5 comments about Peacemakers: Arms And Adventure In The American West.

1. This book was one of the best purchases I have ever made! Already it has given me hours of entertainment, new knowledge of the west, and new insights in areas I had not before looked into.
   
   The photography, and the items pictured, are worth the price of the book alone.
   
   Overall an excellent book!!! And worth every penny!
   
   FDL



2. The book is full of color pictures of the guns used in the west and has exhibits from many of the western museums. It is not just a study of the Colt Single Action Army but covers rifles and shotguns. It displays the guns that are documented as being used by the lawmen and gunfighters of the time.



3. Another great book from R.L. Wilson. Every bit as entertaining and informative as the others he's wrote. Fun to read about the old west and the guns used to tame it.



4. My gun loving son, cried when his teacher would not let him bring this book to school to show his friends. It's absolutely gorgeous with an interesting text and glorious photos. We love the section showing the actors and their screen guns.



5. This book is one of the most beatiful I have seen. If you like cowboy guns, buy this book. The extraordinary amount of information provided on the text is surpassed only by the quality and variety of the pictures. The book is divided in chapters coverring all aspects of the life during the period, and gives special details on guns of famous men. It is a great source for all cowboy shooters and gun collectors.

3 comments about Backroads of Minnesota: Your Guide to Minnesota's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures.

1. I will enjoy traveling the backroads of minnesota. going the backroads to new places i haven't been to before.



2. We have the "Bay Area Backroads" book, which we use for day trips, and so we bought "Backroads of Minnesota", hoping it would help us make our trip to Minnesota more unique and out of the beaten path.
   However, this book seems to be more about the photographs (most of which are truly incredible) and the unquestionable love the authors feel for Minnesota, and not as much about the routes themselves, which are described somewhat perfunctorily.
   I thought it was my mistake assuming it was intended to be a travel guide, but - the cover of the book cheerfully promises: "Your guide to Minnesota's most scenic backroad adventures".
   Well, not.



3. When I purchased "Backroads of Minnesota," I was under the impression that it would have detailed information on where to venture for hidden treasures in terms of getting away from the big city. Well, what I got instead was a beautiful "picture" book chocked full of wonderful photography of various areas in Minnesota. So, I was disappointed and delighted at the same time. It's not what I was hoping for, but it compliments my library quite nicely.

   Don't get me wrong, there are a few descriptions here and there, but don't expect to use it to find various places, but rather, to know what to you might be able to expect if you explore areas near where the photos were taken.

   It's a good investment if you understand this premise.

1 comments about Pacific Coast Highway: 2,066 Miles from Olympic to Tijuana.

1. This is a great book full of colourful pictures that is better on a coffee table than on the road.

2 comments about California Wild.

1. California Wild can be summed up with two words - incredibly beautiful. Tim Palmer takes the reader on a trip through the wide variety of geology, botany, and animal life of California in this absolutely gorgeous book. The writing is excellent and makes the reader feel they are a part of the wonderful wilds of California. These are some of the most awe-inspiring works of photography to grace the pages of any nature book. California Wild is highly recommended both for the writing style that invites the reader to be a part of a guided tour of the wilds and for the incredible photography.



2. A portion of the proceeds from purchasing this book is being donated to help preserve California's wilderness areas.
   
   If you ask people who don't know California well about the state, they usually describe beautiful beaches, surfing, sailing, tourist attractions like Disneyland and Universal Studios, gorgeous bridges around San Francisco, and famous resorts. What those places all have in common is that there are lots of people to be found there.
   
   Since Ansel Adams began his photography in California, there's been another California that people cherish and want to protect -- the places where there are no people and the wild beauty provides a respite from "civilization." California Wild is an update of that vision, provided in a series of helpful essays about why and where wilderness areas are important in California and many stunning color photographs to help you appreciate what you probably haven't seen before.
   
   Unfortunately, wilderness is constantly in retreat in California and elsewhere. For some areas, these photographs will be the only way to experience wilderness as that recession continues. For those who love the wilderness but don't know where to find it, this book will also be a helpful guide for future trips to and within California. For those who cherish the wilderness, it's also a good idea to share the book with others to increase the legion of those who are defending wilderness areas.
   
   To me, the photographs are the best part of the book. Here are some of my favorites:
   
   Sand verbena against a background of the Santa Rosa Mountains (page 3)
   
   Shifting sands in the Mojave Desert (page 7)
   
   Klamath River (page 9)
   
   Hitchcock Lakes (page 10)
   
   Hat Creek (page 16)
   
   McClure's Beach on Point Reyes (page 18)
   
   Mount Shasta (page 23 and 26)
   
   Smith stream (page 36)
   
   Yosemite Falls (page 59)
   
   El Capitan, Cloud's Rest and Half Dome (pages 60-61)
   
   Mono Lake (page 65)
   
   Oregon Tree (page 75)
   
   Valley oaks (page 96)
   
   Poppies and lupine in Antelope Valley (page 103)
   
   Yucca and Mendanhall Ridge (pages 106-107)
   
   Sycamores (page 110)
   
   Death Valley (pages 112, 115, and 119)
   
   White Mountains (pages 120-121)
   
   Desert blooms (pages 126-127)
   
   Aspens in Lundy Canyon (page 130)
   
   Stanislaus River (page 138)
   
   Desert sunset (page 140).
   
   I hope this book will give the peace and tranquility you desire.

2 comments about Mountain Dew: The History.

1. This is a fascinating story, especially for those of us that live in the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina area. This book leaves no stone unturned in the search for the origin of what is now one of the most populat beverages in the U.S. Before Coke & Pepsi controlled most of the soft drink market, there were several regional bottlers in this area. This book is a great history lesson, as it brings you back to the time when drinks came in a bottle that you returned to the store, where there was often a cooler filled with ice cold water & the drinks were hung by their neck and you had to rearrange some of them to get to the flavor you wanted. Excellently researched, this is a fun read for just about anyone. It'll tickle your innards!



2. WOW !!! This book was long overdue. What a fascinating story of America's
   third best selling soft drink. The book calls the story "a Hatfield and
   McCoy feud of the braggin' rights to Mountain Dew" and now I understand
   exactly what they mean. This could easily be the basis for "Oh Brother How Art Thou II".
   
   A true story where the main characters were hard working, hard drinking bottlers ... but they are also some of the quirkiest, funniest hillbillies I've ever met.
   
   The book is an extremely interesting read whether you care about Mountain Dew or not. I would recommend it to anyone. The story, Mountain Dew, could easily pass as one of the most entertaining case studies I've read. The book is very well researched, well documented and includes great old B/W pictures from the early years of bottling.
   
   Oh yeah ... I also wanted to know more about how Pepsi markets Mountain Dew today. And I did. I learned all about Code Red, Livewire, Amp etc ... I even learned what happened to Mountain Dew Code Blue.
   
   Overall, a great read !!!

5 comments about Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide.

1. I like the fact that the book shows so many color pictures. That is great! Unfortunately, as, with many of these types of books, it doesn't list many of the collectible coca cola items. The book could also be organised better. There are several different places to find clocks for example. If you go by the table of contents you might miss what you are looking for. When you go by the index you have to sift through different sections of the book looking for it. However, the back of the book was very helpful with the section on slogans for different years. It is a good book, but I wish it listed more of the collectibles or at least mentioned them. Still, I recently ordered a few other books on coke collectibles and this one seems to have more info than they did.



2. I have owned most editions of this book, and as a resource for researching Coca Cola memorabilia, I would have to say it is unsurpassed. I haven't seen any other guides come close in the number of items shown.

   I do question the pricing of these items, however. I don't see how everything can continually increase in price from one edition to another, especially when you consider internet sales activity (a very large part of Coca Cola memorabilia sales nowadays). As a collector, I never pay at price-levels shown in this edition, and I certainly do not obtain these prices when I occasionally sell an item off on an internet auction site. I just feel that the prices are a bit inflated. No one could keep track of the huge amounts of Coca Cola memorabilia sales in all venues around the country. I tend to take pricing in guidebooks with a grain of salt, especially, as in this case, when the author is also a major collector. Just a little too much potential for conflict of interest.




3. Right off the bat: I agree that the omission of blotters and assorted other collectibles from this guide is a gaping omission as big as a barn. I hardly use this guide anymore for several reasons:

   1) The back index is as bad as they come. Totally incomplete.

   2) You want to find a certain tray? Be prepared to bounce from one end of the book to the other looking for what you need. There is no apparent logic to the way this guide is arranged. I'm sure the author felt it was completely logical, but his logic escapes me.

   3) The front index is just painful to figure out. There is a usability book out there called "Don't Make Me Think". The author of this Coke guide should study it.

   4) Too much rhetoric and opinion about "fantasy" items. I find this section of the guide painful to sift through. Just the facts, please. And then there's the illogical order of everything .

   The best that can be said about this guide is that it's big. It is poorly organized and has way too many omissions to be my primary guide. If a 12th edition ever comes out, I'm going to check it out before buying, to see if these problems have been fixed.

   I much prefer Wilsons' guide over this one.




4. A lot of pictures. Prices that reflect nothing on reality. Not one Cleveland Electric Neon Clock. Not one American Time Clock. I have 3 originals hanging in front of me. Missing some of the major buttons. Typical collectors book. Pictures of everything that's out there, except the rare items you buy these books to find out about. Total dissapointment. I have stacks of collector books that have proven useless. There all written by the "authority" on the subject on hand. I think this explains the ... in collecting and the stacks of used books available. If you're going to make a "Know It All" book, than you better know at least %90. Monster let down.



5. I'm very dissapointed in this book! After waiting 3 months beyond the original publish date, I find there are no blotter pages. I understand there will be no more blotters in future books, also. As I've been buying and selling blotters based on the Petretti's prices, I feel I cannot give this book a good rating. Also, why do we now have to jump all over the place to find the trays? They used to be simplified in one area.

3 comments about Colorado Wild (Natural World).

1. The photos in this book are stunning and inspiring, a handsome overview of the state to the north of where I presently live. They are vivid reminders of why I moved to the West many years ago, and reinforce the fragility of Colorado's pristine beauty. What completely dazzled me though, was the splendidly crafted text from Judy Sellers, which made my imagination soar. Who could not be moved by this insightful look at Colorado's 'wild,' documented by someone who is actively working to preserve it? While this makes a beautiful coffee table book, it is much, much more, just like the state it portrays.



2. I have lived in and traveled through Colorado for 40 years and this beautiful book introduced me to places I didn't know existed.The photos and discriptions of the Colorado prarie are special and I shall be heading that way soon! First however a look at Cripple Creek and Leadville may be in order...I hope this book will inspire us all to save this beautiful state.



3. This book is a beautiful tour of Colorado . Very well-written with gorgeous photographs from the entire state. Reading this was a pleasure. If you love the outdoors, you'll love this book.

2 comments about The American Brewery: From Colonial Evolution to Microbrew Revolution.

1. If you are looking for a book detailing the history of the American Brewery, this is the book to get. It reminds me of the history textbooks I had when I was in school only this book is all about beer! It starts around the time of the early settlers and moves to modern times. I love the pictures they included, they are by far the best part. If you are looking for the history of beer in America, pick this up!



2. Gave this book to my dad for Christmas and he loved it. This book makes for a nice gift to anyone who's in to beer, brewing and breweries.

5 comments about Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past.

1. We Americans tend to be somewhat near-sighted in our view of Halloween in thinking that our celebration of the day is relatively a modern fascination. And, in truth, Halloween has boomed in the past twenty years to become second only to Christmas in decorating and celebrating the season. As Diane C. Arkins shows in this wonderful book, however, Halloween has been widely celebrated for well over one hundred years and this book concentrates on what Arkins calls Halloween's golden age from the 1870's to the 1930's. The book is filled with hundreds of vintage photographs, illustrations, and magazine reprints from the period.
   
   Halloween was not the ghoulish, gory holiday that it is today, but rather a day of revelry when people would hold parties for adults as well as children. Throughout the book writers of the times dispense advice, squarely aimed at women, on how to throw a successful Halloween party. We begin with invitations with some classic examples of period artwork depicting pumpkins, witches or black cats. Showing far more thought, as well as sophistication, magazines even gave advice on what to write, often favoring catchy little rhymes.
   
   Halloween decorations became widely available during the 1910's and Halloween Merrymaking presents hundreds of photographs depicting these vintage decorations. Illustrations and photos show various themes of the times. Interestingly, many of these decorations are being recaptured these days by modern crafters. The fantastic crepe` paper and paper Mache decorations are a collectors dream!
   
   Party favors presented to children or adults were staples of Halloween get-togethers in the golden age. A popular idea of the 20's and 30's was "Jack Horner Pies" in which a centerpiece stood in the middle of the table with ribbons pulled to the end of the table, separating it into wedges, one for each guest. Within each wedge the hostess places small gifts or party favors such as fortunes, written in milk on paper so they would be invisible until held under a light, The fortune would hen be placed inside a walnut shell.
   
   The magazines of the era also offered advice on what to serve for your party and included such forgotten delicacies as Little Goblin Stuffed Eggs and Moon Sandwiches. The book even provides sample menus for different types of parties such as formal, informal, or children's. Next up is the entertainment with suggestions on music and dances and games, as well as advice on costumes. During the 20's and 30's occultism was extremely popular and the book offers numerous fortune-telling and divination games that people could play at their parties.
   
   Finally Arkins reprints several full, vintage articles on Halloween from magazines such as Woman's Home Companion, Woman's World, and Ladies Home Journal. You really get a sense after reading the book just how much Halloween was enjoyed back then without the rampant commercialism of today. This is a nostalgic walk back in time to an era of simplicity and fun. It's fun and educational to see how our grandparents and great-grandparents may have celebrated Halloween decades ago. Highly recommended!



2. Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past
   by Diane Arkins is a very fine year-round family or community library acquisition illustrating the Halloween celebration of fun, food and holiday partying. This is no repeat history: material from a range of the vintage party guides and magazines that guided hostesses in their party-giving endeavors is presented and showcased in a lively survey of festivities and small color photos.



3. A most thoroughly enjoyable book about Halloween. Wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated it takes you back to a bygone era of Halloween celebratons. A must have book for anyone who is interested in vintage Halloween.



4. I awaited the release of this book with keen anticipation, and overall, find it a delightful retrospective of Halloween celebrations of days gone by. The excerpts from vintage magazines and party guides are charming. My chief complaint lies with the design and treatment of the visuals in the book - they are painfully small. At such a reduced size, they don't allow the reader to fully appreciate the charm of the vintage advertisements, postcards, invitations and photos of costumed revelers.



5. Diane C. Arkins' Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration of Fun, Food, and Frolics from Halloweens Past (2004) offers a poignant but hopeful glimpse back into American high culture and the "Golden Age of American Halloween," which the author locates between 1870 and the early 1930s. Today, many deny that such a high culture ever existed in this country, or, if willing to make such an admission, will tar that culture as "elitist" and "oppressive."
   Yet, at present, Americans everywhere crave a richer, more substantial, and refined existence than the mediocre model that the current popular culture promotes and sustains. Halloween Merrymaking looks back on a time when neighborhood and community, good manners and retail integrity, decorum and propriety, dress and composure, breeding and ingenuity, were all essential and unavoidable aspects of daily American life. Such cultural elements certainly represented strictures in some cases, but the rewards for such discipline was enormous: a thriving, evolving, positivistic, and multi - tiered society that strove to refine and improve itself in any number of ways.
   
   Stressing above all that Halloween in the Golden Age was "hardly a monster's ball by any stretch of the imagination," Arkins focuses on the holiday as it was celebrated in magazines and periodicals of the era, which subtly dictated the civilized manner in which this most anarchic of American holidays was enjoyed by parents and children alike, whether at family gatherings, church socials, classroom frolics, bridge parties, or comparatively chic adult soirees. While children's party treats include the expected cakes, donuts, and candies brightly wrapped in autumn colors, a typical adult menu unselfconsciously suggests Oyster Canapes, Lobster Bisque, Waldorf Salad, and Broiled Squab.
   
   Though the preface states that Halloween Merrymaking is not a "how - to manual" in the traditional sense, the book has sections lovingly devoted to "old fashioned" invitations, interior and exterior decoration, party favors, preparation of the party table, menus, costuming, appropriate music, and suitable games such as apple bobbing, nutshell auguries, tea leaf divination, and other forms of fun and fortune telling that have long roots in British history and folklore.
   
   Though the finest commercial Halloween decorations, party favors, and costumes of the period are featured and emphasized, there are also numerous suggestions for making comparable items from orange, black, and white crepe paper and cardboard, standard kitchen vegetables, and other readily available materials. Ingenuity, enthusiasm, and a happy "can do" attitude are underscored throughout. America was largely an agricultural society at this time, a fact the book reflects in a number of meaningful and practical ways.
   
   Halloween Merrymaking includes period photographs of parties and costumed partygoers, magazine covers and entire magazine articles (such as 1906's "A Jolly Forest Halloween" and 1909's "Under The Pumpkin Vine At Halloween"), and a wide variety of imaginatively depicted period reproductions of witches, jack o' lanterns, black cats, ghosts, harvest moons, owls, and fairies.
   
   Highly recommended to those seeking inspiration and a cure for cynicism, apathy, and the present third - rate norm.

2 comments about Backroads of Northern California (Pictorial Discovery Guide).

1. This book was a disapointment for me. I am going to vacation on the northern California coast this Fall and was hoping to learn something from this book, but it is mostly just the well worn mainstream information that doesn't need retelling. It completely omits the area I'll be and the areas it does cover are handled more effectivly in other books. The pictures are great, though.



2. Famous for it's glitzy tourist meccas such as Hollywood, San Francisco and Venice Beach, many visitors - and not a few residents - are unaware that California offers breathtaking vistas and surprising varieties of experience only miles from the more popular tourist destinations.

   Wyman's excellent guidebook sections out chunks of Northern California (as far south as Fresno, near Yosemite, and as far north as Eureka, near the Oregon border.) and guides you through these areas to genuine delights.

   Some travel books are narratives of the author's adventures in some locale and are interesting reads mostly for the story they have to tell. This is not such a book. This book's value is in it's informative and clear descriptions of (and directions to) the treats in store for the traveller with a taste for the beautiful but unheraled, a sense of adventure and an independent mode of transportation.

   Wyman starts his descriptions of each area with a brief and surprisingly interesting recounting of the geological and historical background to the current condition of the environ, then describes routes to particularly memorable attractions therein - goldminer ghost towns, forrested valleys, mountaintop overlooks and the like.

   Mention must be made of the many photographs in the book. They are of museum quality and bring an element of visual delight to the read one associates more with a travel magazine than with a book. In fact, they are so numerous as to comprise as much of the volume of the book as does the text and the maps.

   So if a California vacation is in your future, and the crowded and expensive tourist spots are not your scene, get a copy of this fine book and be inspired to travel off the beaten path and onto some glorious experiences. And don't forget to take your camera!