Used this diving guide when I was in Koh Samui in July this year, very informative and all the info was up to date

Scotty Mackenzie

This is an outstanding and reliable resource on diving in thailand and burma. The author writes with clarity. It is an enjoyable read even if you can't get out there as often as you'd like...
I keep it in my bathroom just in case.
:)

Being from East Tennessee, all I've ever heard about was the Appalachian Trail. The AT is getting overcrowded. I was glad to see Johnny Molloy's book out there (He used to live here in Knoxville). His book gives alternative long hiking trails from Louisiana to Florida to up in my neck of the woods. The best part of the book is how he makes it so easy to plan a long trail backpack. Each hike gives detailed information getting there, and what you will find along the trail once your hike has begun. I can plan how far to hike each day, since potential campsites are detailed, along with where to get water, etc.

This book makes heading into the unknown a lot easier, rather than sticking with the overdone, and overhiked Appalchian Trail."

"I thought the Appalachian Trail was the only trail for long distance hiking. Boy was I wrong. This bookopened my eyes to all the long distance hikes I can go on, besides the overcrowed AT, including the Pinhoti Trail, my home state.

So get off the AT and travel not only the Pinhoti, but also such cool long distance trails as the Foothills Trail of North and South Carolina, where waterfalls and trout fishing enhace some bona fide mountain hiking. I'm looking forward to tackling the Floriada Trail this winter, especailly the part that traverses through the Bradwell Bay Wilderness.

There's over 600 miles of long trails detailed in this book, and I'm gonna try to tackle them all. "Wish me luck."

Hunt Cochrane, Birmingham, Alabama.

This book describes the world of photojournalists in the Vietnam work and focuses on the death of four photojournalists in a battle over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos during a the US government's semi-covert war against the North Vietnamese in that country (the pilots of their aircraft were South Vietnamese and their death occurred during a South Vietnamese attack against NVA supply lines). The book also describes the effort to find their remains and the authors' attempt to give meaning to their loss. The photojournalists who died included two of the most celebrated of the war and two younger men of great skill. In a relatively short text, the book manages to tell their stories and the story of Vietnam War photojournalism in a manner that is reverent without being professionally aggrandizing. By coincidence, I visited the village where the search for remains took place a few months before the authors and their time in that place was particularly evocative for me. The authors offer a perspective on the war that is complex and, in some ways, more hawkish than other first-hand retrospective war accounts, although too skeptical to really fit the conceptualizations of hawk and dove that characterized the times. Given the many parallels that some have drawn between Vietnam and our own era, this is a book that thoughtful critics and partisans of the Iraqi conflict should read. My only complaint is that book does not include enough of the award winning pictures of Larry Burrows and his fallen colleagues.

Collaboratively written by foreign correspondent Richard Pyle and Associated Press photographer and photo editor Horst Faas, Lost Over Laos: A True Story Of Tragedy, Mystery, And Friendship is an historical and memorial testimony showcasing four combat photographers who died in Indochina: Larry Burrows of "Life" magazine; Henri Huet of the Associated Press; Kent Potter of United Press International; and Keisaburo Shimamoto of "Newsweek". Twenty seven years later, a recovery team was able to visit the site of the helicopter crash that took the lives of these remarkable men, recover evidence, and bring closure to the tragedy. Lost Over Laos is a powerful and poignant narration, and especially recommended reading for students of journalism.

This is one of the best books by Sulak. It is not only exciting to learn about his narrow escape from the threat from the military dictatorship in 1991, but also interesting to learn about this man's fight for social justice and democracy both domestically and globally. Daring to criticise the revered monarchy, he is undoubtedly the most frank and outspoken among the Thai social critics.

The foreword is given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

On 26 April 1995, the eminent Thai social critical and writer, Sulak Sivaraksa, wes declared innocent of charges of lese majeste and defaming the former military strongman, Suchinda Kraprayoon. The final decision by the court to hear this case was almost simultaneously followed by Sulak's nomination for the Bobel Peace Prize, inviting obnoxious but inevitable comparisons between Thailand and the military junta's suppression of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma (Myamar). This book is Sulak's autobiography as well as memories. From my viewpoint, nevertheless, this book deserves to be an important reference for those who explore the socio-political changes and democratisation in modern Thailand.

Also recommended: David Streckfuss, ed.,1996. Modern Thai Monarchy and Cultural Politics - The Acquittal of Sulak Sivaraksa on the Charge of Lese Majeste in Siam 1995 and Its Consequences, Bangkok, Santi Pracha Dhamma Institute.

This book is really great, it's about a very important but little understood issue. It's full of factual documentation of all aspects of the MIA issue -- from how the counting was done, to the various political angles the issue took at various times throughout the war -- and is a great read, as well. It brought back a lot of memories of the bizarre things that went on then, and still do today.

Franklin has done a great service for contemporaty America, and the collective memory of the Vietnam War in U.S. history. His book illustrates that maxim that truth is not only the first casualty of war, but often suffers long after a war has concluded.

His extensive research reveals that the post-Vietnam War POW/MIA "myth" (i.e. a misrepresentation of the truth) has been a cruel hoax propagated by right-wing politicians (Nixon, Kissinger, Robert Dornan, Ronald Reagan, Ross Perot, and a host of others) in an attempt to create a pseudo-history of the Vietnam War where the U.S. military become the "real" victims of this war, not the millions of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians whose country was destroyed.

As Franklin notes, "every responsible investigation conducted since the end of the war has reached the same conclusion: there is no credible evidence that live Americans [were] held against their will in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, or China" after the war." (p. 14) Franklin knowledgeably concludes his book by noting that "the last chapter of the Vietnam War cannot be written so long as millions of Americans remain possessed by the POW/MIA myth."

The lesson is clear. Beware of false politicians who manufacture bogus history while cruelly exploiting other peoples' tragedies to further their own warped and self-serving political agenda. H. Bruce Franklin's book more than lives up to John Lennon's Vietanm-era plea - "gimme some truth, just gimme some truth." You'll find it in this book.

Although the author himself says he is no writer, he is patently wrong - this book is full of wonderful descriptive, poetic passages, which underline this charming man's love of nature and dedication to the truth of scientific study, as opposed to the accepted 'truths' of the day.

An interesting insight into the groundwork that helped to develop the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, it also compares the British and the Dutch methods of colonisation, and controversially comes out on the side of the Dutch - against all current (and our received) perceptions of the Dutch as ruthless, money-grubbing opportunists.

Wallace was also unusual in using geographic and geological features combined with population spreads (human & biological) to support the new theories of continental drift and a world older than the Biblical model.

I'm lost in adsmiration for the way he managed to survive depravation, lack of company, housing, support, money and produce the finest collection of birds and insects that the world had ever seen; make comparative studies of the linguistic traits of all the major tribes; keep a detailed diary of all his travels ... all this in a known area of cannibals and head-hunters with only 3 or 4 assistants and he the only white person for hundreds of miles. Compare this to other explorers like Richard Burton who needed an entourage of several hundred for all their 'essentials'.

This book is a very readable profile of an enignatic Victorian naturalist at a crucial period in scientific history - would that I could have met him!

"The Malay Archipelago" is Wallace's most celebrated book. It went through fifteen editions during his own life alone, and has been translated into every major language (and a number of minor ones). It is clearly one of the greatest scientific travel books ever written, both for its well-constructed survey description of the region in question, and for its scientific value to the professional naturalist. Wallace spent eight years in Indonesia as a natural history collector; during this period he collected an incredible 125,000 specimens, carried out the first important field studies on the orangutan and paradise birds, clarified the ethnology of the region, discovered the faunal discontinuity known now as 'Wallace's Line,' was one of the first Europeans to take up residence for an extended period on the island of New Guinea, founded the modern approach to biogeographical analysis, and last but not least arrived upon the theory of natural selection. Today's casual reader will be troubled a little here and there by lists of Latin names of plants and animals, but this is a minor distraction from the telling of one of history's greatest feats of natural history investigation.

LTC L.H. "Bucky" Burruss is the real thing. He's one of the original members of what's known as Delta Force and even received praise from the British SAS.

Bucky lead a Special Force "Mike Force" in Vietnam. These were quick-reaction forces composed of Montagnard tribesmen led by American or Australian Special Forces advisors. The Mike Forces were probably the least known of all of the SF activities in Vietnam, but they saw plenty of action. Bucky was in the thick of the fight with guys like Mike Donahue, Larry Dring, "Blue Max" Pfeistenhammer and Clyde Sincere. The book is well worth the read if you want to learn about some of America's "Silent Professionals."

Don't be fooled by the trashy men's magazine cover on this book. It is one of the best accounts of the Vietnam War from a soldier's perspective that I've read. Those looking for a chest-thumping narrative will be surprised to discover a writer of surprising range, subtlety and honesty, a soldier who never paints himself as a hero, and emerges as more of one because of it. We will never fully understand the Vietnam experience in this country until we embrace the memories of those who served, who risked their lives and saw some of the best in their generation killed. When the best accounts of that episode are compiled, "Mike Force" will be among them.

This is a must-have book for anyone interested in the diverse plants found in the rainforests of SE Alaska. It is comprehensive and written in such a way that amateur and seasoned botanist can benefit from it. The best part is that with this guide, the reader does not need to wade through plants that are not in this area to find the species of interest. It covers only SE Alaska and covers it in a comprehensive way.

Several other books exist on plants of SE Alaska, but also cover a broad range beside, such as the whole state, or Alaska, BC and Washington. This one is specific to the region. I also like the fact it includes not only wildflowers, but trees, shrubs and ferns too. I'd recommend it to everyone, visitor or resident with a desire to know more about the plants of SE Alaska.

William Brown Ph.D.

We met the author, Judy Hall, while she was a crew member on the Avacha, a Russian sailing boat cruising the eastern Pacific commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Russian Sailing Fleet. Judy has an indepth knowledge of southeast Alaska and shares this information in a very comprehensive and understandable way!

Clare is off to Burma and Thailand to find a cat who speaks to her the way her dear departed Claudius, companion of 20 years especially on a memorable road trip through the USA, did. But it's no easy task to find this soulmate.

Still, it's never boring with Clare. She goes to Burma right when it's Thingyan, a festival that involves getting doused with water. She takes a break to return to London before setting off to Thailand. The text is ripe with the history of cats in these lands, how they are the pets of royalty and revered. She encounters scores of interesting types -- including a woman who comes on to her, two annoying female travelers from other Westernized nations and a rickshaw driver who capsizes the vehicle and asks her to pay anyway.

But is Clare living in the past, using Claudius as an excuse to not move on? Ths is just as much an inner journey as outer -- you will love reading about both!

Having thoroughly enjoyed "I and Claudius," I was delighted to discover that this book is even better. Not only are her travels fascinating but, more importantly, her writing style has come into full flower. This is a great "laugh out loud" read with thoughtful subtext. I cannot wait to read what she writes next!

Is probably the best analysis of why we succeeded so completely in the Gulf War. It covers the historical and the strategic ,(socio-political), aspects leading to the Gulf War from the American Military standpoint. It is closer to a collection of interrelated essays on the different aspects that lead to success in war, starting from what in essence led to the defeat of America in Vietnam. This is a must for those interested in more than just tactics or for those interested in being (or understanding) a great leader and the elements that make "great" policy.

This is not a blow-by-blow account of the Gulf War; indeed, the only actual description of the progress of the war itself is the Appendix, a transcript of General Schwarztkopf's 2/27/91 press briefing.

The bulk of Summers' book is a critical analysis of the historical factors that in large part determined how the war was prosecuted and that determined its outcome. Much of this is a re-examination of why we failed in Vietnam- a subject covered brilliantly in Summers' earlier "On Strategy:"- and the changes in US Military policy that followed. Particular import is placed on how the support of the American people and world leaders was cultivated to support the Gulf War.

For students of history, politics and the military, this is a must read.