Frank and Victoria Logue are prolific writers. Their work covers hiking, camping and outdoor adventures in Georgia so this book is a natural extension of that work.

Touring the Backroads covers the entire state (don't be misled by the title). The tours are Northwest Georgia Drive, Native American Tour, North Georgia Mountain Tour, Northeast Georgia Tour, Fort Yargo to Tucker's Ferry, Classic South, Plantation, Middle Georgia Ramble, Georgia Capitals Drive, East Georgia Ramble, Southwest Georgia Ramble, Middle Georgia Farmland, Altamaha River Loop, Wire Grass, and South Georgia.

Our favorites: Georgia Capitals, Georgia Mountains (covers the Georgia Gold Rush), Northwest Georgia (takes you from the Tennessee State line to Rome), and the Southwest Georgia Ramble (highlights the Kolomaki Mounds and Providence Canyon, two underused state parks). The Native American Tour covers the Etowah Indian Mounds, the first capital of the Cherokee Nation at New Echota (now a Georgia State Park) and a wall built by Indians that pre-dated the Moundbuilders.

One of the things I like about this book is that Frank and Victoria don't assume you know esoteric facts about Georgia's history. They take you through the whole story, telling what you need to know to appreciate the stop.

I am a librarian reviewing this book for our school library which we purchased. Like the backroads, at first glance one might think there's nothing much there. Eventhough the photos are small and not color, this book makes up for it with surprisingly rich content. I gave it 5 stars for the content alone. The history and facts about this my home region were quite impressive. I only wanted the tour to slow down and concentrate more on some of the individual topics, but alas when you're on tour you only get a few moments before moving on. I've learned some things I did not know. The style of writing is intelligent and very readable. The research level is substantial in order to have uncovered these facts, that as a resident here in the backroads I know were not easy to come by. If you take a tour of any of these areas, take this book along because you won't find this information readily available aside from long hours of historical research. Facts about the history of growing peaches in Georgia along with recipes for peach cobbler and pecan pie are especially nice. Printed on alkaline paper, I only wish it was hardback.

I bought this book for the driving tours and I loved the one drive I have taken so far. But, I really enjoy the delightful stories that fill this book. It has the most amazing array of colorful anecdotes from Georgia history. It is a wonderful armchair book and an even better driving guide. I'm looking forward to doing more of the drives.

Kids Outdoors does a great job at teaching kids the basics of hiking, camping and even canoeing, weather signs and more. My daughter loves the book.

The AT Backpacker is a well-written, no-nonsense guide. The Logues give the low down on hiking with an eye toward the Appalachian Trail. I found everything I needed to know about foods to eat and how to be safe in drinking water. They also go through the dizzying array of gear out there, from tents and backpacks to stoves, sleeping bags, boots and clothes, all with the AT in mind. There are also chapters on winter backpacking, backpacking with children, and long distance hiking which expand on the basics.

An earlier edition of this book gave me the confidence to get out on the trail for some shorter hikes (weekend hikes and a week-long trip). I have used the checklist for overnight hikes in the back of the book to prepare for many hikes and find it the best equipment checklist anywhere.

I bought this third edition to get the latest as I prepare for a thru-hike of the AT. The Logues have made numerous changes throughout the book. I'm glad they have kept the AT Backpacker current. The additional appendix on websites has proved helpful for planning my hike.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more before hitting the AT for a hike.

The Appalachian Trail Backpacker delivered what it promised--trail tested advice for hikes of any length. I found the info I wanted to give me the confidence I needed to get out for a week long hike on the AT. They taught me everything I needed to know to go out and do it. I recommend this book to anyone interested in hiking the AT. It's a well-written, no nonsense guide.

This book provides vital information for anyone preparing to hike any part of the AT. This book utilizes good format with headings and different sections to outline almost anything that one will need to know about planning a hike from packpack size to water filters. Since the book is advice from other hikers, it is general information, but DEFINITELY useful! I was extremely pleased!!

If you like to hike, but don't like to spend too long in the mountains, this book is for you. Very well thought out and rich in detail, I've found the suggested hikes to be quite accurate in their descriptions, times, etc. One of the hardest things about day hikes is knowing how long it will take, and how you will get started and finished. the authors of this book went to great lenghts to make sure that they give you exactly the kind of information you need. I've hiked about 10 of the trails mentioned in this book, and I loved every mile of them--i even made it back in time for dinner :-)

It was incredible to have somewhere to look that didn't give me 45 day journey's. I found the best trails and the steepest trails right at my fingertips. Because of this book, my husband and I decided to spend our week long vacation hiking the trail instead of day trips in NY, NJ and PA!

This book has helped me find great places to hike and camp for both, my family, and my Boy Scout Troop. Informative and very easy to follow. A must for the outdoorsman/woman in Georgia.

I am being charitable to have given this book a 1 rating. If you want a reliable book, try to find BACKGROUND OF A BANDIT: THE ANCESTRY OF JESSE JAMES by Joan M. Beamis and William E. Pullen. Otherwise this will have to do. Steele's book has a chapter on the "Tennessee James Family" that should be taken with a barrel of salt. There are plenty of James families scattered across the country, but it's a subject of question as to whether there is any relationship with Jesse James of Missouri. I have heard that the errata in this particular book would be substantial.

This is an execellent resource book for James family researchers. All background information appears in order. Very detailed and full of family knowledge. A book worth investing in for any James Family historian.

The only reason that I gave this book only 3 stars is because it didn't meet my specific needs as well as I hoped. However I am not a "roughing it" kind of gal. We camp in a motorhome. For the person who is an avid hiker or backpacker-type camper, this book is marvelous. There aren't a lot of pages, so it is easy and lightweight to pack along and it offers many helpful suggestions on both food and drink. It could be a definite boon to the backpacker, so I would recommend it for this use. There are about 25 recipes (two or more per page) and several pages of suggested "easy to prepare" foods that can be purchased in the supermarket and are economical to carry. There is a section on drinking water safety and information about cookstoves, how to prepare coffee, etc. This is a book very well suited for a primitive camper, not necessarily an rv-er. An rv-er may find the few recipes helpful, though, if they enjoy cooking over the campfire.