Showing titles in United States

In the 1970s, Madeleine Blais's in-laws purchased a vacation house on Martha's Vineyard for the exorbitant sum of $80,000. Two-point-two miles down a poorly marked, one lane dirt road, the house was better termed a shack - it had no electricity, no modern plumbing, the roof leaked, and mice had invaded the walls. It was perfect. Sitting on Tisbury Great Pond - well-stocked with oysters and crab for foraged dinners - the house faced the ocean and the sky, and though it was eventually replaced by a sturdier structure, the ethos remained the same.

Chicago: Metropolis of the Mid-Continent provides a comprehensive portrayal of the growth and development of Chicago from the mudhole of the prairie to today's world-class city. This completely revised fourth edition skillfully weaves together the geography, history, economy, and culture of the city and its suburbs with a special emphasis on the role of the many ethnic and racial groups that comprise the "real Chicago" of its neighborhoods.

This serves as the third volume of a series covering the amazing 50 states. It looks at the facts about each state, its history, and interesting little tidbits of information about each. In this volume Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa are covered.

Take a walk in the park. Or explore a forest, gorge, campground, even a historic site. Spend a week or a weekend. Go biking, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting or cross-country skiing. Or just relax and enjoy the most beautiful scenery in the West! This is a guide to the state and the national parks throughout California, the wildlife refuges, nature and bike trails, historic sites, facilities and activities at each site, and contact information. Nearly 100 state parks are described, six national parks, plus 28 other points of interest.

The Rio Grande is simultaneously one of the most watched and least understood rivers in the world. Some stretches of the Rio pass for endless miles through remote wilderness, boxed in by canyons hundreds of feet high and inhabited by only the hardiest animals and humans. That's why journalist Keith Bowden decided to become the first person to travel the entire length of the Rio as it forms the border between America and Mexico.

Highliners are the elite of the fishing world, the skippers and crews who make the biggest catches—salmon, king crab, halibut, shrimp—and deliver them first to the bustling canneries of Kodiak and Dutch Harbor. For these men—and for their women—the safe eight-hour day does not exist. It never will. Some fishermen get rich, many die broke. But they find a special joy in their work that can never be matched by the easier world of the landsman.

Though we're known as a nation of English speakers, the linguistic map of the United States is hardly monochromatic. While much ado has been made about the role that Spanish may play in our national future, it would be a gross misrepresentation to label America a bilingual country. On the contrary, our languages are as varied as our origins. There is Basque in Nevada, Arabic in Detroit, Gullah in South Carolina. We speak European, Asian, and American Indian languages; we speak creoles, jargons, and pidgins.

The Timberline Trail is an iconic hiking trail circumnavigating Mount Hood in Northern Oregon. Packed with incredible scenery, the journey cuts through gorgeous forests, across volcanic terrain, through glacier-carved canyons, along alpine meadows, and under thundering waterfalls while providing unprecedented views of Mount Hood and the surrounding Cascade Range volcanic peaks. This is the story of a four-day backpacking trip on the Timberline—the day-to-day experience, the highs and the lows, and the awe-inspiring beauty.

Travels in Alaska is a memorable travelogue. The forward comes from Daniel Lee Henry who discusses Muir's charge of heart with the racism of his time after his encounter with Chilkat and Chilkoot Tlingit Tribes. Muir's commentary ranges from observations on the geology of Glacier Bay to the history and culture of the Chinook people to his discovery of the great glacier subsequently named for him. The naturalist captures the region's grandeur and beauty with the same fervor he expressed for the Sierras, making this audiobook a must for nature lovers and adventurous travelers.

Amid a series of road trips across West Texas, Darden Smith—Austin-based musician, author, and creative—found himself writing songs at the wheel and taking Polaroid photographs of the stark and ghostly terrain. Inspired by the spirit of the landscape, Smith scribbled his observations in a notebook and found new life in old lyrics—and between the prose, the music, and the Polaroid images he captured with his camera, Western Skies came vividly to life. This beautifully designed and collectible book combines everything Smith captured and created during his travels.

For the past four years, Margaret Renkl’s columns have offered readers of The New York Times a weekly dose of natural beauty, human decency, and persistent hope from her home in Nashville. Now more than sixty of those pieces have been brought together in this sparkling new collection.

With travel tips and culture in our guidebooks written by a local author, it is never too late to visit Austin. Greater than a Tourist - Austin Texas USA: 50 Travel Tips from a Local by Author Noelle Minor offers the inside scoop on Austin. Most travel books tell you how to travel like a tourist. Although there is nothing wrong with that, as part of the Greater than a Tourist series, this audiobook will give you candid travel tips from someone who has lived at your next travel destination.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is blessed with a treasure chest of writers and poets, all seeking to capture the diverse experiences of Yooper life. Now, U.P. Reader offers a rich collection of their voices that embraces the U.P.'s natural beauty and way of life, along with a few surprises. The 28 works in this first annual volume take listeners on a U.P. road trip from the Mackinac Bridge to Menominee.

Some locales seem to come with their own soundtrack. Don Ho and his tiny bubbles provide the background music for Hawaii, Edith Piaf for Paris. The reggae of Bob Marley evokes Jamaica. The soundtrack for Alabama is without question provided by our troubled troubadour Hank Williams. The 2016 biography Hank by Mark Ribowsky paints a dark picture of the musician's short, alcoholic, drug-filled life: a life of loneliness and pain. He goes so far as to call Hank's life story "noir-ish"....

Enchanted New York chronicles an alternate history of this magical isle. It offers a tour along Broadway, focusing on times and places that illuminate a forgotten and sometimes hidden history of New York through site-specific stories of wizards, illuminati, fortune tellers, magicians, and more.

Las Vegas will charm you with its rich history, magnificent sites, gorgeous hotels, grand casinos and diverse shows. It has everything you can possibly imagine for a holiday filled with fun. With all its complexity and density, Las Vegas is a city that promises adventure. High quality tourist facilities, gastronomic delights, stupendous views and hospitality are the main reasons why Las Vegas is one of the most popular destinations in the world.

John A. Jakle and Keith A. Sculle, two leading experts on the nation’s roadside landscape, examine the crucial role that small- to mid-sized city hotels played in American life during the early decades of the 20th century, a time when the automobile was fast becoming the primary mode of transportation. Before the advent of the interstate system, such hotels served as commercial and social anchors of developing towns across the country. America’s Main Street Hotels provides a thorough survey of the impact these hotels had on their communities and cultures.

Susie King Taylor (1848-1912) was the first black army nurse. She tended to an all black army troop the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment, where her husband served during the Civil War. This account covers her early life and her memoirs of the war.

Are you excited about planning your next trip? Do you want to try something new? Would you like some guidance from a local? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this Greater Than a Tourist audiobook is for you...it will give you travel tips from someone who has lived at your next travel destination. You will discover advice that will help you throughout your stay. Travel like a local. Slow down, stay in one place, and get to know the people and the culture.

First published in 1903, The Land of Little Rain is Mary Austin's classic homage to the American Southwest. Her collection of short stories and essays takes listeners on an enchanted journey through Death Valley, the High Sierras, and the Mojave Desert.