As a Virginian and a traveler I find this little book informative, interesting and sort of like the "underground books" popular in lots of tourist destinations.

I've lived in Virginia all my life and most of the details and oddities in the book I had never heard before. This book is a delight and a must for Virginians who love the Commonwealth also a must for the tourist to Virginia who would like to see things off the beaten track, things that add greatly to your visit. Enjoy!

An absolutely facinating book. I like to travel to unknown places within driving distance, and this book provides interesting insight on many places to visit right in my backyard. It is a easy read that is both entertaining and informative, and a must have for anyone who likes to learn about historic or cultural rich places to visit in Virginia.

I used this guide while mountain biking in the White Mountains. It provides very detailed descriptions of a variety of off road trails and logging roads, as well as many road rides. The ratings help to determine whether you can handle the conditions of each ride, and the very complete directions minimize the loss of time searching for trail heads. A very well written guide that is small enough to be taken along in a shirt pocket.

1.From Marty's descriptions of routes I could visualize the roads he was describing. I've hiked the Whites for years and was familiar with many of the roads but never cycled on them. 2.I planned a week tour in the Whites before getting Marty's guide. Many of the loops covered the same roads I planned on using. The basic route was Marty's triple notch century with lots of loops. Marty's rides were an excellent check on my routes and improved my routes. 3.Marty's descriptions are filled with yellow from my highlighter as I took advantage of his experience with cycling in the Whites. His book was a great resource in planning my routes.

I wish a book like this had been available when I was growing up in Pennsylvania, when I was a Girl Scout and camp counselor, and when I started volunteering at nature centers. This supplement to traditional field guides is divided into sections by animal type (mammals, birds, etc.) and provides such details as eating habits, favored habitats, longevity, home regions, and population distribution. Fergus assembles factual information into a leisurely readable format and adds his own observations from time to time. Here you'll find out why that dead shrew is lying on the trail in front of you, or how much food a red-tail hawk eats in a day. Amelia Hansen's exquisite drawings depict many of the animals listed and are accurate enough and beautiful enough to be framed and hung on a wall. The only omission is a visual sample of each animal's tracks, but other books can help you in that area. I can't wait for the companion book on *trees* to be issued!

Fergus has done a remarkable job of nature writing--the prose is crisp and clear, and always informative. The book can be used as either a guide or just a good read; Fergus tells us how to see things we've never seen, and shows us how to look at what we already know with new eyes. Buy the book, you won't be disappointed. Bravo!

Author Stephen King's Storm Of The Century, started out as a novel, then morphed into an ABC television mini series, and then ended up as a book after all. I must say right off the bat that I liked the television movie very much...As a massive snow storm heads for the town of Little Tall island, and as the residents start to prepare, one of the town's citizens is murdered by a mysterious stranger. Even as the town constable. Mike Anderson, arrives to take one Andre`Linoge` into custody, the visitor makes a proposition. He promises to leave as quickly as he came, if the townspeople give him the one thing he wants from them. As a t.v. movie, the story worked because of its cast and high production values, the book works too--just not quite as well. First, though, I liked reading the story in its original script format, beause of my film background and all. There's nothing like reading a cool script, even if you have already seen the film. However, I have to say that, I was a bit disappointed in the book version.

As much as the story works, I was expecting King to include scenes that did not make it into the finished film, as is the case with most fare created for film, there is always stuff that is cut out. This is to accomodate time constraints and all that. Since the DVD release of the film contains no deleted material, I thought perhaps the screenplay would have had some of that. After all, when movies are adapted in novel form, there are no limits, bcause time and other factors are eliminated In his introduction on page Xi King makes the point that he wrote "Storm" the same way he would if it were a novel. I just didn't "read" the script that way. It felt like I was reading it the way it was written--as a script. Not that I wanted him to write Storm Of The Century as a novel, mind you: But scenes providing a few more layers to the already very creepy tale would have made the book even better, instead of a mere retread of something I already watched. I still recommend this 395 page book (including the introduction) to any King fan. It's still good for lots of shivers and goosebumps

This is one of Stephen King's work at its most uniquely presented style. First of all, the movie itself is quite good, as I recall seeing it a few weeks ago, and I must say that Stephen King has upheld his reputation as a wonderful writer because I think the plot, while quite simple, really gets you thinking. The children touching the wolf's head was kind of confusing though, and quite dramatic, since I wouldn't think it would be that difficult to restrain a child from a stick. Nevertheless, a powerful message is that it is naive and stupid to think that when you have done something wrong, or hidden from light, you can not simply walk away with it. And that is probably one of human's most difficult obstacles- to be able to come face to face with their own mistakes, and the consequences that follow them. This book is scary, it's terrifying, and it will certainly send some chills down your spine. I know mine was.

I got this screenplay when it hit the stands and finished reading it less than 48 hours later. I was mesmerized, but I wanted to wait on this review until I saw how the movie would turn out, and I must say, its easily his best movie. It took me a little while to get into the screenplay form, but after a few pages, I was hooked. As usual, King knows how to disturb people. First, the thought of someone appearing and knowing your deepest secrets is very scary, and he's done that one before. As a parent, though, the ending of this book affected me like nothing else. It stayed with me for days after I finished it, and thinking about the ending still bothers me. Also, I've had that "little teapot" song stuck in my head for 2 weeks now. I don't know if its my alltime King favorite (I think The Mist still holds that one), but its very close.

You will see reviews here rated one and five stars - it depends upon who you are. The book is not tremendously written, stylistically, though not bad (redundant in places). If you know the place(s) written about - Mt. Washington and near peaks it will surely be a thrilling and fascinating read. If not - tedium. I know a bit of the area, so it was just ok - a three star book I would only recommend to White Mountain fans.

i just returned from a trip to the white mountains where I came across this book. i was very much interested in the history of the presidential mountain range and this book gave me quite a bit of insight as to the history of the mountain range and mount washington. this book is a wonderful read - i enjoyed it immensely. the book covers the tragedies that have befallen the mountain range and in such detail, i could visualize being there. hats off to nicholas howe! thanks for the insight!

This book is an expanded telling of the story Mr. Howe wrote for Yankee. I climbed Mt. Washington shortly after the original story. I went better prepared for the weather, thanks to Mr. Howe, and was able to assist a member of our climbing party to the "lake of the clouds" AMC hut (with the help of the hut staff and a cell phone). The fog seemed more like a dark blanket that shrunk the world to a few yards. A mile seemed like hundreds stopping every few feet while a fellow with a heart problem stopped to rest. After reading the original article I never considered leaving the man behind. I only wondered if he would be added to the list of those who died. I awaited this book for a few years. I met Mr. Howe at the Capitol City Dinner in Concord, NH after reading the Yankee article. Thank you sir for a great read. Thank you also for the stories that convinced me to better prepare for Mt. Washington. You may have saved a life perhaps two.

I got a chance to read this book pre-pub and found it outrageously entertaining. Anyone who thinks this is strictly about football and harness racing is in for a glorious surprise. Mr. Sullivan's tales of trekking through the wasteland in search of remians of the old Penn Station and Jimmy Hoffa's body are eerie yet fascinating. The tales of boom and bust on Manhattan's marshy neighbor add historical value to a region currently known for only its stench and unsightliness. People all over the country should enjoy the witty and comical writing while perhaps gaining a new respect for their respective nearby dumping grounds. Hooray! The drive along the NJ turnpike will never be the same...

If you've never set foot in New Jersey's Hackensack Meadowlands - New York City's Okie trailer-like front yard - journalist Robert Sullivan's "The Meadowlands" is a suitable and whimsical introduction to that quirky splotch of urbanity-surrounded wilderness. For most readers, this boggy unfamiliar realm is how the author describes it: a nearly uninhabitable patch of land, perhaps only glimpsed through a plane window as you land at Newark Airport from the north, or from your car window as you soar over the grassy flat lands on the elevated N.J. Turnpike. Weaving legend and fact in sprightly and complimentary fashion, Sullivan effortlessly maintains his readers' focus on metropolitan New York's until-now anonymous and peacefully empty swampy morass. Meadowlands natives (including this reviewer) will appreciate the author's odd curiosity for his subject and his never-flagging enthusiasm for this sometimes unpleasant wasteland. His research into the history of these meadows - followed up with cheerfully ambitious field trips - produces absorbing tales of failed water and development projects, ferocious mosquitoes, and an occasionally off-balance bunch of characters who work in, study, and precariously live within this abused but beautiful sanctuary. There is a humorous encounter with a man of uncertain sanity swimming in the unknowable awfulness of Meadowlands water. (I can claim a similar questionable feat during a younger day!) This reviewer especially enjoyed those episodes which brought the author to areas of great familiarity: a closed slaughterhouse, Snake Hill, and various Secaucus haunts and waterways. Sullivan's search for the rubble of Manhattan's Penn Station is a worthy quest indeed; his joy at his discoveries will doubtless inspire more than a few natives (including this one) to follow in his footsteps. On balance, this is a recommended book for anyone remotely curious about the urban vs. environmental debate (although Sullivan treads a bit lightly he! re), or the interaction of massed population with an unpopulated natural habitat. For those who like mystery, among others there is the tragic tale of a detective's reluctant account of a murdered young woman. Her body was found in a remote Meadowlands location beneath the Pulaski Skyway - the mighty arching black steel bridgeway that spans the southern Meadowlands and two rivers in linking New York City and Newark. Improvements to the work might have included additional history and accounts of two of the most successful projects in the Meadowlands: the Giants Stadium sports complex completed in the early '80s, and the enormous Bulk Postal Facility built in the early 1970s. These undertakings demonstrated that big dreams (and big dollars) could overbuild the Meadowlands. In addition, the lone hand-drawn map at the front of the book scarcely provides the perspective, scale, or detail that could only enhance (particularly for the native) the adventures Mr. Sullivan describes so well. Today, further development in the form of a massive rail transfer station and office complex are set for groundbreaking in the Meadowlands; it remains despite its sogginess and uncertain environmental quality a land of promise and change. Looking ahead, Sullivan has set a high standard for anyone who will come along in, say, fifty or seventy-five years, to attempt a similar feat of imaginative writing about the lonely and perhaps vanishing "Meadowlands."

A great read that brings the Meadowlands to life. Sullivan's writing draws you in, inviting you on his explorations--it's never ponderous. I especially appreciate his ability to blend the historical with the human: We learn how politics and people have affected the Meadowlands over the years. Note: Although other reviewers express the wish for a "true" map in the book, I got a kick out of the informal one that appears opposite the title page: It's a perfect match for the book's tone. I'm on the search for more writing by this author, and--even more telling--I'll probably head over to the Meadowlands next time I'm in NYC.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD(if you don't know the outcome of this story-it was well covered by all major news sources-please stop reading. Trust me, this book is so suspenseful, moving, and well written that I would hate to spoil the end for you)

It's difficult to explain the wide range of emotions you'll go through while reading this book. There's a building excitement as the men of the Andrea Gail, a small(compared to most other boats of the Gloucester fleet)but sturdy fishing trauler rigged for nearly a month's stay at sea, set out from Gloucester on their season's final trip to the Grand Banks, a rather unpredictable but verile breeding ground for swordfish. The crew, led by Captain Billy Tyne, consists of a likably haphazard group of local Gloucester men who demonstrate an impressive understanding of deep sea fishing and the dangers it presents, especially when the vessel one works aboard is nearly 2000 miles from the nearest North American shore, not to mention the nearest emergency hospital. Unfortunately, as the name of the book implies, things turn bad quickly for the ship and its crew. A series of storm fronts collide almost directly over the Andrea Gail as it makes its way home from a prosperous run, and the ship finds itself beneath the most powerful storm in recorded history. Waves crest at nearly 150 feet and wind speeds reach 100 mph before the crew finally realizes its sad fate. The book doesn't deal exclusively with the Andrea Gail, but also cuts between a few coinciding stories of endangered boats and the rescuers assigned to remove them from harm's way. The author makes sure that each of these individuals is given their due credit and presents them as professional and courageous. As silly as it sounds, I couldn't help but feel connected to the men and women unfortunate enough to weather "the perfect storm." Sebastian Junger does such a thorough job of fleshing each character to its emotional fullest that it's impossible for this naive inlander not to feel an unfounded empathy at their struggle.

I can't encourage you enough to buy this book. It's a fantastic read.

Who hasn't dreamt of leaving the safe confines of terra firma, for the endless mystery of the sea? Who has not wondered what would it require to leave the endless responsibilty of the "real world" behind, to set out upon the water? The answers to these questions are for more complex than one would hope, or even expect. On the eve of a major motion picture, Sebastion's Jungers harrowing tale of the everyday hero against a very angry Mother Nature, will probably see a renewed interest at the bookstore. Even for those who read it when it first appeared, a second look is well worth the effort. The Perfect Storm is almost a perfect book. It is not the most artfully drafted composition, nor does it carry an earth shattering message. Rather, it is a simple tale of working men who set to sea to earn a living, and in doing so, risk their lives every time their boat leaves its dock for another expedition. We are introduced to the families of these men, and we learn firsthand the anxiety and trepidation that comes with loving someone who risks death on a daily basis. Yet, The Perfect Storms truly comes alive when the Andrea Gale (the boat at the heart of the tale) encounters a tremndous storm. The reader is then taken on a ride of breathtaking proportions. The description of what takes places during a hurricane at sea, as well as the mechanics and actions during a Coast Guard rescue mission are simply fascinating. Not to be overlooked is a short but unforgettable description of what happens to a person when they drown. It will leave you breathing deep and savoring every breath fromn that point on. The Perfect Storm does what any adventure should do...it makes you care about its characters; it makes you care about what they care about, and in the end, it makes you mourn their loss. This is a book that should find its place on any landlocked boater's bookshelf, as well as any family member of someone who looks to the sea to earn a living. It will bring true understanding to such a demanding line of work. I can only hope that the movie can do the book justice. And I look to the next investigation that Junger will so elegantly share with us. Kudos to Men's Journal Magazine for running the original story that became the premise for The Perfect Storm.

By now most have seen the movie... so we have the gist of the story of the men of the Andrea Gail and their friends and family back in Gloucester.

Their doomed battle against nature out over the Flemish Cap is described in much more detail than even the graphics of the movie could convey. But what I liked most about this book was the impressive research Sebastian Junger put into this true story!

With splendid clarity, he describes the physics behind water wave mechanics from tiny wind-generated capillary waves to powerful towering monsterous walls of green water. He also describes in morbid detail what really happens to the human body when it drowns, and it isn't from getting water in the lungs!

The author does all this without getting into difficult scientific jargon that the laity may not appreciate. Many parts of this book read like an exciting field course in oceanography! Junger really takes care to provide the reader with a strong understanding of just how amazing the unification of those 3 storm cells was... the kind of power it generated!

A well-written book that I've seen as mandatory reading material for university geomorphology courses because of its finer details!

Michael Cunningham graces one of his favorite places on earth, Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod's hook, with his wonderful, almost poetic prose. He takes us with him as he introduces us to the town's characters both past and present, to the beaches, the dunes, both ends of town, the nightspots, and everything in between.
A treat.

"A Walk Through Provincetown" is not your typical travel guide. Cunningham was invited to contribute to a series of travel books and this is his unique and inspiring contribution. It's a one man journey across a town that he first came to over twenty years ago. Cunningham has given us an interesting combination of historical facts and personal reflections. He describes Provincetown's cultural interests, its shops, bars, street life, heritage, gay cruising areas, and its historical sites.

Cunningham presents a very personal view of Provincetown, one that is filled with wonder, joy, and a deep love of this town. He always writes beautifully, and this book includes poems and prose passages from many of Provincetown's other distinguished writers. This book is a pleasure to read for anyone who cares about this very special place, and for those not familiar with the town, a way to learn about it from someone who cares. This is an elegant personal tour of a town that has always been rich in diversity. Hopefully, it will remain that way for this generation and generations to come. Cunningham has made a great contribution in furthering that goal. A wonderful book!

Joe Hanssen

Michaeal Cunningham loves Provincetown and conveys that love in every sentence in this beautifully written book about a great town. He ably does what every travel writer should do: he convinces those who have never been to Provincetown to visit and makes those who have been there want to return.

Mr. Cunningham does a thorough job of describing the town's geography as well as both the famous artists who lived there in the past and those of the present, also the "town characters" one can run into on the busy streets on any summer day. There is also poems by Mark Doty, Stanley Kunitz, Robert Pinsky and Melvin Dixon, among others included throughout the book.

Finally Mr. Cunningham discusses the effect AIDS has had on the gay population of Provincetown in a chapter called "Death and Life" and pays tribute to a friend named Billy who died from AIDS. "Provincetown has been widowed by the AIDS epidemic. It will never fully recover, though it is accustomed to loss. . . Provincetown possesses, has always possessed, a steady, grieving competence in the face of all that can happen to people. It watches and waits; it keeps the lights burning. If you are a man or woman with AIDS there, someone will always drive you to your doctor's appointments, get your groceries if you can't get them yourself, and take care of whatever needs taking care of."

Is there any wonder why this writer loves Provincetown?

The concept is good--two out-of-shape middle-aged guys try to hike the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail--and the first fifty pages of "A Walk in the Woods" are enjoyable. Despite years of camping and hiking in the Boy Scouts in my youth, I too would be out of my league trying to prepare and equip for hiking the AT. But in the interest of full disclosure, the book should have been called "A (Short) Walk in the Woods--Rediscovering (Small Parts of) America on (39% of) the Appalachian Trail". Bryson hikes from North Georgia, but calls it quits at Gatlinburg, Tennessee--renting a car to drive from there to Roanoke, Va. Perhaps realizing that he was supposed to write a book on the AT, but had quit (oops), Bryson then drives around to various parts of the Trail, taking day hikes on weekends. He then teams back up with the indomitable Katz to hike the last hundred miles of the trail in Maine. Again--you guessed it--they quit and go home, lamely insisting that they had hiked the Appalachian Trail. I'm sure hard-core thru-hikers everywhere are simply beside themselves over this.

Interestingly, at the same time Bryson talks about how those on the AT depend on "the kindness of strangers," Bryson and his foul companion Katz are almost vicious to their fellow hikers--mocking their intelligence, rebuffing attempts at friendly conversation, "ditching" companions, even stealing shoestrings from other hikers' boots in the night--nice. And as others have noted, while preaching about environmentalism and repeatedly criticizing the Park Service, Bryson and Katz leave a trail of cigarettes, discarded equipment, and soda cans over miles of the Trail.

Bryson stereotypes Southerners (another "Deliverance" insult--yawn) and spouts knee-jerk environmentalism (acid rain! yikes!) all the while. And the brief foray into Civil War history--a brief profile of Stonewall Jackson--is a howler, filled with inaccuracies and undisguised Yankee disdain for a man who, though eccentric, was arguably one of the greatest military commanders of all time.

That said, Bryson does have an ear for witty repartee (one wonders how much was filled in later, for comic effect); I chuckled out loud a few times. The book is also a nice, quick read, good for an airplane ride or short weekend, for instance. But I couldn't help but be disappointed. I was ready to root for two underdogs to conquer a daunting physical task--instead, they gave up early and were jerks to everyone they met along the way. Granted, if I tried to hike the AT, I might not make it half as far as Bryson--but hey, I didn't sign up with my publisher to write a book about hiking the Trail, either.

Bought this book for my wife, then ended up reading it first. Added insult to injury by waking her up repeatedly with my laughter, which I just couldn't contain. Bryson is very witty, and his descriptions of striking out onto the Appalachian Trail with his companion Stephen Katz are not just colorful, they are often moving.

His descriptions of their daily diet are a scream. Snickers bars, Little Debbie pastry cakes and Slim Jim beef sticks are not the normal trail food (nor are noodles as a daily diet), but many serious hikers have secreted wrappers from these products into trash cans at the end of a hike. Bryson manages to poke fun at hikers and himself as well.

He has managed to hit the nail on the head with his descriptions of the National Park Service, yet portrayed the personnel who work for this organization as dedicated individuals. His descriptions of the underground coal fire burning which has gone on for decades under Centralia, Pennsylvania, have made me! want to plan a day trip there, along with a side trip to the Delaware Water Gap.

There are holes in this tale, but if one just overlooks the small lapses that pop up here and there, the book is quite enjoyable. Serious hikers should lighten up and read it like a funny novel. I'll try his "Lost Continent" next, as other readers have called it one of his best. If it's as good as this was, I'll be happy.

A Walk in the Woods

"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire I happened on a path that vanished into wood on the edge of town" is a spectacular beginning by writer Bill Bryson of his ludicrous and whimsical experience of walking the AT or Appalachian Trail. In this memoir, Bill, our hero...ahem..cough...cough, CLAP!, has decide that a stroll of the great AT, running from Maine to Georgia or vice versa, sounded like fun. His friend named Katz joins him on this comical trip in the woods. His son, who has an after school job at an outfitter's, suggested that he buy his supplies there because of their large stock of materials for a hike in the woods. This is a very engaging and interesting book, but I would not recommend this book to a kid who still thinks sex, crap, and etc. are extremely bad words, unless you are a parent who enjoys making up definitions and trying reverse psychology on your children to think they didn't read that word at all, they dreamed it. Its appropriateness is the about the same as a PG-13 movie, for those people who don't know what PG-13 stands for, it stands for Parents Cautioned Some Material May By Inappropriate For Children Under 13. I read this book for a school report and I thought it was going to be boring because it was a true story. But I was totally wrong. Whatever you may be doing right now, stop and go to your nearest book store and buy this book. That order was mandatory, do it. Thank you for reading my review. I hope it informed you enough to read the book.

The authors have written an interesting and timely book. I liked all of the factoids and descriptions they gave about life one thousand years ago in England. Fascinating to see how our ancestors did it (life) facing challenges we have long ago conquored. The organization of the book tends to break up the narrative. It is mildly annoying in places, as are comparisons to current news that will, unfortunately quickly make this book look dated. This situation is caused by the author's using a period calendar as a backdrop to their story and organizing the book around the twelve months of the year and the seasonal activities of the Anglo-Saxons under study.

A quick read and overall enjoyable.

The book is written by journalists, not historians, and that in itself makes it all the more valuable for the general reader. Alas, too many historians write for other historians, and their prose is so stilted and dry as to be unreadable. But this book is a joy to read. Using the Julius Calendar as a device to introduce us to the everyday life of Anglo-Saxons in England in the years leading up to the first millennium, the authors present us with a perfect picture of what life must have been like on a seasonal basis, from January through December. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the social history of that period who do not wish to wade through a thousand pages of scholarly boredom.

The authors have written an interesting and timely book. I liked all of the factoids and descriptions they gave about life one thousand years ago in England. Fascinating to see how our ancestors did it (life) facing challenges we have long ago conquored. The organization of the book tends to break up the narrative. It is mildly annoying in places, as are comparisons to current news that will, unfortunately quickly make this book look dated. This situation is caused by the author's using a period calendar as a backdrop to their story and organizing the book around the twelve months of the year and the seasonal activities of the Anglo-Saxons under study.

A quick read and overall enjoyable