Many Americans are familiar with the Cherokee Indians. But a great majority of them no nothing of the Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Occaneechi, Coharie, Waccamaw-Siouan, and other tribes that are present in North Carolina today. This book sheds light on those lesser-known tribes, and reports much needed information through the use of maps, photos, and detailed historical accounts.

However, one flaw appeared in this book: the use of advertisements. Although product placement in textbooks is nothing new, Thomas Ross "goes all out" with five pages of printed advertisements in the middle of the book. Perhaps including these pages of advertisements wasn't such a bad idea afterall. Maybe every textbook should have them.

This book has been an absolute godsend in my college course on the First Americans. It points out that not all, or even most, of the Indians in North Carolina, and probably other places in the eastern US, live on reservations or are recognized by the US government as Indians.

Ross provides abundant demographic, historical, and geographical information that helps one better grasp the complex issue of non-federally recognized Indians.

I strongly recommend this book for all scholars interested in Native Americans and to all college libraries.

Best Hikes in CMR is a great book for parents and kids to utilize for day hikes in the area. We found the most critical piece was that their ratings of difficutly and timeframes to complete are accurate. Also has many hikes in area's that are not the typical "tourist" hikes. The only negative was the limited maps that went along with the trail descriptions. Would be great if the author could point us to better maps or have a web site with them.

The series is a must-have for hiking with children. I use the CT-MA-RI book to scope out which trails would be good for hiking with my 5 year old son. We have done about 8 of the 79 so far. Each one had accurate descriptions and good indicators for difficulty. Highly recommended.

I was impressed upon receiving this book, as I had no idea of its size. The book is large in dimension- which is a nice change from all the field guides to birds whose pictures make bird identification challenging. Beyond the visual effects, the author seems to have a bit of wit as exemplified in his writing style. This is not one of the best reference books, as it lacks specific detail on habitat, migration, species, etc. I don't think the author intended to compete in that forum anyway; however, I do wish there was an index for quick reference. All in all, a book displaying good writing with moderate description- but with stunning photography.

I love this book! Even my non-birding friends sit enthralled by it. The photographs are arresting - colors, composition, action - and the text is substantive and charming.

Also, the pictures are big enough to see details. They make the "LBJ's" (little brown jobs) of the Northeast distinct, highlighting their individual characteristics. Photographs of showier species such as the bluebird on the cover are simply stunning.

For full coverage of any travel destination, it often takes two different kinds of travel book. First, there are the books on the history, social and cultural highlights of an area. Many of these books have glossy pictures. Second, there are books with maps, directions, up-to-date information on prices and hours and a quality rating system.

This book has both. Ziffer gives full and interesting details on each of the different regions of Connecticut. Her history starts with geologic origins of the region, extends through Native American and Colonial times and continues up to the present. This alone is fascinating reading. She also gives good information on cultural, artistic and historic places of interest. Like a Mobil Travel Guide, she includes listings for various restaurants with indications of how expensive your meal will be. You can probably find the right hotel for you using this book.

However, this book is not a substitute for a Mobil Travel Guide-type book in a strictly practical sense. The maps are not detailed or particularly helpful for navigation. Restaurants, hotels and B&B's are reviewed, but there is no overall rating system. Unlike a Mobil Travel Guide, this book has many black and white pictures. And, the detail provided about each town provides a good sense of just what kind of place you will find. Ziffer gives many suggestions for interesting things to do, including various festivals and events throughout the year.

I highly recommend this book for anyone planning travel to or through Connecticut. It is a particular aid to anyone who likes to scratch below the surface of a place. I would also recommend a Mobil Travel Guide or Fodor's to bring along in the car for the nitty gritty details of the trip. But, I would start my trip planning here.

This is one of the most painstakingly well-done travel guides you'll find on any region anywhere, let alone CT. The book intelligently divides the state into seven regions: Far Northwest (Litchfield Hills), Central Valley, Far Northeast, Seafaring Southeast, Lower CT River Valley, Southwest Coast, and the Housatonic and Naugatuck River Valleys. Each section starts with a clear map showing the towns and major roads in detail, along with an inset showing how that section fits into the state. The text is filled with wonderfully researched stories of local history, interspersed with logically laid out descriptions of local events, attractions, seasonal activities, and places to stay and eat. If you're serious about touring Connecticut and you want to carry along just one book, this is the one!

This is a companion book to Don Johnson's Cruising Guide to Maine Vol I Kittery to Rockland. See my review under that title.

As a sailer planning a world cruise, I view this book as one of the best cruising books I have read because it touches so much on the cultures and people along the way rather than merely on the sailing aspects. I have only read volume one and am eagerly awiting volume two. If you are not a sailer, this is a superb armchair travel book. You will really feel you are meeting people all over the globe. Sue manages to convey the excitement, beauty, learning and sharing of a couple sailing around the world.

"A Cruising Guide to New Jersey Waters" is a delightful sail up all the little tidal rivers, through the marshes, backbays & canals - a waterway tour around peninsula New Jersey. I went to several of the lovelier locations described in this book by car. If you want to really go off the beaten track, forget the popular tourist guides & check out books like this one.

Captain Donald Launer is one of the more knowlegeable sailors along the New Jersey shore. He lives there and is devoted to marine arts and sciences as they effect boaters.

His book is scrupulously accurate, unusually readable, and more than interesting for sailor, motorboater or just an interested reader.

Although the book is sequential in form, in that it presents a travalogue from New Jersey's dramatic Palisades to rather scruffy Trenton Falls, it is equally useful as a reference book; the organiztion is outstanding.

Captain Launer has also kindly provided a fairly complete reference section.

This is a "must book" for any skipper who wishes to cruise New Jersey Waters. A great gift for any Garden State boater.

As a frequent road-tripper, I like to read up on where I'm going so I don't miss anything. This book was excellent for that. It had information on the standard touristy type stuff, as well as in depth info on what many visitors may overlook. Full of tidbits and insights. Comparable to the Idiot's Guide on the subject in some ways, but I'd take either one as my guide.

This book has everything you need to know about New York City. From hotels to stay in, to restaurants to eat at.

This book also has a full chapter of Calendar Of Events so you always know what's going on around the city.

This is a must have book for anyone visiting New York, or New York residents.

Good source of information, but...has absolutely no photos! It's pretty hard to want to travel somewhere when you have no idea what the place looks like. Still, while traveling this book is quite useful.

i believe this book to be very useful. it not only gives you a variety of accomodations but many price ranges as well. the list of attractions is always accurate and explained very well. i recommend this book to anyone traveling anywhere! i have also used this good for Europe and it was fabulous. dates and times that sights were open was very accurate which made planning my trip very easy.

My wife and I travelled to New England this summer and this book was very helpful. We had planned on taking day trips to various areas and we found ourselves referring to the book quite often at the beginning of the day for things to do and see that might not be typical tourist locations. A couple of the restaurant selections were not very good and the maps of downtown Boston could be a little more detailed, but overall the book was an excellent guide.

This book is trully an angel in disguise. We visited some family in New England this spring, and we were a little unsure of the activities in New England. This little book showed us the in and outs, gave great places to stay, food choices, and the "must sees" of New England. We bought a couple other guide books, to be safe. We found this one dog-eared and very used by the end of our trip. I give this book 5 stars for sure.

I Love New York! With a generous budget to go on a memorable trip, this book will be of great value in your selection of accomodations and other aspects of your travels.

The Fodor guides are a good source for the various locations around the globe. They are not as good as the Arthur Frommer guides. The Fodor guides are not for the budget traveler. They focus on the pricier accommodations and restaurants. But, what they do rate there is a wonderful detailed description. The maps could be more detailed.

A great book if you really love New York City and intend to spend some time there. This is an up-scale book for the best that money can buy. I really like it just for that reason. New York City has quite a bit to offer. This book really opened my eyes and has given me a reason to re-double my efforts to save some money and go out on the town!