Informative and nicely detailed maps. The cartoons are funny and the layout is like a good resume, it shows you what you want to know.

Clerly illustrates the necessary info about all lakes and places to enjoy boating. Easy to understand and use. We have purchased three editions over last ten years. Always in our boat. Suggestion, use a large zip-lock type bag to keep dry. Listen to the voice of experience. Also, it is not an effective storage method to leave on top of Jeep as you drive away from lake. Has a habit of not staying on top of car for 50 mile trip home.

This is a valuable reference and will save you disappointments in chosing the wrong lake. Call ahead to the individual facilities and ask questions. This is helpful in planning trips to the lake for your family. Enjoy.

A must for all outdoor enthusiasts but get the new 12th Edition

This book provides a functional, usable set of guidelines to consider when working on fisheries habitat and stream rehabilitation problems. Although it is oriented towards the American environmental processes - EPA etc, the background concepts and information should be required reading for everyone who is involved in both environmental monitoring and assessment, and those who are involved in trying to bring back stream habitat that has been lost.

Useful for a much broader audience than originally targetted. For instance Community Stewardship groups here in BC have found it most useful.

A very informative, thorough, and interesting coverage of the topic. Very well written and an enjoyable read. I especially liked the presentation of the "chapters" as "premises."

Advocacy is one theme of this book, but I didn't find that objectionable. As a former professional in the regulatory field, I think it is important for people with opinions to express them!

This book is really a must-read for people working on any aspect of biological monitoring of aquatic systems.

Karr & Chu provide compelling arguments for the inclusion of reasoned biomonitoring efforts in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of aquatic ecosystems. This is long-overdue. Their desire for biological relevance above and beyond statistical significance is also laudable, reminding me of a dear mentor's constant advice: "But what do the numbers *mean* biologically??" It is an extremely well documented book as well, providing ample resources for further scholarly investigation of related topics. I laud their eagerness to create biological relevance and move beyond standard statistical distributions by brute biological common sense. Their approach is clearly robust, time-effective, and biologically relevant - an excellent combination for real-world environmental management decisions! I do, however, find the authors' quite one-dimensional focus on the use of single "multimetric indices" to be limiting in the practice of aquatic EIA. (Multimetric indices are sums of individual indices, each measuring a different ecological factor.) I fear that the same mathematical machinations which make Karr & Chu's methods robust may also make them insensitive to subtle biological changes. They might contend that robust management considerations render subtle biological changes irrelevant; I would argue that subtle change over time can be at least as powerful as quantum, near-instantaneous changes. The author's methods are also constrained by the fact that the a significant effort is expended in calibration, which may be fine and justified for future studies, but may be of little help for projects currently "in-hand." In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book as a required read in aquatic biomonitoring strategies, but I will continue to examine my data in more statistically conventional ways as well as through multimetric indices --- I'm not likely to throw out the entire old toolbox for the addition of one new tool, after all, and all the multimetric indices in the world won't do a jot of good without sound experimental design practices.

What I like most about Lynne Cherry's environmental history of the Nashua River is that it is not only the story of the death of a river, but also of its rival. "River Ran Wild" begins thousands of years ago when Indian peoples first came through the Nash-a-way River Valley. Cherry tells of the history of the river, surrounding her text with smaller drawings representing the changing cultures of the various times depicted opposite full-page pictures. The two most telling pictures are basically "before" and "after" shots of the same scene: an aerial view of the Nashua River winding through a factory town where the river changes color from blue to green to brown as factories dump their waste into the water, and a final shot of the river restored to health today. Cherry, who has devoted her life to environmental issues, includes a timeline and an introduction that covers in more detail how the ecological death of this river came about, and the various community efforts and governmental laws that resulted in fish and game finally return to the Nashua. All too often book like this can only mourn the loss of another part of our environment, so it is nice to see something that that celebrates one of the all too few instances of success in getting back to what we once had.

I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

If you grew up watching the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau one night a week, you must read this book by Mr. Cousteau. I read the first chapter of this delightful little book in a diving collection and was instantly drawn to Cousteau's narrating style. Modest and touched with humor, he describes the creation of the aqualung (scuba) and his early exploits with it. Early photos of underwater creatures are amazing. My copy is from the late 1950s and I hold it carefully. It is a physical and figurative jewel to me.

I first read this book when I was about 15. I begged my mother to sign me up for a SCUBA class shortly after and I am still diving 25 years later. I have re-read it about 3 times since then and still keep a copy on my shelf. There is still something very captivating about the early days of diving and Cousteau's descriptions of the silent world. The explorers in his book indulged in a pioneering activity under the nose of the occupying Nazi regime and set in motion the evolution of underwater adventure that millions enjoy today.

The Silent World is easy and enjoyable to read. Most of the photographs are hard to see compared with the vast amount of underwater shots available today. However, when you consider the time period these photos were taken combined with the daring of these early pioneers, you can't help but be impressed.

This book produced an enjoyable influence on my life and I am sure it will on anyone willing to learn about the early history of underwater exploration.

This griping tale of the early period of under water exploration begins in late WW II and is set of the most part in the south of France and Mediterranean Sea. Most clearly it is not a NOVEL (see previous review). In it you will find Jacques' characteristic outlook in the germination stages. Especially interesting to observe is the beginnings of environmenal concerns in his misc. comments about mans impact on the health of the Mediterranean Sea. There are accounts of the effects of Coral dredging and drag netting clearing documenting the destructiveness of these technques coupled with descriptions of his own crew on his aboard the French Naval vessel he commanded harpooning of sea mammals for questionable "scientific" experiments.

All in all it is a good read for individuals interested in the history of exploration of new worlds by this sensitive innovative explorer. Not to be missed are the numerious accounts of early ship wreck exploration. My copy was published in 1953 and includes some of the earliest published color underwater shots. Highly recommended.

It's the best Thai cookbook I have ever come across. The dishes come out like in a restaurant and the instructions are easy to understand and follow. What more could u ask for?!

If you are looking to cook amazing Thai food and wish to impress your family and friends.... You MUST buy this book. The steps are easy to follow with some illustrations. Plenty of colored pictures. Definately worth buying!!!

I have had this book for ages. I even brought it with me 6 years ago when I moved to Thailand. Actually, I bought it after eating at the restaurant in Manly, Sydney. It's a great book to get a feel for what it is to "cook Thai". After you've got that feeling, you can use it as a springboard for creative Thai cooking. After you've served your dishes to your friends, they'll say two words..."aroy maak!" (very delicious!) Just buy it!

This is a very well written, quite a love story. Makes you wonder were Dez and Jaylynn have been all this time. I read Gun Shy first, and as usual Lori Lake did not disappoint me with this sequel. I'd like to hear more of Dez and Jay's love affair. I personally think Lori Lake has great talent and I will continue to buy her work. If you want to be well entertained, left wanting more, then read this lady. She is well worth the money.

This book definitely has a hook. Cops, romance, action, mystery, facing one's past demons -- it's all here.

Here's a sample: Chapter Six, page 73, first edition.

"An energetic, blonde-headed dynamo whisked into the room, and Dez's gaze was drawn to her, soaking in the intensity of her presence. All the veteran cop's past griefs had been made bearable because of this smiling being. It was a wonder that everyone in the room didn't sense the energy that so often passed back and forth between the two of them. She felt the heat rise up her neck to her ears, and she grabbed up her water bottle from the floor and drank from it, hoping no one noticed her red face."

Aaaawwww!!!!!

I really like the two protagonists, Dez Reilly and Jaylynn Savage, and I like what Lori Lake does with this story. She skillfully crafts the believable backdrops of their daily work and personal lives, and uses realistic life dynamics to develop two very endearing and strong personalities. She also shows Jay and Dez's evolving relationship in the midst of some growth pains and restructuring. It all rings real and true, and Lori writes with an impressive maturity.

In particular, there is a theme involving some poignant scenes of self-insight for Dez, as she struggles to come to grips with the terror of love and need. Her orderly, Spartan and emotionally pristine life, (or how she lived Before-Jay) is gone, and with the passing of that way of coping, the sense of firm self-control Dez had established seems to be going, too. Dez has to find another way to live, a way that allows her to need and embrace fully Jay's presence in her life. Dez has an additional dilemma in recognizing and dealing with what is eventually diagnosed as post-traumatic stress. Dez endures an internal wrestling match with these twin tigers in a compelling series of scenes rich with both complex plotting and inner dialogue. It's good, evocative writing.

Does this sound ever-so-Isben-esque? Well, Lori manages at the same time to make you want to turn to the next page. I think Jaylynn's involvement with trying to solve a puzzling murder mystery has something to do with that. It's an intriguing and competent rendering of what detective work is: the monotonous hours of making lists and comparing obscure, unrelated facts, the mountains of notes an investigation amasses, and the human foibles that add nuances to the job. (There are two well-drawn, middle-aged guys who like what Jay can make the computer data bank do, but have no interest in learning how to do it for themselves.) The plot portrays the odd incongruities the detectives come across during their search; weird things that sometimes mean nothing and sometimes hold a thread that needs a mere tug to unravel the weave which obscures the truth. This is a very solid exposition on police work, police officers and an unvarnished examination of the grunt work involved in being a detective. And I didn't figure out the ending -- so I think this is some deft mystery writing.

Two things are obvious to me. This book took a great deal of research, and at the same time, the plotline that delved deeply into Dez's psyche caused Ms. Lake to stretch her craft. It is a book of grace and power. Bravo.

I finished Under the Gun and it was great. I actually pulled a 3am couldn't put it down sorta thing in order to finish it. Lori is just that amazing when it comes to writing. She can hit every emotion a reader would want to experience and even those one wouldn't. For example, I was frustrated when the book started off and Dez wasn't sleeping and the world wasn't all perfect and peaceful the way I imagined it would continue at the conclusion of Gun Shy- I mean Dez had found the love of her life how much luckier can a woman get? I did manage to work through THIS frustration and on to the point were I was getting frustrated when people were interrupting me and my time with this incredible book. It was a great novel, and I'm
glad that Lori has decided to continue the story into several books (she did mentioned a third one right?). Her characters are so well developed that I started to sympathize with them beyond what was good for me, I mean poor Jay- could anyone else take out some aggression on her? The story, the characters the overall flow of the writing is amazing and very deceptive between the covers of a thick novel. Size matters thats for sure, and this book isn't long enough. It sucked me in to the point where I was always floored when I DID have to take a break for something stupid (like work or sleep or whatever) that the book was going by so quickly and then near the end that it was going by TOO quickly. Lori- you better hurry up with that third book- PLEASE.

This is Bree's third cruising narrative. The first was _In the Teeth of the Northeaster: A Solo Voyage on Lake Superior_ followed by _Call of the North Wind: Voyages and Adventures on Lake Superior_.

Bree is one of the better writers in a small sub-set of cruising narratives by singlehanded sailors who go coastal cruising in small yachts. Other writers in this genre include Philip Teece (_A Dream of Islands_ and _A Shimmer on the Horizon_) who cruises the waters around Vancouver Island and Robert DeGast (_Western Wind, Eastern Shore_ and _Five Fair Rivers_) and Howard Walker Schindler (_Between Two Bays and the Sea_) who sail in Chesapeake Bay.

Just as reading Teece makes you want to go sailing around Vancouver, Bree does the same thing for Lake Superior. Bree is an excellent story-teller and his books are always lively and filled with historical information and yarns that will shiver yer timbers.

Bree's latest work is extremely tense in parts and you will probably have a hard time putting it down after you start reading (especially since the 'Prologue' is a nail-biter). The book is centered around his experience with the July 4, 1999 "Green Storm" in which his home-made 20 foot wooden centerboard sloop *Persistence* was caught out on the Lake and knocked-down -- and experiences by other boaters with the same storm. There are other exciting moments -- like grounding on a reef and tense moments navigating through very narrow channels in the fog and dodging floating trees.

Like the other books referred to above, this book shows that you don't have to cross an ocean or own a big and expensive boat to find some adventure. And, for sailors cruising in other areas, it will instill some respect (if they don't have it already) for "Lake sailors".

This is a true story about a lone sailor on the biggest, most beautiful, and most violent lake in the world. The lake that can swallow a modern day 730 foot lake freighter in an instant. LAKE SUPERIOR! Marlin Bree was caught, without warning, in a storm that wreaked havoc across the land and exploded on to Lake Superior. It is the story of the skill and luck it takes to survive a short lived hurricane with winds in the 100 mph range. It tells the stories of others who were surprised, and survived the green monster. I witnessed this same storm, and can attest to the ferocity of it. This book tells about the stark contrast of the changing moods of what has become known as the inland sea. It is a lesson on the unpredictable nature of such an immense body of water that has been known to create it's own weather systems. It's no wonder most choose to admire her from the safety of her rugged shore line. This is the type of intense adventure that makes it difficult to put the book down.

It's been a long time since I have read a book that I truly enjoyed as much as "WAKE" It's one of those books where you just don't want to and CAN'T put it down because you sense and feel that you are there with Marlin sharing the adventures. Superior is well known for the fierce storms that drive across the lake. Ships of all types and sizes have sailed into these storms, never to be seen again....Marlin tells about some of these storms and his voyage aboard PERSISTENCE... a first hand account of the infamous "Green Storm", and other tales along Superiors North Shore..........

I've just purchased this book and I'm more than *delighted*! The photographs are ultimately enthralling, and the narration is so honest. I work for a non-profit striving to protect more public lands in Washington permenantly as Wilderness, and books like these that reach a large public audience and tell it like it is help us along our path to success... I love to hike and I love to see the areas that I hike in stay put! It's nice to be able to see which areas are protected and which are not before even exploring on one's own. BUY IT!

Sure, Harvey's opinionated, but it's excellent stuff. Nice, quick background on these amazing places, why they are still wild and protected, and just enough detail to get you in and out without giving away all the surprises. The best guide out there.

The interesting thing about the 100 Hikes series is how well it integrates with Fred Beckey's books. Ira and Harvey get you to the base of the peak; Fred gets you up it. The series go hand-in-hand. Some of the most valuable information in the whole series comes in the form of the forewards and introductions. While opinionated, the views expressed are those of someone who has spent a lifetime exploring, protecting and enjoying the areas treated by the books. The route descriptions are accurate (more or less), and the small maps are clear and understandable. If you don't have this book, go get it. You would do well, in fact, to get the whole series. NOTE: hikes 10, 14, 33, 70, and 79 are awesome.

The old pro (pronzini) did it again. I did not like Matt Cape
and for the most part I was glad that this was a short book. But the last chapter changed everything. Including how I rated this book. (before the final chapter I was going to rate this book a 3) I have been a fan of Bill Pronzini for over 20 years and this is far from one of his best. Read Blue Lonesome or Wastland for Strangers if you want to see him at the top of his game.

When I started Steps To The Graveyard Easy, I was unsympathetic to the protagonist Matt Cape. He was a man with a stable family, good job, and someone well thought of by most people. He purposely turns all of this upside down and abandons everything and everyone to ostensibly find true "freedom" by heading for the open road. But was this his real motive for giving up everything? Along the way, Pronzini paints a picture of Cape that seems to stretch one's thoughts about him and his actions to the point of being unbelieveable. But, that's the genius of Pronzini's writing and one soon finds great empathy and positive feelings for Matt as the meanings of his actions become known.

While not as long as King's The Stand or as broad in scope as Long's The Descent, this is a book that feels like it and if it were any longer would be superfluous.

This is a suspensful story with a good plot and with chartacters that are completely believable. This book has several moral dilemmas, along with a great murder/mystery, that are resolved quite nicely and the twist ending begs the question "What would you do?"

Outstanding book from the very start to the last word. I think it is Pronzini's best since A Wasteland Of Strangers.

This is a very good book about the Fitzgerald wreck. However, two things I wish the author had done:

1. Get off his soapbox about the deficiencies in the Coast Guard Rescue services in lake Superior. I think it needed mentioning, but not in the detail he chose. He also ignores the Canadian rescue facilities.

2. Label the photographs instead of making the reader refer to other pages to determine what they are looking at.

Otherwise, the book is excellent and was well worth the money.

If you have any intrest in the Fitz, this is the book for you.
This is one of the most informative books about the Fitz I have ever read.

The only thing I can say is you will not be disapointed.

I just completed reading Frederick Stonehouse's book (1999 paperback addition) and could not put it down! The various theories mentioned in the text give the readers a good chance to draw an intelligent conclusion on their own. The details of Capt. Cooper's (of the SS Arthur Anderson) conversations with Capt. McSorely were an excellent way of putting us in the middle of the tragic situation. The interview with Steve Chandler of "South Shore" magazine was another useful tool in bringing up many points about the investigation of the Coast Guard, as well as zeroing in on small facts of the Fitzgerald that might have contributed to its sinking. Gordon Lightfoot's lyrics and reference were of particular interest to me, as his hit song was the way I found out about the wreck back in 1976. My only complaint; put the captions on the same page as the pictures instead of making the reader thumb back and forth to figure out what picture they are looking at. Otherwise, excellent work!