James Fadely provides a masterful depiction of personalized politics in a demographically swing state, then as now. Includes insider views of Taggart's critical last minute push for Senator Samuel Ralston's presidential nomination in the horrendous Democratic Convention of 1924. Serves as good contrast to Robert Murrray's "The 103rd Ballot: Democrats and the Disaster in Madison Square Garden".

Paul Piana and Todd Skinner are well known in the world of climbing. But some folks don't know that Paul first climbed in the Needles, in the early seventies. His descriptions of the routes are sometimes sketchy, but this is nonetheless the classic book on climbing in the Black Hills. He includes some maps of the various areas, and a good introductory section on the history of climnbing in the area. Some interesting biographical notes, including Herb and Jan Conn, some Yosemite greats and others.

The Penrose family shines again in this essential guide to our great lakes lighthouses...."the castles of the midwest". Keep it in your car while traveling the great lakes coast line and you'll find an adventure around every bend!

Traverse City and the Beautiful Surrounding Area captures an enchanting view of Northern Michigan. The photographs certainly captured the distinctive spirit of this "Up North" four seasons paradise. The visit during the National Cherry Festival is only one of the area's draws and you can see why so many people want to move to this part of Michigan.

I really liked this book for its brutal honestly about plant habits - which trees & shrubs will die back in Zone 4, which need protected sites, which sucker, which are not that attractive. It has an extensive list of cultivars for species - I just wish I knew where to find some of them! My only disappointment is the lesser number of pictures in this edition as opposed to the original.

This book is perhaps the best source of trout stream information I have come across. Most books of this type tend to tell you about their experiences on a particular stream, but this book offers you the opportunity to experience it for yourself. The book has been an incredible resource for me in finding smaller trout streams and lesser-known "hot-spots". BUY THIS BOOK! I can't stress this enough.

Fred Arey's book is an exhaustive compendium of bicycle trails, paths, and routes in the Greater Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. I have found it to be remarkably accurate and informative. On numberous occasions I have taken the maps in the book along with me on my rides and have not been lost since. The author also has a humourous style of writing that is pleasant to follow. I will definately buy the next release of this remarkable guide!

For the Twin Cities and surrounding area, this is the best map book of it's kind. It has sections describing many of the important sites, great downtown maps for Minneapolis and St. Paul plus a number of the smaller cites and towns near by. It has nice color detail, zip codes and easy to use directions for finding places of interest.

After attending a luncheon with both Roscoe and DeMott, I found their memories and visions to be quite insightful. They both have charming personalities, and I definitely recommend that anyone with ties to the Midwest should read this book.

A great buy for the money. My kids really enjoyed it.