Ignore the CD - if you want it you can buy it anywhere (e.g. REI), or buy proper paper maps!

However the rides are described really well - the profile matches the simple route maps really well and demonstrates just how many NW rides are HILLY.

The step descriptions on the routes are good, and the distances accurate (so far!).

Things to watch out for: 1) Tiger is the closest ride to Seattle in the book, a couple of more 'after workers' would be good. 2) The directions to some of the rides are not too good, although this is mostly due to lack of road numbering etc in Forestry and out of the way areas.

This book is loaded with GPS topo maps, meticulously made maps of each trail, trail profiles, great descriptions, detailed directions, and great graphics. Not to mention all the other information it's packed with, such as other stuff to do in the area where each ride is located. If you can only buy one guide, I think this one is perfect. The CD at the back is an added bonus, which adds no cost to the book, but it's maps aren't necessary b/c there's so many high quality maps packed into the pages of the book.

The Washington edition of the Mountain Bike America series provides valuable technical information within an entertaining writing style. After reading this guidebook, one wants to head out and experience the beauty and challenging terrain of Washington State.

I think NSYNC is really cool. I've met them before they were famous which was really wicked and they're sooo down to earth. I mean BSB is well kinda..conceited if you ask me. That lifelong amount of fame has gotten to their heads but NSYNC is really nice and everything to their fans. I'm not "obsessed" or anything. I'm not really a fan but Lance is pretty cool. My special nickname for him is "Blonde Boy" and JC "Dude in the White Shirt" lol this was WAY before anyone knew who they were but like I totally support them in anything they do. They're nice guys.

nsync is the number one band and they have the awards to prove it justin alone has won 3 and the group to many to count and if i gave the awards away they would get everyone of them even though i only met joey and only joey he was really cool about taking his personal time to come and sign autographs well go nsync and buy every book out there everyone.

I love all the new pictures in it. My man JC looks really good. All the guys are so awesome, and soon, N Sync will conquer the world and leave BSB in their dust!

Mickiewicz's 'Pan Tadeusz' is a very well written and engaging account of Lithuanian provincial life during the Napoleonic Era. Yet, it does fall short of the level of masterpiece, and 'Pan Tadeusz' doesn't possess quite the same timeless quality as Pushkin's 'Eugene Onegin' or Goethe's and Heine's epic poetry. Yet, I highly recommend it, and it is well worth the read, both for its glimpse into a long-lost time and place and also for Mickiewicz's elegant prosy.

This Polish masterpiece reads in English rendition as it was written in English in the first place ! I thoroughly enjoyed over again the story, even more so than in original Polish. Kenneth McKenzie has done a superb job to keep the rhytm, rime and the emotions so close to the original. This timeless piece is a must to everyone who enjoys a great reading adventure, where the highest human values are treasured. Our contemporary writers and poets can only dream to approach the greatness of Adam Mickiewicz. To bad that this book is so little known in the world.

It is a masterpiece , national poem of Poland.It portrays polish society in early XIX century , its turbulant existence and longing for freedom .His other works include " Konrad Wallenrod" and "Oda do mlodosci" but You can also check other polish writers , like Henryk Sienkiewicz , author of the famous "Quo Vadis " , Czeslaw Milosz or Wladyslaw Reymont , all three, Nobel prize laureates .You will never look at Poland the same way .Enjoy reading.............r.c.

I bought & read this book because of the good reviews; I want to save others from making a similar mistake. Eliminate the component which is nothing more than an introductory lecture on Adam Smith, & what is left is the worst fiction that I have ever had the misfortune to read. The protagonist is an obsolescent Wally Cleaver with a taste for drambouie. He feels the need to drive cross-country & rent a cabin in Yosemite in order to finish the last chapter of a dissertation -- in spite of impending deadlines. He needs to recuperate for several days whenever he has done something really arduous like driving in a car for more than 3 hours, and is jealous when his girlfriend (also exhausted after having made an arduous plane flight) kisses the snout of his barking dog, Rex. Has anyone ever kissed the snout of a barking dog? Has anyone ever felt jealous about it? If you have, then this is the book for you! And to think (I'm being optimistic) that the author only required a sabbatical, 4 years, & the assistance of hundreds -- simply amazing.

All anyone ever hears about Adam Smith concerns his Wealth of Nations, everywhere from Economics class to movies like "A Beautiful Mind." This book is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Adam Smith as a person and about what he really thought. Instead of dry biography, this book brings Adam Smith and his theories about economics and society directly into today's world. The story is funny and the characters are interesting and likeable; the novel makes the economic theories relatively painless. I've heard that a true economist is someone who sees something work in real life and wonders if it would work in theory; I think it's important for people to learn that this icon of economics was more complicated than that, and because of that I highly recommend this book.

I read Saving Adam Smith because the author, Dr. Jonathan Wight, was coming to my school as a visiting author. I did not know anything about Adam Smith or economics before I read it, but I learned about markets, economy and self interest v. greed. I thought the book was easy to read and I was surprised to understand the economic theory in the book. I liked the adventerous plot that kept me intested. I liked the storyline about the drive across country and all the trouble they got into. It was a fun book to read.

This book is a condensed review of statistics, without laborious examples. It can be used as a refresher or supplement to a more verbose introductory primer. It is perfect for a high school or a one semester introductory stats course.

I am taking Stat 244 after taking the first class 5 years ago. I needed a review to catch up, but I am finding that this is much more comprehensible than the textbook and the instructor. Nice and straight forward... Makes you wonder why you need to spend $80+ for a used textbook in college when you can learn it more efficiently from this little guy... THANK YOU!!!!!!

Cliff's Quick Review of Statistics is a good supplement
to any Stat course, and should be kept as a reference.
Good intro text. It ought to be required.

For non-quantitative concepts, presented for the layman,
get the classic "How to Lie With Statistics" by Huff.

Another book for Cecil Adams in his quest to fight ignorance...
After almost 30 years this eccentric guy has been trying to get rid of the ignorance and myths upon us and shine a light of wisdom among us...
Worth a read...

My Mother used to say that "no one likes a smartass" - Sorry Mom but I dont agree; not when the smartass in question is Cecil Adams. Here is a man who clearly loves to confound us with his wide and deep knowledge and has an engaging way of keeping the "teaming millions"on their toes. I secretly suspect that he gets a little help in his research but hey, who am I to quibble. This is great light reading - informative and interesting and the best thing to come out of Chicago (since my Wife)

I bought this book ( and some of the others in the series) for my daughter but read them first and enjoyed them so much that I kept them for myself. Dont worry , I'll let her borrow them from time to time So try this book - you won't regret it

Hmmmmmm- as an avid fan of SD I was happy to learn that Cece has produced his 2nd best work ever (sorry about that I'm a fan of the 1st SD). The topics are still interesting, the wit- dry and razor sharp- but- it could have been better without the Straigh Dope message board fillers (such a waste of good space for such drivel).

Nonetheless- this book will surely be a great tool in killing time (with a few yuks pitched in).

Wow, what a piece of garbage! I read the reviews on this page and thought I made a good choice. Not! I sent it back to Amazon.com, after reviewing it for 20 minutes. This book doesn't tell you why or how to, it gives you lousy information that can easily be found through public sources. I've found "the offshore money book" by Arnold Cornez to be much more valuable...

What I really like about this book is its deliberate limitation to tax-free areas or special tax holidays (such as 10 years no-tax for opening a small hotel or guesthouse) instead of being just another book on moving abroad. This lets you improve your income dramatically, by choosing to build a business in a place where your money is automatically worth twice as much because you don't have to pay income taxes - and that is a huge portion of the world. Overtaxed Americans and other nationalities can gain much from the advice and opportunities in this book.

The stock market is an alluring playground. It's the pick up game for the financial intellectuals. In the mid to late nineties, there were few places in the Dow Jones Industrials and the NASDAQ markets to lose investments, so everyone came out of the Wall Street playground happy. Especially Uncle Sam, because this prosperity put many investors in a higher tax bracket. The more they made, the less they got after capital gains tax and other "investment penalties" Big Brother provided. You have to share the wealth with your fellow man, right? Just share your wealth that is.

Baby boomers are looking for new ways to achieve financial prosperity over and above the tax detriment. The results are always the same because that is the way the American stock and tax systems are made to work. There is a method in place that has provided the monetary aristocracy of the world a virtual tax-free existence. Did you know this system could also work for you, without costly legal and accounting fees? With the ease of a stroke of a pen you could be using the same strategies of the CEO's of multi-national conglomerates. The successful investor thinks globally, without imaginary boundaries that section us off for tax revenues. There are countries that need your investments and are willing to provide you with the tools to do it tax-free, confidentially, and legally.

Without a doubt, Abigail Adams is one of the most compelling historical figures to emerge from our Revolutionary period. A complex person, she balanced both passion and intellectual pursuits in an era when just daily life and survival could be all-consuming. I think it is important, however, to separate the wonder of this subject from the actual book itself, the first half of which I found less than smoothly written or easy to follow. Bober's documentation naturally stems from the wealth of letters and diaries of the main figures but I often felt like I wasn't getting the full story through her editing. Her use of "dramatization" of events and scenes can be excused since the audience is a young readership, but it was a little disconcerting. Nevertheless, she has produced a good book (particularly the sections on Adam's vice-presidency and presidency).

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography, which I purchased on a visit to the Adams National Historic Site (sorry, amazon.com!). Abigail Adams was remarkable in so many ways, not least of which was her ability to convey the issues and tenor of her times through her letters. Natalie Bober does an exceptional job of bringing Abigail's world to life - not just the big ideas, but the small emotional details come to light, making these historical figures seem very real. I had always been an admirer of the Adamses and their extraordinary romantic and intellectual partnership - this book increased my admiration tenfold.

This book really takes you back in time. It is the most interesting biography I read, ever. It's a bit longer then most biographies at this reading level, but believe me it will go by fast. I learned information that I will keep for the rest of my life. I really felt I was a fly in the wall of Abigail Adam's many homes. The pictures also give you more for your imagination to build upon. Also in the book there are some of Abigail's letters. This shows what is really going on in Abigail's life. I found out that Abigail Adams was more then first lady and mother of a president she did some pretty courageous things. I felt like I was reading a fictional book, when really I was reading a quite informative, book.

I am a homeschooling mother of two. I was really excited when I ordered this book. It was not all togethor a bad read and along with reading the scriptures it is not too bad of a translation. However I found it a little confusing when it talked about Nimrod and The Tower of Babel. Also about priests and priestess worshiping Satan. This is all speculation and not in the Bible so I found it hard explaining it along with the Bible History I was teaching to my children. Also I was always tought that The sons of God marrying the daughters of men to be rightous men marrying ungodly women. The author writes that angels had come to earth and married human women. I see the other translation as a possible account of what happend but I find the later to probably be more accurate. I have recently ordered The one year chronological Bible and it looks like it will be a real help in organizing Bible History events.

I've read this book several times since it first came out. I've given 2 dozen as gifts and will give more as it is easy to read/comprehend. I think it should be required reading by every 6-12th grader in every school to try and balance the incessant/overwhelming dumbing down of our kids as relates to 'REAL' scientific inquirey and the foundational knowledge upon which our republic and civilization rests. You won't find this in public or school libraries because of the 'censorship' that goes on, and not by right-wingers, so you must get this in your own library. It's very thought provoking and if you read Nat. Geographic, etc. the known technology and many artifacts from past eras take on a whole new meaning.

The author is very clear that not every theory about creation or the beginning of human history is used. And that's not the point. It is meant to be a novel of what might have happened. One does not have to buy every theory, but it is still extremely interesting because it "fills in the blanks" of what you might have wondered about the Genesis accounts. It makes sense and I think it makes an excellent companion to Bible study and ancient history study.

In 1846 German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the eighth planet of the solar system, Neptune. However, the actual sighting of Neptune was not the most significant aspect of the planet's discovery; that claim goes to the mathematical accomplishment of two men who led astronomers in the right direction.

Those two men were John Couch Adams and Urbain Jean-Joseph La Verrier. Working independently Adams and La Verrier had calculated the approximate location of the as yet unknown planet. They hoped to solve the mystery of Uranus's irregular orbit by proving that a planet farther out was affecting its orbit. Astronomers had been trying to explain the orbital discrepancies for decades since William Herschel discovered the planet in 1781.

It was La Verrier who had told Galle were to scan the skys for the planet. When Galle reported the finding he rightfully assigned the true discovery of the planet to La Verrier. Unbeknownst to La Verrier though was that an obscure Cambridge University graduate had determined the new planet's location nearly one year before him. That graduate was Adams.

The controversy that ensued over who said what and when they said it should have made for riveting reading. Instead, Tom Standage's retelling of the drama in "The Neptune File: A Story of Astronomical Rivalry and the Pioneers of Planet Hunting" is about as exciting as my three paragraph summation. Standage gives a good account of the background to the controversy and presents the views of the major figures involved; but, he presents it in such a way that it seems no more interesting than two people arguing if a six-pack of soda counts for one or six items in the express lane.

Perhaps the actual event was no more exciting than Standage's recount. If so, then why bother rehashing it. The import of the work done by La Verrier and Adams is felt even to this day. They had discovered a planet without having seen it with their eyes. They proved that it was possible to discover planets via mathematical computation alone. This opened up the whole cosmos to planet hunters since an actual planet need not be seen.

Standage does come at the story from this angle later in the book. However, it was too late to save it by this point. Had Standage focused on modern day planet hunting and how it relates to the work done by La Verrier and Adams instead of on the supposed controversy surrounding their work, this would have been a far more interesting and informative read. Of course the title would have had to have been different as "The Neptune File" is what the British Royal Astronomer George Airy called his file containing all of the information regarding Adams's work on calculating the existence of the then unseen planet. However, I would trade a good title for a good book any day.

I devoured this book in three big bites. From the shockingly superior optics of William Herschel to the elegant mathematics of John Couch Adams to the extra-solar planets discovered in the late 1990s to the techniques being now developed to find planets orbiting other stars -- its all fascinating. In the end, most of what you thought watching Star Trek had taught you about distant worlds is sacked. "The idea that planetary systems around other stars will be broadly similar to our own solar system is no longer tenable. Indeed, as more planets are discovered, it is our solar system itself that starts to seem more and more unusual."
If you don't read science books and don't know why anybody would, this book might change your mind. Highly recommended.

I actually picked up this book in a used bookstore and read the back cover. The facts surrounding the discovery of the planet were new to me. (Kind of embarrassing really that I had never heard it before. Remind me to contact the secondary school I attended!!) In any event, I was enamored by the discriptions on the back cover and bought it for around four or five bucks. I read it in less than a day, which for me is an extreme rarity. I usually spend my time in the "shallow end" of the literary pool, reading books that can only be described as "easy" reads. This is one of the most entertaining books I've read in years. Unfortunately, I lent the book to someone who had more of a background in astronomy who must have known the book's true value and I haven't seen the book (or the guy) since. So I'm back here to purchase another copy. This time I am much more certain of my investment.