Abandoned for centuries and overgrown by dense subtropical forest, this awesome city in the sky has been the subject of speculation and conjecture since Hiram Bingham first disclosed it in 1911. Now, for the first time, the wonders of Machu Picchus' construction and water supply are revealed in a new book by Kenneth R. Wright and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. Anyone who has read Bingham's Lost City of the Incas, or who has visited this ancient city of the Incas or who yearns to journey there, should read this new and searching volume that delves into and solves many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu. Why was it built, how the site was selected, and what were the critical criterial criteria that were met to make the ridge top site suitable for an alternate home for the Inca Pachacuti? Machu Picchu served as a residence, a fortress and a holy place. The developement of a water supply, the construction of terraces for agriculture and the remarkable and enduring granite structures were well concealed by its unique location. Near vertical cliffs, the roaring Urubamba river all contributed to the concealment of Machu Picchu from the Spanish invaders How an ancient people, without the written word, without instruments and steel tools so capably built and prospered there for more than a century is now revealed in this landmark book that will increase both the awe and respect of the reader for the Inca people.

Machu Picchu, A Civil Engineering Marvel is an extraordinary accomplishment. It is not merely a travel book or ruins guide. It is the result of at least five years of study, exploration and detailed mapping by a competent civil engineer and actually is a tremendous contribution to serious archaeology on the history and accomplishments of the Peruvian Inca empire.

Mr. Wright, a water engineering specialist, worked with close cooperation with a government archaeological expert from Peru headquarters. His particular specialized interest was the drinking and waste disposal system for the people who inhabitated the site, which is called a "palace" but is actually much more than that. He also detailed the construction of the agricultural terraces. It is a scholastic textbook of the first rank.

I expected a civil engineering perspective on one of my favorite subjects, Machu Picchu, to be at least a little dry. Machu Picchu; A Civil Engineering Marvel is anything but. The book melds technical information on a compelling topic with observations, insights and scads of breathtaking photographs. The result is a technically substantial engineering survey presented as a coffee-table book. I have read a lot of materials on Machu Picchu, yet I can't remember the last time I encountered so much new information in one place. The book explores such engineering facets of Machu Picchu as planning, hydrology, hydraulics, drainage, agriculture and construction, and demonstrates why these things are significant and interesting. Machu Picchu; A Civil Engineering Marvel breathes extra life into this basic information by providing context, analysis, archaeological perspective and even a walking guide for touring the site.

Machu Picchu; A Civil Engineering Marvel has application, understandability and appeal for such diverse individuals as anthropologists, archaeologists, travelers, scenery-lovers and historians, as well as engineers. Machu Picchu buffs like myself will certainly enjoy the book's refreshing, new angle.

I recently returned from a trip to Peru and Bolivia, and I found this Guidebook to be as necessary a part of my visit to Machu Picchu as my backpack, water and camera were. Ms. Wright and her fellow contributors have created a Guidebook that enhanced my experience beyond my expectations. Thank you, Ms. Wright, et al.!! Her suggested route through the site is not only accurate and detailed, in words, pictures and maps, but helped me see and begin to understand this amazing place through the eyes of someone who has spent a great deal of time there. Her comments and suggestions molded my visit, allowing me to see as much as possible, at my own pace, without feeling as if I missed anything. I even quizzed some fellow travelers who had hired local guides and I found they had overlooked several details, both large and small, that Ms. Wright's Guidebook is chock full of. The only difficulty I had in following her suggested path was getting from the Sacred Rock area (Conjunto 6) up to the Petroglyph. The description of the route became unclear and due to time constraints, I never did visit it. But other than that minor glitch, this Guidebook should be required for anyone considering a trip to Machu Picchu! Brava, Ms. Wright!

There are some things in life that appeal mainly to the connoisseur: others you would have to have a heart of stone not to be touched by. Machu Picchu belongs to the latter category. It makes a huge impression on all who see it. However, while it is both possible and pleasant to wander around the ruins in a dream-like state, soaking up the atmosphere, most people would appreciate the Incas' achievements all the more if they understood more about the functions of the various buildings and the problems that had to be overcome, e.g. in supplying the city with water. I have visited Machu Picchu twice and considered myself fairly well informed but learnt a great deal from each chapter of this book. Anyone who reads the book, and better still takes it along and uses it at the site in the manner intended by the authors, will get even more out of their visit than they would otherwise. Next time I go Machu Picchu, whenever that will be, I will see things in a new light.

Hats off to publisher Johnson Books for making this wonderful ... book available to serious travelers headed for Machu Picchu. The book is accurate and reliable besides being easy to read and understand. Wright and Valencia have provided an insight to Machu Picchu that far exceeds what the best local guides can explain and without their lore and myths aimed at foreign tourists. The 8 pages of glorious colored photographs complement the 160 black and white pictures and sketches. The fold-out colored map is a reduction of the map already hanging on the Fourth Floor of the Denver Art Museum. This book is a must for tourists, architects, engineers and archaeologists wanting to visit Machu Picchu someday. Those who have already visited the lost city of the Inca will appreciate it even more. Upon finishing the book, you will appreciate the pre-Columbian Inca people who created this masterpiece royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti.

The most beautiful book about Lhasa Apsos I have seen before. Wonderful photos and information about breeders around the world. Complete document about whelping and care of the long hairy dogs.

Well, this explendid book i read it in only one night, is ver original, i have never read something like this, the author write very clearly so you can understand the book. Read it!

If you are interested in military history this series is a tremendous education while at the same time being engrossing. Done approximately 100 years after the conflict the author travels throughout the arena of the conflict trying to describe what the battlefields look like and how the campaign and battles unfolded. A must read to understand the geopolitics of the 1800's which this conflict and the subsequent defeat of Napoleon were driven by and which shaped the next 100 years.

Quite simply a book Mr. Valtos will be remebered for.

I have owned 3 copies of this book...the most recent being the 1996 version. The book is an absolute wonderland of information about fishing, camping, siteseeing,....ad infinitum - on the great(ist) state to the north - Alaska. I have been saved many times (gas, motels, food) by referencing this book while traveling in the north. My fist experience with Milepost was in 1982 when we drove the Alcan and Cassiar highways to Alaska. If you take this type trip without this book it is like working with half your brain!! (or less). It can't be recommended enough, even if you are flying into Alaska and renting a car (or taking a taxi, or a float plane!!).

This is the best source for travel to Alaska, whether you are traveling by car, plane or cruiseship. I bought a copy to plan my trip last May ('97). I was traveling alone, and was not renting a car.

The guide lists shuttle services, train services, ferries, phone numbers for major and minor attractions, and has a fairly comprehensive listing of all hotels, motels, B&B's, restaurants, etc. The book list everything, milepost by milepost, for every region of the state. It will save you time and money. This will become your bible for travel in and around Alaska!

This is a book to take with you for saving those souvenirs like ticket stubs, postcards, brochures, etc. and the memories from the trip of a lifetime!

If your budget allows for only one guidebook -- this is THE BEST, bar none!

I made a trip from Atlanta, GA to Alaska this summer and wore down this book in a few short days. The confusing, lonley (and sometimes unpaved) miles of road North demand exactly the kind of detail The Milepost provides. The book also includes practical info on gas stations, food, and where to find your next drink. Don't go North without it.

This book is convenient. But you can also find many things online for free if you are willing to do some research.

If I was ever able to drive the Alaska Highway, the only way I'd do it is w/the MILEPOST. It's very detailed & I've found it fun just looking through the book & checking out all the websites. It's a must-have!

The Milepost provides the Alaska and Yukon bound drivers with all of the support (lodging, gas stations, dining, vehicle repairs, medical, etc.) and sight-seeing information needed to have a safe, comfortable and informative journey. It details this information on mile-by-mile basis which allows the traveler to know the joys and potential hazards of the trip. It also provides this same detail for all of the major roads that lead to and from the Alaska Highway - within NW Canada and throughout Alaska. Also a necessary reference for the traveler who flys to Alaska and rents a car in Anchorage or Fairbanks. It also provides history and trivia of many of the little towns in the Alaska Wilderness. Alaska adventurers should also consider getting Discovering Denali if they are going to explore Denali National Park.

I was skeptical about my enjoyment of reading this book. I'm not in to mystical, spiritual, visions or happenings and thought this book would be so unrealistic and far out that I would probably not really like it. I WAS WRONG! Within the first couple of pages I was there right along side the leading female character. I found I would often change sides depending upon what was transpiring at the time. I would come to side with almost each and every character understanding their plights and their reasonings. Interesting is not a strong enough description when reading this book...captivating is. I was brought in right from the beginning and honestly hated to put it down. The author has a phenomenal imagination and to think, it was all dreamt--the characters, their names, the situations, the outcome, etc. And there's more to come. She has used all the spectrums of love that I could think of. The ultimate being loving someone so much you sacrifice for their freedom. She has a knack for putting all the types of love into perspective shown by the characters and their pursuits. She shows us that things really are not what they seem sometimes. We need more information before arriving at conclusions. We can change; we can grow; we can live with happiness as the outcome if we have faith and we love those around us as we love ourselves. It's okay to doubt; it's okay to stray a bit; it's imperative to forgive and to, therefore, ask for forgiveness. Unfortunately, I was only allowed to rate this book with five stars. If more stars were offered, I would have used them. I had to stop many times for reflection of a situation or to reread some of the previous paragraphs again so I could fully understand the implications that were being demonstrated through this remarkable writing. I am a candidate for the next adventure of this author no matter what the subject matter. Simply put, it is good reading.

This is the beautiful love story of two people brought together by very unusual circumstances, but in spite of intrigue, treachery and civil war going on around them, their love, once discovered, never wavers. Enhancing this are the ingredients of mysticism and spirituality.This is a book with the setting so vividly described, one feels part of it and wants to hurry to the end to see what happens and having done so feels at a loss because there is no more. It is a story to read over and over again while waitingfor the sequel.

I have read this book three times. In each time, that I have picked this book, I could not stop, and I had to read the full book in one go. Why? Because the author, is very good. I shall say, that in the characters and personalities of each one of the different aspects of one, this author writes with an intense passion and love, for faith, for a better world, and above all what should be to humanity, the Love of A man for a Woman, and the Love of a Woman for a Man. I must recognize and I wish that this book would be translated to more languages, to allow all the people of the world to read, this fascinating Song of Turand, which is not only a Song of faith and Love. It goes beyond human imagination, and it goes direct into your soul. And this author, Sandra Valencia, made me read this same book three times, by its humanity, by its paths, by Love. How strange is the world, not to recognize that human love is so precious to one's soul, as the food, or the water one has to drink to survive. Our soul and our heart and our body, do need so much this Love, so rare these days. To the ones that God do bless, with such a kind of Love, I am sure, that this book worths the kindness and the appreciation of one, that loves Literature. To the strength of this Author, to the prespective of facts and how to bring them to us, makes this Book a Unique one. One, that one must never forget, because, Love exists and faith too. The power of Love, is there, so, do grab it and hold in the palms of your hands, because, one who possess this book, for sure, possess Love, and friendship. Because Love, is more than Love is also, the apprentiship of Friendship and the values of the world. I thank to the Author, for bringing to public such a beautiful book. Thank you Sandra Valencia, for the Song of Turand.

Journey to Machu Picchu is not a travel guide, but a glimpse at the magic and spirituality of the Peruvian Andes. A mixture of folk lore, the authors' personal experience, stories from living Quechuans (the direct blood line of the Inca), this book isn't for everyone. But, if you're interested in the spritual aspect of Machu Picchu or the Andes, then this is required reading.

Carol and Romulo have writen a beautiful description about an wounderful location. Filling the reader with an understanding of why Machu Picchu intrigues so many people, encouraging a deeper love for the region.

Whether you travel to Peru in person or in spirit, this book will guide you. The authors share their vast knowledge of all things Andean, going far beyond Machu Picchu and other sites of Peru in much greater depth than the usual tour books. This book is very readable, very approachable, and the reader comes to know how deeply the authors love Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the people of the Andes. The book is enhanced by outstanding stories of the people and by splendid photography (color as well as black and white).

Bottom line: I love this book.

The book has the information of an encyclopedia without the dryness and some might say without the organization. It is like a syncopated fountain, flowing with details, dotted with definitions and poetic words of the people. Information is often repeated in different contexts so that at the end the reader has really learned something. That something is likely to be very personal to each reader. It may include a knowledge of Andean cosmology and a familiarity with the three worlds of Hanakpacha (upper world, represented by the condor), Kaypacha (present world, represented by the puma), and Ukhupacha (lower or inner world, represented by the snake). Along the journey, the reader will come to know and feel the protection of the apukuna (deities of the mountains) and to appreciate the connection we all have to Pachamama and to each other. The reader can also delve into sacred sites, healing ceremonies, daily life, the rich language, dream material, medicinal healing techniques, and so many other subjects.

Like an incredible tapestry, the book weaves together the personal stories of the authors, plus the tales and traditions of many others. One of the most moving "stories" in the book is related by Aurelio Aguirre, telling of his experience as a guide for an Italian group, whose members may have literally saved his life. The tale keenly illustrates the interconnectedness of spiritual seekers--the learning and teaching and healing that ties us together, whether Andean or not, whether traveling in person or through books, in fact whether "seeking" or not.

This reviewer is no expert on Peru, but I recently returned from my first trip there, during which time this book was published. I know that when (not if) I return to the Andes, this book will accompany me. While in Peru, I had the good fortune to meet Carol Cumes and some of the people whose stories fill this book. They are real, as authentic as can be.

Enjoy this book and see where the journey takes you!