I love the Oregon Trail II game and this book provided tons of useful information in helping understand what the pioneers faced on their journey west. It helped me achieve a really high score too (34,085)!! It is packed with information on which trail to take, how to load your wagon, which wagon to choose, which draft animals are best, how to care for your people, and so much more. I'm hooked on the game and the Strategy Guide helped me appreciate this bygone era for all it was worth. I think it is a great compliment to owning the game!

The Official Strategy Guide is a wonderful guide. It not only helps you through your journey, but it is very informative. I would find myself sitting down to read the guide more than using it while I was playing the game. It has a lot of historical facts about the trail, the people, towns, and diseases. I would recommend buying it, because it is two-fold, informational for the game and for yourself!

If you are playing the 2 version of the game this book is the best. I hope to see one for the newest game version. It is still helpful in your travels. Give it a try.

Brutally honest, but not so cynical that it's annoying.

This is a query as to what happened to the On the Loose Series. Did the big boys (Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go swallow them up?) Any information about the demise of these student writers would be appreciated.

This is the best guidebook I've ever read. It's brutally honest, concise, and seriously funny. Offers great resources and detailed maps. Have fun !

If you've ever wanted to just forget city life and pack up and move to the country, read this book. It's a great collection of non-fiction writing about Drake's life in rural wine country, raising sheep and making wine.

Barbara Drake has written a sweet and lovely word-picture of her life on the Oregon farm she shares with her husband and their motley group of animals. Although she writes with a tender love for her land, and all that is on it, it is never saccharine, and is actually quite informative for anyone thinking of undertaking this type of lifestyle change.The book is written as a collection of brilliant essays,each filled with pathos,tenderness,and a deep understanding of the dramatic lifestyle changes involved in delving into farming.We meet, and learn to love, her sheep, geese, the sheepherding dogs,and the colorful neighbors. And even her warm and adoring father,who has an especially hilarious relationship with the hugely protective gander who patrols the gaggle of geese on the property, becomes someone you wish you could have met in person. This is one of those truly magical reads that leaves you with an afterglow of satisfaction after it's done. This is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the beauty and the magic of nature, the relationship of animal friends, the satisfaction of self-reliance and independence, or just someone who loves simply-beautiful prose. Barbara Drake is a poet at heart.

Drake's book is warm and touching but never mushy. She uses her words with economy to create vivid images that strike the eye, and the mind. I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book. Filled with positive images, and insights that are surprising and touching, it's a great read, I couldn't put it down.

This book and its companion volume: "annuals" are my current garden favorites. I am a long-time fan of Marianne Binetti and these books are like taking her expertise as a "lazy gardener" to FlowerWorld or the garden show with you. I save money by not buying tempting plants that won't work here. The seed starting tips are also excellent.

One suggestion for future editions: I had Kinkos cut and spiral bind my copies of these two books so they stay open on the table when I am reviewing catalogs or making lists or planting seeds. This 8.00 investment really makes them perfect.

This is an excellent book for novice perennial gardeners. The photos are great for identifying unknown plants. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of developing their own perennial garden--it definitely takes the guesswork out of choosing, planting, and growing them!

I found this book very useful. I especially enjoyed the rear section that graphically showed the comparision between each plant. Plenty of photos and more specific than other books. Highy recomended.

A two word phrase can sum up my opinion of Loren Christensen's book, Reality Check. This book's look at what life is like on skid row is an in your face description of what some people have to go through each and every day. At times I found myself laughing out loud, and others weeping out loud, all with the realization that this was not fiction, it was truth. In Christensen's classic literary genius, he was able to not only capture my attention and mind, but my heart as well.

Reading the stories in SKID ROW BEAT is like eating potato chips: you can't stop after just one. I was moved emotionally, sickened and then forced to laugh out loud. Read this book. It's a winner

I loved this book and so has everyone I have lent it to. I laughed, was moved and disgusted all in the same story. It's an incredible revelation of the human condition. The anecdotes, which range from one to four pages long, chronicle events from the 70's and 80's, as well as a few recent incidents, in an area one officer in the book called, "A place forgotten by God."

Policing was indeed different back then, and if you've been around long enough, this curb side look at skid row will have you laughing and saying to yourself, "Oh yea, I remember that." Like any good story teller, Christensen has woven some tales together and modified some he could not other wise have told.

While Loren lived most of these stories, other officers contributed a few. Some of the anecdotes are so disgusting that you will have to put the book down, though a short time later you will want to pick it up and resume where you left off. There are four chapters: Characters, Sex, Violence and Bodily Excretions, and Loren says there are several stories that could have fit into all of them. He says that Skid Row Beat is not for the easily offended, the overly politically correct, or those who view community policing as a religious experience. The tales run the gamut from absolutely hilarious, to stomach-turning gross, to poignant. One story will offend, another will move you, and another you will retell to your friends. Skid Row Beat is a quick read and I suspect more than one copy will find its way into the "library" next to the porcelain throne where one can read a story or two, put the book down and pick it up the next time you are making a visit.

This book reflects a time before "politically correct" was even a thought, much less a phrase. Times were different, and after reading the book you can only reflect that we have come a long way since the days when it was still a crime to be drunk in public, and the beat cop was expected to "take care of business" on his district. Many of the skid row beat cops were street monsters who were tough as nails on the outside, but with hearts bigger than all of outdoors.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE HIT BY A GREAT WHITE AND SURVIVE THEN GET THIS BOOK.YOU WILL NOT PUT THIS DOWN UNTIL THE LAST PAGE IS TURNED.

Kenny Doudt tells you what it feels like to be snacked on by a Great White shark. It is incredible to read what he saw, what he heard, how he felt, and what he did during his encounter.

His rescue and ultimate survival of his horrific wounds make for reading you cannot put down. I read this in one sitting. The black-and-white pictures of the wounds inflicted will take your breath away. That Kenny survived is a testament to his level of physical fitness at the time he was attacked. Lesser people, myself included, would not have lived to tell the tale.

Great reading! Just don't read it before you go swimming in the ocean on your summer vacation.

The book "surfing with the great white Shark" by Kenny Doubt is a must reading for all surfers on the Pacific Coast. Kenny Doubt writes a vivid and compelling story of his encounter with the most feared preditor of oceans. He is fortunate to be alive to tell his story.

His love of surfing lead him to be in the right place at the wrong time: Cannon Beach, Oregon on a cold winter day in 1972. The shark, in excess of 15 feet, was also in wrong place at the same time and the two met.

The result was of this meeting near Haystack Rock was a tearing of the flesh, exposed organs, incliding the heart and lungs, and rescue bu surfing friends that ultimately save his life.

The book includes pictures and medical detail that indicated the severity of his injuries including the more than 500 stiches the doctors counted.

The writing is straight forward and comprehensive. It is a complelling short story that can't be put down until completed.

The amount of determination, courage and fortitude to travel the continent as an overlander in 1852 must have been unimaginable. This is a remarkable first hand account of the Boatman's journey from Illinois to the Oregon Territory, along with quotes from other overlanders' diaries during the same year. Suffering from the heat, thirst, food shortages for both emigrants and livestock, the cold, rain, mud, river crossings, cholera epidemics and other illnesses, exhaustion and death to many who attempted such an endeavor, this book has it all. The author, a decendent of the Boatmans, has put forth a most wonderful book depicting the hardships and misfortunes of the early day pioneers. A+

I have known the author for more than 30 years, so I have been aware of his 15-year effort to research, write, and publish this book as it unfolded. It is with pleasure, therefore, that I can attest to how well crafted it is. Rau tells the story of his great-grandparents' journey by employing extensive quotes from their written accounts and from the accounts of other 1852 Oregon Trail travelers. These quotes are woven together and amplified by Rau's observations of the physical, cultural, and social settings they experienced, including how the geology along the way influenced the development of the terrain. The book is also very well edited. I found but one typographical error and two place names missing from one map.

Besides being very well crafted, the book has left me with several strong impressions. The travelers, especially the men, approached the trip with a sense of romanticism. It was going to be a grand adventure with a pot of gold waiting at the end. A very different reality forced its way into their consciousness as the trip unfolded. The trip brought out all the best and worst traits of the travelers and those who sought to serve and usually profit from them along the way. They experienced disease, death, and discomfort. They and others suffered from cholera, scurvy, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Mary Ann and Willis' brothers both died on the trip, as did many others they met along the way. Mary Ann was pregnant for the whole trip and had to walk much of the way, in addition to performing the cooking and other housekeeping chores that fell to her. In addition there were extremes of weather, loneliness, homesickness, sorrow, grief, resignation, thievery, greed, and hardheadedness. These were balanced by bravery, resoluteness, kindness, compassion, neighborliness, concern, and assistance, sometimes from people they didn't even know. The journey had but three possible outcomes; they had to turn back and reach their former homes, get to the Willamette Valley, or die before winter hit. In some ways their journey can be compared with what the first interplanetary travelers will experience. Indeed, even after Willis and mary Ann reached the relative safety of the Willamette Valley and then the Puget Sound country, for years they felt as isolated and separated from their families as if they were on another planet.

If you have had no real appreciation for the magnitude of the feat that Oregon Trail travelers accomplished, you will have when you finish this book.

The fact that Weldon Willis Rau is a geologist who has turned his talents to the writing of history lends a special flavor to his book, Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852. Basing much of his work on the notes left by his great grandparents, Willis and Mary Ann Boatman, Rau gives us a gripping and factual story of the wagon trip west from Illinois to Oregon Territory in that pioneer time nearly a century and a half ago. The recounting begins with the sorrows of leaving home and parting from loved ones. The sad picture of an old grandfather, waving a tearful goodbye, knowing that he will never see his beloved young ones again, moves the reader to compassion. Children as well as adults are disturbed by the upheaval of unprecedented departure. The trek to the Missouri River was not easy, but was yet a rather civilized journey compared to what was to lie ahead. Crossing at about the site of present-day Omaha the Boatmans followed the Platte and the North Platte westward toward Wyoming. Sickness was the great affliction along the those river banks. Many of the westward travellers died, particularly of cholera. Along the way. Mary Ann Boatman's young brother was among those lost to disease. Wyoming and Idaho offered many hills to climb, streams to ford or ferry, steep slopes to descend, and scenic wonders new and remarkable to folks from Illinois. Water for all and grazing for the cows and draft oxen were often hard to find. Dust whirled up by the wheels of the wagons and the hooves of the animals choked all the travelers in various places. In Oregon the great gorge of the Columbia was a traverse not equalled elsewhere on earth. During the gorge trek Willis Boatman's brother, John, died, leaving Willis and a pregnant Mary Ann the only family members left in the trip. The two arrived in Portland exhausted and nearly broke. Weldon Rau tells this story with great feeling and understanding. His respect for his pioneeer ancestors is manifest. Clearly he has explored nearly the whole route his great grandparents travelled. And his explanations of the geology that formed these Oregon Trail lands adds greatly to the reader's undertanding. This book is a welcome addition to any library.

I personally own over 400 cookbooks & have found Junior League Cookbooks to be one of my favorites. They are "tried & true" recipes for any age. This one contains very unusual recipes & some old standards. Can't go wrong with this one

I have yet to try a recipe from this cookbook that I didn't like. I've been using this cookbook for about 8 years, and I have recommended it to ALL of my friends. If you like food, you'll love this cookbook.

I am ordering this for a friend in Japan, after having used it myself for years. I give it often as a gift, because it contains so many recipes that are on the "favorites" list of everyone in my family. You won't be sorry!

I borrowe this book from a friend. She had never read it. It was stuck in a box. This book is Indian & American History as if written By Clancey!!! This book presents the history of Indian and uropean settlement through the 1800's. It presnts cultural clashes from a global perspective starting in the 1600's. For once, I could understanfd the conflicts and their timing between Spain, Russia, England, France and the emerging US. The clear presentation of the Spanish presence as miners and slaveers. The English, French and Russians as fur robber barons represented by greedy men and the lowly US taking up the rear. The Indian population with thier established tribes, hunting areas and culture were spelled out clearly and convincingly. It was understandble now that Europeans really didn't or couldn't have removed the Indian without the use of our deseases such as small pox and meassles. More Indians died of small pox than any US Army battle. Not that we didn't remove, push, cheat them only that their population was overwhelmed by our deseases first. The history is written like a fast moving novel, exciting, detailed , twisting and turning. It has political plots, robber barons, government plots, greedy people and bungling fools. It tells of Indians against Indians, Indians against Spanish, French, English, Russians and the US. The vast majority of the western movement was only to pass through the plains, over the Rockies for most people to Oregon and California. It is remakable that Oregon has remained as rural as it has while California is the state which has really grown. The wealth of California apparently was sverely understated while Oregon was overstated.

.You will love this book.

These four volumes do more to explain the depth and extent of the Indian Nations that existed in the Northwest prior to the fur traders. A vast empire headquartered in present day central Oregon, near the major Indian trading centers on the Columbia River with influences extending east into present day Wyoming, south to Santa Fe, NM and Indio, CA. This series of books is perhaps the only written account of the Shoshone Indians. An Indian nation that witnessed and bore the brunt of the indiscretions of fur traders, explorers, gold hunters, religious pioneers, settlers, and others.

I was captivated by this writing that covers the history of the Western United States from before European intrusion, up through the peak years of the fur trade. Very interesting view from the Native American perspective and the white man's greed that laid waste to the animals and Indians alike. Very easy book to read. Once I got started, it was hard to put it down. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

My husband and I recently made a trip out west and used this book as our guide to follow the Oregon Trail. It was excellent! Her directions were right on the money and the book was easy to read and follow. She breaks the trip down to a day by day driving guide which was great so we knew how much time to plan. I would encourage visiting the 'out of way' options she offers. She also offers several driving options depending on your time allowance. A must have for an Oregon Trail trip!

Julie's book is very useful in traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail. Highly informative and illustrated, it includes specific as well as local information about the various sites included in the book. Well worth having and using.

A trip to the Grand Tetons this year was greatly enhanced by this book, which I came upon with a search on Amazon.com. We used it to plan a car trip from Portland and we followed the Oregon Trail home from southern Wyoming. The maps were wonderful and the information accurate. We even golfed 9 holes at the Soda Springs municipal golf course to see the swales on the 8th hole, in addition to many other stops of intetest!