I shopped around extensively at local travel bookstores to find a good wine country book, and I think this one is the best. It has beautiful color pictures on almost every page. Many of the pictures show the wine labels, which helps make the book a nice souvenir for you to remember the wine/winery later. The pictures are supplemented with insightful commentary on the wines, history of each winery, and even pictures/descriptions of the restaurants, lodgings. The maps are also in color, and are detailed for each town. Also included is an events/festivals list and analysis of wine vintages by year. All that, and it's still small enough to carry with you when you visit the wineries.

My wife and I were completely delighted following the "tours" in this guide. The maps, directions and winery descriptions were second to none! Anyone contemplating a trip to the California wine country should consider this book a MUST. Of course, if your not planning a trip, you will be after reading this! We stayed at two different B&B's recommended by the book and were very pleased. The book accurately depicted the quality of the rooms and hospitality of the staff. Again, I highly recommend this wine country guide.

Gerry Has Done it again! The crusing guides on CD-ROM is a must have!! This easy to navagate program has proven itself to be a permanant crusing companion. The many COLOR photographs, accurate GPS positions, and much more make this CD-ROM invaluable!

I love having so much information on a CD. I find that this information is more complete and more accurate that anything else available for the area. Having it all on one CD along with hundreds of extra color photos and charts makes this a cruiser's dream come true!

This is a well-written chronicle of the starts, stops, misfires and joy of a radical experiment in education. I enjoyed the contrast between the introduction, written at the time of publication, and the book itself, taken from journals written nearly thirty years ago. While the hair may have grayed, the zeal has not flagged. I enjoyed the hell out of it.

The book starts a little slow in the middle of the story and works its way to the begining and end. Stay with it and you will be rewarded with a clear understanding of what a life in the commune was really like.

This is a delightful vignette of Jewish refugee intellectuals
in a pre WW II small town north of the Bay Area. Identified
for chicken raising it is shown to have been the West Coast center for the refugee intelligentsia hosting the distinguished visitors of that period It is rich in authenticity--oral his-
tories and prescence--and just plain good reading.

This is a marvelous oral history of the Jewish community in Petaluma, CA. It was a joy to read. I cannot recommend it too highly.

There is no narrative history in this book. Before I read it I thought I might feel that there was something missing because of the lack of narrative history. I was amazed by how rich and interesting the history is in the telling by the people who lived it -- it shows the humanity of history, the feel of lives and all that goes with them.

There are writers in various genres (mystery, romance, westerns, etc.) and then there are Writers; they're the gifted people whose genre is scarcely relevant because their work always rises above the territory upon which they've staked their claim. John Shannon is a Writer.

This first of Shannon's Jack Liffey series is a work of lean, effective prose, spiced with startling dashes of outrageous humor (as was The Orange Curtain, my introduction to Shannon's work). Los Angeles, as portrayed through Liffey's eyes, is a series on ongoing atrocities and carnage that are so everyday as to be normal. Add to this mix a character with a tired, yet invincible, spirit who observes and accepts (but doesn't like) what he sees, and you have a hero unlike any other.

Liffy is the essential American of a certain age, (and a Viet Nam vet) possessed of heart and conscience, trying very hard to be honorable while he searches for missing children (in itself a profound metaphor for the lost innocence not only of the city, but of our entire society.)

It is a sad fact that talent is not its own reward; it does not guarantee success. But if anyone writing today deserves recognition on a large scale, it is John Shannon. His work is both insightful social commentary and an unflinching, wrenching look at the human heart. If you want to be entertained and informed, get this book! Go to out-of-print booksites if you must, or search your local library, but this is a writer who very much deserves to be widely read.

Captures Los Angeles perfectly. Protagonist is believable, story is absorbing - I couldn't wait for the second of this series and bought it immediately when it came out (this is the first). Looking forward to the author's next book. If you like Michael Connelly, Abigail Padgett, and find Andrew Vacchs compelling (if not always palatable), give this author a try. You won't be disappointed.

Cooking Fresh From The Bay Area: The Bay Area's Best Recipes For Eating Local, Organic Produce at Its Seasonal Best is a seminal and ground breaking cookbook and guide bringing together savory recipes from twenty of the San Francisco Bay Area's best chefs. Cooking Fresh From The Bay Area is divided into Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall sections with an introduction on the seasonal crops available, informative commentaries by the contributors, and delicious recipes suited to the season's offerings. From Winter Squash Soup with Sweet Potato Pecan Relish, Asparagus with Balsamic Syrup and Parmigiano-Reggiano, to Spicy Tuna, Caper, Anchovy and Tomato Sandwiches, to Stuffed Caramelized Tomatoes with Vanilla Ice Cream, Apple Tarte Tatin with Cider Sauce, and Smoked Goat Cheddar and White Corn Chowder, Cooking Fresh From The Bay Area is a gourmet delight and kitchen cook friendly!

This is a great book for people who like to cook, people interested in living healthy, aware lifestyles, and a great resource guide for eating seasonally, locally, and organically. I think there is something like 80 different amazing recipes in the book. My favorites are the deserts: Summer Fruit Shortcake with Lemon Curd & Whipped Cream, Almond Tart with Fresh Berries & fresh Strawberry Ice Cream in Spring, a Winter Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Chocolate Hazelnut Crust, and multiple others. Of course, I wouldn't pass up any of the sumptuous entrees. If someone wanted to make me the Roasted Chicken with Tarragon Peach Sauce or the Smoked Lamb and Garlic Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper Confit & Mustard sauce, I would be happy enough to indulge them.

Beyond the food and recipes, there is a community within this book. It's a must-have for anyone living or travelling in California's Bay Area. One thing is for sure though--you don't have to be anywhere near California to enjoy the book. I highly recommend it.

As a teenager I was awed when this book about my father was published. I have one of the original copies which I value very much. It is gratifying to know that there is a resurgence of interest in Craig Ellwood's work so many years later. If you are a fan of his work, or if you want to get a good feel for Southern California architecture of the '50s and '60s, you will want this book. (OK, so I am biased! It is still a cool book.)

I did not realize how influential my father Craig is today, until I searched on his name and it lead me to this site. Here I learned that Ester McCoy's book about my dad has sold over 500,000 copies. That leads me to believe that there is a great interest in his work today, and that he is definitely influencing tomorrow's architecture. His favorite thing to do was to teach architecture, and with reprints of these great books, I believe that he continues to do just that today.

Adam Ellwood

We have used Brian Fagans guidebooks from SD to SF for many years, but this is the best of the lot. We recently led a cruise to the Channel Islands, and made this a "must" for the cruisers, all of whom praised it highly. Really THE guidebook to coastal cruising in Central-Southern California---and a bargain!

From a recent sailing trip out of Santa Barbara through the channel islands I can tell you that this book is invaluable. His treatment of safe ports and refuges (arranged very well but conditions) was fantastic and kept us out of danger.

I purchased this cassette for my younger brother and he just loves it. He loved the music, the story and looking at the picture book while listening to the narration. He enjoyed the colorful paintings and the stagecoach. It sparked his interest in the Gold Country history.

I believe Amazon got the age wrong. It is appropriate for children younger than 9 years. My 8-year-old daughter loves this book! The pictures are imaginative, colorful and detailed. The fanciful prose allows kids to use their imaginations, and the history lessons are fun. Delightful book. I heartily recommend it.

I first found this book when I was in school in switzerland. I thought that this book was one of the best ideas for a cook book that I've ever seen After I got the first one I went right back to the book store and got the next one. Now I have to weight for the third.

This is a book that not only is impressive, but very helpful to those in the culinary world. The price is a lot, but as a chef, I found many ideas and helpful hints in this book. It is one that I will always hold onto. It is also written in both English and German. Don't be afraid of the price, you'll find the menus and recipes worth every penny!