While the introduction and footnotes were very well edited, I did struggle through the actual journals themselves. This could be attributed to Nelson's writing style, my unfamiliarity with Lake Superior geography and/or the plethora of French nomenclature (which can generate confusion for some). Overall, the journals are insightful of survival strategies and day to day existence in the fur trade years of 1802-04 in northern Wisconsin. Nelson, who was only fifteen when joining the XY Company, was a keen observer of Ojibwa Indian customs, the interrelationships between company men and his immediate surroundings. If the writing of the journals had more continuity, it would have been an enjoyable read.

If there's a walkway, path, or trail in North Carolina, it's probably in this book. Perhaps more remarkably, the author has hiked every one and measured almost all of them. The descriptions are from his personal journals, augmented by some researched background information on many parks, forests, and important trails.

To convey this huge quantity of information in a relatively compact book, the author has adopted a shorthand style that's reminiscent of telegrams and classified ads. The only maps are two large foldouts that show the general locations of the trailheads. However, the lack of trail maps and the terse style make it difficult to understand how various trails interconnect (until you buy the topos). If that bothers you, try Randy Johnson's "Hiking North Carolina."

Really good book with focus on the Midwest. Would recommend to anyone interested in saving money by going to the outlet mall. Its a proven method of savings over buying direct from the manufacturer's retail stores. This book is a fairly comprehensive guide to outlet malls in Middle America.

Although it is a classic overview of the archaeology of non-Maya Central America, a topic on which references are few and far between, this book is now hopelessly out of date. Readers are advised to look for more recent literature, or to at least be advised that most of the information in this book has been revised as a result of new research.

I am a sophmore in high school, and we are currently using this book for our European Civilazation Class. The book itself is very informative, and it gives excellent insight to the world of Ancient Greece and Rome in particular, with analysis of philosiphers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. However, the way the book is written is difficult to follow, and it does not always lay things out in an easy-to-understand format. Nevertheless, a good textbook for High School and College Humanities classes.

I love the Moon Travel series, their guide to Maui is the best of all the Maui guidebooks. So I was somewhat (very) disappointed to find that this guide wasn't even in the same league. Of 206 pages, 36 are devoted to Cancun - they should have found a better name than "Cancun Handbook". The rest of the book covers Mexican history and all the other spots along the Caribbean Coast. A much better choice is the excellent "Cancun and Cozumel Alive" (which at least warns you that it is as much about Cozumel as Cancun)which I ordered at the same time.

Local information is very cursory, almost like they were trying to conserve words. Shopping in Cancun is covered in less than one page, as opposed to the 12 pages devoted to this art in the other book I mentioned. Not even a word about converting Mexican clothing sizes to U.S. sizes.

I could go on and on about this book, but it's really not worth the effort to write it, or your effort to read it. Choose something better!

"Cancun Handbook" offers a wide variety of practical and vital information on Cancun and its neighboring Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.

Chicki Mallan covers, to name just a handful of her multitude of listings, Government & Economy; Transportation; Planning a Wheelchair Cruise; Health & Safety; Mayan Glossary; Spanish Phrasebook; and, of course, Archaeological Zones.

Shops and accommodations are also covered, of course. But often, Mallan doesn't write about them with the depth that they warrant--especially the hotels along Cancun's renown "Zona Hotelera."

But her sections on Chichen Itza; snokeling; and flora & fauna are marvelous blends of comprehension and precision.

this is a real cool book and shows lot's of wonderful pictures you just can't resist! plus, it so real I can't believe it but the pictures do look like the real thing!

This book covers the state reasonably well and will help you make good decisions about where to go and what to avoid. I used it during a recent three-week trip.

It's not superlative, so normally I wouldn't post. After reading the first two reviews, however, I almost didn't buy the book, so I wanted to persuade others that the author's frequent political intrusions need not push you away. His opinions do slant the narrative and make some of the sidebars less attractive, but I found them easy to ignore.

Given the absence of other guidebooks, the solid coverage of the food/lodging/activities stuff makes this a valuable resource. It's also consistent with Moon's emphasis on hidden places and the great outdoors. An added bonus is that the author has a talent for capturing the feel of a place; this doesn't suffer much because of his political views.

Those who've come to trust Moon publications shouldn't hesitate.

After reading some of the reviews on this book, I decided to reread The Idaho Handbook. The book that I read was quite a bit different than some of the reviews.

While the author's position on land-use is well documented throughout the book, I would hardly classify those views as extreme. Quite a few of the Idahoans that I talked with in the two weeks that I spent in Idaho last summer expressed real concerns regarding land-use throughout the state.

When I am looking for a tour book, I want something more than the AAA travel books. The book contains a significant amount of the history of the state. The book also contains all of the usuals for a tour book - an objective analysis of the lodging and food options in many small towns. This is very important as some parts of the state, the options are somewhat limited.

In addition, he covers the major (and many of the minor) attractions in the state. A number of these attractions were not found in other books.

I enjoy the Moon Guides a whole lot more than other guides. Their strength is that that they are written by people who spend a lot of time travelling throughout the state rather than the tourist areas. For example, Deke Castleman's Nevada Handbook dedicated 10-15% of the book on the Las Vegas area.

Idaho may not be everyone's idea of a "hot potato" destination. But if you want a clever, concise guide to a wonderful state -- this is it. Check out "Rural Bar Etiquette" on p. 78 for a sample of Root's humor.

This is not your average dry guide (Although Root's sense of humor is indeed dry!) You will find instead detailed descriptions and opinions(some very funny) which can help you decide the places that might be of special interest to you. It is one of the best guide books I have ever read.

This book lacks everything you would expect from a useful guidebook. The trail maps are completely useless in the field. Compounding the complete uselessness of this book are the vague and poorly written hike descriptions. Every hike sounds as boring as the next (even though they traverse some stunning scenery), almost as if this book was researched/written completely at a desk - instead of out in the field. I wonder if Mr. Stone even set foot on any of these trails. Don't waste your time / money.

This book may lack high quality info. for the experienced outdoorsman but for the common Missoula area Native this book supplies the perfect amount of pertinent information. Where it lacks in detail it excells in simple english.

The book reads a lot like an encyclopedia. It contains a lot of good information about social work administration, but is quite dry reading.

Recent (post-WWII) American history is a highly interesting and frequently-overlooked genre under the overall umbrella of American history study. Many tend to simply forget about it -- after all, it's hard to step back from the times in which one lives and analyze them objectively -- or shrug it off as not important. After all, we LIVED that, right? -- How can it possibly stand up as history? This overlooks the self-evident but rarely-ackwnoledged fact that merely living through something does not mean you understand it -- or, as with one aspect of contemporary American history covered in this book, the counterculture, if you remember it, the saying goes, you weren't there. Certainly, recent history is as interesting and vital as any other era to the objective historian -- and it is certainly the most applicable to our current social and political climate. One can read ancient Greek texts and see how that great society laid the foundation for what is going on at the moment -- but it is much more cognizable, not to mention jolting, when reading about something that happened much more recently, which we can clearly discern as sowing the seeds for the present day. What one often forgets when reading histories of the days of yore is that all histories are inherently prejudiced -- and even, as Oscar Wilde pointed out, autobiographical. When reading about events that one has actually lived through, this oft-forgotten fact becomes apparent.

Though individual parts of post-1945 American history have inspired volumes upon volumes, and even mini cottage industries, general, overarching texts of the period are not abundant. In Our Times is one of the most prevalent. Though this book is often used as a college textbook, it works better as a single reading than as a textbook or a reference. Certainly, it contains a wealth of good information -- but it is presented in the driest, most unimaginable way possible. Chapters are long, with little to no break in text: no captions, graphics, or eye-catching features whatsoever, and very few pictures (none in color) or graphs. Chapters are broken up only by bold typeheadings, and quite rarely at that, making it very difficult to look things up or search for something quickly; this renders the book almost useless as a reference and quite limited as a textbook. As a sit-through read, though, it is quite adequate. This book lends itself more to the historically-curious individual reader than to the student or scholar.

Much of the content of the 1993 edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Mongolia is badly outdated. Things have changed a lot (and for the better, in terms of availability of goods and services) since the author was here. He can't be faulted for that. But he can be faulted for having written a lot that is unkind, unfair, and uninformed. Two researchers were in Mongolia in the summer of 1996, doing research for an updated edition of this book. If you need a guide to Mongolia, try to get their updated edition

Lonely Planet guides are targeted at your average traveller interested in the usual attractions. Happily enough for them, their guides satisfy a good 80% of visitors to a said country. More intrepid travellers would be found wanting.

Sadly enough, the average visitor to Mongolia is likely to be more adventurous than those to other destinations. Herein lies the failure of applying the same formulaic approach when writing a guide on Mongolia. The tone of the book assumes that the reader has to be dragged kicking and screaming into this "God-forsaken" land of fermented milk and crumbling post-soviet era apartment blocks.

Taking into account varying degrees of "tolerence" to the harsh weather and unfamiliar cuisines seems to be an ongoing theme. The writers forget that some 70 odd years of Soviet influence has introduced western style breads, jams, pickled vegetables etc, which are readily available at most aimag capitals. Indeed, the market in Bulgan city was very well stocked. (at least in the summer and fall).

Granted that the country is ever-changing as it is thrust into the 21st Century, but one would expect that the approach to writing this guide would address this as well. Food options in UB are plentiful. Where there had been a handful of chinese restaurants as little as 2 years ago, at least 50 can be listed today.

So leave this guide at home, or better yet, bring it along so your Mongolian friends can share a good laugh.

There are some major problems with this book. It takes a condescending tone towards Mongolian culture/food/attractions from the average expectations for such things if you weren't in Mongolia. Lonely Planet compares Mongolia to the, say, average European country. The average traveler to Mongolia is not looking for an average European country. Taking this mode to guiding you through the country, cheapens the experience with unecessary and biased opinions. I found the maps to be pretty useful, and a good base for finding your way around the country. In the absence of other guide books to Mongolia, Lonely Planet is not a bad choice, if read with a grain of salt.