Charles Calhoun's MAINE is a departure from most travel guides. Rather than just pages and pages of lists of motels, restaurants, and things to see, Calhoun focuses on the state's people (past and present), natural history, and state-of-mind. Instead of simply an address and phone number for the famous L. L. Bean's (outdoor outfitters, for example, Calhoun gives us several pages, including the story of the founder of the company.

The book opens with a chapter entitled "Learning Maine" and is organized geographically into nine main sections which cover the entire state. The final chapter, "Practical Information" gives all the usual, plus "A Dozen Fun Places to Eat" and antiquarian booksellers. Scattered throughout the book are literary excerpts and topical essays by authors such as May Sarton, John McPhee, and Longfellow. There are maps, reproductions of period art, and plenty of gorgeous color photos. Whether the reader is planning a trip to Maine or merely wishes an intriguing armchair journey, this guide is a must.

Kimberly Borrowdale, Under the Covers Book Reviews

An excellent book to take along with you during your travels to Maine. The photos in this book are simply beautiful! The photographer, Thomas Mark Szelog actually lives in the lighthouse on the cover!! I was lucky enough to meet him and he was kind enough to show me some of his photgraphs. Absolutely beautiful work. This is a great book and I highly recommend it when you travel down east!

Don't let the title turn you off. This guide is complete. Read it, study it and be proud to carry it with you. It is just the best, full of honest reviews and recommendations. All of the info is current and up to date.

Marie Morris...I'd love to meet you. My husband and I LOVED this book. I found it to be better than most of the travelogue books because it was written with a personal, been-there-done-that attitude.

Whether I am at home or on the road, books like this one provide this traveller with a lot to do without having to go very far. Personally, I view Connecticut as one of those often overlooked states which gets unfairly dissed because of its close proximity to NYC.
In my case, I was abandoned by my husband who was attending a business conference. I wandered into a book store and found this little gem in the local interest section. On the way to Mystic Seaport, I checked out a few locations. Had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself thoroughly. My only regret was that I didn't have more time to cover all the locations cited in this book. However, even that was o.k. because I now have the impetus to return and check out other interesting places.
Travel books like these are a real treat for locals as well as visitors because they educate and also provide a sense of familiarity to often strange and/or unfamiliar places. They provide a different way of looking at a specific state or region.

If you want to explore interesting things in Connecticut, this is the book to start with. My son and I often do interesting things on Saturday mornings. Part of it is just "bonding time", but part of it is that mom works every other Saturday, so those days we have special freedom to do interesting things. And we do. During warm months, an emphasis is on hiking and outdoor activities. During cold months, if we are not sledding, we try more indoor activities.

Many of the things that we have done are in this book. I was pleasantly surprised. I bought this as a present for mom so that maybe she can join in more often (she does better if she has a picture in her mind and this book is full of pictures).

Explore Connecticut by visiting "everyday" places you might not have noticed. These are the kinds of places that out-of-staters might ask "have you been there" but the residents do not even know they exist -- right next door. Definitely worth taking a look at.

This is an excellent book for covered bridge finding. The directions are perfect to the tenth of a mile, roads are well defined as to location from the nearest town. Photo tips are very helpful. Plus, you get a short history about the bridge and the maker. I recently used this book to find several bridges in Vermont and was very happy that the information here is so pricise

Covered Bridges of Vermont was a delight to read. Have visited 103 of the ones he writes about, and the directions to them are very good, historical background accurate, and pictures are also very good. He gives tips for the best time of day to take photographs, taking into consideration the location of each bridge. No covered bridge enthuiast should be without a copy! He lists other places of interest as well. Now will have to find the ones we missed on our trips! Would have paid twice the price, and well worth it.

I lived and sailed Narragansett Bay all my life and never knew the history behind all I was looking at. Excellent book and great fishing section!

I always wondered what those old ruins were hidden on overgrown islands, the history of secluded anchorages.... Great naturalist, along the shore information. Excellent cruising guide!

Chris Brown truely has a grasp on what a boater in the Northeast is looking for. I found that the information about the ports of call were particularly helpful for those not familiar with these areas. Highly recommended for those traveling in the Northeast.

I found this book a must have for my cruise this spring. It's jam-packed with information, from the depth of water to a complete list of marinas and their amenities. I am surprised that a book that is so packed with critical information could also be so easy to understand and fun. The many photos, maps and stories make this book a pleasure to read. I'm glad I purchased this book a month before my trip. I kept it on my night stand, and by reading a little bit each night, it made for a better vacation. The references throughout the book, like tips for clearing customs, what not to miss, and tourist information listings, alone were worth the price of the book to me. As a novice boater. I also appreciated the chapter on marina etiquette.

Among my favorite books are Cecil Adams's pointed and funny "Straight Dope" series, in which, with wit and candor, he answers any stupid question a reader cares to pose him. Here's the New York City equivalent: an entertaining, educational, and enlightening collection of questions about New York City, answered with style and authority by the writers of the New York Times's "F.Y.I." column.

This is an essential collection for any New York resident, expatriate, fan, or tourist. Ever wonder why subway conductors perform that wacky John Travolta pointing move before opening the doors of a train? What's that imposing-looking building with no windows in lower Manhattan? What's up with the Grecian urn design on paper coffee cups in New York delis? For anyone who's ever wondered about NYC mysteries like these (and many, many more), here's the ultimate resource.

Like eating peanuts, it's addictive (I dare to you just read *one* question and answer!), and the Q&A format is brisk and entertaining, answering queries on subjects ranging from history, sports, streets, food, subways, and New Yorkers of all stripes. A thorough "New York Gazetteer" at the end is a quick almanac of all that info you think you need but don't know where to find (how to determine the nearest cross street to a Manhattan address, what's your police precinct and community board location, etc.) The only complaint? This book ends much too soon...sequel, please, FYI guys?

If you live in New York or visit it, you *need* this book. After all, the consummate New Yorker is a know-it-all expert who always has the answers about the most arcane and obscure topic. With this book, you can be one too.

This book is a must-read for any self-respecting resident of the Big Apple. The only thing more fascinating than the answers are the questions themselves, things that may have briefly passed through the transem of your subsconscious and quickly forgotten about. Why, for example, does every building in NYC seem to have one of those wooden water towers on top? Why is West 4th Street actually on the East side? Who is Major Deegan, and if he was a good enough military leader to get his own highway, why have I never read about him in the history books? Read "The Curious New Yorker" and you will be able to answer these and hundreds of other questions - and achieve A-list status on the Gotham party circuit as a result. That's because there is no more fascinating topic of discussion in New York than the City itself. Instead of giving everyone a copy of the Yellow Pages when you move into an apartment, your superintendent should give you this book. You'll get a lot more out of it.

A must for all food lovers traveling to New England. One of the few books for those who travel to experience food, rather than eat while they travel.

A few reviews I have seen of this book elsewhere expressed surprise that it wasn't a restaurant guide or cookbook. Thank goodness it isn't! There are plenty of New England cookbooks and restaurant guides, but *this* book isn't meant to be either. Instead, it's a travel guide centered around local foods. "Eating New England" directs you to places where people make and sell good food and don't mind putting the process on display, from farmstands to factories, so that you can not only get something tasty and locally produced but also learn a little something about where food comes from. The book is a good resource for planning road trips, or for checking out what local food producers you can visit in a given area.

If you live in New England, you probably already know where in your area you can pick your own berries or apples, or where you can find the closest place to eat lobster caught in sight of your table, or where you can buy goat cheese and pet the goats that helped make it, but if you're even an hour away from home and care about this sort of thing then you'll want this book.

I should point out that there are a few restaurants which seem to have been included because they showcase local foods, but they're not the focus of the book. There are also a couple of recipes as a bonus, but if they'd included more recipes and restaurants there wouldn't have been room for the more interesting stuff you can't find easily elsewhere.

After reading each chapter of this book, I wanted to visit every place the author described. Kohn is obviously a New Englander and is intimately knowledgeable about places to visit in New England and things to do. For someone who is not familiar with the area that Kohn writes about, the book offers an insiders look at unique B&B's, great restaurants and their specialties, parks to visit and a myraid of other fun things to do while visiting the area. This book is much more than a guide for pilots. Anyone traveling to this area of the United States should read Favorite New England Airports: A Guide to Aviation Activities and Entertainment. It offers one the chance to greatly enhance their vacation to New England!

James Kohns' book appeals to me because the author--rather than trying to write a guide that covers every airport, restaurant, and hotel and quickly becomes obsolete--focuses his comments on several activities and places he has personally enjoyed and thinks others will also like.

Kohn loves taking flight to enjoy New England's great outdoors, sports, the arts, culinary adventures, and lovely inns. His enthusiasm is infectious. He covers many places and topics, among them whitewater rafting, outlet shopping, and climbing Mount Katahdin in Maine; skiing, golfing, and boating in Vermont; exploring Nautucket and Martha's Vineyard and historic Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. He notes museums, offers advice on places to eat and stay, and provides the all-important basics of how to get around once you touch down at the airport.

In short, pilots who want to explore more of New England will appreciate the book for its practical advice on flight aspects. Pilots and non-pilots alike will enjoy the unique vantage point this book offers on activities. This is a delightful and practical guide to a varied and interesting part of the world.

This book is indispensible if you are interested in the native flora of New England and New York. It is an up-to-date and comprehensive list of all known species in the region, and their status. The range maps are helpful. A fine companion to Newcomb.

I have only dipped into this comprehensive new publication but am pleased to have done so. It will become a valued volume in my library.