Reference Books - Page 15

European (Eyewitness Travel Phrase Books)

DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $10.40 List Price: $13.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK ADULT Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $5.85

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Subjects -> Reference -> Dictionaries & Thesauruses -> Foreign Language -> Polyglot
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Subjects -> Reference -> Foreign Languages -> Instruction -> Phrasebooks - General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Helpful guide 4 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This particular guide is quite helpful if you're travelling to more than, say, three European countries and need to communicate in a different language in each one. It includes a lot of useful phrases and expressions in 14 languages (Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish). It's very simple to use and it's organized in a way that simplifies looking for particular expressions, according to the different situations you may find yourself in.

However, if you intend to go to only one or two countries, you'd be better off getting the specific guides for those specific languages, as you'd be getting a bit more info than what you get here.

Editorial Review:

Essential words and phrases for every traveler. Includes: Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. Instant access to the key words and phrases you need to order a meal, reserve a hotel room, or just make friendly conversation. Unique system of imitated pronunciation enables you to "say it as you see it."

Backcountry Adventures Northern California: The Ultimate Guide to the Backcountry for Anyone with a Sport Utility Vehicle

Peter Massey, Jeanne Wilson

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Adler Publishing Co Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $25.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fantastic book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is the top dog for off road books. I've driven several of these courses in my stock Chevrolet truck with zero problems. Beautiful lay-out, great descriptions and GPS coordinates. Get this book!

Editorial Review:

Backcountry Adventures Northern California navigates 2,717 miles of back roads from the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada, through volcanic regions of the Modoc Plateau, to majestic coastal redwood trees. Trail history comes to life through accounts of outlaws like Black Bart, explorers like Ewing Young and James Beckwourth, and the biggest mass migration in America's history-- the Gold Rush. Like the other guides in the Backcountry Adventures series, Backcountry Adventures Northern California provides a helpful, concise chart with each trail description, listing starting and finishing point, mileage, driving time, and elevation. Backcountry Adventures Northern California is the most comprehensive book of its kind and is indispensable for planning any kind of outdoor adventure in the Golden State. It will appeal to everyone who loves the backcountry: campers, anglers, four-wheelers, hikers, mountain bikers, snowmobilers, amateur prospectors, sightseers, and more...

The Pocket Doctor: A Passport to Healthy Travel

Stephen Bezruchka

List Price: $6.95 By: Mountaineers Books Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $2.96

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The only book to have! 4 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

As a medical intern, I have utilized many different books/manuals in the hospital and outpatient setting. This book is by far, the most complete and satisfying source that I have ever used. The algorhythms are clearly written, and provide information on diagnosis and treatment based upon current guidelines. It is a must buy!

Skillful Synopsis 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I have two bookshelves full of books that I regularly consult on travel medicine issues. Obviously, it's impractical for anyone to carry these heavy resources, and therefore it is lucky that there is a skillful synopsis available by Stephen Bezruchka. Dr. Bezruchka has spent a lot of his adult life in developing countries, mostly Nepal. He has distilled the most basic information that might confront the international traveller into a book that is the same size as your passport. The tone is reassuring and authoratative. You will want to read the pre-travel information before you go, but you may not look at the rest of it--until you need it. I think this is the lightest, most useful resource available to travelers.

Editorial Review:

The classic reference for international travelers-completely updated.

The Pocket Doctor provides travelers with all the information they need to prepare for a trip, to stay healthy while traveling, and to care for health problems that may arise during the journey. In this pocket-sized companion, Dr. Bezruchka covers a tremendous number of topics. Chapters include: Before You Go; Finding Medical Help Abroad; General Health Advice (discussing food, water, hygiene, special environments, and more); Common Illnesses; Less Common Illnesses and Problems; Life-Threatening Emergencies; and The Returning Traveler.

Rick Steves' Mona Winks

Rick Steves, Gene Openshaw

List Price: $19.95 By: Avalon Travel Pub Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $0.42

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Museums & Collections -> Museums -> Exhibition Catalogs -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Museums & Collections -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Museums & Collections -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

more like mona lisa cries 2 out of 5 stars.
19 of 32 people found this review helpful.

I travel for art and frankly, this book was a big disappointment. I expected practical tips and got only a few. What I also got, much to my surprise was a dumbed down sister wendy approach to art-now class, look at this part of the statue and think this. This is not insider information, and to suggest that we should look at art with these descriptions in hand is extremely offensive. If you want to enjoy these museums, get the practical details in hand-a section, by the way, which I found amateur hour, and leave this puppy at home.

I have toured just about all these museums, and these guys miss some outstanding parts of, for example, the British Museum. I grant you that the Louvre is impossible-and if this book helps some people at least get in the door perhaps it has a function. I will say the city walking tours are quite wonderful, but personally, I would never follow this guys tour of the Orsay, except perhaps for directions to the food. This book is an excellent example of fools going where angels fear to tread. You do not need this level of detail to tour the Rodin-it is easily accessible. Use this book if you must have detail to enjoy art (in other words you care who Rodin's last mistress was) but please form your own relationship with the works you see. Most children can do this without a guidebook-for goodness sake give yourself some credit, take a deep breath, and walk in the door, sans guidebook. You do not need a party planner, particularly a second rate party planner, now do you?!

Editorial Review:

Afraid a visit to a museum will ruin the vacation? This irreverent, easy-to-follow guide helps visitors find the best that European museums offer, by providing all the maps, diagrams, and no-apologies opinions needed. 400 B&W photos. 65 museum diagrams.

Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail: Linking People With Nature by Footpath Along Lake Superior's North Shore

List Price: $15.95 By: Ridgeline Press Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $0.14

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Superior guide for a superior trail 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This awesome trail is broken down step by step with great hints, tips and ideas as to what to see where and when to go. Definitely not your typical boring trail guide, and it has VERY readable maps. Over two hundred miles of the North Shore are clearly described...so get off the computer and head to Duluth!

The best guide to the best hike 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The 200-mile trail along the Minnesota edge of Lake Superior may be the best hike in the United States. Almost anyone would agree it's among the top 10. And Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail is the best guide.

It has all of the details you need to know to hike the trailk in safety. Plus, it has information about geology, scenery, habitat, birds and animals.

A "Must Have" when Hiking the S.H.T. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The "Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail" provides an impressive amount of information for those wishing to "day" or "through" hike the Superior Hiking Trail. Excellent maps and trail descriptions combined with a plethora of geological, historical and cultural information make this a "must have" for anyone considering visiting the Superior Hiking Trail.

10-Minute Tech, The Book: More than 600 Practical and Money-Saving Ideas from Fellow RVers

Editors of Trailer Life

Amazon Price: $21.86 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Trailer Life Books Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $4.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Worthy of Space on Anyone's RV Bookshelf!! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

To rephrase Ratty's famous comment to Mole in "The Wind in the Willows": There is nothing- absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in an RV.

By even the most charitable of definitions, I am not what anyone would call "handy" when it comes to fixing things about our sticks-and-bricks house. I am not good at it and I hate taking the time for even the most basic of repairs.

Having said that, I also note that I love puttering around our 5th wheel and could happily spend hours at a time on RV related projects! I guess that's why I think the 10 Minute Tech books are so terrific. More than 600 practical and money-saving ideas in each of the three volumes . . . clever, practical solutions to both everyday challenges and to obscure situations the average RVer will never come across. Each idea presents a practical, real-life solution. Each has been developed by an RVer. The projects are presented in language which is brief, understandable and to the point . . . and the illustrations do a great job of clearing up any questions left unanswered by the text.

The books are conveniently divided into sections on Livability, Safety, Appliances, Maintenance, Automotive, In Camp, Systems, Storage, Towing, Accessories, Sanitation, Doors-Hatches-Handles, Cleaning-Protecting, and Tools. Only a brief perusal is needed to start the creative juices flowing - to send the reader, tool box in hand, off on another project. A fun read when you are nowhere near an RV. An indispensable reference when you are on the road.

Editorial Review:

This book is a compilation of the best tips submitted by readers of the Trailer Life magazine column "10-Minute Tech." These RVers have discovered simple, quick ways to solve small onboard problems; get things to run smoother, quieter, and better; personalize an RV with changes and upgrades; and make life on the road easier.

Living and Retiring in Hawaii: The 50th State in the 21st Century

Diane Smith B.S. and James R. Smith Ph.D.

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Subjects -> Parenting & Families -> Aging Parents -> Retirement Planning

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"It's perfect for Mainland seniors who have always seen Hawaii as the Paradise to which they might retire. I congratulate you for writing a book that will be of so much help to future Hawaii retirees."--Wm. Carse, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii at Hilo

"...excellent source of information...very honest advice"--Bill Taylor, Hawaii Island Journal

"All you need to know about retiring in isles is in this book."--Hawaii Tribune Herald

The average person can retire to Hawaii. How? The answers are found within the pages of Living and Retiring in Hawaii.

James R. Smith, Ph.D., and spouse Diane Smith, B.S., detail the options available to émigrés, including:

• Whether to rent, buy or build and what to look for in a new home.
• Retirement communities, catered living, and assisted living.
• Choosing an island--Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai or Lanai.
• Recreation and leisure pursuits.

Living and Retiring in Hawaii focuses on the health considerations and lifestyle adjustments that predominantly concern retirees. The Smiths demonstrate how to secure a dream retirement in Hawaii by successfully forecasting cost of living expenses and planning for maximum enjoyment.

Eating and Drinking in Paris: French Menu Reader and Restaurant Guide (The What Kind of Food Am I? series)

Andy Herbach, Michael Dillon

List Price: $9.95 By: Open Road Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $0.02

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
12 of 16 people found this review helpful.

I expected more from this book. While it has lists of restaurants, the menu guide is just a glossary of french terms. I admit that I'm spoiled - I expected something similar to a book I used extensively in Japan - "What's What in Japanese Restaurants - A guide to ordering, eating, and enjoying" by Robb Satterwhite. In that book, you go to the section for the type of restaurant you're in, see typical menus and translations, and can order from there. "Eating & Drinking in Paris" is NOT that kind of book. It's not a menu guide. It's just two lists - an alphabetical list of restaurants (note: not by neighborhood or type - though there's a neighborhood lookup at the back), and a list of words. Speaking no French, there is no way I'm going to translate a long menu word by word with an alphabetical dictionary. I kept flipping through, hoping to see groupings of typical cafe or bistro fare, only to realize how little actual guidance there is. I'm leaving this one at home.

Editorial Review:

Nothing can make a trip to Paris more enjoyable and rewarding than a great dining experience. This guide not only helps you find your way around a menu written in French, but also will help you find great places to eat in Paris, the gastronomic capital of the world.

The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book

Tom Taber

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oak Valley Press Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $2.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Review of the 10th edition 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

It says a lot about a book that it is continuously in print and updated for 30 years. This edition, the 10th and printed in 2006, preserves the nice features of previous editions and also offers the author's reflections upon what remains to be done for conservation and recreation in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The general format of the book has not changed. Every county park, state park, open space preserve, or land otherwise available to public access in the Santa Cruz mountains is described (in alphabetical order) with special attention to the hiking opportunities in each. Trail descriptions are a bit sparse, but Tabor includes a decent map of each area to allow you to find your own way. The book is also chock full of "Special Sections" which detail local and natural history and also discuss such practical matters as where you can actually walk a dog in this part of the distinctively 'canine unfriendly' Bay Area.

Tabor's suggestions for the future of the Santa Cruz Mountains are worth noting. He urges the construction of more campgrounds and backcountry trail sites, an absolute necessity. It is almost impossible to get camping reservations on weekends. He also suggests practical ways to extend trail systems and increase the salmon and steelhead runs in mountain streams. I'm less sympathetic to his demand that the gun club near Castle Rock be shut down. I'm not a gun owner, but I never felt I was near a "war zone" when visiting this state park. In my opinion, antagonizing outdoor sportsmen will not promote conservation, but I could be wrong on this. On the whole though, this book is an excellent guide to the region and hopefully it will inspire more efforts at conservation and preservation in the area.

Editorial Review:

Rising just south of San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Mountains offer amazing scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities for Bay Area residents and visitors. This handy guide leads trekkers through redwood canyons, conifer and oak woodlands, along the rugged Pacific coast, and to breathtaking summit views of the Bay Area and beyond. Each chapter includes an overview of the park or preserve, detailed trail maps, and descriptions of trail conditions, topography, geology, and history. Special sections highlight everything from banana slugs and poison oak to the best areas for dogs.

The Unofficial Guide to Cruises (Unofficial Guides)

Kay Showker, Bob Sehlinger

List Price: $18.00 By: Macmillan General Reference Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very shallow overview with little critical information 3 out of 5 stars.
33 of 34 people found this review helpful.

We all love books with titles like these. They are going to tell us the "real" truth behind the corporate line. How well does this book live up to its promise?

First, the basics of the book. The first 130 pages holds background information - why cruises are cost effective, maps of key cruising regions, and so on. The rest of the book - which is about 660 pages total - is a ship by ship review of the main ships that you can choose to cruise on.

I bought this book, so obviously I was keen to hear the "secrets" :) But unfortunately, even though this version of the book came out only a year ago, I already see a large number of inaccuracies in it. It's not really a surprise - as much as they claim to be "unofficial", there is no way a group of reviewers (or especially the 2 who claim primary credit for writing this book) can go back and visit every ship listed, every year. But that means that either 1) the information is therefore inaccurate, or 2) they fall back on what the company reports, meaning they are no longer an unbiased 3rd party.

In addition, just what information are they giving you? I turned right to the Norwegian Majesty as I am looking to cruise with them shortly. They give stats like cabin count, draft, beam, etc. Undoubtedly they got those from the cruise lines, and didn't measure them themselves :). They list the decor colors, the names of the restaurants, the items in the cabins (desk, TV, etc.)

Really, the entire review (which is about 2 small pages long) is a transcript of information found on corporate pages. It says things like the Sky Deck has lounge chairs, rest rooms and showers. It really doesn't have any subjective information at all.

With the thousands of reviews available online, from people who DO go into the good, bad and ugly of each cruise line, I have to admit I was disappointed. Let's say I wanted to choose between the several cruise lines running to Bermuda, I don't know that these write-ups would really help over the official information found on the cruise ships' websites. With the information in the book not necessarily being accurate or up-to-date, even what they do show isn't something I could rely on fully. And given how much the price is for this book, it's really not very price-effective given how few pages are actually applicable for a given person.

That's not to say that the book is "bad" in any way. The beginning section is quite helpful, if basic. It talks about planning ahead, making sure you're in town a day early so that you don't risk missing your ship. It gives general advice on what to pack.

But again, you really do far better with web offerings - because instead of giving general advice on packing for "all cruises everywhere" (which has to include both Alaska and Jamaica), the web can give specific advice for specific lines going to specific destinations. Even two ships both going to a single island can have vastly different dress codes.

If someone doesn't have a web connection, and wants a general quick-reference book for scanning (say in the waiting room of a travel agency), this might be a good book to have. But if you're a cruiser who has a destination in mind, or a specific cruise ship in mind, this information is really far too brief.

Editorial Review:

Each cruise line and ship is profiled and rated in detail with descriptions of your fellow passengers, the quality of accommodations and food, and what life aboard is like. A personal preference questionnaire helps pinpoint ships that fit your desires and budget, and a special chapter helps you get the best deal.