My girlfriend and I recently took some of Ropers advice on a Mt. Conness Loop 5 day hike in Yosemite. It was an increadible trip. Roper gives just enough hints to get you there but few enough to make it still feel like exploring. Be advised however when he referes a section of your hike as 'adventurous' or 'exciting' he means it. We pushed ourselves to the physical and mental limit on this trip.

This book outlines a magnificent experience following an off-trail, higher version of the Muir Trail through the High Sierra. We have followed most of Roper's route over several years: sometimes we thought we were lost or overwhelmed, but it always turned out fine, and usually excellent. He treads a fine line between complete instructions that would allow no mistakes, and an experience that gives the hiker their own opportunity for route-finding, discovery, and growth. This is one of our favorite books, and we keep an intact copy plus another one torn apart for each journey and sometimes given away to people met along the way who need it. We still travel the trail some of the time, but genuinely value this alternative farther away from the crowds.

I made good use of this book to plan a wonderful cross-country trip in the Sierra. Roper was kind of vague at times, but I never got lost.

The route he described was breath-taking. I intend to use this book to plan next summer's trip.

"Urban Art Chicago: A Guide to Community Murals, Mosaics, and Sculptures," is both an excellent reference work and a beautiful art book. This volume, by Olivia Gude and Jeff Huebner, is a tribute to the neighborhood public art of the city of Chicago.

The book contains a short, but fascinating, history of the mural movement in Chicago. According to the authors, this artistic outpouring began in 1967, when 20 artists began work on the "Wall of Respect," a pictorial tribute to African-American culture.

The book is divided up by neighborhoods. Each section contains a street map, so you can actually use the book to find the murals that have been photographed. 125 murals are pictured in the book. These works of art span many themes and styles. Each photograph is accompanied by essential information about the mural. Also adding to the book's usefulness is a bibliography and a collection of capsule biographies of major artists in the mural movement.

It's hard to pick out just a few representative works from this magnificent collection. But my favorites include the following: William Walker's "Childhood Is Without Prejudice," with its interlocking faces of many races; Christopher Tavares Silva's "Soaring Toward Excellence," a symbolic, energetic celebration of books and education; Aurelio Diaz' "Latino Youth, Inc." mural, with its stunning pre-Columbian imagery; and Jeff Zimmerman's "Paid Programming," a visual satire in which the United States flag is morphed into a bar-code. But these are just a few of the eye-catching works in this book. Explore "Urban Art Chicago," and feel the rhythms of the people of a great city.

Urban Art Chicago covers community murals, mosaics and sculptures in Chicago and is a recommended pick for any collection which would include urban or regional American public pieces. Maps and background information accompanies color photos of the works and insights on their producers. An outstanding presentation.

Urban Art Chicago is a beautifully produced guide to many of Chicago's murals and would be an excellent gift for any school teacher. It begins with a history of the mural movement in Chicago and includes well detailed maps, guides to the artists and communities who have created murals in Chicago, and excellently reproduced photographs of the murals themselves. It also provides a great way to introduce Chicago cultural studies, geography, history, language, folk culture, multi-cultural studies, and art to students.

What Two Can Do is a pageturner. The author succeeds in making a biography read like a novel. This book deserves to be bought and read by hordes of people, even those who have never heard of Sam and Mandy Stellman, on the basis of the morality they exemplify and on the writing model in which their story is couched.

To imagine that two pro-active people who effectively spent their lives championing social justice causes should be relatively unknown to the general population. Thank goodness this book has been written so we can all know how taking action can pay off in changes in laws, in habits and in the general climate for equality. A true inspiration. The book reads like a biography of two extraordinary people who could in fact be any one of us, and as a handbook for making change, for being responsible and accountable. It is an important document and I am going to see to it that several of my friends and family receive copies.

So you CAN fight city hall after all. And win! How encouraging to read about two ordinary people who get extraordinary results by simply writing letters (to the right people), by creatively directing their anger, by using humor and persuasion--and by occasionally employing humiliation and the threat of a lawsuit--to convince those in power to clean up their act. Inspiring, empowering, and so interesting to read. There's hope for all of us.

This book is very complete and informative. I was only familiar with Gov Dodge SP. After buying this book we planned 2 more camping trips to places we were unfamiliar with!! The details are great. Down to which campsites are shaded, gravel, good for RVs, etc.

Highly recommended!!

Living in WI and doing a lot of camping in state parks, I had been looking for a book like this for years. I actually started collecting all the Park Newspapers and creating my own scrapbook of parks, campsites etc. Then 3 years ago I found this book. WOW is saved me alot of time it has all the info for all the parks inclding campsite descriptions, hunting, hiking, fishing and concessions stand info.

As invaluable to someone recreating in WI as the Wisconsin Gazateer Map!!!

This book is a must-have if you plan on camping in any of the Wisconsin State Parks.

Not only does it contain the usual maps and information for each park, but it also has descriptions of the campsites by campsite number! In my opinion, the campsite descriptions alone make the book worth buying.

I frequently make reservations at a campground before I visit a particular park for the first time. In the past I was assigned the next available campsite number and I had no idea what it is like until I arrived at the park. Several times I arrived at the park only to find that my site was quite sloped or too small to put my tent on!

Now, before calling in the reservations I read the book and pick out a few campsites that are level, grassy, and partly shaded (my preference!) and ask for them by number. It makes the entire camping trip so much more enjoyable.

This guide is a necessity if you travel in Wisconsin. Our family has rediscovered old childhood haunts and discovered some of Wisconsin's natural treasures that were otherwise unknown to us. This book shares in-depth information vital to state park campers, such as electric sites, beach, nature programs, etc. You can really plan a tailor-made state park vacation based on the information in this book!

In Wisconsin's Outdoor Treasures, Tim Brewer showcases practical and informative field guide information for 150 of Wisconsin's most interesting and unique natural destinations ranging from the Mississippi River bluffs and backwaters to the forests of the great Northwoods, to the glacial hills and valleys hallmarking Wisconsin geology and topography. Wisconsin Outdoor Treasures offers the Wisconsin visitor, tourist, as well as born and bred native resident a wealth of places to hike, canoe, kayak, bike, backpack, camp out, enjoy the wildlife, and more. Here are scenic drives, cross-country ski and snowshoe suggestions, as well as the resource information for enjoy the simple solitude of waterfalls, lakes, scenic bluffs, and deep forests. From National and State parks and forests, to county parks, private natural preserves, wild and scenic rivers, and Wisconsin wildlife refuges, Wisconsin's Outdoor Treasures is a comprehensive, authoritative, occasionally inspiring compendium of places to go and things to do in the Badger State, spring, summer, fall or winter.

This book summarizes natural places in Wisconsin - I have found it most helpful with campsites. I am a beginning camper and it was great to see - at a glance - what resources and activities were available at the different campgrounds. I especially like that its chapters are based on sections of the state, making it easy to find a close location for a quick day trip or a destination farther away to take a longer vacation. It even includes contact information for the places listed, so you can call ahead to find out about special activities. Great book!!

Having read lots of "guidebooks" about cities both in the states and in other countries, I can confidently recommend this book as one of the most comprehensive and usable! As residents of the Twin Cities, our household brings out this book everytime we want to know more about a building we've seen, when we want to know how late the zoo is open, or when we can't decide where to have a great dinner out. It is fun to read, very well organized by areas of the cities, and includes great information, such as history of neighborhoods and buildings, menu recommendations for restaurants, and where to find "hidden" locales. Excellent!

Unlike all the other Minneapolis guide books i saw. this one has an entire chapter about the mall of america (which is the whole reason for our trip to minneapolis), but it lists and describes many of the stores (especially the unusual and unique ones), and it has interesting facts about the mall. The book also has great maps. And the best part is, it color codes it's entries. Parks and outdoor activities are printed in green, hotels are in blue, resturaunts in red, etc. This book was a huge help in planning what to do and how long to stay.

Unlike most travel guides on Chicago, Bill Franz's Alternative Chicago is designed for readers interested in what Chicago has to offer the visitor regarding counter-culture and neighborhood eccentric attractions. Franz offers a neighborhood-by-neighborhood exploration of hundreds of distinctively Chicago places like "Smuggler's Row", "Medusa's Circle", "The Ennui Cafe", and "Dr. Wax". This superbly original compendium of addresses, maps, store hours, and telephone numbers will enable the reader to create a truly unique, memorable, off-the-beaten-path trip whether they are an out-of-town newcomer or a long-time denizen and resident.

In Alternative Chicago, the author looks beyond the Sears tower or sightseeing in museums, because everyone probably already owns a travel book that lists those places as hot spots. He takes us into dingy bars where they sell the best beer, the record stores that sell rare vinyl, the book stores that sell nothing but leftist books, and of course the thrift stores where you can find the coolest clothes. This is written in succint, fresh language that other travel books wish they could emulate. You forget that this is a travel book and not your friend jotting down his favorite hangouts. It's much more than that, though. The author has icons to represent the different types of places these are - bars, clubs, record stores, sellers of knicknacks, clothing stores, sex shops, etc, as well as providing maps, hours of operation and telephone numbers to these places. He relates the good and the bad and tells us why. One thrift store is stinky; another sells slightly soiled mattresses. This is the detail that every traveler needs when planning a trip to Chicago. After all, you can't see it all.

Somehow Anna captures that peculiar feeling of knowing that your hometown is special and unique. This memoir reads like the best kind of novel - absorbing, enlightening and believable, never trite or sentimental. Reading this book to my kids was a great experience - they really got how things were in the "olden days": the day-to-day realities of living without electricity and indoor plumbing and the timeless importance of family and community.

For those of us born during the Great Depression of the 30's or World War 2, Anna's tales show us one small town in Middle America as our parents and grandparents experienced it. The poignant--and sometimes, comical--details of family and community life are recounted in the context of events on the national and international stage. My mother was Anna's friend, classmate, and neighbor. As she read each chapter, she exclaimed again and again, "She got it exactly right!"

Anyone who loves the Ozarks will be touched and moved by Leland Payton's photographs, which capture the hills, plains, parks, towns and people of the place in all of their rugged, yet fragile beauty. Books of regional photography often feature dirt-dry text, but not this one! Mr. Payton's brief history of the Ozark landscape is fresh, easy to read and full of interesting ideas. As an added bonus, he has included images from antique postcards and tour books, not to mention photos of wonderful vintage hillbilly souvenirs! This book is almost as much fun to explore as the Ozarks themselves.

THE BEAUTIFUL AND ENDURING OZARKS not only looks like the Ozarks, it has the feel of it. I live there. Ozark rivers are photographed in their best light. The region's folklore is integrated into the text. Really high quality book and true to its title. Perhaps the best flavor of the Ozarks in book form I've seen.

I grew up in Illinois, but only after I moved away did I learn that the vast midwestern sky is unique. Irving's panoramic photos capture the beauty of the open sky as no others I've seen. Whenever I'm homesick, if I need to see a midwestern thunderstorm, I open Irving's book and I'm there.

If you live in the Midwest or try to photograph it, this may be the best $20.97 you can spend. It is a book of inspiring, panoramic, color photos of rural Illinois. Gary pulls the beauty out of a landscape that most people, including photographers, usually ignore. This book has opened my eyes to the state I live it and given me photographic ideas that I was blind to before.