The old nostalgic ways of travel -- railroad trains and ocean liners -- have a romance to them that cars and airplanes just can't match. Rogers E.M. Whitaker, the man behind the pseudonymous E.M. Frimbo, and his sometime collaborator, Tony Hiss, capture some of that romance and interest in these essays by and about the world's greatest railroad buff. Detailing some of Whitaker/Frimbo's great train experiences from the '30s to the '70s, and recapturing the all-but-vanished world of life on the rails, the pieces gathered here make for fascinating and evocative reading.

As with any collection of essays, some of the chapters here are better than others. And generally, I found the chapters added to this "greatly expanded edition" to be less satisfying than the earlier ones, though the obituary of Whitaker and the long closing piece, "Frimbo's Peak," were both rather moving. Much of Tony Hiss's preface I could likewise have done without. His predictions for the revival of government-funded passenger rail in the early years of the twenty-first century seem, fortunately, not yet to be coming to pass. But then, it wouldn't be the first time a Hiss was on the wrong side of history.

But don't let the preface distract you. The essays themselves are by and large great reading, and have me hoping to hop a train before too much longer myself. Whether you're an inveterate train buff, a long-time Frimbo fan, or just a fan of great travel writing, I recommend grabbing this book and taking to the rails, if only in your mind.

I read this book as an 11 year old boy, and still remembered it over all these years as a wonderful railroading book. It really captured the glamour and joy of passenger rail travel in those days.

And I was excited and thrilled when I met Tony Hiss by chance on the Boston-NYC shuttle, and he told me that the book had been reissued and was available on Amazon. I (virtually) ran right out and purchased it...as much for my 9 year old (also a rail fan) as for myself.

I was the editor of the greatly expanded 1997 edition of this railroading classic of the 1970s. E.M. Frimbo was the alter ego of Whitaker, a writer who spent more than 50 years at the New Yorker, one of the original coterie that included A.J. Liebling, Joseph Mitchell, and others. Beginning in the 1940s, Frimbo began chugging through the pages of the magazine, right up to and beyond Whitaker's death in the early 1980s. In the 1960s, Tony Hiss had come along and become Whitaker's collaborator on these travel essays. When Hiss began to assemble this new edition, he discovered many pieces that were not in the earlier edition, so the book grew by 50%, and includes many photos of Whitaker never published before. Hiss unearthed such articles as one about the railway in Wales that travels through the Potemkin village where the classic TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed, and a final tribute to Whitaker, appropriately mounted to him at Cumbres Pass, the highest elevation in the USA reached by a train. If you have affection for the open (rail)road, then you will love this book.

What a beautiful collection of photographs! The images in this book are some of the most georgeous photographs of buildings that I have ever seen, beginning with that stunning shot of the Chicago Federal building on the cover. This is the kind of coffee table book that is very smart and invites attention. The images move though 70 years of different styles of architecture, but with a consistent focus on what is most important -- a detail, a beautiful shape, or a play of textures and color to create a mood that shows the strength of the architectural designs. This consistency is amazing considering how many photographers Hedrich Blessing has used -- 19 in all. The book features images that you rarely see elsewhere, like the 1930's panoramic shot of the Palmolive building with the spikes of lighting in the sky (and shows just how far back Hedrich Blessing goes)to the more abstracted photographs, like the design elements of a servant's hallway( something you might never notice as important or beautiful). The essay by Tony Hiss does makes good points about why Hedrich Blessing's work is important. The book wonderfully designed. I especially liked the way each photographer's work is referenced by their name next to the page number and the way that two photographs are paired together on the same page. The book reflects 70 years of history in ways that show how architectural photography started and the way the field has grown. This book could be broken down into different books on different subjects: retail/commercial design, tall buildings, residential interiors, etc., but overall, the book shows off Hedrich Blessing's art fabulously. A must for architectural and photographic enthusiasts!

I've never eaten at the restaurant (but think I saw it when I visited San Fran years ago). The book is written in simple sturdy english. The recipes are authentic. Best of all, I like the fantastic fables and hearsay of not-so-old China (and personal anecdotes)as related by Chung. Enjoyable to read, even if you never intend to try out any of the recipes.

cheers, Henry, Cheers... From Marty's Special BBQ Pork, to the overstuffed steamed dumplings this book has it all including an amazing recepie for Velvet Chicken. A must purchase.

For those who love to eat or cook Chinese food, this book is a must-have. It details about 50 tasty recipes from Hunan province in China, and is totally authentic. The author has avoided "spicing down" recipes for American readers -- garlic, hot chiles and other Hunan staples are used boldly and creatively, and your taste buds will be crying out for more after trying these gems. In fact, my wife, who is herself Chinese, relies on Henry Chung's book more than the Chinese-language cookbooks she brought from Taiwan. It really is that good.

Too bad the title was wasted on this one. Don't bother reading this unless you want to read long, drawn-out exposition of efforts at preserving various farms and wilderness in the New England states and buildings and parks in NYC. The research was light, no real thesis put forth - some garble about "simultaneous perception" that's forgotten after the first chapters hardly counts. It's not that the writing is offensive, but it is a bit boring and provincial, and lacking in unity and focus.

I was required to read this book as a part of a real-estate development/project management class, and was surprised and refreshed by the author's insights into public space and evironments. The book attempts to get at fundamental values of creating "a sense of place," and although decidedly a bit frou-frou and subjective at times, it offers tangible alternative avenues to our notions of land-use planning and real-estate development. Extremely easy-reading, and insightful.

It was Mr. Hiss' book that first inspired me to pursue a career as a city planner/city administrator. I recently reread the book to refresh much of the enthusiasm for carefully crafting a sense of place that, too often, can be dulled by the grind of bureaucracy. The New York Times is only partially right in suggesting that this book is essential reading for city planners, developers and city administrators". It also should be reread, upon occassion, to provide continued inspiration for better planning and development. The book can be effectively supplemented by Howard Kunsteler's Geography of Nowhere and Home From Nowhere.

This is one of those books. In addition to not being a communist(DO YOU EXPECT ANY OTHER CONCLUSION FROM TONY HISS?), did you know Alger loved Picasso and VanGogh? He also loved his family and wrote letters from Lewisberg penitentiary -- you don't say! B L A H ! ! ! !

I enjoyed this book for many of the reasons some writers here hated it, the author just doesn't quite "get" that his father was a spy, and while I don't care one whit about the history of the cold war (which is ancient history to me) I was fascinated by this son's attempt to romanticize his father and decipher a relationship which was, at different times, warm and false.

Who really gets to know the core thoughts of his or her parents? Not Tony. But I don't think that makes him so unusual. There's something strangely fascinating about the halo most children give to their parents. Alger Hiss was at peace with himself, it seems clear in hindsight, because he either believed in his work as a spy (something which isn't all that unusual for those times) or he was one of those people who could delude himself into thinking that night was day (also not that unusual, call it OJ Simpson-itis).

One gets no clue from this book that the son ever got into the head of the father when it comes to these questions, and yet I think that makes it interesting document, how many adult children can say the same thing? Those who read this book uncritically, of course, and don't see the cat and mouse game that the author is playing with himself, are being silly.

This excellent book is beautifuly written and proves the sterling character of Alger Hiss. Hiss was framed by three of America's mid-century most evil men...Richard Nixon, Whitaker Chambers and J. Edgar Hoover. Alger Hiss was a Jeffersonian democrat who will be honored in the long run of history as a key man in the Roosevelt administration and the Secretary General of the United Nations during its founding conference in San Francisco in 1945. Pass the book along to your grandchildren,for it will become a valuable document of 20th Century America.