The book was helpful, with ideas for extending the growing season in the Pacific Northwest with several simple designs for cloches and coldframes. However, it is noteable that almost half of the book is devoted to greenhouse gardening in and designs for a "solar" greenhouse. Other northwest gardening experts I have read (ex., Steve Solomons, "Gardening West of the Cascades") state that "solar" greenhouses do not work in our perpetually cloudy winter climate, greenhouses must be all glass.

It was exactly what my history teacher called a "Mickey Mouse Book". This book (in my opinion) is a very good resource item for history if we're talking about with younger kids, but not with teenagers. The sentences are absurdly short and it doesn't really connect the story all that well. The information in it is great if you want to know about what George Rogers Clark and their relating people did during the entire American Revolutionary War, but as I have said before, the sentences are extremely choppy.

Although this book discusses some of the building techniques of northwest coastal Indian canoes, it is not a "how-to" manual. Instead, it is more of a "coffee table" book dealing with the history, construction, and modern uses of the large dug-out canoes used by the Indians of Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. As such, I found the book to be interesting and informative. There are many excellent color photographs of traditional northwest coast canoes, native people, and native clothing. I recommend it to anyone interested in traditional wooden boats or the native cultures of the northwest coast and southeast Alaska.

My husband and I bought this book thinking we would learn more about Washington State. Having lived here 6 years, we thought we should at least know the history of the place. While it does cover historical occurences, they are far too brief and there is very little detail. Chronologically ordered, the stories jump back and forth all over the state, so you get no coherent idea of development within a certain region. It is a very thin book and a very quick read, so if you're simply looking for an overview of events in Washington State, this is your book. If you were hoping for in depth, you'll have to look elsewhere.

A work presented as historical, with characteristically Jesuit attention to detail and including intricate maps of territories and exhaustive dates of specific events. Outlines the Jesuit presence in the Northwest Territories during the mid-1800's. Imperterbably and unashamedly written from the Jesuit perspective, this is valuable first for insight into the missionaries' attitudes and beliefs, and second (possibly) for historic dates and events. Does require some digging due to the exhaustive detail.

I write from an interesting position; I used to live in Mrs. Neils' former abode, so I know the country and its people. In fact, I know some of the people she mentions in the book (she misspelled their names). The area's definitely gone downhill since the Indians were pretty well driven out.

The history is reasonably well done. It's unfortunate she couldn't include more of the tribe's legends and cosmology; it's unclear whether she didn't consider it important or (just as likely) there was no one left who remembered most of it. Which points up a quality that overrides the book's flaws: Mrs. Neils is probably the only person who had the ability, contacts and knowledge to write this history. Had she not done so, it would not have been done.

The reader is cautioned that some of the terminology used is a little retro. (It really isn't fashionable to refer to Indians as 'bucks' and 'squaws' these days, though I think for the most part Mrs. Neils tries hard not to be ethnocentric.) Some will find this an adjustment. There are spelling errors. A moderate amount of information, (including a lot of the pictures) also, is recycled from Mrs. Neils' earlier _So This is Klickitat_, which was more about the whites of the area than the Indians.

Recommended for those interested in the history of southern Washington, or of Native peoples' unsensationalized early experiences with whites.

"Northwest 2001" is a great book for those looking to venture through Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba.

It's a typical travel guide that is extremely useful. My wife and I did a two week tour through most of the states listed last autumn (Oct. 2001) and this guide gave us many ideas on things to do and where to stay/dine.

Included inside are: mileage chart, important toll-free numbers and on-line information, maps, info on specific cities and regions, brief summary of city backgrounds, what to see and do, motels/motor lodges, hotels, resorts, annual events, B&Bs/small inns, restaurants, and more.

As far as the integrity of the book, it is considered paperback. However, it is thicker than most and almost feels like a light hardback. The book is somewhat slender so that it fits nicely in most places. Pages are glossy so they will not run are smudge. My greatest complaint is that the bounding isn't solid and a few pages want to break away so you have to be somewhat careful with it while on your travels. That's the only ting that truly detracts from this book.

Don't expect very detailed information as the book covers a huge area. However, you'll find more than you bargained for on most cities, towns and areas with much sufficient information to make your life easier during your travels. As you can tell, it is current and we've never had a problem with outdated info.

I recommend the book as long as you take care to not accidently tear out pages.

This is a well written narative of the first men to cross the continent by canoe through the elusive "Northwest Passage". It's strange that this is such an obscure event. One would think that this could well rank up there with many of the great adventuresome firsts of history. It's certainly easy to read, though I felt a little thin on the character development. If you like outdoor adventure travel stories, this one is worth your while.

For those gardening or landscaping enthusiasts that really know how to mix and match their plants with their landscapes, this book is excellent. However, for the average person, this book is more technical that you might want. There are very few photos or diagrams and this book is mostly text. This book would be a good companion with a more illustrative book.

If you're looking for a photography book with beautiful pictures of wildlife, Inuit, flowers upon the tundra, etc., this is NOT for you. But, if you like "nature" photography at its minimalist best, these photographs are beautiful if you enjoy looking at photos of fog upon the water and the patterns that ice floes make upon the land and sea. I was a tad disappointed in the text... because it's "poetry", as opposed to the photographer detailing his journey. An account of Ketchum's journey is in another part of the book, but it would have been far more effective if his observations were next to the images instead of a poet's musings on the area, which left me unsatisfied and with questions about certain images. This is a remote area that we know little about and the photographer's account and observations would have been most helpful and informative.