I found a copy of this book at my local library and my son fell in love with it after reading it only once. There is a pronunciation guide in the front, so the parent can be assured they are pronouncing everything correctly. My son has been talking about "Borreguita" non-stop and this is a book that I'm for sure going to add to his collection.

What fun I had reading this book out loud to my daycare kids and watching them giggle and howl each time the borreguita tricked the coyote.

This book is a classic to read aloud and share with all kids.

This is a delightful Mexican Tale that my children and I continue to enjoy. The glossary in the front of the book adds to the delight of the story by helping the parent read with a wonderful Spanish accent. We have read this book more than any other book we have at home. I highly recommend it.

this book is my bible and comfort, its a shame it is so often overlooked

Simply breathtaking - a unique account in magical prose poetry of all consuming love, which you will return to again and again. Almost too painfully visceral at times, snapshots of sheer beauty leap out of the page as you ride the non-stop vertical drop on the rollercoaster of their relationship - not for the faint or hard hearted.

Scathing, deeply poetic rant of obssessive love forced into obssessive hate. Deep and lasting, based on the author's actual experiences.

I am a world traveler and have lived in Argentina, Columbia, and Israel. It is my understanding that Walks, Hikes and Strolls is for "mature folks". I am a young tourist in the United States for the first time as an adult and I appreciate finding a guide book that is easily understandable and points out many important things in a way that looks out for my safety, my body and my sanity. What a pleasure to be in a strange land and have such competent directions and instructions at my finger tips. I hope that many other people from other countries are as lucky as I have been to come accross this book. Good hiking to everyone!

As a lifelong hiker and adventurer, I highly recommend Johnson and Gray's "Walks, Hikes and Strolls". When I am on a hike, I want to be enjoying nature, focusing on the beauty around me and appreciating the inner peace that comes with this experience. "Walks, Hikes and Strolls" better allows me to relax and get what I want out of a hike because of its simplicity, clarity, and its common-sense approach. This book will allow young and old alike to enter nature with a feeling of security and with the knowledge needed to make the most of the experience. The Fact Finder in the left hand column gives valuable information on miles, elevation, permits needed, trail timeframes and where to obtain maps. The Feasibility Gauge in the right hand column consisely tells trail conditions, facilities, type of exposure and types of use that the trail has.
I can't wait to try out the hikes that are listed!

With many of the hiking guides lining my bookself, this one stands out with its unique, user-friendly format. All of the most important information regarding selection of a trail are on easy-to-reference columns of stand-out font along each side of the pages. The supporting narratives fill the remainder of the pages with plenty of detail to give you a clear understanding of exactly what you can expect to encounter, plus ensure that you fully enjoy and appreciate each hike. Despite the title, this book is for all hikers and I would especially recommend it for families with young children. I certainly hope that these authors are considering more publications to cover other areas throughout the Northwest.

You need not be from Iowa, be a farmer, railroad person, or have grown up during the depression to be truly entertained by this book. A story of a ordinary family that tells the truth, that no family is truly ordinary. We all share joy, grief, hardship, and love and live extrodinary aspects of our ordinary lives. Patrick tells his family's story with a manner true to his family's style. Plain but elegent, reserved but openly humerous, and with a depth that is easily felt but not described. I enjoyed it very much and hope you will as well.

Thanks

Once Americans were connected by kin and neighborliness into communities linked by the railroad. Patrick Irelan's parents set up housekeeping in this America during the depths of the Great Depression, farming one depleted acreage after another. His father was a whiz telegrapher and soon both parents were working as station agents for the Burlington Railroad, happiest, his mother recalled, while living in a Nebraska depot.

Irelan captures the ritual and spectacle of railroading. In Allerton, Iowa, we wait for the train: preparation, anticipation, arrival--in seconds only the tracks and town remain. In Chicago, however, the train waits for us.

Central Standard is the story (twenty five, in fact) of a family typical, yet so unique as to be unknowable without a guide. Fortunately, the family has provided one.

Inspired by the intricate and diligent work of a railroad man and farmer, Pete Irelan and his family, Central Standard tops the list of the best. The harshest era of our Midwest is set with joy, sadness, and the hard work of a determined and loving family. Throughout the book, Irelan emerges the reader into a world of good humor, grieving, and hope. And in the end, we reenter the 21st century with a sense of nostalgia and an understanding of what the meaning of "family" truly is. There are no gross horrors in this book, nor stories of dysfunctional people in order to keep the reader's interest. With Irelan's sense of story telling and his poetic way with words, telling a story is all we need to relive his time and place.

This is a thorough, well-writen, and edifying introductory chemistry book. I particularly enjoyed the chapter dealing with bio-chemistry.

Shipped book quickly and answered my concerns right away. I am willing to do business with this person again. Book in "new" condition. I am pleased.

I am taking this book for college and it is truly very good. It covers every content for inorganic chemistry. Moreover, the fancy pictures, explanations, examples, essays ease the learning experienfce that you may entail with this book.
The supplementary website and CD-ROM are pretty helpful as well. Specially the website, I like it very much because it had 3-D pictures of experiments and bonds, which help you to imagine the reaction menchanism of inorganic compounds.
The exercise section is extensive 80 question for each section. The same type of exercises repeat often, yet they really help if someone wants to practice more and more for a test.
For someone who has taken stoichometry, inorganic naming, gas laws, bonding and basic concepts of inorganic chemistry (like me) in High School, then teh first sections might be useless. However, the last sections which covers thermochemistry, electrochemistry are quite intriguing and interesting.
Overall, I think this is a great book as I mentioned. Although I think that I would buy one edition earlier since the contents do not vary very much (but the price does!)

This novel has it all--sensuality, danger, mystery, and a beautiful love story, all told in Candice Proctor's wonderfully evocative prose. The descriptions above really don't do justice to this story. Gabrielle Antoine is a convent raised orphan desperate to learn more about the mother she only dimly remembers. When she arrives in Central City, Colorado, she discovers more than she can handle: that her mother was a brothel owner and has only recently died, leaving her whorehouse to Gabrielle and to her mother's partner, a dark, dangerous, haunted man named Jordan Hays. Horrified, Gabrielle can think of nothing but leaving town and selling the house. But the evil nature of the prospective buyer and a sense of responsibility to the "girls" changes her mind.

What follows is a story of the corruption of innocence, deftly written by a master hand. Gabrielle's noble plans to help the "girls" find decent jobs and turn the house into a school are complicated by her desire to learn more about her mother and her mother's backgroud. An intelligent but fundamentally innocent and sheltered woman, Gabrielle must come to understand sin and human weakness and her own awakening sensuality against the decadent background of a 19th century whorehouse. The tortured hero, Jordan Hays, is gorgeous. Bound by his own noble nature and a promise made to a dying friend, all he wants to do is run away from Gabrielle, from the feelings she threatens to reawaken in him, and from what he knows will be the inevitable result of her growing physical attraction to him.

There is so much more to this book--wonderful secondary characters, a dangerous mystery, and the beauty of the Colorado Rockies, so wonderfully depicted. Candice Proctor writes with the power and intensity of Laura Kinsale, and the emotional depth of LaVyre Spencer. This is a wonderful book. Don't miss it.

I really liked this book, they had real problems to overcome not just silly misunderstandings you will really love this book

I love this book! Wonderful, richly developed characters (and a hero to die for!), evocative descriptions, a real conflict (as opposed to silly squables). Wonderful! I can't wait to read Ms. Proctor's next.

The author obviously has spent considerable time riding the Trace and in surrounding areas. As a result, the book serves as a useful complement to the literature available from the National Park Service on the Natchez Trace. However, the most important document that a Trace traveler needs is a Natchez Trace Parkway Map and Guide from the Park Service.

The author briefly describes the historical significance of many of the landmarks along the Trace. Of great interest to bicylists is the lay of the land (hills) which is well described. Most importantly, one can find the location of food and water and lodging just off of the Trace, that is, not managed by the Park service. The Trace itself has insufficient restroom and water stops for the bicyclist. A minor point is that the author does not indicate the hours of operation of the markets that he notes. The author notes the great amount of wildlife on the Trace; but keep a sharp eye for the snakes sunning themselves on the Trace in warm weather.

Most all of the practical advice in the book is related either to logistics or to various routes. Where and how to ship one's bike is useful. About 40 percent of the book is taken up with auxiliary routes that either start or cross the Trace and are not a part of traveling the Trace from end to end. Multi-day tours through Vicksburg and around the Tennessee River are two of those. Most of these may appeal to local residents.

Throughout the book the author mentions various rules and regulations of the Trace. Although there is a brief section, it would have been useful to see a section with a complete listing: for example, rules for speed limits, parking, picnicing, camping, hiking, etc.

What one will not find in this book is much in the way of practical and general information about bicycling or touring on a bike - what gearing to use, how to pack gear on a bike, how to ride with a fully loaded bike, what is the best way to deal with bicycle problems while on the Trace, etc. One point of interest is that the author provides an 1-800 number that can be called in the case of problems; interestingly the park service does a poor job of signage concerning this number.

The bottom line is that the book would help anyone comtemplating a tour of the Trace to get a better feel for what he or she can expect on the Trace.

Well written, accurate usable advice for bikers. The historic facts as well as geography ( mileage to stores, attractions, facilities) were right on the money. I used the book to do the northern 125 miles of the trace. I am preparing for a southbound ride next and will use this book.
john

Each year I plan one very special and hopefully very memorable ride. Still having to work for a living, and a family to spend time with, the ride I plan must fit all the schedules as well as my expectations. I first became interested in The Natchez Trace from reading some of the southern history. I was hooked! Couldn't find enough literature, maps, or books to satisfy my needs. One of the books I purchased was Glen Wanners' 'Bicycling The Natchez Trace'.. I planned for this ride for the better part of eight months using Glens' book as a guide. As this was my first solo self contained ride I wanted to do it right.When it came down to departure date I started to organize all my gear,I had a stack of maps and literature that weighed in at about 15 lbs!I quickly narrowed this down to one map supplied free from The National Parks Service and Bicycling The Natchez Trace by Glen Wanner. This book was my riding Bible,and was referred to several times each day. My ride covered 670 miles in ten days (the first two weeks in October) from Nashville to Natchez with side trips along the way. My trip was a success!Thanks to Glens' book and all the great people along the way. I would like to see Glen update this book as required so others may enjoy it as I have for years to come.

Big Sur to Big Basin is the only book I have experienced that fully portrays the feel of the area. Fantastic photography complements the books detailed narrative, and if there ever was a book to remember a visit to a region, then this is it.

The California coast is a wonderful place to explore, and in particular, the Big Sur area is one of my favourites. From the mighty trees, to the wonder of the rugged coastline, there is something for everyone.

Larry's photography leaves you thinking "I have to see this for myself". So we did. Twice now!

Buy this book if you ever want to travel to the area. Buy this book also if you just want to experience the area without leaving your armchair. Most of all, have this book on your coffee table, and you will always have something to remember from a fabulous trip to a unique part of the world.

I had a getaway to Big Sur last summer and was stunned by the breathtaking view of where the ocean meets the sky. About a few months later I picked up a copy of Big Sur to Big Basin at a local bookstore and began a virtual re-visit of Big Sur. Like many pictorials with pages of astonishing sunsets, Pamela Cain, a former Carmel resident, recounted anecdotes and memories of hers that make the photos alive. The redwoods, the beaches, cheery blossoms, the meandering streams, Pebble Beach golf courses, Monterey bay...Big Sur to Big Basin is your window to panoramic view in central Californian coast.

This book offers the reader a bird's eye view of the breath-taking scenery along California's coastal highway...and the history behind the pictures. Pam Cain's stories make Larry Ulrich's pictures come alive...it makes me, a former Carmel resident now living in Connecticut, homesick...a wonderful trip back home

First off, the authors are from the liberal establishment, so there view is the U.S.A. was wrong to bring down the government
of Guatemala in 1953-1954. Even though I believe most of the story, they did not write an objective analysis.

The U.S. Government viewed the Arbenz government as tolerating
Communists in the McCarthy era, along with nationalizing certain
land held by the United Fruit company based in Boston. These two conflicts resulted in the U.S. government authorizing the overthrow of the Arbenz government and the installation of the
Castillo Armas government. Bitter fruit is a play on words due to the involvement of the United Fruit government.

As stated, I think what the U.S. government did was wrong, but I
view this book as not being completely objective. Communists were involved in the government, and Guatemala was like a magnet
to Communists in the 1950s. See Anderson's book on Che Guevarra to note that there were not just a few here. I think the authors overlook this, and view Eisenhower and the Dulles brothers as too concerned for United Fruit.

The book was well written and short enough to read in one or two
days. The book did a good job portraying the actors in this drama, along with the environment in which they operated in.

A brilliantly written account of just one of the CIA/US govt crimes in the world (this one was called Operation Success), this book was so compelling that I couldn't put it down. The US paranoia against the communist threat led to some not very intelligent people, including Eisenhower, to assist in ridding the Western Hemisphere of anything that vaguely resembled a left wing movement, and installing the usual Latin American style, U.S. sponsored despotic dictatorship (also, see Nicaragua, Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, etc). When Arbenz reasoned about the Comunists in his goverment by saying "it's better to have them visible then to have them underground", no one, of course took notice. According to one set of research figures published in the book, the years which followed Arbenz's downfall have seen the death or dissapearance of up to 200,000 people. The authors of this book have done a fantastic job of revealing this part of American history in a very clear and concise manner, and all I can say is that it's a shame that Allen Dulles, the CIA director at the time, and his stoolies never got to be tried in court for the atrocities they were responsible for committing.

Well, OK, Watergate actually triggered the erosion of my faith in the US government. But I was barely a teenager as that story broke. I was in my early 20's when I read Bitter Fruit, prior to meeting Stephen Schlesinger at a university function.

This is the story of how the United States Government plotted against and overthrew the first democratically elected government in Guatemala. It clearly demonstrates how our government became an instrument, not of Democracy, but of oppression for the benefit of the wealthy. The right-wing coup, planned and supported by the CIA, led to other covert operations, many of which succeeded in enriching American corporations at the expense of Democracy.

Jacobo Arbenz, elected to the presidency of Guatemala was faced with a crisis of poverty. Most of the nation's land belonged to a very few rich, and to United Fruit Company. Much of that land lay fallow. Arbenz instituted a land reform package which called for turning over fallow land to the country's impoverished campesinos. Land would be purchased by the government from the owners at the value THE OWNERS had declared for property tax purposes. Sounds fair enough, right? Honest landowners would receive fair recompense for unused land. Dishonest landowners would get their just desserts.

Nevertheless, United Fruit Company, using its pull with John Foster & Allen Dulles, Secretary of State & CIA Director, respectively, managed to have their own revolution created and funded by the US Government, wrapped in a shroud of anti-communism. The dictator they instated continued the tradition of repression that Guatemala had known for decades before.

The only real winners of in this story were the stockholders of United Fruit. Today, in the "New World Order," we're more subtle, using international development loans and free trade agreements to undermine Democracy in third world nations. The tools may have changed, but the goal remains the same: Corporate wealth continues to supersede and destroy Democracy worldwide.

This is an old book, but none has surpased its scope since. Readers will find simpathy for Casey, but still Patrick Leahy and Monyihan both give good reviews for its accuracy. The bottom line that Persico threads is that Casey always wanted to be a foreign affairs statesman but was never given any credit for his abilities because he was too ugly and incoherent so when the best Casey could get was the DCI, then Casey turned the intelligence community into his own little state department to live out his dream.

Persico has done a wonderful job of capturing Casey's magnificent complexity and intellectual voraciousness. Oddly enough the best quote in there, part of a really excellent over-all description of why the DO does not succeed, comes from Herb Meyer when he was a special assistant to Casey: "These guys have built a system that shuts them off from any intelligence except what you can steal. These people needed to be reconnected to reality."

This is a great book that not only documents the life of one of our importatnt leaders but it documents very clearly the thought process used by Casey to find and work his magic in the "gray" areas of politics, business and the law. The book provides insight into the real world of politics from Nixon to Reagan and right through Capitol Hill.