"Day hiking Kings Canyon" may well be the best book on day hikes(1 to 10 miles one way) in Kings Canyon national park and in the wilderness areas surrounding the park. It covers 50 trails in 5 areas: cedar grove, monarch wilderness, grant grove, redwood mountain, and jennie lakes wilderness. Each of the five sections starts with a brief (2-3 pages) introduction about the history, climate, and specific features of the area. The description of the hikes are concise (1-3 pages each), and yet very detailed. There is an individual topographic map for each trail, half-a-page to a whole page in size, which is located either at the beginning or at the end of description of each trail. Besides the total length of the trail, estimated hiking distance, elevation gain, and relative difficulty, the author provides detailed description of what to expect on each mile of the trail, suggests on which parts of the trail it may get hot in summer, where one can expect mosquitos, where the vews are beautiful, and even where one can find swimming holes on the river. Frequently, alternative return routes are suggested to make hikes more interesting. Finally, parts of the trail where the hikers should exercise caution due to slippery rocks or other hazards are indicated.

I studied this book side by side with two others, Frommer's "Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks", by Don and Barbara Laine, and "50 best short hikes in Sequoia/Kings Canyon" by John Krist. The first one is a pocket guide, contains much fewer hikes, and the descriptions are about a paragraph each. It is a very decent guide for the visitors arriving for a day by car, but does not help much on the trail. The second one is similar to "Day hiking Kings Canyon" in the way how the hikes are described, but the descriptions are shorter, maps are less acurate, and they are located at the very end of the book, so you have to flip pages from the middle to the end of the book to follow the guidelines. I found it very inconvenient. Hence, of these three books, my book of choice is definitely "Day hiking Kings Canyon". The only two drawbacks are that it does not have ratings of the trails in terms of their scenery, so it takes some reading to decide what to choose, and that it has very few photographs. It also could be squeezed in a smaller format (by using smaller fonts) to make it lighter and easier to carry in a backpack. Other than that, this book is an excellent source of information for any hiker.

our family has been going to KingsCanyon and Sequoia for over a hundred years now, and I wish I had found this book sooner. I have been on a lot of the trails and learned a few. Very easy to understand, an easy read and informative in area history. I am going to give a copy to all my family for Xmas.I'm at the mirror. * randella*

The twenty-five years of cumulative ranger experience of the authors really shows. Yellowstone hiking guides by Bill Schneider and Robert Stone contain more hikes (with much briefer descriptions) and guides by Tom Carter and Mark Marschall are fine books rich in description but the Andersons' book of 29 hikes is the "gold standard." It combines accuracy, useful topographic maps, interesting naturalist information, and excellent color photographs at a great price. It even makes a good souvenir to keep after you've hiked.

Whether you want to see breath-taking scenery, waterfalls, unique geology, interesting history or find some good fishing, this book has it. The twenty hikes are divided into five each of short, half-day, full-day and overnight hikes. Each trail description includes the start and end point, distance, elevation changes, time required and comments.

Although we didn't try any of the overnight excursions, we did try at least one of the other categories. We especially liked the full-day hike (#14) to 7 Mile Hole. The side trip to Washburn Hot Springs is well worth the effort. Overall, we found the descriptions accurate and relatively easy to follow, although natural changes can effect some of the descriptions (for example, fire damage).

The book contains several good resources for inexperienced hikers, including good rules for hiking and essential equipment lists. A chart lists the type of features (waterfalls, geysers, wildflowers, etc) found on each of the hikes. Small sections of the USGS maps are included for many of the hikes, although purchasing a TOPO map is recommended.

The book is physically small so it fits well in a pack. It weathered our hikes well, too. We'll use it again and again.

I thought this was a very well written book for youngsters. The pages are bold and colorful with easy to read words. It is a chapter book for the beginner reader with a story relating how a child's imgination can get away from them before they come back to earth. Bill Cosby writes this book for all to learn to laugh at ourself once in a while! And to think how we would react if we were in the same position as the kids in the story!!!

Little Bill finds a huge "diamond" and thinks he's rich. Little Bill agrees to share the money with his friends. Their ideas for spending the money are sweet and thoughtful. They're disappointed that the "diamond" is a paperweight but they overcome the disappointment very quickly. They play outside and laugh at how they were fooled.

My daughter enjoys the Little Bill series and continues to enjoy this new one. If you like the Little Bill series, you'll like this one too.

I first encountered this book while researching a term paper on the public games of the Roman Empire, and I liked it enough that eventually I acquired my own copy through Amazon. Davis herein did not formally cite his references or include a bibliography, so the book's value is more that of supplying a mental roadmap of and feel for the setting rather than as a formal scholarly work. (Davis covers himself on that score in his preface, however, by outlining generally the sources drawn upon, emphasizing the major Roman writers of the period.) Davis wrote at least 2 other books in this vein: _A Day in Old Athens_ and _Life in Elizabethan Days_. I can say definitely that while the latter has a similar structure, _A Day in Old Rome_ scores over its Elizabethan sibling in that herein Davis has confined himself to a real city and real historical characters rather than creating a composite setting to better illustrate his points.

As the author says in the preface, the book describes Imperial Rome on a spring day in 134 A.D./C.E., as seen if the reader were magically transported there and provided with a competent tour guide. That date was picked because the Empire was architecturally near completion, the Empire was prosperous but not yet decadent. Davis deliberately avoids unusual events; he's tried to construct a run-of-the-mill day; the emperor Hadrian isn't in the city until he formally arrives in the last (13th) chapter.

Chapter 1, "The General Aspect of the City", gradually shifts from speaking *about* the city and the surrounding countryside to a viewpoint from a height near the Campus Martius, to obtain an overview before descending into the city. (Nice touch: English translations of place names are provided parenthetically when the names are introduced, providing a flavor of how a contemporary would have heard them, e.g. Ostia, "River Mouth".) Davis' details are interesting; readers may not have realized how advanced Roman architecture really was, wherein impressive buildings were mostly concrete with marble facades, and cheaper buildings were of brick or building stone - not wood, with its increased risk of fire.

As our tour guide, Davis doesn't jump straight to the famous "sights" that would crown a tourist's visit, but works his way inward and upward to the heart and heights of the city, beginning with chapter 2, "Streets and Street Life", a good example of the kind of detail provided. Davis not only mentions that most streets were too narrow for two vehicles at once, and that traffic laws banned most wheeled vehicles between dawn and 'the tenth hour'. (Note the time given in Roman style, only parenthetically translated to 4 pm.) From a pedestrian's point of view, most streets were worn slick, only main roads being kept clean, with special stepping-stones inset against the rainy season. We even get samples of Roman flyers posted on walls (actual text, noted as found in Pompeii, from 'to rent' notices to announcements of upcoming gladiatorial combats) and graffiti, as well as descriptions of typical street processions and crowds' behaviour in public.

Chapters 3 through 6 come in off the street, dealing with "Roman homes", "Roman women and marriages", "Costume and personal adornment", and "Food and drink". Housing covers the gamut from insulae (tenements that ought to be "islands" with space around them to prevent the spread of fire) to great houses of the wealthy, including on the low end the expected rental price in sesterces (with a parenthetic conversion into U.S. dollars where each money amount is mentioned, a convention followed throughout the text). Example of nice touches of detail: the Calends (July first) was the regular moving day, when deadbeat tenants were evicted. Furnishings being skimpy in the slums of Rome, details about higher-class housing treat Roman furniture in more depth, although expected furnishings are covered for the low-end insulae as well.

"Roman women and marriages" focuses on betrothal customs, marriage ceremonies (when there were any), and divorce, which was easier in Empire days than it would be for many centuries after the Empire's fall. A couple of stereotypes are drawn: that of a frivolous woman who might collect gladiators and suchlike, contrasted with the tomb enscription of an archetypal 'good woman' by her mourning husband.

A bit of trivia about costume: the word 'candidate' comes from 'candidati', "extra-white" - office-seekers used to specially bleach their togas so as to stand out in a crowd. Basic things in life never really change.

Chapters 7 and 8 cover the social orders (slaves receiving an entire chapter). Davis then moves on to professions, education, and commerce before finally arriving at the fora, the Palatine and the centers of government, and the imperial war machine. The courts, baths, and public games are covered before Roman religion is addressed. A separate chapter on "pagan cults" ends with the most disreputable cult of all, from a Roman point of view: Christianity, including Roman popular beliefs about how debased Christian practices were. (For a more detailed view, set a couple of decades earlier, see Barbara Hambly's well-researched mystery novel _Search the Seven Hills_.) After digressing to "the Roman villa" and the grand finale of the Emperor's return to Rome, a final note on where people are in the Roman night ends in the catacombs, with a brief flash of the Christians through their own eyes, holding services while keeping a lookout for watchmen.

NOTE: The paperback edition before me reproduced the colour plates in black-and-white, unfortunately, but otherwise the book is unchanged. The old hardcover edition illustrations consisted of 1) black-and-white line drawings, 2) occasional photographs, and 3) colour plates of illustrations painted by Von Folke, reconstructing various landmarks in their heyday and showing (for example) a scene from a chariot race. (Incidentally, Davis in a footnote commends Lew Wallace's novel _Ben-Hur_ on its accuracy, adding the caveat that Messala, being of high rank, would have considered driving his own team beneath his dignity.)

This is one of those rare history books that should never go out of print. It tells you so many of the details of Roman life. Did you ever wonder what Romans wore under those togas? They wore a tunic, which is a thing like a night shirt. Upper classes were allowed (encouraged, actually) to wear a purple stripe down their tunic (wide ones for Senators, narrow ones for Equites), and that's how people knew if you were or were not upper class (I mean besides all those slaves running after you). It's a very complete picture, describing houses, tenements, public eating houses, the public baths, schools,what a Roman banquet was like, the pots and pans in the kitchen, and even sandals. Did you know the proper number present at a Roman banquet was 9? Why? The couches held three people and there were three couches, ergo 9 people. That was tradition. Just about everything you'd want to know about day-to-day Roman life is in this one small book. It's great. You'll love it. I've got to have "A Day in Old Athens," now. By same author.

what more can be said, other than that this book is
captivating!

A magnificently written, evocative description of one of baseball's greatest games.

A good solid book to have about China. I'm very glad that I got this.

This collection of photos taken of people and places across China gives you a glorious snapshot of the complexity and beauty of this country. This table top collection of photos captures the soul of the country and its people and gives you a chance to travel to a far away land without ever leaving your armchair.

This collection of large photographs of the people and places in Italy is absolutely stunning. The photos include not only the popular landmarks but also the people, their families, and is able to portray more than just the "touristy" part of Italy.

It is a shame that it is out of print! It is the perfect "coffee table" book!

This collection of large photographs of the people and places in Italy is absolutely stunning. The photos include not only the popular landmarks but also the people, their families, and is able to portray more than just the "touristy" part of Italy.

It is a shame that it is out of print! It is the perfect "coffee table" book!

I heard this book being read on NPR and being a dog lover, I knew I would own it for myself. Everything about this book is fun, typical canine insight abounds. Buy two books: one as a gift and one to have on hand when guests or relitives arrive with small children...

A Day In The Life Of Murphy is a delightful, easy-reader picture book about an eager and loveable terrier, who barks, runs, and plays all day. Charming color illustrations Alice Provensen complements her simple text, making A Day In The Life Of Murphy an excellent "starter book" -- especially for young dog lovers!

Ziggy rules! This collection, besides being perhaps the best compilation of comic strips ever published, leads its readers to realms previously unimagined. A different take on the strength of our Democratic government, a new perspective into the works of Freud, and the inspiration to spark a cultural and society-based revolution are just some of the smaller issues and intellectual delvings this masterful book provides its readers with. Rock on Tom Wilson! Your next masterwork is anxiously anticipated by the huddled masses!

ah, ziggy. Will we never tire of this portly, bald icon of everything that is right and innocent in this world? What can one say? As we turn the pages, we laugh, we cry, we smile wistfully as our befuddled chrome-domed antagonist stumbles through a world world as confounding and cold as anything kafka ever envisioned. A day in the life of ziggy recalls james joyce's ulysses, in which it is shown that for modern man, even getting through one day is an epic of heroic proportions. It is an epic that Ziggy has completed at last. Bravo, ziggy. Bravo.

Chad Lilly's...'A Day In The Mind'
An imaginative compilation of unforgettable analogies.
After reading his book, one does feel as though, he/she has indeed spent a
day in this magical mind. A day of self exploration, a day of re-analyzing
old concepts. He offers a fresh new look at seemingly, 'set in stone' ideas.
This book is an endless adventure into learning, learning that we don't know
everything, we haven't thought every thought, that there are infinite angles
from which the view is always a surprise. Rene Ferrell

Chad Lilly's "A Day in the Mind" has to be one of the best books ever written and published. His work is just mind blowing. It opens the mind to the many possiblities that lie right in front of us. The best part about "A Day in the Mind" is all the truth that lies within. I urge anyone who loves to read, be challenged, humored, excited, and left in awe to read this book!!