While in a different vein than her previous book about Route 66 (Route 66: The Highway and Its People) Quinta Scott has successfully captured the feeling and vision of what Route 66 has become to many -- the soul of America. Her black and white photographs, some taken in the early 1980s, some taken in the late 1990s, depict an essence of nostalgia toward "The Mother Road" that is just now being widely realized amongst a cross-section of America. State Route 66 Associations have been working together to preserve and protect this long ribbon of a historic monument, and Quinta Scott's book can aid in those efforts. This is your history, America. Read it, look at it, and remember it!

For over forty years, Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret has photographed Iowa's Amana villages and the people. The 1959 image earliest in the series, originally taken on assignment for The Iowan magazine is of workers eating lunch at the Colony Inn. The most recent images are of the color cover of tulips and trees blooming in South Amana, and of the 1999 Maifest.

The book begins with photographs of the Community of True Inspiration, the religion of the original Amana settlers, their churches and religious followers. The next section is "The Communal Legacy" with villagers, villages and artifacts left over from the days when the colonists followed a system of religious communal life. In 1932 they voted The Great Change to a free enterprise system with a corporation owning the 26,000 acres, mills and various businesses. The people could now own their own homes. A photograph taken in 1982 shows "Those Who Knew the Communal Way," The elderly fifty years after The Great Change. A final section titled "The Winds of Change" shows the traditions of Germany as celebrated in the Maifest and an Oktoberfest. The Amana Heritage Society documents its historic past in several museums. Over 100 black- and- white images are in the book.

The color section, "The Beautiful Amanas, The Amanas in Bloom," has 13 photographs, ending with two views of the Native American Fish Dam on the Iowa river prior to the destruction of the dam in the floods of 1993.

A Foreword by Lanny Haldy, Executive Director of the Amana Heritage Society, and a Preface by Abigail Foerstner, photography critic, contribute to an understanding of the community and the photographs.

In her introduction, Joan writes, "the spirit of love and friendship, religious faith, and traditions continues today even through the vast winds of change in the Colonies and America.

An exhibition of the photographs complements the book.

Compiled and edited by Norman Walzer (Professor of Economics and Directory of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University), The American Midwest: Managing Change In Rural Transition is a collection of essays contributed by a variety of learned authors, gathering together observations on recent socioeconomic trends in rural areas of America. From the aging of the rural population; to the role of agriculture in the Midwest economy; to the impact and competition that modern Internet-based economies have; to the unique knowledge-based challenges essential for ensuring rural prosperity, The American Midwest offers the reader a diverse perspective and is strongly recommended as a welcome contribution to Economics Studies collections and reading lists.

This is an excellent book. Hundreds of color photos and growing related information for the Michigan gardner. The book is a convenient size with rounded edges. The Perennials for Michigan book is a well written book as well and a good compliment to this one.

The collaborative effort of Jane and Scott Hall, Backroad Bicycling In Wisconsin: 28 Scenic Tours Through Lakes, Forests, And Glacier-Carved Countryside is a superbly organized and presented resource filled with maps, recommended routes, tips and tricks, and much more for avid cyclers, complete with information about terrain, where to find repairs and rentals, highlights of one's trips, and much more. Backroad Bicycling In Wisconsin is confidently recommended as being a truly first-rate, "user friendly" guide for avid Wisconsin cyclers.

Accessibly and informatively written by travel journalist Martin Hintz, and illustrated with Bob Rashid's gorgeous color photographs of Wisconsin's natural splendor and the people proud to call the state home, Backroads Of Wisconsin: Your Guide To Wisconsin's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures is a visual narrative, and reference guide to enjoying the scenery, landmarks, and historical locations available among Wisconsin's roads. Maps and detailed descriptions complement this excellent and enthusiastically recommended guide for both day-tripping vacationers wanting to make the most of what Wisconsin has to offer, and the armchair traveler content to simply read about it.

I love this book. I've heard this author speak. She published her first book "Eggs in the Coffee and Sheep in the Corn" in her early eighties. She won the Minnesota Book Award and received rave literay reviews for that book. This is her second book and it is as good as the first. She herself is filled with energy and joy - so are her writings. In her mid-eighties she is an inspiration on how life should be led - both intellectually and physically. I am in my early fifties and she is living proof that I have decades ahead to look forward to.

I found the greatest bar in the world through this book, Resi's Bierstube. It has 150 different bottled beers, a ton of imported German beers on draft, and the best bratwurst this side of Sheboygan.

Sports Illustrated had positive things to say about this book

precise directions to the beaches -excellent summarization of facilities and amenities.ratings of beaches are helpful.can't wait to revisit Michigan.