I have been meaning to review this book for some time as it is one of the most thumbed books on our book shelf. My wife and I run a charter yacht in the Virgin Islands and many of our guests are keen divers. We bought The Complete Diving Guide for our own use initially but it has since become part of the yacht's library as our guests find it so useful and enjoyable to read. (as our copy is getting rather worn I'm pleased to say that many of them buy their own copy after having seen ours). It is rare to find a book that is so comprehensive and which presents a vast amount of information in such a readable manner. In particular we find the island and dive site maps useful along with the descriptions of the dives and the underwater route maps. I can direct our guests at the tyupe of dive that I think they would enjoy and they can read about it beforehand. They can also choose the dive store they would like to use. I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone planning to do some diving in the Virgin Islands (it even covers the Spanish Virgin Islands).

I'd definitely give this guide full marks. It's without doubt the most comprehensive of the guides I looked at for the area I was travelling to (the Virgin Islands). It had everything we could have wanted to know and it definitely meant we did some better diving than we'd have done without it. We particularly liked that it gave us information about the British and US Virgin Islands and as they are less than 5 miles apart it's simple to dive both areas. They have some really different types of diving and we'd have missed out on a lot without the guide. We bought the book before we went but we took it along with us and used it all the time. One of the things we enjoyed reading was the descriptions of the dives and the sections about the marine life. We've been diving for over 10 years and I've learnt more from this book than I have in my previous years of diving.

This walking tour has so much information that I never knew. It's nice and convenient and I've really enjoyed it a lot. I've seen books on Coney Island but none of them have as much information as this little walking tour.

This is the best description of Coney Island that I've ever seen. It's historical and yet current. The maps and information are so interesting and it has great pictures. The walking tour is very clearly described. I lived in Coney Island for years but I never really knew the history of it. I think it's a marvelous reference item for anyone. Obviously it was written by someone with a love and a lot of knowledge of Coney Island.

This book is a gem. The sad results of the encounter of the Spanish with the indiginous population of the Caribbean Islands is presented objectively and the few accounts of the Tiano Peoples' own words are effectively used to hint at who these early victims of European expansion really were. The use of modern photos and historic illustrations opens up the real lost world where these events unfolded and every illustration adds to and interacts with the text. The result is both a good read and a rigerous scholarly introduction to the foundations of the American experiance. This is the first work of its kind that interperts the historic documents as understood by an island inhabitant who understands details the first explorer encountered from personal experiance.

History books on the voyages of Columbus can only take you so far -- until now. This book really ties the historical details together with the drama and adventure that the original explorers must have felt. It is impossible to put this book down -- for the reader interested in history or for the person seeking an adventure.

Just my favorite UW-photo book.
Extraordinary - brilliant - perfect. Outstanding pictures printed in very good quality. One of the nicest ways to find out, what happens in the reef and how does it look like without getting wet.
Many Thanks Roger for making this great book.

The best inspirational images for anyone who loves nature's beauty. I use this book as reference for my work as a designer.

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 lived and sailed Narragansett Bay all my life and never knew the history behind all I was looking at. Excellent book and great fishing section!

I always wondered what those old ruins were hidden on overgrown islands, the history of secluded anchorages.... Great naturalist, along the shore information. Excellent cruising guide!

After 10 years of cruising and teaching sailing/cruising skills in this area, and this is the best guide to all of the US waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. Should be on all charter boats, but often is not, so if you are chartering inquire.

Add a "BBA Chart Kit" for detailed charts, and for the Canadian Gulf Islands "The Dreamspeaker Guide," and you are set!

Finally, adding this season's "Waggoners" guide will give you the latest contact information for marinas, etc.

This was the first book my wife and I purchased when we started boating in the Puget Sound 5 years ago. We have bought dozens of boating books since. This is still our favorite. We have worn it out and are now buying another copy to keep at the house. The descriptions of harbor entrances are more complete than other books we use - we always use Scherer's descriptions for new approaches. The book is fun to read - includes sidebars of historical or social interest. Nice photography and an eye-pleasing layout. (Tidal current charts are included in the appendix.)

CrusoeÕs Island brings to my mindÕs eye that style of framing events as seen by an accomplished Practitioner-of-the-8mm-Movie-Camera. That (now) techno-naive equipment disallows a dressing up of the life it records.. This character of presentation fits what Heather Ross has to give the reader about her rich life with her husband Clyde Miller. This story grows from within a special landscape that Heather Ross Miller aptly christens as CrusoeÕs Island.

Read CrusoeÕs Island. You will see and hear the book of a new family, and the book of a quietly beautiful, near wild, place open its pages under MillerÕs watch as a maturing writer, wife, and mother.

I didn't know Huck Finn had a married sister until I read Crusoe's Island. I found the lady and her autobiography warmly engaging and wonderful. She says 'pine straw' and we say 'pine shats', but the smell of each, like her book, is lasting.

The Channel Islands are known by the French as the Anglo Norman Isles, thus the title. The author, a Jersey man and international banker, has gathered from his own collection, the most detailed information for this series. The result is a reasoned and enthralling story, richly illustrated with 365 pages, from the earliest times to the present. As the author puts it, "The aim of this book is to introduce the currencies of the Channel Islands to students and collectors of three distinct series; the Gaulish -- particularly the Armorican -- series, current in the Channel Island region over 2000 years ago; the French series which was the staple currency of the Islands for a millenium; and the 'modern' series, current for the last 200 years. These three subjects are bound together by the history of the Islands, of France and of Britain; and throughout the later narrative it will also be seen that British currency plays it part." This is the one book a collector must own to study this series.

The Channel Islands are known by the French as the Anglo Norman Isles, thus the title. The author, a Jersey man and international banker, has gathered from his own collection, the most detailed information for this series. The result is a reasoned and enthralling story, richly illustrated with 365 pages, from the earliest times to the present. As the author puts it, "The aim of this book is to introduce the currencies of the Channel Islands to students and collectors of three distinct series; the Gaulish -- particularly the Armorican -- series, current in the Channel Island region over 2000 years ago; the French series which was the staple currency of the Islands for a millenium; and the 'modern' series, current for the last 200 years. These three subjects are bound together by the history of the Islands, of France and of Britain; and throughout the later narrative it will also be seen that British currency plays it part." This is the one book a collector must own to study this series.

"All stories speak to each of us. Understanding this connection is crucial if we're to be able to live together and to live with ourselves. We must learn to feel how other people connect to one another and to the universe." (Preface)

After completing his internship, Hammerschlag joined the Indian Health Service and began a personal and professional journey in the Southwest. Although he thought he was bringing his healing skills to impoverished people who would be grateful for his gifts, he had no conscious clue that he had chosen a place for his own healing.

Weaving together stories of the brutal destruction of Native American culture by the "White Man" with vignettes and reflections, Hammerschlag suggests a paradigm that goes beyond Western medicine, pronouncing that true healing is impossible without a connection to community, to spirit, and to the land. He compares the work of his mentors, Milton Erickson and Eric Fromm, with Native American healing and spiritual traditions. His journey led him to discover that the keys to healing are to be found, not in some magical external repository, but within the patient her/himself:

"Patients are the principal agents in their lives, and as much as they want to be well, they want peace and understanding." (p. 137)

"All of us have the keys to our own enlightenment. The therapist uses whatever symbols mean something to that patient. Patients already have the answers to their questions. As the therapist listens to the problem, the patient will also tell the solution." (p. 140)

An excellent book, full of powerful stories and brilliant reflections. A must read for anybody interested in personal growth, in helping others, or in the healing process. Details about the abuse of Native Americans may prompt even the most detached narcissists into caring action.

(If you'd like to discuss this book or review in more detail, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

Dr. Hammerschlag weaves his journey of healing with insightful stories and personal anecdotes. This book shares his experiences he had working in medicine and psychiatry among Native Americans of the Southwest. It is a description of his growth as a healer. "Dancing Healers" encourages everyone to look at anything and everything that can promote better health in ourselves. The examples of healing ceremonies and rituals, promote a holistic approach to medicine. It is not meant to replace "Western Medicine" but to be used in conjunction with it to achieve complete healing. "Dancing Healers" above all else offers hope. The reader walks away from the book with a renewed or altered sense of spirituality. I found Dr. Hammerschlag's storytelling compelling. Once started, it is impossible to put down. It was so riveting, I read the entire book in one night. ALSO RECOMMENDED: Dr. Hammerschlag's "The Theft of the Spirit"