Wow! I really enjoyed this book. The character of Jubal Sackett was very well developed and set in a historically correct period. I found myself walking in his footsteps as he went further and further west. The story arouses the explorer instinct in all of us. I intend to read more of the Sackett sagas.

I have yet to read many of his books, but I must say that all of Lamour's books are great. Jubal Sackett is a special character. I appreciate that Lamour spent more time on this book (or at least made it longer than usual) in order to give us a full scope of Jubal's transcending years in his migration to the west. The Sacketts are successful because they are well learned in many a trade and they don't take things for granted. They nurture their friendships when they can and comfront their enemies just as readily. You feel this story, you root for the characters and you feel as though you are among them. I guess this is more of a mountain man book than a western, but it still sets the setting for the Sackett's pushing west. A great book.

This by far is the best audio book Ive listened to.

The guy reading the story has an accent that fits the story perfectly. While this is a lengthy book it is never boring
The pacing is perfect and the story itself is riviting.
Do yourself a favor and get this on audio. You will not be dissappionted

This is a surprise. With Herbert, you usually got a gore-fest, and when I started reading this book about a man who finds himself in a dog's body, I imagined there would be lurid descriptions of dogs ripping apart other living things, probably humans. Far from it. This book is as cleverly written and as skilfully told as anything by Richard Matheson or Jonathan Aycliffe, and I do not make such comparisons lightly. 'Fluke' describes the dog's (told in the first person-or should that be in the first dog?) quest to discover his previous humanness. It is a journey both of discovery and self-awareness. Herbert vividly describes what it (probably) feels like to be a dog, capturing the world of smells and canine desires; and the lingering sense of his previous humanity that propels him to discover who he was before he became a dog. The ending is moving without being sentimental. An unusual and satisfying book and one that I can fully recommend.

It was a dog's life for Fluke the puppy until the images that had been haunting his canine mind came into sharp focus - he wasn't supposed to be a dog, he was actually a MAN! How had he ended up in this furry body? What of his wife, his child? What of HIM? Soon, though, the truth came - he the man had died, and had been reincartnated as a dog. And the visions hinted that he had been murdered! This begins a quest as Fluke sets out to his old town, determined to deliver out justice to whoever murdered him...An excellent book and a personal favorite of mine. But the best part of all was Fluke. He remained at all times a dog, even though he had human intelligence and memories, rather than some bizarre mix of human and animal that all too many books have. Fluke's friend Rumbo is also an enjoyable character, even if he did have a passion for crime. One of the best, well-written and beautiful stories I have ever read.

Fluke tells the tale of an abandoned dog named Fluke that has past life memories of being a man, a man that was evidently murdered. Fluke then goes on an odyssey to find his home, his family, and his killer. Getting there alternates between funny and frightening. Herbert shows genuine skill as a fantasist here and I wish it was a talent that he tried explore more often, as this is his best novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book ! Bart Smith explains that he hiked the PCT intending to photograph it along the way, and soon discovered that Thru-hiking and serious photography are simply incompatible. Bart returned to the trail over a period of 6 years to capture outstanding images of the spectacular backcountry, and then asked Karen Berger to write the accompanying narrative from her own Thru-hike experience. Karen's story blends humor, science, insight, and an obvious love for the trail. I thought her level of detail was perfect, telling the story meaningfully without getting bogged down. If you enjoy mountain hiking and share my facination with the PCT you are certain to love this book.

The photographs of the PCT by Bart Smith will take your breath away. I've section hiked long parts of the PCT and the sheer beauty of certain parts is etched in my mind forever. This book brings back a flood of memories and makes you feel as if you're back on the trail, enjoying all the stunning vistas, meadows and expanses of wildflowers. Though the photos are the backbone of the book, there is also an interesting narrative by Karen Berger, who has written several other thru-hiking books about the PCT. Berger tells about her own hiking experiences on the trail and the text is never intrusive, merely instructive and entertaining. She narrates a story about her time spent near Thousand Mile Lake near Mammoth and alongside is a stunning color photo of the lake.

Anyone with an interest in the Sieraa range, the PCT, hiking or who simply enjoys beautiful photographs, will gravitate to this guide. Rarely have so many sumptuous pictures been grouped together in one volume. If you're not a hiker, this book very likely will persuade you to get in shape and hit the trail. The vast majority of scenic wilderness in the United States can never be seen from a car window. You must lace up your shoes and get out there. I highly recommend this book for its simple beauty and awesome photos. If it persuades one coach potato to explore the endless beauty of California, then it's worth its purchase.

and it perfectly compliments Berger's and Smith's description of the determination needed to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I frequently find myself pulling the book from the shelf as the wonderful photography by Bart Smith provides the perfect escape from the "big city" life in Northern Virginia.

I anxiously await Bart's upcoming book, "The Appalachian Trail: Calling Me Back to the Hills" to see what he can do with the the natural beauty in the East!

Like Tony I am a cuban american who left Cuba in the early 60s for political freedom to study in the States. I came from a successful middle class family and a history of political successes and upheaval. I have always wanted to go back to re-live my youth in Havana, Tarara y Santa Maria del Mar (like Tony in Varadero) where I spent the happiest time of my youth. I have known of the misery of our people because I kept in touch, however Tony has been able to portray that misery in his wonderful black and white pictures. His writtings and dialogues are very easy to read but with a real message for everyone to understand. This is a great book for those who will like an honest and unbias portray of the cuban situation today. Tony has let these people speak out their feelings (pro and against) for the world to judge. I envy Tony for having the opportunity to return. His book has made me very sad because we are limited in our ability to help them. I cried for the younger generation unable to better themselves. Only the beauty of our land and sea remains untouched. Someday our people will be free again to make their choices and Cuba will be a wonderful place to visit. I promised myself to be in the first plane to help rebuild it.

Tony Mendoza's journey through Cuba takes you into the world of the average Cuban. He does an excellent job of reflecting on his childhood memories of Cuba while combining present day Cuba. This book contains true actual feelings and impressions of Cuba instead of the naive happy-go lucky attitude expressed in most touristic journals typical of many other photographers.

The images captured by my born-again cuban cousin Tony Mendoza will endure.Through his magically sensitive photographic lens and engaging story telling prose. Those that do not know Cuba and read his book, will learn by sharing the daily rhythms of its people in the midst of their aimless sub-existence. Those that know, and particularly those that are cuban -american, may wish to prudently consider a box of tissue. I agree with the author. His father Miguel would have been proud of this book.

As a native Idahoan, this is the first book I have ever found that truly represents the entire state. Idaho is a very diverse landscape and a huge area to cover by any means of transportation. Kirk Anderson's commitment to intimately discover and share his Idaho journey is a gift to all who know or wish to know this beautiful state. The photography proves to be of the highest caliber. Great !

This is a spectacular collection of photographs of one of the most beautiful places you can imagine...Truly "God's Country ", Idaho's diversity has been captured by Kirk Anderson in a magnificant volume showing the mountains, waters, and deserts of this special part of America. He has truly "discovered" Idaho!!

Idaho is a state of geological extremes that range from a desert moonscape to towering mountain peaks, to urban city landscapes. Photographer Kirk Anderson fully and vividly documents the diversity and beauty of this diverse and sometimes surprising state through a spectrum of color photography that presents memorable (and often artistic) portraits in its celebration. Idaho Discovered is a volume of spectacular, informative, entertaining, and highly recommended images that work wonderfully well to showcase the diverse landscapes. The accompanying texts by Frank Rowland and Clarence Stilwill are excellent frameworks supporting a truly remarkable photographic compendium.

After my kids and I read this book, we all had a lot of questions about the Gold Rush and wanted to learn more. We found it funny and interesting. It's one my kids want to read over and over- probably because of her rhymes. This book makes an excellent birthday present too!

Gold Fever is a short, but unforgetable book. In very few words it tells the story of Jasper, who starts out to find gold in California but finds only hard, discouraging work. His return home to a loving family is a satisfying conclusion. An unusual view of history and one that young children can enjoy. I have read this book to second grade classes and the response has been delight and requests to "read it again". The pictures are just right and add delightful humor to the text.

A real pleasure to read, with vivid, bouncy rhyme and great illustrations. Jasper's encounter with the bear was a particular hit . A short, fun book -- parents take note!

I have read One Time and would like to express my approval for the author openly and honestly confirming what takes place on the streets of Los Angeles between minorities and police officers. The actual events that minorities have been complaining about for years has finally come to life--from the eyes of a police officer himself. I am very appreciative of the fact that Mr. Bentley decided to share his experiences on the force with the public. I hope the information contained in the book will be used to take a look at the unjustices and unfair practices people of minority descent have endured for years from LAPD.

I read the book One Time with great appreciation and admiration for the young officer who worked in the inner city and for minority officers. The book depicts the inner most feelings of what it is like being an officer in Los Angeles. Law enforcement is sometimes frustrating, demamding, stressful and rewarding, which Mr. Bentley sucessfully displayed. The book also gave us a sample of how they are precieved and treated by the commnity and each other. It is unfortunate that this young, eager, and educated man was not allowed to be the kind of officer that he initally wanted to be, and to make a differnce in his commnity. Because of the prejudices, bureaucracy, politics and unethnical behaviors within the department,there will be many officers like Mr. Bentley who will be burned out by the system.

I recommend this book to all potental police officers and their families. A must read book!

Having grown up in S/C LA and also a retired Police Officer, this book give you the real world experience. This book will take you from one extreme to the other. You will laugh, cry and be very afraid. Because it is all so very true. Somebody needs to make this into a movie, Quick. Oprah needs to read this book

If anyone wants to learn about wild mushroom hunting/eating, this the best book one can get! After you read it, spend a little extra for mushrooms demystified. It's the answer to the answer.

What can I say, but wow! It took me about three weeks and better than 12 hours of reading time to put it down. It has been indespensible on my hikes and has expanded and enriched the lives of myself, my husband and four children. Even if you don't think you love mushrooms, you will. An essential for any outdoor enthusiasts library!

This is the book you must have if you are even casually interested in wild mushrooms. I am replacing a copy that some cretin stole from me. It is a reader's digest version of the big book by David Arora that is also indispensable. Great photographs and very good descriptions of the most commonly encountered species. A nice touch of humor to make it more than just a reference. Don't miss this one!

This book totally captivated me. I was familiar with most of the areas traveled and found him to be right on target with his descriptions. I love Baja and enjoyed learning the experiences he encountered and how he tackled all the many hardships he faced.

Travel books about daring trips to places filled with hardships erupt like volcanic ash from the "featured on sale" sections of bookstores. Authors fill the shelves, as they have for a dozen decades, with endless sagas of how they climbed-a-mountain-and-everybody-died, why they sailed-the-Pacific-in-a-sea-of-storms, and even all-the-good-reasons-why-people-should-not-do-the-dangerous-pastime-the-author-does.

"Into a Desert Place" features many of the hallmarks of this unfortunate genre of "we nearly died" non-fiction. Baja California's alien landscapes, spiked with impassable mountains, rattlesnakes and boojum trees, certainly qualifies in many regions as a "need a sense of high adventure and a contempt for danger to tour there" area. Yet, "Into a Desert Place" does not repel in the way that "body count on Mount Everest" books can. On the contrary, this book simply charms. "Into a Desert Place" is a complete revelation--an accessible, winning account of how adverse conditions can be met by those most basic values--determination, a good attitude and, indeed, a good heart.

Mr. Mackintosh manages to convey the hardships of the trip, the kindness of most of the people he met along the way, and his own struggles to complete his quest, all without undue sentimentality or boastfulness. The book has a folksy, simple feel about it, but it is anything but a simple book. Instead of the usual travel book conceits based on machismo or "sheer pluck", we see Baja through the eyes of Everyman. We need more books like "Into a Desert Place" and fewer books about how many innocent tourists drowned at sea. We all belong in the desert place to which this book removes us. After reading this book, the reader may not wish to walk around Baja, but the reader might well wish to find that place of quiet, and think a bit.

I bought this book years ago, after reading a typewritten review in one of those "Doomsday Is Comming--Soon!" 'zines. Most of the books reviewed in it were those grim tomes about how to survive by eating nuts and berries after The Big One gets dropped and wipes out 50% of our population. Mr. McKintosh's book proved to be a pleasant suprise--a well- written account, an out-and-out adventure, a walk across the remote desert of Lower California on a shoestring budget.

When he got the idea to actually Do It, McKinstosh was slightly pudgy Scottish college professor whose main exercise seemed to have been lifting a bottle of beer to his lips while he watched football (that's soccer to us Yanks) on the telly. By the time he completed his several month journey, he was lean and sun-baked, the antithesis of his former couch potato self.

In the process, I'd say Mr. McKintosh grew, and actually "found the handle". He figured out what he was about, and what he wanted to do with his life.

For me, some of the most enjoyable parts were those describing how he begged equipment from manufacturers and outfitters, and how he raised funding along the way by writing accounts that he posted to newspapers and magazines.

Of course, there's The Adventure itself, including an amusing account of how he got sloshed from booze he obtained from gathering whiskey bottles that had washed ashore after being thrown overboard from cruise ships. (He sagely notes that staggering around in the boonies at night is risky business.)

Along the way, McKintosh gets befriended by all sorts of interesting, impoverished, and invariably generous folk. Those accounts have a Beginner's Mind freshness to them as well.

Since his original trek, McKinstosh has acquired a modicum of fame. He lectures and writes for the Baja Travel Club, and has since written another book about a second journey with a burro for company. That's a nice piece as well, but I prefer the freshness that only comes from seeing things for the first time.

I'm an old Baja hand myself, and over the years, I've collected a lot of books about Lower California. This one ranks at the very top.

So buy it, read it, and enjoy the photographs. I'm sure you'll find the money well spent.

This amazing book introduced many topics that I was totally unfamiliar with. The historical relationship with Haiti, for instance, was definitely enlightening. I was slightly embarrassed by my ignorance on the subject of a culture located so close to mainland USA, and with a resident Dominican population numbering in the thousands, sharing our communities! We need to learn more about this country with such a long and turbulent history. The Dominican Republic is of course much more than the wonderful Sammy Sosa.Cambeira's book places in firm historical and cultural perspective the meaning of Caribbean identity. This is truly a haunting tale, written in a magnificent, untraditional style that readily appeals to persons like myself...who usually found history texts boring. Cambeira's work is far from boring... this is outstanding.

This book presents much fascinating information about a culture and its people we here in the States know very little about....because of our own stubborn and narrow ignorance. The author interpretes the cultural evolution of his native land in such a way as to make history exciting to read. This is certainly a fresh approach.

Never have I read such a rich historical and cultural perspective of a country as what I have encountered in Quisqueya . The book is Excellent. Once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. Before reading Quisqueya la Bella, I knew very little about the culture or people from La Republica Dominicana. Now, after having read the book, I am enlightened. Because everything was an issue of interest to me, I will highlight those issues that were most fascinating to me: *The miscegenation of the people of Hispaniola >The African influence of the people. *The great divide between the two countries of Hispaniola >The disdain of Haitian by the Dominican. *The US's influence throughout the entire book >The Us invasion and influence in the political arena.

I will be definitely reading the book over and over again., because to me is as oustading job. Dr. Cambeira you go, Excellent Book.