This book serves the road bicyclist with an interest in recreational riding, regional history and natural features of Wisconsin. The 30-some tours described are evenly distributed over the state, and each is no more than about 30 miles in length.

If you like biking, rustic roads, local history and small-town cafes, you will appreciate this book. This book reminds me of the "Touring the Backroads" books for motorists designed for appreciating history at a small-town, local level. However, the focus is primarily on good cycling routes. Introductory notes by the author indicate that Wisconsin cycling clubs contributed their favorite routes to this work--a credit to the author's trust in real experience.

Features you'll appreciate: (1) template-style presentation of routes--safety, difficulty, length, time required, highlights, route diagram, route cue sheet, narrative profile, etc.; (2) discusses suitability of rides with respect to children or older adults; (3) tips on rest stops and food; (4) physical size of book makes it easy to carry while you ride.

If want to extend or shorten a described route, you'll have to do it on your own. For the most part, the route descriptions don't suggest variations. Look for maps published by the Bicycling Federation of Wisconsin or a bicycling club in the region, if you need to tailor a route.

The book is a good history of the St. Croix River that is now the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The book was originally written in 1964/5 and this version is only updated in the introduction so the history ends before Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Dunn does give a thorough history of the river prior to 1965. The book is a good read especially if you are from the Minnesota Wisconsin area.

Many American literature textbooks cover the topic of Transcendentalism with selections from just Emerson and Thoreau. Why they don't include some of the essays of Margaret Fuller is a mystery, especially in our current age of political correctness and emphasis on diversity. She provides a woman's opinion of life in general and of the landscape and people of the Midwest in particular in this, her first published book.


_Summer on the Lakes, in 1843_ is first and foremost a travelogue of Fuller's tour of the Midwest, and we follow her to Chicago and Milwaukee and into rural Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Her trip not only predates her friends' visits to the same area (Emerson first came through by stagecoach in 1850, and Thoreau took the train in 1861) but it also offers more observations about the people and the living conditions out on the prairie. Fuller had more time to spend roaming and adventuring, and she seems to have been more interested in the local culture than the men later were. (Or perhaps Emerson and Thoreau figured that Margaret Fuller had already provided the world with descriptions of the region, so they need not bother.) Midwestern readers should particularly enjoy the historic look at familiar landscapes, written at a time when white settlements were just beginning to congeal and take hold.


Secondarily, Fuller focuses much of her writing on the plight of American Indians and also of women in general. She had read a great deal about the native people and seems disappointed to find that most of the Black Hawk War survivors had already moved west by the time of her visit. She also points a critical eye to the fate of the members of her gender who were helping to eke out a living on the prairie: "The great drawback upon the lives of these settlers, at present, is the unfitness of the women for their new lot." ... All domestic labor "must often be performed, sick or well, by the mother and daughters, to whom a city education has imparted neither the strength nor skill now demanded." (p. 38) And yet, many of the people she meets seem to be happy; and while life is hard and without most amenities, entertainment (even the occasional piano!) and merriment can abound.


The narrative tends to languish when Fuller digresses into long-winded stories of the plights of specific women she either knew personally or heard about second- or even thirdhand. While these plot interruptions get tedious to the casual reader, they are further glimpses of feminine life in the early 19th century. Seen in that light, they can provide interesting diversions to the travelogue.


Original illustrations by Fuller's traveling companion, Sarah Ann Clarke (sister of James Freeman Clarke) augment the text. This edition's introduction by Susan Belasco Smith helps to bring perspective to the trip and the writing. Recommended especially for residents of northern Illinois and to anyone interested in Midwestern history, transcendentalism, or women's studies. [This reviewer was an Illinois resident when these comments were written.]

A truly wonderful book! This coffee table format book by Canadian couple Gary and Joanie McGuffin tells the story of their 2,000 mile circumnavigation of Lake Superior - the largest expanse of fresh water in the world. The book contains approx 140 wonderful photographs, many of them breathtaking. Gary McGuffin is a very talented photographer who has created many unique photos of this great, beautiful lake. He has made use of unusual lighting on many occassions to produce stunning photos. I particularly liked some of the winter shots - I could feel the chill looking at the photos of the ice-lined caves. The personal narrative of the couple's trip was written by Joanie and is an interesting read however could have been made better by inclusion of maps. Also the layout makes reading difficult at times with the type sometimes extending across the full width of the page. The book is superbly produced - printed in Canada - with excellent photo reproductions on high quality paper. At 28 bucks this book is excellent value...well worth buying for the photos alone.

This book is for those of us that spent our summers at the lake cabin or resort. It brings back memories of my summers as a kid and thing that we did. Its also for adults that have spent time there. When I think of the lake I think of this book. It has become part of our cabin reading.

pretty good, but could be better with photos instead of drawings

Very good book. It shares the knowledge that this land was inhabited long before Columbus was even born. There are many artifacts proving that many cultures lived and died here. The evidence is staggering. Worth the money and time to read it. I only wish Shaffer would have given more information.

This book is in the same good-looking and useful format as Haggard's first book on perennials. Each plant, tree or shrub has its own page of description, with a picture on the facing page. It's a personal book - these are the plants that over the years (and you can see how many by comparing the author picture on this book with his earlier one) Haggard has discovered really work. If you are making decisions about design, and know nothing about trees, this is very useful. It not only gives some interesting alternatives to the old standbys, it also contains good information on light, water, soil, and ultimate size (which can be critical for shrubs or trees). I've used his advice over and over, and he has never steered me wrong. I met him a while back when he gave a beautiful slide show (he does his own photography) and I was a novice. He was down to earth (so to speak), and equally kind to me as to the local gardening bigwigs.

The book is about the emigration of the Burlend family from rural England to the wilds of Illinois in the 1830s. It gives us a glimpse into the life of this family through the eyes of Rebecca Burlend...the decisions to be made, the sorrow of leaving home for the unknown, and the hardships they would face once they arrived in the new world. As a decendent of this courageous woman and her family, I am proud to recommend this book.

As a former student of "Davis Many Voices" I really enjoyed this book. The storys in the book can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages. The drawings are really good and it is a easy reader. This is the type of book you can read on a rainy day.