Mr. Schad has spent a lot of time on the trails of San Diego county and it shows in this book. Why not learn from someone else the great trails instead of hit and missing on your own.

Lets put it this way. On the San Diego bulletin boards for hiking enthusiasts looking to get together for hikes, they discuss the hikes by referencing page #s from this book. They don't bother naming the book because it is understood that everyone owns a copy. No book achieves that level of acceptance unless it is thorough and useful.
For hiking in San Diego county, this book can't be beat.

This is one of my favorite book's, it sometimes will be the only thing to inspire me to go camping and hiking. This book makes me want to go hiking every day. Leaving your doorstep and traveling less then an hour to find yourself out of the city. It has all of San Diegos hikes and many mountian biking trails. It has great listing to let you know if you should attempt the hike or bike ride and if it would be good for children or dogs. The map at the start of the book could be a little better. It's the best guide for San Diego best hikes, with excellent driving directions. No other book even comes close. This book also has more pictures.
It reminds me what a wonderful place San Diego is.

The Nickel Tour is ostensibly a pictorial tour of Disneyland's history through a presentation of every postcard the Park has ever offered. However it is so much more. Written by Walt Disney Imagineers Bruce Gordon and David Mumford, the books gives fans a glimpse behind the scenes of both Disneyland and its development wing- Imagineering. Want to know when an attraction opened? It's in there. Want to know the history of that attraction? It's in there. How about "what might have been"? Yup, it's in there too. If you are fan of Disneyland, or just Disney, you will love this book. The writing is fantastic, the images wonderful, and the inside info is priceless.

If you're a fan of Disneyland and it's history, then this book is a must! I was astounded by the scope of this work, and the attention to detail. It covers Disneyland from it's beginnings in the early 50's to the present day with individual "stories" about the different aspects of the park. Accompaning these "stories" are hundreds of rare photos and artwork along with the postcards the book is named after. This is a definite must have book for fans of the California park.

We're just glad this book is back in print for all to enjoy! With first editions now selling for over $200, it's great to see the 2nd edition just in time for Disneyland's 45th Anniversary. The story of Walt Disney and Disneyland is told through the history of Disneyland souvenir postcards from 1955 thru the present. Bruce Gordon and David Mumford are to be commended for this true labor of love. The book is jam packed with hundreds of color and black & white photos (as well as images of the original Disneyland postcards); and the accompanying text accurately tells the story of Walt Disney's creative vision for a new form of family entertainment. Beautifully bound and printed with quality materials. A fascinating read from cover to cover! Bravo!

I am anxiously awaiting this book! It's about time that someone wrote information about people, places and businesses that I so desperately am always looking for. Every place of employment in Los Angeles should have "FIRST CLASS LOS ANGELES" on their shelf!

I've worked as a personal assistant for over 15 years and this book contains exactly the information that has taken me 15 years to compile AND MORE! Anyone who works for people who expect the best should buy this book and impress their boss by having all the best resources! This will save any assistant years of research and the added benefit of the peace of mind in knowing that everyone listed in this book are competent of delivering on their promise.

This is a wonderful compilation of shops and services that celebrities have patronized. Ms. Elias has done a wonderful job putting together her career experience with Hollywood stars by divulging their little secrets on where they shop for toys, where they dine, where and who does their hair and other goods and services that they take advantage of.

You'd be surprised at some of the places tehy go. You may just run into these stars buying Barbies or getting a bikini wax next to you. Can you imagine a hairstylist using the same pair of scissors that were used on Bette Midler to cut your own hair? Or Bette Midler's mermaid tail brushing up against your dinner jacket at the dry cleaners?

Even if you don't use the book for needed services, it's a fun peek into the lives of your favorite celebrities. Buy this book!

I bought this book for my parents to take with them on their first trip (50th anniversary) to Hawaii. I've been to Hawaii several times and have had several guide books. I love this one the best. It it easy to read, larger print than some of the guide books, written so that it is entertaining to read. What I love the best is that every page has side bar lists that rank the same things, i.e, most romantic restaurant, restaurants with ocean view, best breakfasts, etc. I came online to re-order myself one (since I keep borrowing my parent's gift back!), only to find that it is out of print. ...

An outstanding overall guide to Hawaii--The best feature is a "quiz" which helps you decide which island(s) you will find most enjoyable. It has general advice on visiting Hawaii, how to get the best deals, etc., followed by a chapter on each of the major islands. It does not cover islands a new visitor is less likely to visit, such as Lanai and Molokai. The specific chapters on each island give useful coverage of major attractions or activities, and very detailed commentary on a limited number of hotels/resorts/B&Bs. I highly recommend the book, but once you have decided to visit, I recommend that you buy specific books covering the island(s) you want to visit. If you want to spend more than a few days on a given island, you will probably want more detailed coverage than given in this book. Despite this, the book is VERY valuable for a first-time visitor who wants to figure out the who, what, where, why and how of a Hawaiian vacation.

Very detailed and extremely helpful. Gives Island by Island details of where to visit and wonderful places to eat. I highlighted so much, you would have thought it was printed on yellow and pink paper!! A very good value and a must before you take your trip to the Islands!

I bought this gift as a present for a friend who lives in LA. What a great guide! Very thorough, but brief and to-the-point, summary of every beauty service you could need. My only wish is that they would give a price range for the salons, not just a low/medium/high rating. I hope they come out with one for the Detroit area!

while i do not live in la, this is a useful tool to have when traveling for work/pleasure, etc. similar to a zagat guide for dining, this is excellent. the summaries are short, sweet and to the point. women & men can trust that the research is accurate & reliable. please come out with a nationwide head to toe - we need seattle, dc, chicago, nyc, boston, miami, minneapolis, dallas and many more!

head to toe is incredible. I just have moved from New York to LA and use the book all the time. I found out about the book from an article in Vogue's August issue. It breaks down every beauty service by price with a review. No need to wonder anymore about the best beauty places just for you.

This is the best book for snorkeling I've ever found. The other books are so vague, they don't tell me much of anything. This one describes all the neat places to walk in from the beach and go snorkeling, how rough or calm the area is, how to get to various snorkeling beaches once I get there, whether the kids can safely swim in each area. It also has all the resorts that have snorkeling off their beaches, which is really nice for people traveling with small children and the airlines and travel stuff we need.

My wife and I found this book to be one of the best, Snorkeling guides we have ever used. We find all of the Huber's books to be informative, thorough, accurate, and fun to read as well. We love it! We buy new ones every time they update them with new info.

My wife and I, both avid snorklers, picked up a copy for our trip to the British Islands and found some really neat new spots. This is a terrific resource.

Having read many survival and endurance books, I found this one exemplary. Written with quiet recollection - as only a log-keeping seaman could - he recounts both the inner and outer journey very well. I was appreciative of his honesty in the emotional shortcomings of himself and crew. You can imagine the difficulty of being so revealing of your own family in print! Without these insights, a reader would have been mislead about what it means to survive with others. I also listened to an unabridged book-on-tape, and the idea of a long story, well told, detail by detail was wonderful. For someone who has waited out storms on the sides of mountains, I appreciate long, detailed, unhurried stories. This is a wonderful book.

If you are looking for a nice down-to-earth, real-life, well-written book about survival and teamwork, this is it.
In fact, by the time you've read through it, you'll probably wish that their adventure had lasted even longer!

Dougal takes care of explaining everything he does and the reasoning behind it so that under no circumstances are you left with any doubts as to why he makes certain decisions.

The book also has some thoughts on what equipment perhaps you should put in your boating survival kit. In my opinion this part could have been even more elaborated on.

This book first came to my attention when it was printed (in abridged form) in "The Reader's Digest" in 1973, and later when the author appeared on "To Tell The Truth". I've always been a sucker for adventure stories and this true-life account of grit, determination and ultimate survival makes the statement "the truth is stranger than fiction" ring all the more true.

By the way - with the 30th anniversary of the Robertson family's disaster looming - does anyone know what ultimately happened to them?

NOTE 4/30/03 - After writing my original review, I was directed to the Robertson family website to learn the family's fate. Their daughter, who left the voyage in Miami and was not on board when the boat was sunk, is the web-mistress for the site, and was very gracious in e-correspondence when I sought details about her parents' later years. As stated in another review, Dougal Robertson passed away in 1992, aged 68, his wife Lyn following in 1998.

I am always impressed by Emerson's talent, and I wonder after each new book when he finds the time to write--given his full-time job as a firefighter. But it's his first-hand experience as a firefighter that informs the best of his work and Into the Inferno is no exception. With fully drawn, exceptionally well-conceived characters, Emerson takes us along on a death trip with deeply conflicted womanizer Jim Swope. While Swope's view of himself is not a pleasant one, the reader cannot help but like this fellow because he's just so utterly likeable--particularly in his interaction with his two daughters. Given that I picked out the villain of the piece right away, it's a testament to Emerson's narrative gift that I stuck with the story, waiting for Swope's "aha!" moment. And it's delivered very well. There's so much action that there's scarcely breathing room--either for the characters or for the reader. There are also some very profound observations on life and what is, and isn't, valuable. Yet these observations are delivered within the context of the character and ring very true. For sheer entertainment value, Emerson's hard to beat.
Highly recommended.

This was my first Earl Emerson book. The local librarian recommended it, and I'm sure glad. This was an exciting, suspenseful page-turner; and I really didn't know whether I should laugh or cry as I read it. Jim Swope, a firefighter, is facing the fact that in 7 days he will probably be reduced to a vegetable in a nursing home. His sense of humor was awesome, and I laughed out loud many times. At the same time, there were some very tender moments, especially with his daughters, that made me so sad. It made me glad that I am a reader.

Jim Swope is a nervous firefighter in the Earl Emerson's new novel "Into the Inferno." Swope works in Washington State's North Bend Fire and Rescue Company, and this group of paid and volunteer firefighters have run into some serious trouble. One by one, the North Bend firefighters have either become seriously ill or died in violent accidents. Are these events coincidental or is there something more insidious going on?

Swope is terrified when he begins to experience the same symptoms as his fallen colleagues. With the help of Stephanie Riggs, the sister of one of the victims, Swope starts investigating the "North Bend Syndrome" and what he and Stephanie find out is shocking and horrifying.

Earl Emerson sustains the reader's interest throughout this unusual novel. I loved the character of Jim Swope, an individual whose childhood traumas have left lasting scars, especially in his ability to relate to women. Jim is also a loving father and a courageous man who is willing to learn from his mistakes. I liked the character of Stephanie Riggs, as well. She is a tough and intelligent doctor who is dogged in her pursuit of the truth about the syndrome that has destroyed her sister.

Emerson balances the book's humorous and serious aspects skillfully and he maintains a high level of excitement throughout the novel. I recommend "Into the Inferno." It works both as a thriller and as a quirky psychological study of a beleaguered man who is pushed to his limits.

Point number one: As a Seattlite, Tom Douglas' three fabulous restaurants have always been among my favorites. I'm thrilled to have the recipes for all my favorite dishes - Lobster Potstickers, Tuscan Bread Salad and Cornbread Pudding, just to name a few. And then there is the world's most amazing dessert: Triple Coconut Cream Pie. I don't particularly care for coconut, but I'd walk miles for a bite of this marvel. Whenever visitors come to town, we inevitably take them to the Dahlia Lounge and insist, no matter how loud their protests, that they at least try a bite. Without fail, they, too, become converts. Trust me on this. Douglas' recipes are well-written and adapted for the home cook. He does a great job of explaining off-beat ingredients and preparations. Where appropriate, he even includes photos of how to tackle some of the more unusual preparations that make his recipes even easier to follow.

Point number two: Not only does Douglas give you his best recipes in this book, but he has also written what should be considered a mandatory guidebook to visitors and newcomers to Seattle. Douglas generously mentions most of the other great restaurants in town and tells you when to go and what to order. His description of the local markets is so comprehensive, it should be mandatory reading for every new cook who comes to town. Clearly, this man loves Seattle, and he wants to share all the best of it with his readers.

I have been raving about the dinners I had at both Etta's and Dahlia Lounge since my last trip to Seattle two years ago. I was thrilled to find that Tom Douglas had written this book, and even more thrilled to begin cooking the moment it entered my home. The recipes are easy for even a novice cook to tackle, and experienced chefs will marvel at the wonderful blending of flavors and spices Tom presents. Even my children have loved everything I've made, and that's a tough audience! Buy and use this book. You won't be sorry!

Being a Seattle ex-patriot, I feel like I know Mr. D well. I've had the privledge, over the years, not only to dine at all three restaurants but to meet the man as well, (I once begged him to let me live in the basement of the Dahlia and let me eat the crumbs from the table). In the chapter titled "Starters", my wife and I were among the 12,000 devouring Flash-fried Squid at "The Bite" (Side note: Tom, we're sorry it became a pain, but we just couldn't stop from stuffing our faces).

Tom is not only a genius in his restaurants, but this book as well. Even if you have never had the chance to eat at one of his restaurants, this book will introduce you to you to one of the true greats of American cooking. Having eaten at all of the restaurants AND tried the recipes, he is right-on in telling you how to make these favorites.

I never thought I would actually hold in my hands the "secrets" to Tuscan Bread Salad, but yet, here it is. (But Tom, how about the Tamales from Etta's?)

Oh, and by the way, this book is not just about Tom's restaurants. Listen to his advice about visiting Seattle. Any world-class chef that will recommend Dick's for a late-night burger has his finger on the true pulse of the city!

I may now live a thousand miles away, but Tom is here now, in my kitchen, guiding me as I make most of my favorites from his world. It will never be the same as a wonderful, romantic evening spent at the Dahlia or a rainy afternoon at Etta's, but at least it fills the void.

Some of us remember the Blues 'n' BBQ events that Tom did for Food Lifeline. These events, not held at the restaurants but at a local park, spoke not only of the true giving spirit of Mr. D, but also give credibility to the chapter, "Mo'Poke Dadu". Is there anything the man cannot do?

I do wish the recipe for Gingerbread that we enjoyed one dark miserable fall afternoon at Etta's was here, but hey, if enough of us buy this book, perhaps Tom will take requests for the next one....

Tom, we miss you. Thank you for making the journey, via your first cookbook, to the culinary wasteland of Southern California.

(P.S. I'm available for "R & D" anytime you're in the neighborhood!)

This is one of the best bathroom reads I have seen in a long time. ...Stuff like the average thickness of every plate of every cruiser in the Japanese Imperial Navy makes this something that you just cannot put down.

It is the Mother of All Reference Books on Japanese Cruisers. There is nothing to compare with it.

It is quite simply stupendous and will garner more than few stares from inquisitive guests.

I purchased this book without realizing that it was 850+ pages, a full 7.5 lbs, jam packed with everything anyone could ever want to know about these vessels. I have read a lot of books claiming to be a thorough histories of a county's vessels of a given type and I can honestly say, there isn't even a book this detailed in the U.S. about the U.S.Navy's Cruisers! I cannot imagine how long this information must have taken to collect. For the current price it is a bargain. Japanese cruisers were not at the top of my list as far as interests go, and I loved it.
I highly recommend this book, not only as good reading, but as an example to be followed by any would be author that would like to write books on American, British, or German warship types.
Simply outstanding! If these authors collaberate on another work, I'm buying without waiting for reviews.

This book is one of the best English language works on a specific subject, that of the cruisers of the Japanese Navy during World War 2. During the early phases of World War 2, Japanese cruisers posted an impressive combat record. The authors are experts on the IJN and many of the sources are unavailable outside Japan

For the modeler and historian, all aspects of Japanese heavy and light cruisers are illustrated, including armament, profile drawings, and operational histories. Some of the successes and failures of Japanese design, including the Takao class, possibly the most successful Japanese heavy cruisers to the Mogaim class, which attempted to place a heavy armament on a lightly constructed hull and were considerably overweight and later rebuilt, are explained in great detail

The profile drawings are well detailed, albeit extremely small; however they are useful in showing the arrangements of the ships. For the modeler and naval historian, this is a must book. With the recent proliferation of better detailed IJN cruiser models, this book is needed in any naval library.