As another reviewer says, this is not a comprehensive guide. It is a guide to the places and experiences people who know the Sierra dream about--the Muro Blanco, Kaweah Basin, Tehipite Valley; spring runoff and fall color. This book is like a wish list for the Sierra insider.

It's also a labor of love, a celebration of the author's own experiences in the Sierra. Arnot's sheer enthusiasm for his subject is so endearing that it overcomes any criticism I have of his writing, which is often awkward. (With a better editor, it would get 5 stars.)

This book is good winter reading for experienced backpackers. It is not a comprehensive guide to the Sierra (for that, Secor's "The High Sierra" is the best). Rather, Arnot picks his favorite hikes and describes them in considerable detail. Most of the hikes he describes are ambitious undertakings that bring one to the less commonly reached areas of the Sierra--not the hikes most people would want to begin with. For anyone reasonably familiar with the Sierra, his book is a pleasure to read, and a source of ideas for future trips

This story was ok but I have listened to better romance stories and the characters the guy named Nevada and the lady named Cherish Blassingame are ok. It was ok to listen to once but it's not an audio cassette recording I would listen to again and so it wasn't a keeper.

I just want to order the sequal to "NEVADA NIGHTS" WOULD SOMEONE EMAIL ME WITH THAT ANSWER?

Two slim volumes. Maps. Some photographs. Adequate, but not much more. For neophytes.

Add another $20 to the purchase price and buy his 1970 hardcover edition, which is incredible.

A must buy for any ghost town enthusiast!

This is a pretty good guidebook. The publisher (Chockstone Press) is the best I have used, and the durability of construction is second to none. The book contains a nice history, as well as some other essentials for the climber interested in visiting this area. I was disappointed with the topographic climbing maps (some routes have them, some do not), as they are not very detailed or easy to read, however, they are adequate and there is nothing better on this area out there (that I have seen). The text route descriptions are good enough to use with the topo's to find your way up and down. Overall, I think this is a good guidebook, yet it needs to be updated perhaps to include better climbing topo maps as well as one for each route listed. azdz@mindspring.com

The excellence of this book is due to three things, in addition to the fine quality of the writing.

First, by concentrating on an arguably "100 best climbs", not only does the reader learn useful route information but the authors have distilled here some of the best climbs the Sierra has to offer. Second, the format of a single page of route description and history, faced with a (usually outstanding) photograph of the mountain, really whets one's appetite for the climb! Third, most route descriptions are obviously left a little vague on purpose, leaving you some thrill of discovery if you attempt the climb.

I am familiar with a number of the routes described in the book, and the authors have done a fine job of selection. There are many excellent ones to choose from, no matter what your taste.

To know something about long distance hiking, is to know Henry Stark is accurate when he presents the scenario between himself and his partners in Sierra Story. What was it in their personalities that attracted them to each other in the first place, and why such unspoken animosity and rancor that leads to the dissolution of their friendship? Mr. Stark's assessment of national park policy on black bear management, is also an interesting read. They have turned what is instinctively a shy and solitary species, into a scrap food dependent, pack traveling, harassing animal. You will enjoy reading Sierra Story. The author's lessons on adapting can be applied to a new job, new home, or nature's environment. Long distance hikers speak of a "brain drain" during their trek. Their mind clears of all it's material encumbrances, focusing only on the essentials. Mr. Stark's epiphany, on a pine scrub precipice in the Sierras, was enough to so change his life that the details are clear over twenty years later.

I really enjoyed this book, right from the opening paragraph which hooked me and left me wanting more. There is an exciting mix of adventure and history as Stark and two acquaintances set off on an expedition to the rugged Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The initial plan of a routine hiking holiday is soon disrupted as the three inexperienced friends face a series of hazardous events, both animal and environmental, in an extremely remote area. Before long, it's a quest for survival, of self- preservation of both body and mind.

Intertwined with the thrilling adventure narrative are the author's personal thoughts and feelings on the foundations of friendships (which are certainly put to the test on the trip) and marriage, of the environment and its preservation. Alone in the wilderness, he has time to reflect. This makes very interesting reading and certainly made me assess situations in my own life.

The subject matter will be of interest to a wide range of readers. Stark's picturesque descriptions of nature are appealing to all ages. There is plenty of background on the places visited to feed the historian. Conservationists will empathise with the plight of areas of natural beauty which have stood untouched for generations but which are now threatened by commercialism. Also, expeditioners beware: the three friends made certain errors in preparation for their trip which novice hikers would be advised to take note of!

All in all, a gripping tale with plenty of food for thought. The narrative is illustrated with some nice stills which give you a good feel for the events over the course of the trip; although I thought that they would be even better in colour.

As stated, in this book Frank Blake, the GRANDSON of Whip Holt, gets his day in the sun, becoming the main focal point for the rest of the series.

This novel does a fine job illustrating the rise of socialist ideals in the 1890's, showing how Frank Blake could easily be turned by socialist thought into rejecting his upbringng, and then showing his folly in doing so.

The brother on brother conflict was wondefully done and this book is far better then could be expectted.

Recommended, especially for those who are interested in the history of socialism in America.

I haven't finished the book yet, but just had to respond to the first synopsis you have printed, which is the same as on the back of the book itself. Frank Blake is NOT the great-grandson of Whip Holt! He is the GRAND son period. Frank's mother is Cindy Holt Blake who is the daughter of Whip Holt -- right? That makes Frank her son the grand son of the whipster. How in the world could something this simple get past the final editing process? There are lots of inconsistancies in the Holt books -- the Wagons West and Holt Dynasty series, both. Like on the family tree printed in the front of some of the books it shows Claudia as having two husbands -- wrong. She was a widow when she married Sam Brentwood. Then came Sam and then Mr. Locke. The stories are very enjoyable, but come on editors remember who did what to whom and when.

Just a word of warning: you can breeze through this book in 15 minutes. It's *very* small, and half of the book is pictures. Also, given the rapidly changing face of Vegas nightlife, it's going to get out of date quite quickly (not to mention omissions). Still, it's an okay little guide that might point out 1 or 2 lounges or afterhours clubs you didn't know about. Still, I would not suggest this as your only guide to nightlife or dining in Vegas. I would definetly suggest pairing this with another book, or even better, going with someone 'in the know'.

Even if you're not a Gen Xer you will love this guide. The photos say it all and the reviews are definetly not your usual boring blahness. A fun book! All you need is this guide and those leather pants your dying to wear and you're set for an all-nighter in sin city!

The problem with this guide is it was written in the 30's and the trailhead info is not totally reliable. For hardcore JMT fans this is a must-read.

Having grown up in the John Muir Wilderness as a Boy Scout, I can attest to the greatness of the guide. Its size and intricate, step ny step trial guidance is second-to-none. An absolute must-read for anyone even remotely contemplating a trek between Mount Whitney and Yosemite. Despite the fact that the information in the guide originates in the 1930's, it is still relevant today and provides a very sound planning tool for Scouters and "civilians" alike. I recommend it highly for another reason: It fits in the outer pocket of my backpack!

This is a great general reference map of Vegas...but is a little out of date as it only shows 215 as it is now finished.

This small folding laminated map can be much more convenient that a standard paper folding road map. I've used both, and found that the Rand McNally road map uses such a small scale that it's annoyingly difficult to read. By contrast, the Streetwise Las Vegas map is much easier, as its scale is larger and the text is printed in an easy-to-read font.

A word of warning: This map does not cover all of the city of Las Vegas. It definitely hits all of the main areas a tourist would be apt to go, from the airport to the downtown Fremont area, and from the strip to UNLV, and everything in between. But the suburbs of the city are not covered, so you'll need another map if you're planning on venturing out of the glitzy part of Vegas.

"A Suitable Job for a Woman" contains 16 chapters written in the author's pen (which incorporates various female detective's interviews) and 16 short episodes recorded directly from their voice. The book also contains 14 pages of an interview with the author Val McDermid, which reveals concisely her writing career till now. A short list of Val MacDermid's works is also included.

If "A Suitable Job for a Woman" can be proud of anything, it is absolutely the fascinating depiction of the real female detevtives' world. It is utterly intriguing to listen to their episodes that range from a repo-man mission in Watts, LA to take back a truck, to finding out an old boyfriend for an aged, perhaps dying lady, which sounds like, the detective herself says, "a real Mills and Boon story." It is also surprising to know that many of them are not only married but also got children and even grandchildren, and their ways of landing on the present jobs are as various as you can imagine. After reading these professionals' interviews, P. D. James' Cordelia Gray story does not look entirely fictional.

However, this book has two shortcomings. One is that as the author didn't have any interviews with male counterparts, it is hardly possible for us to figure out to what degree these portrayed activities of them represent characteristics of "female" detectives. Some jobs they do must be done by male detectives as well. (And it is very regrettable that the writer didn't go further to interview these female detectives' husbands and children, whose viewpoints would have enlarged the scope of the book.) The other problem is that though the author succeeds in describing female detectives' diversity and professionalism, their stories go almost unchecked. It is obvious and understandable that they would not talk about their failed jobs, but the interviewer seems content just to listen to the episodes they are willing to talk about. If I might add another drawback of the book, the voice of Val McDermid sounds sometimes hostile to male detectives (with whom she didn't interview, as I said) to champion female counterpart. It is totally unnecessary, even damaging, considering the already impressive accounts the female detectives submit here.

For all the author's previous career as a journalist, it is a book written by a fiction writer. If you're looking for P.D. James's scrupulous pen that could have revealed minutely every detalis of this unexplored world, you might be disappointed. Readable, well-written, but as a personal journal. This world deserves much more thorough research.

The book's title pays homage to P.D. James' 1972 novel, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, featuring fictional female PI, Cordelia Gray. McDermid has written an entertaining book comparing and contrasting real, live female PIs in the U.S. and Great Britain with those created by mystery authors like herself. McDermid's book is replete with interviews with women earning their living as private investigators who share their techniques and attitudes and occasional invasion-of-privacy law suits.

One of McDermid's chapter headings is "Wonder Women" in which she concludes that "women do make better detectives." After reading A suitable Job for a Woman, I'm convinced!

By the way, amazon.com is inaccurate in including Nevada Barr as a co-author. All she contributed was a page and a half "Forward." So don't get sucked into buying the book for the wrong reasons; it's worth the price on its own merits. Certainly, McDermid is as good a writer as Barr and doesn't need any phony crutches.