When studying in school and trying to remember dates,names and events to receive a decent grade on History Tests, this would have been the ideal book for me. It's all here compiled in a readiable story form that brings the characters and dates and ordeals that all went through in a fashion that makes it very interesting and all too true. Your heart can't help but go out to all that were connected in this important part of American History, the good with the bad. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is just interested in wanting to read about the Alamo to those who want to know the actual facts. Kudos to the Author.

This work by Mary Deborah Petite provides very clear answers to one of the most myth filled stories of Western America. It does not cause disappointment for the reader, but by providing a clear look at the facts actually enhances the story and the sacrifice of the willing and determined participants. It is concise, full of information, and a real pleasure to read. This reader is looking forward to future works by Ms Petite.

I had the good fortune to hear Ms. Petite give a lecture on The Alamo recently and purchased a copy of her newly released book immediately afterward. I was impressed by the manner in which the book dispels many of the myths surrounding that battle and the Texas Revolution, replacing them with the facts which are as interesting, if not more so. Most of the facts and some of the myths were entirely new to me.

Many of the subjects dealt with are very moving and lose none of their passion in the telling: Travis letters of determination to stand and die and calls for aid; the story of Juan Seguin, a Mexican, but no less a true fighter for Texas independence fighting along side men like Travis, Bowie and Crockett; the horrible massacres of men on both sides. I also found a lighter side to the book, including references to the famous "Yellow Rose of Texas," and some well known participants' fondness for opium and for women.

The format of the book is well suited for its apparent purposes: to enlighten and entertain. The facts and the legends selected appear to have been choosen with the utmost care, including some of the latest research. The author has managed to pair down what must have been a vast amount of material and include those facts most valuable to telling the story, and those most enjoyable to read.

My grandfather was born in 1888 in the town of St. Martinville, LA and turned the century with the rest of Mr. Capuder's cast of characters. Even with that connection, in reading this book I still learned things about my ancestors that I didn't know. It is amazing how real these folks still are on the pages of Le Petit Paris, as if they'd just closed their storefront or doused their lantern for the night, not the century. I am the author of a book of Cajun poetry, Porch People, that tells the stories of these same people two generations later and it is with great respect and pleasure that I add Mr. Capuder's vast information to my own.

The book takes you back in time. The author makes you think the people are still here with us today. And he makes you feel like you're living in the past. The book is very informative, interesting, beautifully detailed with pictures, and sectioned. It's our own heritage and the way they lived. It has cross references which makes it even more interesting. But most of all it leaves you hunger for more.

This book is a small treasure of riches from the past for rural southwest Louisiana. The turn of two centuries finds us viewing our ancestors as if they still worked this land and shopped these store fronts. I learned things about my own great-grandfather that our family oral history had not documented. Mr. Capuder has done a wonderful job condensing such a vast history into such elemental beginnings.

I am slightly biased, but as an author in this book, I do love it. I am very proud of my class' works and I can honestly say we have all put our hearts & souls into this book. There are so many pieces which are just amazing within these lines of text. I strongly recommend purchasing "26 Odd" for it is extremely spectacular.

I was greatly impressed with the quality of the students' writings. The expressions of their emotions and experiences was a tribute to their confidence in themselves and their teacher. Congratulations to West Scranton High School.

I am on of the authors in this book. Let me tell you this book is absolutely amazing. It is almost entirely penned by high school students. We spent MONTHS working on this book, and you can tell. Trust me, you need to read this book, you will not be disappointed. It's kind of like a chicken soup book, but BETTER

"There's a land of rolling mountains, where the sky is blue above." After coming to West Virginia four years ago for college, I not only became attached to "Country Roads" and being a Mountaineer, but I truly fell in love with the state and everything wholesome its heritage represents. Just as I enjoy waking up every morning to turn a new page in my Bed and Breakfast daily calendar, or curling up on a snowy evening with a cup of hot cocoa and a book on family owned gourmet restaurants, I've enjoyed leafing through the pages of "55 West Virginias", full of state history and statistics. A perfect book for those as in love with the state as I, the weekend traveler, or the world traveler, I think you, too, will find E. Lee North's Guide to West Virginia's State Counties as charming as you will the state itself.

By the author, E. Lee North (north444@aol.com).... West Virginians are the friendliest people in the country, and it was a pleasure interviewing and dealing with Mountaineers. This is my third book on West Virginia and it really is an incredible state. Just think --Wheeling is the only city to have been the capital of two different states and not now a capital of any; it was also the site of the last battle of the Amer. Revolution (Ft. Henry). These facts are well covered in "The 55."

Part of WV is N of part of NY state, part is W of Pt. Huron, Michigan, part S of Richmond, and it extends E to within 39 mi of Wash., DC. So it might be called a northern, midwestern, southern, or eastern state! (And has been.)We present just about everything you'd want to know about the Mountain State, including tables showing each county's percentage of women, minorities, income, home values, etc., and "Notables" for each county. There's a map of the whole state, and maps of every county.Actually, this book is probably the first popular history of all the counties of a state.

The Notables are quite interesting -- from Governor Cecil Underwood (imagine, elected WV's youngest governor in 1956, and her oldest in 1996) and Senators like Robert Byrd, Jay Rockefeller, and Jennings Randolph to sports stars like Jerry West and Sam Snead, writers Pearl Buck, Alberta Hannum, and Mary Lee Settle; military leaders Stonewall Jackson, Jesse Reno (Nevada's city of Reno is named for him)... well I'm just scratching the surface here. We do have a comprehensive index...

I owe a lot to our wonderful relatives down in Wheeling, and to Ye Olde Alpha tavern, our perennial gathering trough. And to the good folks at West Virginia University Press and Library.

WVU Press has re-issued this book in 1998, an expanded history with latest information on every county's vital stats -- pct minorities, ages, income, et al. Very complete, even listing several "notable persons" for each county. Complete with maps and photos.

There's plenty about Putnam County, including the map showing Hurricane and the home area of Jack Whitaker, who won the biggest one-winner Powerball prize on Christmas Day 2002 ($314.9 million)... just the tax on Whitaker's winnings paid off one-third of the Mountain State debt for that year.

"The Fifty-Five"is the bible for West Virginia's counties.

It really doesn't matter what small American town you grew up in, because the author is able to relate stories that make you remember that those things happened to either you, your best friend or someone you knew. If you want a quick reading book that will have you laugh and maybe shed a tear please read this book. I highly recommend Aberdeen High Jinks.

This author has much talent putting into his words his feelings
of life and growing up, finding his way along life's path, sharing
favorite stories of living in a small wonderful farming town in Idaho. Trying to figure out make believe names who most would know and laughing or almost crying.. I recommend this book very much !

Who doesn't remember being a teenager? Return to this time of your life through the eyes of a guy that survived entering high school, going on his first blind date, encountering a very mad porcupine, skinny dipping and getting caught by a gaggle of giggling girls, cars, friends, family and all the things that propel us toward adulthood. Go on this adventure with Steven Stoker and dig into your memories along the way. You may find yourself in one or more of these stories that are guaranteed to bring a smile and perhaps a tear, but definitely a memory or two.

"This second edition of Walton's comprehensive guide... is a must for visitors." Bon Voyage

A full update of this popular guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here!

A full update of this guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here! Plus it has good town and regional maps.

"These useful guides are highly recommended... " Library Journal "[Adventure Guides] direct you away from the theme parks and into the great outdoors... the information on trekking routes, canoeing, wildlife refuges - even golf courses - is well researched." The Sunday Telegraph "...intended for the adventure-minded travelers with special affection for the outdoors and nature. Each Adventure Guide packs in outdoor-oriented activities set in different regions. There's something for nearly everyone." Midwest Book Review

I wish I had met this book before I went to St. Kitts & Nevis for the first time. It tells you everything about them and you can count on it. Very easy to find out what to do, where to go, stay and eat. Very organized and easy to read. Many pictures in this book.

I have been traveling to Anguilla for several years but just found some new discoveries in this guidebook.

I just returned from a trip to St. Kitts and Nevis and found this book very useful, from the time I was selecting a hotel until I was on the island and looking for a place to eat. Through this guide, I learned about many out of the way spots that were overlooked by other guides. I am looking forward to using other sections of the book on a trip next year to St. Martin and Anguilla.

Whether this book of color photographs accurately shows what Alaska really looks like, I don't know, because I haven't been there yet. But having finished it, I'm planning my trip!

But I can say this is a great book of photographs of nature. Anyone who loves to look at photographs will love this book. Wolfe demonstrates that he is one of the greatest living outdoor photographers. His sense of light and composition is unexcelled. Almost every picture has a strong sense of line, either vertical, horizontal or diagonal. And the range of light is exceptional, often including in the same picture the darkest blacks and the brightest whites.

The handling of sky is as sublime as that of any of the 19th century American landscape painters. I'm certain that there must be plain blue skies in Alaska but every one of Wolfe's skies has clouds that are fleecy, or glowering, or mysterious. And the light that falls on the landscapes illuminates them with a strange beauty whether casting deep, hard-edged shadows that make a rugged peak look even more majestic; or soft shadows that fall across a brush-covered hillside and create a subtle modulation of green; or the red rays of the magic hours of dawn and dusk.

Occasionally his pictures take on a strange abstraction that requires a careful examination to discover what one is looking at, like the pictures of white ice floes on the surface of an inky-black river or the network of crevasses on a glacier with a few spots of emerald blue in the white field, where the snow has melted into a pond reflecting the sky.

Wolfe is a master of color field photography. Consider the brownish, grayish web of fine lines with several smears of white across it that resolves into a portrait of musk oxen with white horns and muzzles. Or the white arctic foxes in the snow with a bare hint of orange on their undersides. Or the receding green hillsides distinguished only by differing textures with a tiny browsing caribou in the foreground.

The text by Nick Jans is sometimes overly poetic and almost unnecessary given the photographs although explaining just what it is that makes tundra tundra has some interest. However when I turn the page to see just the top halves of the heads of two fierce little owls peeking at me with yellow eyes hidden amongst a row of wildflowers in the Arctic Wild Life Refuge, words disappear from my mind.

Most people agree that Alaska is one of the last great wildernesses and that we are unlikely to see anything more exciting in our lives. Art Wolfe has captured the excitement of Alaska. He has also captured the excitement of great photography.

WOW! Breathtaking photos of Alaska. He captures Alaska as it should be.

Art Wolfe's beautiful photos and Nick Jans' reader-friendly text blend in a beautiful coffee-table paperback edition of Alaska (1-57061-216-1, $29.95), featuring gorgeous full-page color photos of environments and animals and reflecting the contributors' familiarity with Alaska's many faces. Choose this as a keepsake memoir of the state's natural beauty.

Thanks to this book, I am becoming an avid bird-watching. Together with my binoculars, I now have the tools I need to identify most every bird I see in my backyard or when I'm out hiking. An excellent resource.

This is a very useful little book. We bought this because we live in Seattle and recently bought a bird feeder that's now being visited by all kinds of birds. The book is really helpful - it starts with a few pages of info about how to attract birds to your garden and then the rest of the book has colour pictures of birds on the right-hand side page and writing about them on the left. The birds are organized by type, but also by colour which makes them pretty easy to identify. I think this is a great book for beginners like me who just want to know roughly who's feeding in their garden!

This little field guide (6" x 4") is great for carting around. The west edition covers the states west of the Rockies very well. The full color book begins with a foreward about attracting birds. The next few pages describe how ot look at a bird, how to read the range maps, and how the birds are organized in this guide. And then here comes the birds! On each left bage, there is a catergorized column with the catergory name at top (catbird and bluebirds, chickadees and titmice, crowned sparrows, etc.), followed by range maps and a cool fact. On the ajoining right page, the birds are shown (male and/or female and/or juvenile). I think this is a great little field guide.

M. John Fayhee tells the story of his trip along the Arizona Trail. Jerry Sieve captures the beauty of the trail in stunning photography. Fayhee does a great job of keeping the reader excited. My favorite area the Four Peaks Wilderness is not very well represented. Nevertheless I highly recommend this book!

The photography in this book is unbelievable, and were it not for the requirement to note when photos are retouched in the computer, I would have believed they were "illustrations." I can never look at enough photographs of Arizona, but this unique stretch of trail which runs 750 miles from Mexico to Utah is a never ending string of contrasts, diversity and astounding beauty.

Jerry Sieve, the author, must be a book designers dream. He writes in strings of 20 word "pull quotes" and has done a great job of describing the trials and tribulations of hiking the unfinished Arizona Trail with a wonderful sense of humor. With the exception of a few stinging criticisms - the filthy air of Phoenix, road warriors in popular camp grounds, outdated topographic maps, etc. - he is as enthusiastic as those of us in Arizona about this monumental project and the opportunity for long distance non-motorized trail use that it provides.

You may have to purchase a new coffee table for this book!

The photography in this book is unbelievable, and were it not for the requirement to note when photos are retouched in the computer, I would have believed they were "illustrations." I can never look at enough photographs of Arizona, but this unique stretch of trail which runs 750 miles from Mexico to Utah is a never ending string of contrasts, diversity and astounding beauty.

Jerry Sieve, the author, must be a book designers dream. He writes in strings of 20 word "pull quotes" and has done a great job of describing the trials and tribulations of hiking the unfinished Arizona Trail with a wonderful sense of humor. With the exception of a few stinging criticisms - the filthy air of Phoenix, road warriors in popular camp grounds, outdated topographic maps, etc. - he is as enthusiastic as those of us in Arizona about this monumental project and the opportunity for long distance non-motorized trail use that it provides.

You may have to purchase a new coffee table for this book!