On the Rim is a fascinating study of the power of the Grand Canyon in American Culture. The author's breadth of knowlege is impressive, pulling together elements of anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology and literary/artistic criticism. His scholarship is impeccable, but the strength of the book is his personal stories of the people he has met and his own encounters with the Canyon.

This book is as grand in scope as the canyon itself, taking in ethnography, history, biography, and criticism. The thoroughness of Neumann's research, the sensitivity of his observations and the insight and wit of his language are reminiscent of the work of new journalist masters such as Gay Talese and Jane Kramer. Neumann brilliantly documents how "spectator culture" goes far back into U.S. history, into the receding zone of nostalgia that we look to for our origins. Also fascinating are his accounts of how the canyon has been framed by science and religion, and how the canyon's developers staged it in the manner of a theater or museum. I especially appreciated Neumann's sensitive and thoughtful use of tourists' stories. It would have been easy to make fun of the canyon's tourists and to present them as the ultimate mass culture nightmare. Instead, Neumann prompts the reader to think about the popular logics and traditions that lie behind tourists' practices. Neumann concludes with a meditation on why people keep coming to the canyon through "the depths of time"--what they come looking for, what they think they can create or recover. It is a moving finale for this fine book.

Having traveled to the Grand Canyon many times during my life I am always taken in by its true greatness and wonder. This book goes beyond the countless picture books that have been published on the canyon by giving the reader some real insight. The author gives several different perspectives on the canyon that you are not likely to learn by just touring the canyon for a few hours. This book lets true Grand Canyon lovers experiance the canyon in depth and make the reader eager to return and see it from a deeper perspective.

...except a blazing error in the title: Anastasia was no tsarina (which is used to describe the wife of the tsar). The term used in Russia was velikaya knyazha, grand duchess, or tsarevna, daughter of the tsar.

I like this book because the author doesn't give you the answer to the mystery. She leaves it up to you, she gives you the clues, opinions, theories, and ideas and you decide if Anastasia Manahan was indeed the Grand Duchess Anastasia. I personally do not believe Anastasia Manahan was Anastasia, but this book is extremly well written and I really enjoyed it, and I especially liked the photographs included of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicolaevena, the last daughter of the last Tsar of Russia.

This is great for the car. However, by the second tape you will notice that everyone is lisping and then it gets funnier and funnier. How could they put a book on tape with a lisping lewinsky? It's a dream come true. Buy two copies and send one to a friend as a gift.

My favorite part was when Monica asked everyone to stop referring to her as Ms. lewinsky cause "I'm just 25." When she's told that for the rest of her life she was always be Ms. Lewinsky, she volunteers, "Not if I get married!"

In reality it's all sad, this brave woman has endured more than any of us will have to in a lifetime. She deserves everything that she can get. She's a true survivor. Viva Lewinsky!

These sassettes offer a very exciting and interesting intepretation of Ms. Lewinsky's testimony . The narration of Monica and the grand jurors had me listening to these tapes for 6 consecutive hours. I coukld not stop listening? I found myself playing these in the car continously. It eas the quickesyt 6 hours that ever went by! The in depth look into the biggest White House scandal is brought to life in this 4 cassette series. I listen to them over and over. A must for any history lover.

Ever since I was first tricked by Trompe L'oeil as a child I had hoped to stumble accross more information. I was delighted to find this book that contains page after page of visually rich ideas and examples for the novice to aspire to and the master to admire. There are even step by step instructions on how to create your own illusion and the various techniques used, but alas I know my talent with a brush is rather limited so I will leave it to those who can! An invaluable reference guide

I love this book, I found it to be a really inspiring and beutiful collection of text and graphics on a subject that I know little of. Peta's book has made me become very interested in Trompe L'Oeil and I heartily recommend it.

Telling the truth takes guts when it comes to a sanctified icon, backed by well established and fed ignorance. The brave author tells it the way it is, as far as he knows. "Some of my best friends are communists" came from the mouth of FDR when a congressman attempted to alert him of the "imaginary" danger of communist theft, subversion and outright treason in his administration. If the author takes a good look at what is to be found behind these words, he might have to think twice before he gives his findings to the printer. But in long run he will feel good.

"...It was folly to believe that if Russia was treated as a friendly ally that country would respond in kind", said in 1957 Nicholas Roosevelt. A folly it was, for which a hundred excuses are found. A folly glorified to this day by almost all.

Great Book! One of the most accurate accounts of FDR & Stalin

Excellent coverage of Ferrari racing, the road cars only get superficial treatment.

Simply put this is one of the ESSENTIAL ferrari books for any collector.If you are interested in the the racing ferraris of the 40's 50's 60's and 70 's this is an indepth tomb of detailed information which is both highly readable and informative , all this accompanied with superb photographs along with detailed technical information on the cars goes to make this a 600 page bible ,especially if you are interested the single seat grand prix cars and the sports cars of the 50's and 60's. If this were not enough then there is a very good section on the road cars , the last car to be covered is the 288GTO circa 1984. Although it is clear the books emphasis is on the competition cars and although this book is now out of print for any serious Tifosi this book is a MUST HAVE.

This is the most thorough traditional field guide to the Canyon, complete with pictures of flora and fauna for identification in the field. It's perfect for day hikes along the rim or packed on raft trips, but if you're going on a long canyon trek on foot you may find it a bit heavy to pack. The great number of pages devoted to an overview of history, basic geology, trails, etc. are not really necessary on the trail and I have even considered cutting all that extraneous material out, as the field guide portions are excellent, but I shrink from slicing up a good book! Steve, how about a two-volume set next time, one for the armchair and one for the trail? Though there is information about Canyon hiking routes, this is not a trail guide; you'll want to get Scott Thybony's or Sharon Spangler's book for that, or one of several others that are available. But it is valuable reading for anyone planning to spend time in one of our most magnificent parks, and certainly worth tossing into your suitcase, if not into your backpack.

I agree with everything the previous reviewer said, except that I really like the overviews of Canyon geology and so on, and don't feel that those make to book too heavy to be useful as a field guide. This is probably the best and most informative guide for a hiker or visitor to the Grand Canyon to take along.

I was disappointed in The Arizona Handbook. If you're planning on driving in the state, you won't be able to use the book to plan your trip. The book lacks details such as mileages between cities, and orientations on how to get to cities or sites, are not given (e.g. there is no indication of the route to take between the North and South Rims, am important detail). In other respects,it provides too much information and not enough commentary. For example, it lists restaurants and accomodations in various areas, but does not rate them or give you an idea on which of the many places is recommended, or even which would be a good place to stay. I'm not saying not to buy the book, but if you do, you'll need to buy another one to supplement it. It's definitely not a complete handbook.

Recently my wife and I planned a trip to Eastern Arizona. We got copies of all the available guidebooks to Arizona and began going through them for information. It soon became clear that Bill Weir's book had by far the most information. He has been everywhere. The book is well-written, authoritative without being pedantic, and is nicely laid out so that it is easy to use. We especially appreciate his coverage of hiking trails.

When we use an Arizona guidebook the first thing we do is crack it open to its section on Flagstaff, where we live. When we did this, we found that the book passed the acid test. This is the best book of its kind, and the one that we will use from now on.

With its 600 pages of text and 32-page index, you immediately sense that this seventh edition was written by a person who knows Arizona extremely well. Flagstaff resident Bill Weir really packs in the practical details of travel, making it unnecessary to spend time wading through the myriad brochures available at roadside tourist information centers. Bill has done that job for us, and he intersperses just the right mix of historical photos, maps, sidebars, and charts to make our trip a real learning experience. Visitors, local residents, and libraries alike will find this in-depth handbook a veritable cornucopia of all things Arizonan.

The River is Mine: A refreshing splash of foolhardy pioneer derring-do. Based on the diary of one member of the party, we join the band of suicical explorers plunging blindly down uncharted waters with high hopes of succeeding either in making the headlines of history or the obits.

Ardian Gill's The River Is Mine is a superbly crafted novel of John Wesley Powell's 1869 exploration of the Green and Colorado rivers and the Grand Canyon. Vibrantly and vividly told, embracing both the expedition's hardships and the majesty of the Grand Canyon itself, The River Is Mine is a highly recommended, powerful presented, and emotionally involving fictionalization which is accurately based on a genuine historical episode of 19th Century American exploration.

I marvel at the language I find in this narrative. It seems to move with the river and follow its powerful flow through a land that is both marvelous and frightening. Perhaps this clear, fluent language is the result of Mr. Gill's years of examining things through a camera lense and bringing images to light in darkrooms. Mr. Gill is obviously armed with the perfect vocabulary to write this book of men's actions on the big brown god full of dragons and sacred places where light and word converge to produce a beautiful narrative.

This book is just 71 pages long, and though it did offer a few very nice tips for writing personal notes, such as Invitations, Sympathy notes, Congratulations and Thank yous, it was a pretty simple book that I think all of us could have come up with if we gave it a shot. The most helpful thing I found was the author's advice to send quick notes on paper for times when you just know the receiver's life is stressful, like when a family pet dies, or a person loses their job, or even for good times, a son graduates, a friend publishes a poem etc... I hadn't thought of all that. These days with electronic communication it is easy to forget how meaningful some lasting words on paper can be. You can read this book in an hour, and it does pack some pretty good advice in those 71 pages.

This is a wonderful book because sometimes you don't
have the words to express yourself in certain situations. For example, you may have had a sudden death in the family, or write a nice letter to thank someone, or personal birthday card, or just a thinking about you card. This a great book for personal touches to any letter or note you may want to write.

Absolutely beautifully written with concrete examples of lovely handwritten notes for every occasion - I can't say enough about this book. I only wish I had this book sooner - it is the perfect guide to writing thank you letters, accepting and declining invitations, and the hardest letters of all - sympathy letters. The book suggests beautiful phrasing that is sincere and believable. Very highly recommended.