This book goes into the creation of the Great Northern Railroad, by J.J.Hill from its component railroads. Luecke includes newspaper excerpts dealing with the railroad from towns along the Great Northern right-away, along with his historical research. This adds a touch of the excitment felt by the people who depended on the railroad for their lifeline to the world. The book was well researched and has some excellent photos. Each book Luecke has written has been better then the last. The one place that still has room for improvment would be the addition of a few more maps, with some additional detail. Other wise a must have for any serious railfan or Minnesota history buff

"Great Northern Railway: 1945-1970 Photo Archive Vol. 2" is an interesting and informative photographic portrait of the Great Northern Railway.

Like the first volume, this new one--also edited and Introduced by Byron D. Olsen--has black & white photos from the Great Northern archives and from Hedrich Blessings Studios, which worked for Great Northern.

The quality of the pictures is mixed, and that's to be expected, I suppose. But there are some commendable photographs here. Just to name a few: There's the sleek Red River crossing Minnesota's Stone Arch Bridge in 1961; a pair of three-decade year-old FTA units at Minneapolis Junction in 1962; an ore vessel being loaded with mined minerals at the Great Northern docks; and an engineer's snowy view from the Stone Arch Bridge in 1969.

Midwestern train buffs will certainly want to add this volume to their libraries.

As an enthusiastic birder and observer of nature, I have found that some of my most memorable moments occur during pelagic (i.e. on the open ocean, away from land) trips. There are many creatures out there that one could spend a lifetime without ever seeing from shore. Until now, if you wanted to try identifying the wildlife you might encounter at sea, you needed a stack of guidebooks - one for mammals, one for birds, one for turtles etc.

Michael Tove's terrific guide has just made things a lot simpler.

Mr. Tove is a well known North Carolina birder, naturalist and organizer of Gulf Stream pelagic trips who has had articles published in various journals on identification of pelagic creatures, including birds and whales.

His guidebook is very comprehensive and well organized. It covers both sides of the North Atlantic, from Greenland to the Caribbean on the west side and Iceland to North Africa on the East.

The wildlife covered includes all the air-breathing vertebrates one might encounter anywhere in the territory covered.

There are separate sections on pelagic birds, whales and dolphins, seals and sea turtles. For each species, there is at least one illustration, excellently done by Mr. Tove, along with information on measurements, identification, behavior, range, distribution and preferred habitat.

Where appropriate, species names from both sides of the Atlantic are given, as with "Dovekie" - North America, "Little Auk" - Europe.

For birds, there are illustrations of different plumages and ages, for whales and dolphins, there are diagrams of surfacing and blow patterns and for every species covered, notes on how to distinguish that species from others with which it might be confused.

There is data on a number of popular pelagic destinations e.g. the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Hudson Canyon off New York harbor, North Carolina's Outer Banks, Scotland's Outer Hebrides plus a half-dozen oceanic islands - The Dry Tortugas, Canary Islands etc. The data sets consist of monthly abundance charts for each species that is reasonably regular at that particular location.

In addition, there is information on oceanic ecology, regions and currents. He also includes tips on how to dress for a trip and how to avoid or cope with seasickness.

There is even a section on how to plan your own pelagic trip, and how to factor in such variables as wind, weather and surface conditions.

There is something in this book for current or would-be pelagic enthusiasts of all levels of experience from novices to "old salts."

I recommend it highly.

This volume, though hard to find, is worth every effort. Not to be missed are the three selections by Thomas James. Stryk's introduction is, as always, illuminating and provocative. There is no better collection on this subject

THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ ABOUT NEW MEXICO. IT SHOULD BE ON EVERYONE'S 'MUST READ' LIST. A WOINDERFUL GIFT BOOK.

This book is kewl...it talks about alot of stuff ranging from arteries clogging while hiking and alot of other stuff about the weather and what kind of snakes to avoid while traveling on the paths in the redwoods, etc... This is an awesome book! Get it before it sells out...

Minutes after you stop for a free glass of ice water at Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota, you can be hiking in Sage Creek Basin, the largest designated prairie wilderness area in the United States.

Badlands National Park, which contains Sage Creek Basin, is just one of twenty three major grassland parks in the United States and Canada that Ken Ludwig describes in his nicely designed guidebook.

Order a copy today. Its pictures, maps and park descriptions are sure to make you want to see tall bluffs, coulees, rolling grasslands and big sky.

This little (fits in a jacket pocket. Handy!) book is a masterpiece and worth every penny. Not only do you get detailed maps and descriptions of trails in the Kalmiopsis wildland, Red Buttes and High Siskiyous, but you are also given good advice: walk it(don't ride, bike or drive). Pack everything out with you (rather than burying it. The bears *will* dig it up). John Hart tells you how to access some very obscure and little-known trails, how to follow trails which are faint, neglected and devastated by natural or human-inflicted disaster(s), gives you a "heads up" about areas where you might otherwise unwittingly trample salamanders and/or rare plants and speaks about wilderness areas that were (and still are) threatened by the activities of loggers and miners in Northern California and Southern Oregon. He gives potentially life-saving information, pinpointing locations of clean drinking water and shelter, weather conditions and recommendations for clothing and gear. Even if you never get off the sofa and go for a hike, this book is a terrific read!

it encompasses the hikes that every avid hiker must do before or during death.

Thomas Hennessey has managed to achieve a feat few have managed before him. He has created an informative, yet balanced account of the history of the Northern Ireland state. He manages to put across all viewpoints to the conflict, without allowing any one to prevail. For those who wish to read an unbiased, and highly informative account this is the book. Beware however those looking to find information to back up their prejudices - they won't find them here.