A must have if you live in or close enough (like me) to Oregon to camp there, and you insist that your campground has a hiking trail, like I do! I found a wealth of information on where to camp and hike in my neighboring state, and even though I haven't had time to go camping yet, I have used this to find hiking trails to explore. Many nice, enticing photos throughout the book, and decriptions of the wildlife and scenery at the campgrounds and hikes, all nessesary information about the campgrounds and hikes are given, such as how many tent sites are available (I was surprised to see one campground had only one tent site!) and how long the hiking trails are. If you need a guide for Oregon on camping and/or hiking, I think this is the book you've been looking for.

George Higgins has done a great job of opening up the world of baseball, as well as tradition, life, and the passion the game holds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book

After penning Boulder Climbs North and South, magnificent achievements in their own right, Rossiter moves north to the high country and catalogs more than just the classics. With every section of the high peaks covered in full detail including topos and pictures of each route, the climbing guide portion of the book is thouroughly covered. In addition, the author's comments and history keep this book from becoming a stale reference.

All of the Smithsonian Guides to Natural America are excellent, and this one is no exception. It is one of the best guides available to the natural history of the Southwest, and is beautifully illustrated with color photographs. Not only visitors to this region but residents as well would find their understanding and appreciation of the natural environment enhanced by this attractive and informative book.

A large-format (8.5x11", oblong) color photo book of Big Bend National Park and vicinity. Includes shots of canyons, deserts, ghost towns, local flora and fauna, park map. 60% photos, 40% text.

George W. Wingate was a man in full for his time. With his Civil War compatriot Col. William C. Church, Wingate published the first manual on rifle marksmanship in 1870. The following year the pair established the National Rifle Association.

In 1885, Wingate's concern for the health of his 17-year old daughter and his sense of adventure led him, his wife and their eldest daughter, May, to plan a horseback trip through Yellowstone National Park. Doctors believed the trip would improve May's health. It did.

The Wingates rode 460 miles in just 26 days, returning to New York City bedazzled by the park and in fine spirits.

Wingate's book, Through the Yellowstone Park on Horseback, provides a faithful and fascinating account of early tourist travel. The University of Idaho Press provides a service by republishing the book and reminding us of Yellowstone's marvelous history.

Wingate was also a faithful observer. He provided fine sketches of Western culture, from an Army fort past its prime, to profiles of those he hired to guide his family through the park. Hunters and anglers will enjoy his accounts of adventures during the journey.

The book offers a valuable perspective for those who have visited the park. It also may spur readers who love historical books to visit Yellowstone.

"Yosemite - the Grace & Grandeur" is a must-have for anyone who plans to visit this beautiful park or who wants to re-live the memories of having visited it. While it's chock-full of beautiful photos (it's also called "A Pictorial Discovery Guide"), it also contains wonderfully written text about everything from the Park's history to its wildlife. We just got back from a visit to the park a couple of weeks ago, and immediately knew this one was a keeper!

Sondheim and Lapine wrote an excellent musical about the pointillist painter George Seurat. I really started to love the musical when I read Marc Bauch's "Themes and Topics of the American Musical" (Marburg: Tectum Verlag, 2001. ISBN: 3828811418), which I recommend to get to know how intertextually Sondheim worked. Bauch put Sondheim in the tradition of the American Musical with reference to his themes.

This show is like a work of the main Character Georges Seurat. Point and point are putted together to a great piece of art. Stepehn Sondheim who recieved the Pulitzer Prize for this astonishing work of American Musical Theatre puts all the points together to one brilliant composition of story and storytelling his co-author James Lapine who wrote the book while Sondheim wrote the lyrics does a great job, too. It is the most beautiful kind of lyric I ever had seen in this masterpiece: Children and art. I really enjoyed to read this book and it is essentially for everybody who is interested in the Musical Theatre.

The lyrics and musical score of Sondheim is pure elegance. His decadent style reaches a creative "stroke" of shear brilliance. To put it simply this peice of music encompasses the time , the mood, and the mindset of Sondheim.

I, myself being a person who thuroughly enjoys Sondheim, completely enjoyed singing some of these songs. Though I was never in the show, the songs have a deep meaning for me. Some of the songs are perfect for auditions, and I personally use "Move On" sometimes as my balad. It is an excellent compliment to an amazing show.

Although the pictures are nice, albeit way too small, the "history" is all superficial re-hash, and very little of that is about the ballpark; most is about the franchise, and all those stories have been told better by others many times before. There's also an awful lot of filler here, and Smith writes in a very annoying fashion. He used to be a speechwriter for George Bush - Nuf ced.

The author presents a great detailed history of Fenway Park and its participants. For a Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park fan, I highly recommend this book. Curt Smith takes us back in time, and also the present. An update of this book (which will happen soon) will conclude with the Red Sox winning the World Series at Fenway, before they make their move to the new Fenway.

Our House: A Tribute to Fenway Park By Curt Smith

Curt Smith has outdone himself yet again with his loving tribute to baseball's shrine: Fenway Park. Author-historian Smith weaves the works of other members of the Red Sox Nation: Peter Gammons, former Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti, John Updike, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and former President George Bush (among others) with his own masterful prose. In the case of Bush, it is only fair that he contribute. After all, Smith at one time wrote many of the President's speeches. The book focuses on two story lines: the history of a team that has gripped a region's soul like no other; and a ballpark that, in its dotage, has come to symbolize an age that otherwise has been lost. One could argue that hockey's Montreal Canadiens have a similar grip on the soul of Quebec. However, Canadiens' fans have not had their faith tested as severely as those of the Red Sox. Since the Red Sox last won the World Series in 1918, the Canadiens have managed to win the Stanley Cup 23 times. Would the Canadiens evoke such passion in their fans if they had not won a championship in 80 years? That is at the root of the story. Fenway is "Our House" to the Red Sox fans. It is full of love, hope and a real sense of family. Yet, it also brings back many painful memories, all going back to the "Curse of the Bambino." There were the playoff losses for the 1948 and 1978 pennants. Don't forget the more recent World Series losses of 1967, 1975 and 1986. Does this history engender an anticipation of failure? Or does the Calvinistic background of the region make the faithful expect their baseball dreams to be shattered? This classic "chicken or egg first" theme runs throughout the book. Until this decade, the thought that Fenway Park would ever be replaced was never mentioned. Now, as Smith points out so well, its demise seems inevitable, because of the success of today's "retro-parks" (such as Camden Yards and Jacobs Field). These new facilities have successfully captured the quirkiness of Fenway with the modern amenities fans demand and the revenue streams clubs say they need to remain competitive. If all of this isn't enough, the book also includes a complete bibliography and appendices, which chronicle the history of Red Sox records from the team's beginnings as the Boston Americans in 1901. You need not be a Red Sox fan to read "Our House." Any baseball fan can identify with and enjoy Curt Smith's latest book.