I'm probably spoiled by the AMC guides for New England, but I found this book to be somewhat uninvting and lacking in some key areas. The maps weren't all that great they clearly aren't for a guy from the north east who's trying to find his way through the red dirt maze that is North Georgia. Directions to the trailheads could be markedly improved, as some (particularly the ones I used) use forest service roads that park rangers (let alone easily purchased maps) don't know well.

The copy and descriptions are good once I got to the trailhead, and organized linearly along the trail. I really enjoyed the plots of trail elevation over distance.

I used this book to plan my first trip to the AT with a group of Boy Scouts. It was extremely useful in selecting my route. Especially useful was the trail summary in the beginning of each chapter. Also equally useful was the hike itinerary, giving distances between significant points. I found, however, the linear trail profile to be slightly misleading on a few sections of the trail. (More useful was the profile found in The Appalachian Trail Official Map from the Appalachian Trail conference.) This day hike book was perfect for my 5 day trip because each hike begins where the other left off. This was vital in my planning and I would highly recommend it for anyone needing a detailed description of the trail. Oh, and don't forget your hand lens. :)

I checked this book out of my local library and found it to be the most informative book on the AT. The sections of the AT that I have personally hiked were very well covered in this book.It is very difficult to find accurate maps with tons of land marks and information the terrain. As well as a well thought out itinerary so you may better gauge your time and enjoy the trail, rather than worrying about where you are going to find water and shelter. So now I'm on amazon.com to buy this book to use on my next visit to the AT.

This book is a collection of stories written by fighter pilots, in all theaters of operation, during WWII. There is the mission that resulted in the death of young Joe Kennedy. The ceremonial fly over above the Battleship Missouri as General Douglas MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender. There are stories of ditching at sea, dogfights over Germany and stories of escape and evasion. This is a timeless book that will always merit the attention of those who have an interest in the Air War of WWII.

This book is a must read for anybody who flys. It is a series of short two or three page stories by flyers before the age of jets. It is the kind of book a busy person can read to fill in those times when you are waiting to do something else since most stories are complete in just a few pages. These a combat stories telling what damage fighter planes can do and what dangers the pilots endure.

I sometimes think when I look at reviews on this website if any one has read some of the obscure books I have read and voila! someone else has read Toots in Solitude. It is an overlooked book. I found it extremely enjoyable. It is well written, well organized and moves right along. And it comes to an inevitable conclusion. Very fine, indeed.

I picked up this book while working in a bookstore. I sat engrossed by wonderfully quirky characters and their lives. (I ignored customers all day so I could finish it.) So far everyone I've recommended it to has enjoyed it. Basically, the books is about Toots, a one eyed man who has given up on the "real" world - his unbearable wife, his job, and moves into a tree house on the banks of a river. And one day a young woman show up on the banks of his river, and his life is changed... or is it. Younts writing style is rich yet simple. He takes his time building his character but never lets the plot lag behind.

Having read all of Deborah's other books, I had some idea of what to expect and was NOT disappointed. The characters in the present and the past were both animated and interesting. They were funny while still being realistic. Whatever subject Deobrah is enthused about at the moment (This time it was genealogy.) always comes through in her books. When she was into endurance riding, the book was horsey. Now she traces the ancestors of Jesse James-and gives some websites to start you tracing your own family. The only criticism I have is that the plot was a little light and plagued with coincedences, but youll never notice that while you're reading it. Just go with the flow and enjoy!

This book covers N MS, N AL, and Middle TN from 5 Sept. 1864 though 6 Oct. 1864. Events preparing the attack of CS General Hood on Franklin and Nashville, TN in late 1864. In great detail you will understand the feats of CS General Forrest's, "The Wizard of the Saddle", conquest of Union forces with only 4500 men (3500+ Union troops captured). You will discover why US General Grant and Sherman moved 30,000 troops into this area to stop Forrest's success over an area of 200 sq. miles. This well written book also explains several acts of bravery by USCT (Black Troops) along US General Sherman's supply lines and the avenue for advertising the 600 captured Black troops return to slavery. The reader will understand why US Generals Grant and Sherman offered rewards for this Confederate General's capture either dead or alive. General Sherman preferred "devil Forrest" dead. The history is written in an exciting and concise manner with unit actions and commanders view points given from both sides of the conflict. Several individual accounts of escape, daring, and determination by both Union and Rebel soldiers are told in a honest and honorable manner. The book is very interesting reading for the Civil War history reader.

"The Struggle for Tennessee: Tupelo to Stones River" is the second of the volumes in the Time-Life Civil War series dealing with the Western Theater of the war after the Battle of Shiloh. Obviously this part of the war has never received the attention of the Eastern Theater where Lee's Army of Northern Virginia dueled the Army of the Potomac, so there is something intrinsically interesting about finding out more about what was happening out West. James Street, Jr. presents his subject as a war of maneuvers in and around Tennessee. After the capture of Corinth, Mississippi in May 1862, a portion of Major General Don Carlos Buell's Union army was dispatched towards Chattanooga, the critical railroad center that was the gateway to Georgia. However, Confederate armies under Generals Kirby Smith and Braxton Bragg moved from Eastern Tennessee into Kentucky to threatened Louisville and Cincinnati. After a drawn battle at Perryville, Kentucky on October 8, Major General William Rosencrans succeeded Buell and that December left Nashville to fight Bragg's reorganized Army of Tennessee near Murfreesboro, on the banks of Stone River.

Street divides these events into five chapters: (1) Heyday for Raiders focuses on the guerrilla tactics of both sides, including James J. Andrews stealing the Western & Atlantic Railroad locomotive named the "General," and the raids of John Hunt Morgan. (2) Stumbling Towards Perryville covers the Confederates campaign to retake Kentucky, or at least stop the Federals from moving deeper into Tennessee, climaxing with the Battle of Perryville where both sides claimed victory. (3) Clash at Doctor's Creek has Rosencrans' bringing a new spirit to the Army of the Cumberland preparing them for the key battle in the campaign. (4) The Fight for "Hell's Half Acre" tells the details of the first half of Battle of Stones River outside Murfreesboro on December 31, where the Confederates turned the Union flank in on itself like a jackknife. (5) Across Stones River and Back completes the battle as the successful attack of the Confederates on the left Union flank succeeded in driving the Federals behind the river, where massed artillery fire staggered the Rebels and set the stage for a successful Union counterattack. With this victory, the Union forces could plan their move on Chattanooga.

"The Struggle for Tennessee" is illustrated with the historic photographs, etchings and color sketches that have always been one of the richest parts of the Time-Life series. I appreciate the detail that Street is able to give to the Battle of Stones River, because by devoting two chapters to it he is able to elevate its significance in the Civil War in a way I have never appreciated before. The story of the Western Theater picks up in two volumes, one devoted to Grant's Vicksburg Campaign in "War on the Mississippi" and the other picking right up on this volume with "The Fight for Chattanooga."

This book is loaded with interesting information on the history, and were to find the evidence of that history for middle Tennessee. Easy reading and enjoyable, even if you never take one of the suggested tours. The author makes the reader feel like they are listening to an old friend tell them how to enjoy a Sunday drive.