I stumbled on this book at an estate sale. It is currently out of print, but I highly recommend adding this one to your collection. The author was chef to the Governor, Booth Gardner. The recipes were served at many a dinner party and can be easily mastered for your own entertaining. Wine suggestions are also included for each receipe. All throughout the book are interesting facts about Washington State and beautiful photographs and art work. All in all, I found this book charming, entertaining, and full of great recipes.

I knew little about the Clipper Ship era (and frankly had minimal desire to learn about it). I happened upon this book by accident... a fortuitous accident. Whipple relates the events surrounding the Gold Rush, the development of the Clipper Ship and the subsequent expansion of trade routes with the American West.

Clipper ships, we learn, were ultra-fast sailing cargo ships designed to round the tip of South America quickly. Bringing supplies and trade goods to San Francisco (and, hopefully, plenty of gold on the return trip), clippers predated both the Panama Canal and the steam ship.

"The Challenge" itself refers to races between the top clipper ships to make the harrowing trip around the Cape on ever-faster timing.

Included in the edition I have are some astounding photographs. My favorite is a stark picture of the Bay... littered with the hulls of thousands of abandoned ships deserted by crews rushing to the gold fields.

This book is a masterful monument to a fascinating era that has been largely overlooked.

Chance The Tide: How To Cruise To The Bahamas For The Winter by mechanical engineer and sailing expert Kenneth Mowbray is a practical and "user friendly" how-to guide for enjoying a Bahamas cruise in the wintertime. Individual chapters discuss a wide variety of different boats ranging from sail to power and in terms of how they are best utilized, what equipment to bring, how to navigate the Bahamas, enjoying life while living in a relatively small space, and more. A useful guide filled with sound advice for cruise lovers everywhere, Chance The Tide is especially commended to the attention of novice sailors while having a great deal to offer even the most experienced when cruising Bahamian waters.

Chilkoot is a trail guide that will appeal to outdoor adventurers with a love of Alaska and Canada. It covers the famed Chilkoot Trail which straddles the American-Canadian border. From a history of the trail to details on its management and ecotourism, Chilkoot provides an excellent account of special interest to Alaskan and Canadian outdoors travelers.

I love it. I was interrested 'til the end. I couldn't stop reading. Kay D. Rizzo is a great christian romance novelist. I will always cherish these books.

This book is a must for anyone who lives or spends any amount of time in San Francisco. Locals and visitors alike will find it indespensible if they love to eat out but don't always want to do it on a champagne budget. This book reveals not only where the great food is in the City by the Bay (and surrounding areas,) but also addresses the pocketbook, too. It's based on the premise that the meals must not come to more than a [certain amount of money.] It covers the gamut from fine dining to taquerias to everything in between. I find the reviews to be comprehensive, realistic and often mirror exactly my impression of the dining establishment. (So it MUST be good!) ;^) The index is divided by both neighborhood and food type and is very easy to use, as the restaurants are then listed alphabetically. I keep mine in the car so that it's always easily available. I use it often. I'm also buying 10 of them as Christmas gifts. My only complaint is that the book falls apart easily.

Extremely useful. Well written guide by someone who clearly knows and loves the area. Lots of excellent "insider" tips and recommendations. A "must have" for anyone living or visiting Berkeley, Oakland, and the surrounding areas!

I grew up in Chicago but haven't been back for 20 years. So, when I was assigned to Chicago to open a new business, I bought a few guides, this was one of them. While not intended to be an absolutely complete guidebook (ala the Fodors gold series) it does a good job of listing the top restaurants (by cuisine), top hotels (by price) top entertainment spots (by type) and top 25 sights to see. I especially liked the brevity of this feature because it helped me focus on the most important museums , entertainment and other features of the city. Every listing has a location, nearest mass transit stop, and map coordinates that match the city map that is included with the package. If you're looking for a simple but very useful guide, this is the one.

I found a copy of CIVIL AND SAVAGE ENCOUNTERS in a little bookstore while vacationing in Alaska. The Alaskan landscape is beautiful and awe inspiring. However, once I started reading this diary, I couldn't stop. It is a treasure! I stress, I became so engrossed in Golovin's exceptional descriptions, I totally lost interest in the beauty of Alaska. I don't understand why this diary did not become a best seller.

I loved Golovin's comparative descriptions between his beloved Russia and Europe. Americans will be mesmerized by his perception of the American Civil War.

Golovin has a charming and wonderful vividness in his writing style. Could he have intended for his diary to be published? On the other hand, I have often heard it said that we have lost the art of good writing. We'll never learn the answer. Regardless, CIVIL AND SAVAGE ENCOUNTERS is a wonderful piece of literature.

This is the 2nd edition of Moynier's and Fiddler's High Sierra "best of" guide. John Moynier and Claude Fiddler are very experienced Sierra climbers/guides with hundreds of routes and dozens of firsts to their respective credits. The authors have painstakenly selected over 100 outstanding routes ranging from moderate class 3 peak bagging exercises to Grade V walls and Grade VI linkup routes. The represented climbs are among the most popular and most sought after climbs in the range. Climbers of all skills and goals will benefit from this guide. They provide topos, verbal approach, climbing and descent descriptions and a rich historical perspective on climbing in the Range of Light.

Improvements in this guide include more detailed topos, a larger selection of alternate routes, more historical anecdotes, and a refined selection of climbs.

While this book is an excellent stand alone guide, many climbers would benefit from RJ Secor's Peaks, Passes and Trails as a companion guide.

I rate this book 5 of 5. Most climbing guidebooks are dry material... just the facts Ma'am. But this one colors all of the technical data with stories of old heros and epic struggles. Buy it so these guys will be tempted to write more!