...and I wanted it to be good so badly! But, it just was not to be. This is a book about someone who did a lot of research and decided to publish every word of it, rather than just the pertinent information. It becomes irritating to continue to learn information about the subject, only to be told that it is all totally worthless. And, the end is anti-climactic. In the end, a diligent researcher accepts the word of a single source as fact. Doesn't seem like the same man. Perhaps he was just ready to retire. I suggest this would make a pretty good movie, but not a book.

This book held my attention as I read it practically cover to cover. It is very interesting, albeit annoying at times as the author goes in great detail about numerous leads, only to have them ruled out a few pages later. I can see why the author did that -- to show the exhaustive work done by CID and FBI investigators, and also to give the reader a small, small taste of the incredible frustration these investigators must have felt at the time. The problem with the book is that it is highly anti-climatic. The researcher, Jacobs, did not "give up" (as some have implied), he basically solved the mystery it's farthest moral extent. I do recommend reading this book, as it shall hold your attention through and through, but be prepared to be disappointed with the anti-climatic end.

I've been interested in the Richard Cox mystery since I was very little and read about it in LIFE magazine in 1950 and then a few years later in CORONET. From time to time over the years I would research the topic hoping for new information. I'd almost given up until I came across this book , containing lots of details never before disclosed. Unfortunately, as mentioned in some of the above reviews, the proposed "solution" at the end is thoroughly unconvincing.

I got this guide after skimming it pretty extensively at a bookstore. I was impressed by the content, the nice user friendly format, and the graphics quality.

When I actually tried to use the information in the guide, however, I was deeply disappointed and angered, because (1) much of the information is hugely outdated even though the guide claims to be updated - for example, a restaurant that has been closed since 2001 is still highlighted in the guide in several places - tells you how dated the "best of" opinions written by local Napa luminaries are... and (2) the author and publisher didn't bother to verify that phone numbers were accurate, so I wound up calling wrong numbers, dead numbers, numbers for business offices of wineries only to find that I should have called the tasting room number, which these guys didn't bother to include...

in short, don't buy this book! judge this book by its "cover" and you will be fooled and disappointed.

This guide is very comprehensive-- great to help plan a trip to Wine Country. It gave us the scoop on activities, wineries, hotels, restaurants, etc. The maps are also good. The disappointment came when we tried to find dinner our first night in wine country. We literally went to 3 restaurants in a row that were recommended by the guide but were no longer in business. We wasted a lot of time driving around to find these places. In the end, we did find our 4th choice restaurant in town, and it was an excellent dinner. Moral of the story-- great guide, but can't hurt to call ahead!

Just returned from a trip to Sonoma and Mendocino counties. This book was an excellent guide and I really liked the maps detailing where everything was. Of course things change and places close or move - we only had one "surprise," when we went to Hidden Cellars and learned they'd been bought by Parducci and were now in that tasting room instead.

Otherwise, this book is terrific to have along. I recommend looking at websites on the internet before your trip - just type "Suffolk County wineries" (or whatever) in a search, and start studying! If a winery you want to visit is in the book, definitely read what they have to say. Just be aware that other wineries that are good (Gary Farrell) or great (the tiny but superb Nalle Winery) are not included in the book, and are really worth seeing. Use the guide to augment your research, but don't rely solely on this - or any other one - guide to give you complete info on a trip to the wine country.

While Access guides are usually wonderful sources of information for travelers, I was sorely disappointed with this guide when I bought it (and with myself) because I hadn't noted that it hadn't been updated since 1996. 1996! So much of the information in the book is out of date! Not only must you ignore all restaurant information, even museums have moved locations in the intervening six years. Richard Saul Wurman, please update Access San Diego or stop printing it!

ACCESS guides are excellent for the traveller who wants to know exactly what they are getting into. The guide practically walks you down the street and lets you look into each store, restaurant, lodging, or sight. The guide is color-coded to identify restaurants, shops, hotels, sights. Additionally, probably as space fillers, there are numerous tidbits or facts or famous authors' bests of the city. Probably a weakness of ACCESS is its maps. An excellent starting point for researching your next vacation.

I thought this book is great for a prospective traveller to San Diego. It has beautiful pictures, great details on area attractions, and suggestions on where to stay in San Diego! It's a must read for those who are planning a first time trip to San Diego!

While the book contains very interesting material regarding the roots of western outlaws in the years after the Civil War, some individual facts leave a bit to be desired. All in all a good read, but I would encourage further reading on some subjects, or at least double-checking some of the facts used in the book.

Paul Wellman's A Dynasty of Western Outlaws is a 20th Century standard of outlaw history. It is an extremely well written work and belongs in any library of crime history or the "Old West." Wellman, who was a police reporter in Wichita in the 1920's, was one of the first authors to comprehend and explore the connections between Midwestern outlaws of the post-Civil War era and the Depression gangs of the 1930's. That makes this book a useful starting point for anyone interested in the outlaw period. Unfortunately, there are errors throughout the work: Jesse and Frank James were not cousins of the Youngers, only partners in crime; recent research by other authors make it doubtful that Cole Younger fathered Belle Starr's daughter Pearl; Henry Starr was never a member of the Cook gang; Al Spencer was not one of the Stroud bank robbers; etc., etc., etc. And the chapters on '20's outlaws Eddie Adams and Al Spencer, on which Wellman seems to have relied too heavily on his own memory, and on "Pretty Boy" Floyd, are sketchy and highly inaccurate. Wellman's insights are good and his basic premise of an "outlaw dynasty" from Quantrill to Floyd is sound but his facts need to be checked against other sources.

Sometime-journalist, sometime-novelist Wellman's history of bad guys who terrorized the American Wild West from the period following the Civil War to the early half of the 20th Century is excellently written and presented. He very interestingly traces the links -- sometimes by blood, sometimes by mere acquaintance or "apprenticeship" -- between the most infamous Western bad guys from William Clark Quantrill during the Bloody Kansas period preceding the Civil War to the death of Pretty Boy Floyd. Highly recommended to fans of Western fiction and general readers who want to know more about Western history.

I love most of Richard Matheson's books, which is why I am so disappointed with this western novel. It takes a whole novel to tell you this: A young lady lies and says an ex-Texas Ranger had insulted her. Her boyfriend is incensed and, egged on by his manic father, shoots the ranger dead in a gunfight. The rest of the book and characters are nothing but filler. I really resent losing the time I spent reading this excuse for a book. If the author was not well-known, no way this poor-excuse-for-a-book would have been published. Ignore it.

This book is un-doubtedly one of the best novels that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It was definately "the most" climactic novel ever. I was shaking near the end as I read. You can really feel with the characters. The ending was shocking and disturbing. This is the best western I have ever read, the only other westerns I've read have been trashy supermarket paperbacks. Richard Matheson is THE MAN. He is THE WRITER. No one can deny it. Stephen King and many other writers compliment every piece of writing that Richard Matheson has ever writen. It's sad though how something that Stephen King writes automatically becomes a number one best seller when this book is forgotten and barely read by anyone. I've never read the Journal of the Gun Years, but after reading this, I will. I also look forward to reading other books by Richard Matheson. Richard Matheson builds a climax like no one else can. His stories are all exciting, interesting and totally en-grosing. This is THE MOST engrosing novel I have ever read. It's a landmark in literature. It's flawless. Read it if you can. It's a masterpiece.

This book gives virtually no driving directions or driving times - an email query to the publisher was not acknowledged. It claims that the only way to fly in is to Albuquerque - in fact, United flies to Santa Fe, as I discovered while boarding my plane to Albuquerque - giving me an extra hour's drive coming and going. The maps are inadequate at best - few of the attractions/lodgings mentioned are shown. Hotel listings are incomplete, and biased toward the high end. Admission fees to attractions - often as high as $10/person - are not given. Many sights are mentioned (Anasazi cliff dwellings, Mesa Verde) without a description, but are not in the index. No chart of annual temperatures was given - that I could see - I found out the hard way that it gets very, very cold in the winter. In short, using this book to plan and travel was an extremely frustrating experience.

We (Kaatje and Justin) live in New Mexico, and every holiday or free weekend we use this guide to lead us to new exciting and beautiful places. This book is the perfect travel companion for anyone interested in smaller, off the beaten path places. This book led us to discover Las Vegas, NM, a (yet) not so touristy place unlike Taos or Sante Fe. Thanks to this guide, we enjoyed the free road side Hot Springs located in a pristine alpine valley, and delicious restaurants that put the more known places to shame. It has small eateries and interesting museums, parks like the little known Three Rivers Petroglyph National Monument with thousands of drawings, on the way from Socorro to Alamogordo. Yet again, this is a place not mentioned in other tourist maps or books. I would recommend for anyone really interested in traveling through New Mexico to also have DeLorme Topographic Map of New Mexico with them for references and the smaller roads. The general RandMcNally or AAA maps just don't cut it. Those topo maps are only about 16 dollars and will work great with the Hidden New Mexico book or any travelguide. Check out Chaco Canyon National Monument as well, and stay in El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, you will not believe your eyes! That was also a tip from the Hidden New Mexico book. Enjoy the most beautiful state in the nation (I am biased, I know)!

Note: I am resubmitting this review so it will not be anonymous...

One must come to Burton's "Wanderings in West Africa" with the understanding that there are not a lot of primary (first-hand) sources of information about Atlantic coast Africa in the 19th century. Furthermore, the majority of books about Africa of this era (mostly by explorers and missionaries; few or none by Africans) are long out of print and can only be accessed in mjor libraries. Given that, Burton's work is a valuable and readable account of a voyage along Africa's West Coast, as far south as Fernando Po (Equatorial Guinea). (We should be thankful for the publisher.) His text is direct and readable. The account is chronological, port by port. Burton describes the the places and people and whatever catches his interest. His opinion is always present. Burton goes into many details--trade, early colonial administration, rulers, languages, etc.--and it is unlikely that any one reader would be interested in all of it, but most students of African history are likely to find something of interest. There is no index. It should be noted that Burton has plenty of scorn and disdain for many of the Africans he encounters (as well as for many Europeans); this is typical for Burton, but may upset a reader who is new to this writer.

Many of the names (of places, tribes, etc.) are antiquated so a good reference book is a help.

Overall this is not Burton's best book, but it does have a place along with his other books on Africa ("First Footsteps in East Africa", "The Lake Regions of Central Africa") and it adds something of value to the reputation of the great writer, explorer, traveler, and translator who produced "Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Mecca" and "The Arabian Nights".

One must come to Burton's "Wanderings in West Africa" with the understanding that there are not a lot of primary (first-hand) sources of information about Atlantic coast Africa in the 19th century. Furthermore, the majority of books about Africa of this era (mostly by explorers and missionaries; few or none by Africans) are long out of print and can only be accessed in mjor libraries. Given that, Burton's work is a valuable and readable account of a voyage along Africa's West Coast, as far south as Fernando Po (Equatorial Guinea). (We should be thankful for the publisher.) His text is direct and readable. The account is chronological, port by port. Burton describes the the places and people and whatever catches his interest. His opinion is always present. Burton goes into many details--trade, early colonial administration, rulers, languages, etc.--and it is unlikely that any one reader would be interested in all of it, but most students of African history are likely to find something of interest. There is no index.

It should be noted that Burton has plenty of scorn and disdain for many of the Africans he encounters (as well as for many Europeans); this is typical for Burton, but may upset a reader who is new to this writer.

Many of the names (of places, tribes, etc.) are antiquated so a good reference book is a help.

Overall this is not Burton's best book, but it does have a place along with his other books on Africa ("First Footsteps in East Africa", "The Lake Regions of Central Africa") and it adds something of value to the reputation of the great writer, explorer, traveler, and translator who produced "Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Mecca" and "The Arabian Nights".

While this small book is just right as an introductions to the questions one should ask about ancient civilizations in the Americans, it is not good for someone with some historical background. Indeed it best serves scholars interested in the ancient Americas better than anyone else.

Richard West makes _extremely_ beautiful, high quality photos. In this book, Richard tours the nudist (naturalist) clubs/resorts in Canada. The book has short descriptions of each resort, with many photos of the people (men, women, children, babies -- families) enjoying activities and relaxation at these venues.

Unfortunately, the printing quality of the photos in this book is extremely disappointing. At one time (and possibly still), Richard West sold prints of his photos, and I know his original photos to be extremely high quality. Perhaps Richard should get his books printed by a publisher like Konemann!

At the moment, there are two main contenders on the market with comparable books on West Africa: Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. Neither is perfect.

Rough Guide may feel a bit more professionally-made, and has been made on a bigger budget too, but it suffers from terminally boring writing style.

I said this before and I`ll say it again: if people who write guidance for your tax returns were to write guidebooks they would probably come up with similarly uninspired language.

The book does not offer the same level of self-righteous (and often annoying) rhetoric about evils of capitalism as Lonely Planet. I find this aspect commendable: some of us want the travel guide to give us facts and not explanations for whom to vote and what to think.

However, on balance, I have to admit that Lonely Planet is better resarched and more accurate, and also less bulky. If you have plenty of luggage allowance and money's no object, buy both, otherwise, stick with Lonely Planet.

The Rough Guide series is nice, if sometimes odd, for understanding what to do and what not to do in particular countries or regions. Usually, its best to get both Rough Guide and Lonely Plaent and compared the information between the two, just to avoid any unfortunate occurances. But thats just me. Anyway, this book basically covers travel in West Africa: Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal, the Gambia, Cabo Verde, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon. Theres basic travel information, as well as notes for getting into and out of each country, and things you can do while your there. Maps, religious information, notes on social mores, currency info, food and so forth are all covered throughout the book. There are also some useful phrases in French (the most widely spoken language in West Africa), as well as some phrases in Hassaniya Arabic, Mandinka, Bamana, Twi, Susu, Hausa, Yoruba and other indigenous languages.
Fans of Afro-Pop should check out the back of this book, which is full of cultural references. There are lists of significant books, movies, musicians and songs. Sure, it is a bit dated, but some old favorites are included on the list who are well worth checking out. In fact, I should restate that, given the mercurial nature of African society, it is pretty likely that many things in this book have changed since it was published. Before doing anything in this book, you might want to look it up online or something first.

Yes, this is an interesting guide. If you are either an adventurer and/or an armchair traveller, by all means try it out ! Yet, this is not the kind of book it clams to be, namely a travel guide. Few people would find it relevant to their travel plans while in Africa. If you want advice from Lonely Planet, who published this book, then get their other book "Lonely Planet West Africa", much more thorough and relevant for most travellers.