915. Bigelow's assignment is to map the weather patterns of the area, where railroads and infrastructure are to be built, extracting the riches of gold, furs and other precious commodities. Bigelow embarks upon an ambitious quest to construct the biggest kite known, which will aid him in understanding the changeable nature of the region's weather. The kite itself becomes a metaphor for a man's quest for unattainable love, his desire to conquer nature, and the consequences of reaching too far outside one's known experiences in life.

Bigelow has three relationships through the course of the story: one with the kite, which consumes not only his intellect and emotions, but great periods of his time every day; a physical and strangely emotionally distant relationship with an Aleut woman whose name and background he never knows fully. Thirdly, he has another physical and highly emotional liaison with a young woman who communicates only through song.

Harrison's descriptions of the Alaskan frontier with all its vastness, great white blankets of snow and ice, and the long stretches of light and darkness bring the reader into Bigelow's setting like no other novel I can remember.

THE SEAL WIFE is the finest example of the novelist's craft! I would really, really like to see her write into a screenplay. This is a story of great drama veiled by the whiteness of Alaska, and the loneliness of a man's soul. Beautifully done, Kathryn Harrison!!