I'm am glad to finally see a comprehensive mountain bike guidebook that covers subjects that many readers want more information about. This guidebook includes a section on mountain bicyle camping and biking with your dog. I've always wanted to take my gear with me and camp overnight and this section was very helpful. It lists outdoor vendors that carry camping gear and gives you a sample list of what you should bring. This book even has overnight a trail called "Haystack Lake" that is a good trail for those wanting to try their first overnight trip. I also have a dog and the "Mountain Biking with Your Dog" section gave a lot of practical advice I could use and also listed vendors that sell dog gear. I'm so glad to finally see a book that not only describes great trails but also is a great reference for other aspects of mountain biking!

This book is the first guidebook I've seen that truly has maps that are useful. They are so visually detailed and helpful that I would highly recommend this mountain bike guide to any new or experienced mountain biker. Oh yeah, when I'm on the road this book also gives me a lot of history and information about the area I'm visiting.

Lizann's book is the best guide I've ever read! Great photos, maps and descriptions of some of the best riding in the Pacific Northwest. A great buy for any fat tire rider who's new to the area.

Great color photos and and discriptions of the carvings and artwork. I would definatly recommend this to anyone that is interested in Northwest Coast art.

Profusely illustrated with brilliant, full color photography, Gary Wyatt's Mythic Beings: Spirit Art Of The Northwest Coast is a superb introduction to aboriginal art including totems, wood sculpture, masks, stone carvings and more. Wyatt's informative text is an outstanding survey placing each art piece within their cultural context, enhanced with the artist's own descriptions and commentaries. Mythic Beings is a very welcome addition to personal, academic, and professional Native American art and cultural reference collections.

Mythic Beings is an unassuming but impressive book. The major organizing theme is that spirit art captures the rich cultural and aesthetic traditions that permeate regional artistic expression. Northwest Coast art can be intimidating because it has a complex cosmology and iconography. Wyatt, however, makes this complexity accessible by using two underlying principles. The universe consists of separate but interrelated realms (e.g., sky, underwater), and each realm has its characteristic real and mythical creatures. Mythical creatures have distinctive physical representations used in both sacred and secular representations.

Mythic Beings features 75 beautifully reproduced photographs of masks, robes, and rattles representing the work of 34 artists. Each artist provides a commentary about his/her piece. This provides an opportunity to become familiar with the physical depiction and mythological roles of the creatures depicted by the artists.

Mythic Beings is a gem. It is a wonderful gift book for anyone interested in indigenous art and First Nations peoples.

This book is terrific. He is very detailed, and offers such useful info as which trails and climbs allow dogs, horses, etc. I leafed through the book for this reason; I like to bring my dog to new places as much as possible. I only wish I had this book 8 years ago, because my dog is nine! The rating system is outstanding as well; 1-5 for difficulty, 1-10 for atmosphere/view. This book has inspired me to make plans to enjoy more of these hikes and to get in optimal shape. The feeling I had on the first small mountain I climbed with my dog was overwhelming - such beauty to behold, but also the feeling of accomplishment I felt. It has changed my outlook on life. On a practical note, if you live in Eastern MA like I do, you know there are few places you can take your unleashed dog; well read this book, hop in the car and drive! I cannot praise this book or its author enough. I wish this had been a bestseller - Lanza deserves it.

I'm just beginning hiking and found this book to be great in locating a variety of trails. Whether you're a beginner or expert you'll find the right trail for you. This book has trails that range from 45 minutes to 5 days. "Butt Kickers to strolls in the park".

Mike Lanza's ``New England Hiking'', published by Foghorn Press, is an excellent guide to more than 350 trails in all six of the New England states. The guide is useful for both experienced and beginning hikers. Major features of the guide include: - Six state maps that show numbered references to particular trails, and locate the trailheads. Accompanying each state map is an index that cross-references detailed trail information in the guide. - Individual trail descriptions indicate hiking distance and time, directions to the trailhead, maps and contacts, and notes that tell the hiker what to expect on the trail. - For each trail, there's also the author's overall rating from poor (1) to great (10), and the degree of difficulty from ``a stroll'' (1) to ``a real butt-kicker'' (5). In my experience on about 10% of the trails in the guide, the ratings are accurate, and should be especially useful to beginners or to those new to New England hiking. One of the outstanding features of the trail notes is the author's personal observations and advice, which in most guide books tend to be stilted and impersonal. For example, concerning the Isolation Trail in the New Hampshire White Mountains, Mike writes: ``On day two, hike north three-tenths of a mile on the Davis Path to where the Isolation trail turns west (left) toward the valley of the Dry River; be careful, because this trail junction is easily overlooked -- especially, I can tell you, when it lies under four feet of snow.'' In his description of the very challenging Huntington Ravine Trail on Mt Washington, tallest peak in the northeastern U.S., he cautions: ``Discard all your preconceived notions of hard trails. Huntington Ravine has earned a reputation as the most difficult regular hiking trail in the White Mountains for good reason,'' and then he goes on with detailed descriptions of that trail's particular challenges. The index to the guide shows not only the trail name but also geographical features such as mountains, lakes, state parks, and towns, making it easy for the user to find trail descriptions in the text. If you use this guide it will be almost like having Mike Lanza along to recommend a hike. The final section of the text lists Mike's recommendations of the best hikes in New England in each of 23 categories, including Fall foliage viewing For children up to age seven Coastline or island hikes Easy backpacking Solitude and remoteness Mountain biking Cross-country skiing. The ``New England Hiking'' guide is highly recommended for those who plan to hike in the northeastern U.S. It's the single guide that all hikers -- from beginners to peak-baggers -- should have. And Mike's lively writing makes it ideal for the ``armchair hiker'', who prefers to read about the sport rather than actually swatting black flies or avoiding thunderstorms on the trail

Well aside from the fact that Greg makes fun of my favorite Northwest clothing outfitter, Filson, its great! I'm a newcomer but can pass for a native as I've been here long enough to grow moss on my toes and I still found some interesting facts and tidbits that I either once knew and have forgotten or maybe never knew. Anyone from California thinking about moving North should read this. We get cloudy and rainy weather, this is a temperate rainforest after all so don't move here and then complain about the weather. Get some goretex and some wool and some waxed cotten coats and get outside and do something! (like split a cord of wood! Go Fishing! Go for a hike!, Go skiing.) Contary to popular myths, skin does not disolve when wet. It is possible to be warm and comfortable when out in in the rain. The sun will come out for good by Mid July and stays out until Late September and early October. Until then work hard and save your vacation days.

I've lived in Oregon my entire life and still discovered some great insights in Mr. Eiden's humorous (and educational) review of the Northwest. I particularly enjoyed "how to order a latte." A great gift, too.

I have been around one half of the world four different times and I wish that I read this book before my travels. It goes beyond essential, consider it a manual. Gregg should go international.

The Northwest Essentials Cookbook is a superbly produced regional cookbook that offers a culinary wealth of more than 150 recipes representing a delicious spectrum of flavors and tastes. From Warm Duck and Apple Salad, Poached Salmon with Tarragon, and Chocolate Almond Apricot Cake, to Oysters Mignonette, Savory Stuffed Mushroom Caps, and Simple Rockfish Stew, The Northwest Essentials Cookbook is a welcome addition to any kitchen cookbook shelf.

I live on the northern california coast and we share many of the same wonderful foods that create the northwest flavor. This is a great cookbook, the recipes are simple and tasty. The book is broken down into chapters like salmon, prawns and crab, wild mushrooms, herbs, lentils split peas & chickapeas, and apples & pears. These are a few, but certainly not all. This is a book full of recipes at their best when you use the freshest of ingredients. I recommend!

- - - -In my heart, my palate, my stomach, memories of home and thoughts of wanting to visit the Seattle area! I really feel good about the support Greg Atkinson gives his recipes in the way of stories, personal experiences and appreciation of the people, places and tastes in his life. This book is a great experience before, during and after meals, for singles and families alike! I'm giving it to my friends!

THE OREGON STORY is a beautifully made book. There is an illustration on at least every other page. Some pictures are are color, but most are black-and-white.

What I enjoyed most about THE OREGON STORY is its coverage of important events in my lifetime, such as the Rajneesh group that created quite a stir in Antelope when I was very young (I remember a school teacher telling our class, "There is a man here in Oregon going around telling people that he is God."), and the Tonya Harding Olympic controversy. I also enjoyed the photograph and description of the Keizer Shipyards because I have recently become acquainted with the works of an Oregon writer named Cleta Brooks Lee; in SING ABOVE THE PAIN Cleta writes about her time as an employee at the Keizer Shipyards. The photographs in THE OREGON STORY helped add a dimension to my understanding of that era of history.

Being a former Oregon resident and to this day occasional Oregon visitor, I was fascinated by this book, which is a history of the Beaver State, and one that is done quite well. From the chronology of the state, to recording historic events, and sidebars about influential people in its history, this book takes a wonderful look back over the past 150 years.

Since the book was written by staff members of the Oregonian, it reads like a "newspaper account" of the days leading from Oregon's inception to the present. But what an entertaining account. From the early days, through the "turn of the century, the roaring 20's, the Depression, wartime, the fifties, turbulent 60s, up to the year 2000, all events are well-documented.

I never knew for example that Tom McCall when he was governor in 1970 staged the only ever state-run rock concert. I only saw him years later when I lived in Oregon and saw him deliver commentary on the evening news. I knew of course about Vanport and its horrendous end. I also remembered the bad flooding in 1996, having been in Portland the weekend before it happened. And of course, who could ever forget Mt. St. Helens erupting in 1980? These of course are just a few of the events that have occured in Oregon's history

I mentioned sidebars about influential people. People like McCall, Artie Wilson (a famous Pacific Coast League baseball player now living in Portland), Beverly Cleary (who wrote the Henry books I loved as a kid), Neil Goldschmitt, and the current Portland mayor Vera Katz, among others.

I have always loved the state of Oregon and its people, even if I'm a dreaded "Californian." This book reinforces my love and admiration of the state to the north of me.

We recently moved to southern Oregon and my wife wanted a few coffee table books. I thought "How about books on Oregon?" That way, I could learn a few things about my new environment while satisfying the coffee table's needs, too. So I made an Amazon.com list of several books that looked attractive to me and then narrowed it down as best I could.

I put on hold the more expensive historical atlases and books on Indian folklore that were calling out to me, then I bought three bona fide coffee table books, the kind with plenty of obligatory photos of the beautiful northwest. But I reserved at least one spot on the table for a book with some intellectual interest in it.

I finally settled on "The Oregon Story." It seemed a central and topical enough choice to warrant it as a coffee table book, while at the same time it appeared (in the Amazon "book description") to offer a good amount of material on Oregon history.

How happy I was to discover this excellently written book on Oregon history! The layout is concise and topical enough to be a good book to lightly browse through in the presence of company (hence, coffee table book), and there are dozens of fascinating historical photographs.

The text itself is large and reader friendly, the photos include captions and there are several separate, half page descriptions of the most famous luminaries of Oregon history. The book is not too thick, further qualifying it as a coffee table book, but once opened, the reader is in for a nice selection of easily readable historical pieces, each dedicated to a decade of Oregon history.

Okay, so it's a good coffee table book - but how might it fare for the more serious reader? Well frankly, after it arrived in the mail, I couldn't wait to get right down to reading it. I found it an exceptionally engaging read from cover to back. Granted, I'm the kind of person who will pick up my children's history textbooks and read them through without hesitation (what can I say? I love history), but there's also a special reason why "The Oregon Story" is a particularly excellent historical documentation.

That is, it has been written by newspaper journalists. Such journalists know how to write concisely and entertainingly. I only wish my old school's history textbooks were written so well!

I truly believe that this team of journalists is on to something good here. In fact, I consider this one of the best history books ever conceived. There are subtle reasons for this, not the least of which is the unbiased yet in depth coverage of Oregon political and social events throughout its history.

The chapter on the controversial 60s is a case in point. It is topical, but what is covered is provocative and gave me the feeling that I'd read between the lines without actually having to sift through several paragraphs of detailed information. This is the real gift of this kind of historical reporting.

These newspaper reporters truly are talented writers. But it's also apparent that each and every column has been edited by several more journalists. In the end, one begins to understand the value of team written, thus finely edited, journalistic writing. The person who benefits from this artfulness is the reader. I truly felt as if I was getting a great bargain as I read through the set of refined articles fairly detailing, yet not dwelling in detail upon, Oregon history.

Nothing is held back, it seems, from the editorial process. This is exciting historical reporting, not boring academic facts. The journalists' opinions are often exposed, both conservative and liberal slants, and this ingratiates the reader even more to the material at hand.

Did you know that Oregon had its own home grown suffragette? Some of the most influential political figures in American history were Oregonians. I learned that Oregon has been, since its 19th century pre-state years as the Oregon Territory, a place of controversy, where people have traditionally come to "escape" the world, yet where some of the most important progressive ideas and social achievements of the 20th century have originated. Much of the environmental movement, for example, was spearheaded in Oregon due to the controversy that came as a result of the inherent problems attached to the logging industry.

I was also fascinated to read about the slanderous exploits of Oregon's early entrepreneurs and about details of the Ku-Klux-Klan's "legal" criminal behavior during the 1920s. There's much information concerning Oregon's roller coaster economy; particularly interesting are the chapters on the boom of the 1970s and the relative bust occurring during the most recent two decades.

On the down side, most of the more detailed material - biographical study (particularly businessmen) events and photos - is concerned with Portland and the Willamette Valley, which is understandable considering that The Oregonian newspaper is located in Portland. I was hoping that there would be more information on southern Oregon, where I now live. Strangely, the only picture of Ashland (home of the Shakespeare Festival) is one showing the Ku-Klux-Klan marching through the streets during a 1920s parade. Scary!

If journalistic reporting of the history of Oregon sounds as if it may be your cup of tea, then this book is exactly what you need. All in all, I consider it well worth its price. And I can only imagine, with relish, what such a journalistic team could create on the subject given more space and freedom of their collective pens.

Looking through this book is a magnificent journey through the beauty of California's magnificent Central Coast. Photographer Douglas Steakley has captured this beauty in an amazing way. I would strongly encourage locals, visitors, and those unable to visit this area to buy this book. This is not an ordinary photo book that you flip through in a few minutes! Although I am fortunate enough to live in this wonderful area I spent quite a bit of time looking at each page absorbing the fantastic photography Mr. Steakley has to offer. The poetry by Ric Masten and foreword by Jane Smiley were also delightful to read and are an important part of this beautiful book.

Over 20 years ago, I visited the Monterey Peninsula: I recall the splendor of land meeting sea, the power of the ocean and the majesty of the hillside. The images of the region remained dormant in my mind until revived by "Pacific Light." "Pacific Light" is a photography book that does not allow closure; it whispers and radiates to our senses to be viewed again and again. Essentially, it is not another table book: It demands one's focus and attention like an exceptional masterpiece. One is inspired by the pictures and poetry of the Monterey Peninsula, an area that explodes with natural beauty and color on every page. Laser sharp, technically and artistically captivating images charm the eye then the brain. Every photo tells a story about the land, its people, the light, the poet and the photographer. I delighted in the lush green landscapes with shades of emerald rivaling Ireland, rolling hills with a dusting of snow reminiscent of Eastern Washington and the ethereal splendor of Pfeiffer Beach that fittingly covers the dust jacket. Mr. Steakley shows us the unparalleled beauty of China Cove beach, brilliant in a warm Caribbean like light, the majesty of Garrapata Beach at sunset, and the breathtaking vista of a waterfall at McWay Creek. The photographs validate a dedicated and talented photographer who comprehends the area and is aware of its moods, artistry and verse. I applaud the photography of Doug Steakley and the poetry of Ric Masten whose synergy is palpable in this well designed book. I recommend this book to anyone who has visited the area or who savors a magnificent hardback of landscape photography and poetry.

Over 20 years ago, I visited the Monterey Peninsula: I recall the splendor of land meeting sea, the power of the ocean and the majesty of the hillside. The images of the region remained dormant in my mind until revived by "Pacific Light." "Pacific Light" is a photography book that does not allow closure; it whispers and radiates to our senses to be viewed again and again. Essentially, it is not another table book: It demands one's focus and attention like an exceptional masterpiece. One is inspired by the pictures and poetry of the Monterey Peninsula, an area that explodes with natural beauty and color on every page. Laser sharp, technically and artistically captivating images charm the eye then the brain. Every photo tells a story about the land, its people, the light, the poet and the photographer. I delighted in the lush green landscapes with shades of emerald rivaling Ireland, rolling hills with a dusting of snow reminiscent of Eastern Washington and the ethereal splendor of Pfeiffer Beach that fittingly covers the dust jacket. Mr. Steakley shows us the unparalleled beauty of China Cove beach, brilliant in a warm Caribbean like light, the majesty of Garrapata Beach at sunset, and the breathtaking vista of a waterfall at McWay Creek. The photographs validate a dedicated and talented photographer who comprehends the area and is aware of its moods, artistry and verse. I applaud the photography of Doug Steakley and the poetry of Ric Masten whose synergy is palpable in this well designed book. I recommend this book to anyone who has visited the area or who savors a magnificent hardback of landscape photography and poetry.

Brutally honest, but not so cynical that it's annoying.

This is a query as to what happened to the On the Loose Series. Did the big boys (Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go swallow them up?) Any information about the demise of these student writers would be appreciated.

This is the best guidebook I've ever read. It's brutally honest, concise, and seriously funny. Offers great resources and detailed maps. Have fun !

John Van Sant, a professor of Japanese History at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, has written an approachable and engaging look back at some of the very first Japanese travelers to the United States in the mid to late 1800s.

For the student of Asian-American History or Early Modern Asian Japanese History, Pacific Pioneers, is an invaluable reference that bridges the gap between the broad view of early Japan-U.S. interaction and the Japanese political reaction to it. Many of the popular books that deal with this area of history are concerned with its larger events such as the Perry and Iwakura Missions.

Van Sant's book is about individuals who came to a foreign land, and were instrumental in defining how the Western world viewed a recently opened island nation. Van Sant's scholarship is through and compiles a great deal of information that is often lost in the larger events of the period. Even those who aren't interested in Asian or Asian-American History can appreciate the people Van Sant has researched for their sense of wonder and discovery as some of the first to leave their homeland, which was closed off to nearly all foreign intercourse for over 200 years.

I find the book especially engaging because it examines how Americans reacted to their foreign visitors during a time when man of today's stereotypes about the Japanese culture had not been developed. Also, by examining the way in which the New World was viewed by the Japanese visitors, the reader can see how foreigners reacted to the Western world and found their culture to be exotic, captivating, and at times, frightening. The book is a revealing and honest look at how different cultures are viewed by people that were truly foreign to them.

A book I recommend for anyone who is interested in history on a very personal and revealing level.

This is a truly absorbing read. Author John Van Sant casts light on a little-explored corner of American history about which, I'm willing to bet, few readers have any knowledge at all. Some may be vaguely aware that a handful of shipwrecked Japanese sailors fetched up on American shores in the first half of the nineteenth century or that large Japanese embassies toured this country in 1860 and 1871-72. But how many know that scores of Japanese students were living in such an unlikely place as New Brunswick, New Jersey in the late 1860s and 1870s, studying about American institutions as well as "big guns" and "big ships." Or that several young Japanese aristocrats--including a later titan of Meiji Japan--were holed up in a utopian commune, under the watchful eye of an eccentric guru, doing housework and tending grapevines? Or that other countrymen and women of less elevated status, fleeing worsening economic conditions back home, were scraping out a bare living in Hawaii and northern California?

In clear economic prose, thankfully free of academic jargon, Van Sant explores each of these expatriate communities in some depth. (Oddly enough, the author makes no mention whatsoever of the troupes of Japanese entertainers criss-crossing the country during this same period. Even Mark Twain complained bitterly in 1867 about having to compete with a company of Japanese acrobats for an audience.) He also does the historical record a considerable service by freeing some of these pioneers--the "mysterious" Wakamatsu Colony of Gold Hill, California being a prime example--from an encrustation of myth. If I have any quibble at all with Pacific Pioneers, it is that it is too short. Highly recommended!

I think that Dr Van Sant tells a compelling tale of the first wave of Japanese settlers who came to the United States and Hawaii. This book is for anybody who is interested in Asian American History. It should be the first book cracked open for any student who signs up to take any Asian studies class, either in the undergraduate or post-graduate world. I loved it.

As the other reviewers have stated, it is an insightful book depicting the day-to-day existence of civilians suddenly thrust into the role of unlikely heroes and now called Sailors. That makes it unique from other military type books. Fahey enlisted in 1942 as did most of his shipmates aboard the USS Montpelier, not 1945 as the book news editorial review mis-stated. Secondly, the USS Montpelier was a Light Cruiser, not a Heavy Cruiser as one reviewer indicated. It was capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 30 knots which is why it served as the Admiral's flagship. Light Cruisers had nearly the fire power of Heavy Cruiser and nearly the speed of a destroyer which made it a highly versatile ship. It is likely that no other ship anywhere in Naval history has ever been in as much "action" as the Montpelier. Some called it the luckiest ship in the US Navy. If Fahey and his mates had not survived, this book would not exist and I would never have been born. In an ironic note, USS Montpelier was sold to the Japanese as scrap steel many years after the war. Currently there still is a USS Montpelier in the US Navy. The new vessel, which proudly bears this name, is a submarine.

This is a fascinating book. Written by a young man who joined the navy in 1942 and served through 1945 out in the Pacific aboard the light cruiser "Montpielier" Fahey is neither a career sailor, or a writer. But he accomplishes an amazing thing; that is transporting the reader to the author's time and place, and making you feel as if you are there, day by day. It's delightfully simple and fresh.

For anyone who is interested in WW2 naval history, this is a highly recommended companion to all the more formal works concerned with the great events and famous people involved. It really rounds out your perspective of what it was really like.

It also makes you appreciate the sacrifices made by this generation of Americans who left the safety of home to fight against evil in far away places.

This book realy tells it how it was for sailors of the U.S. Navy during WWII in the Pacific theatre. Fahey kept a diary of his daily experiences on board a heavy cruiser. All the little mundane details of life are revealed, which is what distinguishes this book from the "formal" history books. No student of history should miss this book.