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Books : Adventuring in Alaska: The Ultimate Guide to the Great Land
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Rating: 
- Dull, virtually mapless and painfully wordy
Either the author or Sierra Club should take a look at the wonderful Dorling Kindersley series of Eyewitness Travel Guides to see what a travel book can be -- alternately you might consider a Lonely Planet.
The author tells us that you could take a year to see Alaska at a rate of one million acres per day (referring to its vastness) then fails to provide many maps to the sectional chapters of the book, so you're always wondering where you are. Other things lacking are well-organized and clearly located (they exist, but are rudimentary, arbitrary, and difficult to locate) tables and charts of useful information (e.g. temperature, elevation, rainfall, snowfall.
The book could benefit from a synopsis of Alaska's regions, with similarities and differences clearly outlined so a new visitor to Alaska could easily map out which region(s) might be of particular interest.
This is one of the few books in the past 30 years that I've failed to read from cover-to-cover. Yes I've a Type A personality -- perhaps this book might appeal to someone with more patience or a strong interest in archeology and detective work -- you'll have to dig to find the information you want. (By the way, this is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review!)
Rating:
- Great overall read - get to know all of Alaska.
This is a book not only for the adventurer, but anyone who wants to know more about Alaska. There are all kinds of historical facts and figures that you would need to search for in several reference books, without the reference book feeling. Other notes about Alaska the people living there probably don't know about. If you are into hiking, kayaking, biking, or any other mode of traveling in Alaska, Peggy Wayburn will get you there and tell you what you need, what to watch for, and who to contact in advance for more info! Adventuring in Alaska is exciting and wonderous, well worth it.
- Dull, virtually mapless and painfully wordyEither the author or Sierra Club should take a look at the wonderful Dorling Kindersley series of Eyewitness Travel Guides to see what a travel book can be -- alternately you might consider a Lonely Planet.
The author tells us that you could take a year to see Alaska at a rate of one million acres per day (referring to its vastness) then fails to provide many maps to the sectional chapters of the book, so you're always wondering where you are. Other things lacking are well-organized and clearly located (they exist, but are rudimentary, arbitrary, and difficult to locate) tables and charts of useful information (e.g. temperature, elevation, rainfall, snowfall.
The book could benefit from a synopsis of Alaska's regions, with similarities and differences clearly outlined so a new visitor to Alaska could easily map out which region(s) might be of particular interest.
This is one of the few books in the past 30 years that I've failed to read from cover-to-cover. Yes I've a Type A personality -- perhaps this book might appeal to someone with more patience or a strong interest in archeology and detective work -- you'll have to dig to find the information you want. (By the way, this is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review!)
Rating:
- Great overall read - get to know all of Alaska.This is a book not only for the adventurer, but anyone who wants to know more about Alaska. There are all kinds of historical facts and figures that you would need to search for in several reference books, without the reference book feeling. Other notes about Alaska the people living there probably don't know about. If you are into hiking, kayaking, biking, or any other mode of traveling in Alaska, Peggy Wayburn will get you there and tell you what you need, what to watch for, and who to contact in advance for more info! Adventuring in Alaska is exciting and wonderous, well worth it.