This book has beautiful photography with clear, concise information and descriptions of California's very best wineries. These are the wineries that are not only known for the high quality of their wines but for their beautiful gardens, architecture, tours, tastings, and art exhibits. The format is easy to follow. It features the counties of Napa, Sonoma, and the undiscovered but notable wine country of Mendocino, showing each winery alphabetically. Additional sidebars give phone numbers, driving directions, web sites, hours of operation, and a quick-reference of each facility's wine varieties and specialties. The mix of wineries makes for a unique wine country holiday. Small family-owned cellars are listed as well as the familiar national brands. It's the best book of its kind that I've seen and the only such book found in hardcover. Travel guides don't get much better than this.

We recently visited the lovely Napa and Sonoma valleys in Northern
California to do some wine tasting. With limited time to spend at each winery, we turned to this new hardcover guide to plan an itinerary. The book's images of each winery by master photographer Robert Holmes are striking; the information and maps are extremely helpful and accurate. Each winery is profiled within a two page spread and includes a convenient sidebar of facts about their specialty wines, tasting fees, tour and special event information, driving directions, and nearby attractions, Armed with winery phone numbers and websites we were able to call ahead to arrange for private, behind-the-scene tours. The book reads like an insiders' guide to this spectacular region. It not only lists the big "must see" destination wineries like Robert Mondavi, Beringer and Chateau St. Jean Winery but also directs readers to numerous little-known and charming family operations-like Raymond Burr Vineyards and Benziger Family Winery-that are well worth a visit. The unifying theme here is that all of the wineries profiled in this book are both recognized for making some of the world's finest wines and for being exceptional visitor destinations. Whether you're planning a trip to Northern California's wine country, as we did, or you just have a love for colorful and unique travel guides, I highly recommend this book. Even after returning home, we continue to use it as a reference of our wonderful trip to the Golden State.

There are directions and other info for finding and visiting lighthouses. They do not always show all lights for a given area. The photos are all color. I own 3 of these books. There are not many other guide books out there so if you are looking for guide books these are good to have...

I am a lighthouse lover and this book is the best refence book for lighthouses of California. It leaves very little out and is quick and easy to read. Perfect for the coffe table or bedside table. I recommend this whole line of lighthouse books to everyone.

A marvellous book, which is a terrific companion to more wordy books about the social and economic history of southern California in particular.

I was given this by an LA friend on a recent visit. I had read Mike Davis and Norman Klein and a slew of LA noir fiction. This book puts into pictorial splendour the boosterism that made sunny CA the honeypot it was/is.

The reproductions of posters are of marvellous quality in a book so affordable. It makes a great souvenir, different to much of the coffee table books or mass produced souvenirs. It is a thoughtful collection that would also delight any serious student of California's social history.

As the short introduction says 'Rarely has one geographic region been the focus of such intense visual interest as the state of California' This well produced (and inexpensive) paperback manages to capture the feel of the new Eden. The pictorial material is mainly from the 1930s to 1950s and includes a wide range of printed ephemera (a Sunkist orange wrapper to NBC Radio City, Hollywood, Studio Tour brochure for example) and I liked the nine examples of three-dimensional maps, unfortunately shown too small to really appreciate the detail. All the favorites of the State have a showing, the Giant Redwoods, Death Valley, Hollywood, Dude Ranches, San Francisco etc. The images are illustrative rather than photographic and this is why I think the book works so well, you can see how commercial artists have been allowed portray California as big, bold and bright.

As stated above, this book is outstanding. Weurthner doesn't use schmaltz or gross florid language to help readers better understand the varied CA wilderness areas, and his knowledge is super accurate. GW also doesn't insult readers by giving ridiculous and pedantic trail descriptions (you know who you are Jeff Schaffer and Company!). This book resonates with a lot of dignity and will complement those automatonic guidebooks that you already own.

I absolutely love this book. The pictures are outstanding. I love his style of writing. He's very matter of fact and tells it like he sees it. Hiking the areas he describes is what I want to do when I retire. Forget the rocking chair.

Most of us who enjoy nature have relied upon "bird books" or other guides to the species at one time or another as we inquire about our surroundings. These dull but thorough reference books often make their topics LESS interesting, quelling the interests that they're supposed to serve. We look up our bird, animal or plant and then move on having learned little more than its Latin name. Ugh.

This book shines like a beacon to future nature writers as it uses every description as the basis for a prosaic mini-essay; rewarding curiosity with enlightenment, fascination and delight. Imagine a reference book so enticing to read that you can't stop reading with just one description. Instead, the object of your curiosity serves as a mere starting point in the book; the first page of what often becomes a genuine sit-down-and-read-it experience.

If every nature writer put this much love into their topics, the trails would be overrun with enthusiastic hikers. Here's hoping that the author visits your neck of the woods soon, and provides you with the same exuberant writing he's given us here in the Pacific Northwest.

Unlike cut and dried Siera Club and Audubon field guides that attempt (unsuccessfully in my opinion) to regiment nature, this book contains information that falls in the category of lore. Not only are the pictures good, but the text sparkles with knowledge of the Northwest's flora and fauna and the author's own good humor. Put this in your backpack next time you head for the Cascades or Olympics and you will not be disapointed.

This book is obviously written for women who have had their feelings hurt or were deserted by men whom they wish they never laid eyes upon. That said, who can blame them! As a feminist I'm well aware of the way in which affluent women (usually white) have dominated most of the discussion regarding the paucity of marriage-worthy males; here we get not theory but true-to-life examples that every woman can relate to (even less uptight men will find this book funny). I have to admit I'd be really mad if three guys got together to write a book like this about women, but I don't think we have to worry...guys are to busy thinking about themselves to read such a book, never mind write one.

I laughed til I cried (or was it - I cried til I laughed?!) I lived the single life in Alaska for 16 years and can attest that EVERYTHING in this book is absolutely totally true. Yes, it's all in fun, but these ladies really are not joking. I could add my huntin', fishin', goodlookin' boyfriend who insisted on wearing no pants except for sweatpants. To work, nice restaurants, funerals, everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. Or my "Alaskan cowboy" who had a good job, nice car, dated only very successful career woman, and lived in a shack. A real SHACK! Or the redneck oil engineer making $80,000 who refused to pay any taxes because as an Alaskan he was "sovereign". (Huh?) He sued the IRS - I said HE sued THEM - they had a field day. Or the nice, polite man I had dated 4 times until the day I happened to get behind him in traffic and saw his bumper sticker, "Follow too close & I'll flip a booger on your windshield". Alaska man magazine, Alaskan men on the Oprah show? Oh Pahleeze! Ladies, ladies, please save yourself from heartbreak, disappointment, and your life savings. Don't go to Alaska expecting to find a husband. This book tells the sad, myth shattering, and very funny truth of the "Great Alaskan Man".

Mr. Jackson did excellent research for this book. I have numerous ancestors mentioned in the book and even had a picture of one that I had never seen before. Anyone interested in the history of the Western Mt, Idaho and Eastern WA area, will need to read this book. I hope that the Author publishes more material from his research.

From the book, I found out that the Metis of the Pacific Northwest formed many communities in that area. My great-grandparents were born in Walla Walla, WA. and we were told that they were French- Canadian and "Black Irish". I read that in Walla Walla, is where they founded communities and that they hid there ancestry and called themselves French-Canadian. So, on reading this, I found out that the missing part to my full heritage was actually a mixture of French and Native American Indian. I owe a great gratitude to Mr. Jackson. Thank-you!!! Sean

Cross the Pacific in a raft made from bamboo - You must be joking!

I first read about this trip in a one-page National Geographic article, which didn't do the trip nor Tim Severin and his crew justice.
A long-time fan of Mr.Severin, I know what to expect from his books; very intense, often repetitious eulogies on the strengths and weaknesses of the craft; the pros & cons of his theories and the methods used to explore the possibilities opened up by these theories.
This book is no exception, refusing to take any modern assistance (except mandatory safety equipment), insisting on traditional materials and building techniques, he constructs a raft which has never been seen outside Vietnam for a century, in order to test his theory that Asian culture could have migrated via the Pacific (either by accident or design) to the Americas.

The trip is punctuated by storms, any one of which would destroy your average 60foot yacht, but Hsu Fu calmly lets the mightiest waves run right through her, barely disturbing the crew at their supper.
A bonus is that the raft needs no helmsman, once set on a tack she steers herself, her attendant shoals of fish ensure continuous supplies of fresh food, the only problem is after 5 months at sea, she's falling apart at the seams.
Having seen the original Sindbad dhow (parked on a roundabout in Muscat, Oman), I can attest to the workmanship and attention to detail that goes into each one of Mr.Severin's boats, so it must have been heart-breaking for him to see his journey cut short by the break-up of the raft, due to no fault of his own, and so near to the final goal.

I'd love to see the videos that they took on the voyage - the narrative gives you a real feeling of being at one with the sea, but I'd like to compare the picture in my head with the real thing.
Thoroughly recommended reading; I'm just about to start on 'The Spice Islands Voyage - In Search of Wallace', which should combine two of my favourite subjects:- Exploration and Evolution ... more on that later.

In this book, Tim Severin has demonstrated the sense of scholarly adventure of Thor Hyerdahl while showing the enthusiasm for new experiences of Richard Haliburton. His adventure has purpose in trying to understand how the ancients may have been able to make trans-pacific voyages. He makes the reader feel as if the reader is experiencing the adventure with the others on the raft. This involvement is achieved through an exploration of the human struggles as well as the physical struggles that such an epic adventure requires. It struck me while reading the book that this would be a good book for managers to read to learn about teambuilding skills. This book is instructional, well researched, and entertaining to read. If you have enjoyed Tim Severin's previous books, you will certainly enjoy this book.

Often people say that Frank Chin is an activist. This is true, but we shouldn't forget that he is also a writer. After all, it was his play Chickencoop Chinaman that help open doors for Asian American artists. In this book you will read eight great short stories by Frank Chin. The stories include: "Railroad Standard Time", "The Eat and Run Midnight People", "The Chinatown Kid", "The Only Real Day", "Yes, Young Daddy", "Give the Enemy Sweet Sissies and Women to Infatuate Him, and Jades and Silks to Blind Him with Greed", "A Chinese Lady Dies", and "The Sons of Chan". After reading these stories, you will understand why Chin won the American Book Award.

If you liked Frank Chin's book Donald Duk, and enjoy the short story collections that are sprouting like weeds these days, you'll like this one. :)

And if you liked Maxine Hong Kingston's book The Woman Warrior, and know how much Mr. Chin doesn't like the Mulan spoof Kingston put it, then read the Afterword to this volume (this one alone is a laugh and a half).

When I landed in LA, it took me a good 3 months to find a series of haunts, owing simply to the sheer size of the place. This book breaks it down by neighborhood, "scene," and type of venue, so that the only other guide you need is a Thomas guide (the ubiquitous, highly detailed road map that occupies the back seat of every car in Southern California). Great insider info, seedy backstories, and a dead-on dissection of the various scenes make this a great introduction to America's most puzzling megalopolis. Fodors would be hard pressed to top this.

Great book, especially for the young and young at heart. Unlike most other city guides I see this one really appears to be written by insiders who genuinely seem to know what they're talking about. Useful for both visitors to the city as well as people who are already in LA. The book is well structured with separate sections on eating out, nightlife, shopping, culture & arts, lodgings and many more. If you want to know where the current "in" places are and the real inside information on LA then this is the guide for you.