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Stephen Fry in America

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: Stephen Fry

October 01, 2008
Having read the three and four star reviews, I had second-thoughts about purchasing 'Stephen Fry in America'. But after purchasing the book on the back of watchin three episodes of the TV programme I was compelled to write a review and it is one of 5 stars, as I'm sure you may be aware of! I can tell you my friends, that this well put together travelogue of a quintessentially Englishman's journey through and into the heart of America is almost definitely a book everyone who 'views' this item on amazon should purchase.
I don't want to slate the former reviews (apart from the 5 star one, great outlook ol' chum) because they're entitled to create their own opinions but they are wrong! To quote Mike D of the Beastie Boys, "I don't speak what ... Read More:

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Bear Grylls Great Outdoor Adventures: An Extreme Guide to the Best Outdoor Pursuits

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: Bear Grylls

October 10, 2008
This guide claims to be extreme, but is really rather pedestrian. Making kites, constructing tree houses, building a swing, PLAYING TAG - these are things I did as a kid and my mum didn't so much as bat an eyelid.

I'm quite a fan of Bear but this books smacks of a money-making exercise. Most of the photos are from his TV series "Born Survivor" as well as a few family photo album snaps. In fact, it reads like a partial autobiography.

In addition, his description of "extreme" pursuits like diving, skiing, parachuting, and rafting are superficial and lacking in detail. For instance, in his chapter on scrambling he covers the definition, grading of routes, the gear, and very little else of substance. For someone so accomplished ... Read More:

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SAS Survival: the Essential Survival Book in a Zip-up Edition with Inbuilt Compass: How to Survive in the Wild

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: John 'Lofty' Wiseman

September 01, 2008
This guide claims to be extreme, but is really rather pedestrian. Making kites, constructing tree houses, building a swing, PLAYING TAG - these are things I did as a kid and my mum didn't so much as bat an eyelid.

I'm quite a fan of Bear but this books smacks of a money-making exercise. Most of the photos are from his TV series "Born Survivor" as well as a few family photo album snaps. In fact, it reads like a partial autobiography.

In addition, his description of "extreme" pursuits like diving, skiing, parachuting, and rafting are superficial and lacking in detail. For instance, in his chapter on scrambling he covers the definition, grading of routes, the gear, and very little else of substance. For someone so accomplished ... Read More:

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LeapFrog Explorer Globe

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
from: LeapFrog

September 01, 2008
This globe certainly is a fantastic idea. My seven year old was desparate for a globe for christmas, and this seemed the ideal choice as we would all be able to play with it together over the holiday. How dissapointing then when he opened it on Christmas morning and discovered that it was convinced that most of the northern hemisphere was the artic ocean! We are sendning it back (to Santa) for one more go.

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Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: Richard Fortey

September 01, 2008
This more than just a description of a museum. This is also a journey into the history of the natural sciences and a part biography as well. Well illustarted, Richard Fortey describes an institution that is trying hard (and succeeding if the new Darwin Centre is any guide)to move with the times, make science accesible to the public, yet has more going on behind the scenes than we could ever give credit.

Anyone who lives in or visits London should pay more than one visit to this marvelous place, and thanks to this book they will be well briefed as to what goes and has gone on there.

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The Atlas of the Real World: Mapping the Way We Live

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: Daniel Dorling, Mark Newman, Anna Barford

October 06, 2008
This book is brilliant! It uses maps of the world to display data by distorting the physical size of countries according to the relevant data - the result is a very visual feel for the data - much more powerful than figures or words could be. Every page has a global map displaying a different set of data and the range of data is huge, spanning from spread of diseases to energy use, from prevalence of national disasters to effectiveness of legal systems.

The book is pretty large and an ideal coffee table read. You don't need to be particularly analytical to get a lot from it - just need to be interested in the world. A fantastic new way of looking at the world.

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AA Road Atlas Britain (AA Atlases and Maps) (AA Atlases and Maps) (AA Atlases and Maps)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: AA Publishing

July 01, 2008
This book is brilliant! It uses maps of the world to display data by distorting the physical size of countries according to the relevant data - the result is a very visual feel for the data - much more powerful than figures or words could be. Every page has a global map displaying a different set of data and the range of data is huge, spanning from spread of diseases to energy use, from prevalence of national disasters to effectiveness of legal systems.

The book is pretty large and an ideal coffee table read. You don't need to be particularly analytical to get a lot from it - just need to be interested in the world. A fantastic new way of looking at the world.

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AA Big Road Atlas Britain (AA Atlases and Maps) (AA Atlases and Maps) (AA Atlases and Maps)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: AA Publishing

July 01, 2008
We bought this atlas as a replacement for our 1999 AZ version. In comparison, we found it less useful for our purpose (mainly for touring). Particularly annoying is the lack of landscape information (topography, woodland) and the absence of the location of smaller settlements. On the plus side, in comparison with the AZ version, it does separately distinguish National Trust properties from others. However, we did not check out the current AZ version before buying the AA atlas, so it may also do so now. The additional information on satnav references and the location of permenant speed cameras may be useful for more gadget-minded, less law-abiding motorists.

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Coast: The Walks (Coast)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: Various, BBC Books

March 06, 2008
I had the choice between this book and the readers digest equivalent. The Book People were at work so all I got was a quick look through and decided on this one pretty much just down to the fact this book had little maps which provided an overveiw of each walk - I have to have maps wherever I go because I will get lost otherwise.

I got back to my desk, had a look at reviews on Amazon for both books and was pleased when the Readers Digest one didnt seem to do too great but this was then blown away because this book had NO reveiws.. and to be honest I don't know why.

When I got home I had a good look through and I was very pleased this was my choice.. it is so well thought out. I'm not particularly into walking but I do go camping now ... Read More:

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Cool Camping: England (Cool Camping)

Childrens Toy Shop > Travel > Atlases and Maps
by: Jonathan Knight, Paul Marsden, Andy Stothert

April 28, 2008
A book of out of the way, out of the ordinary camping is a terrific idea, which is why I bought the book. Many of the sites featured look amazing, and they have all been personally 'road-tested' by the CC crew. So far so very good. However there is a (quite a big in my view) downside in that although there is on the surface a large choice of sites, in reality this amounts to an average of less than four sites in each of the 23 counties/regions represented.

So if you want to use this to plan a trip, rather than take it with you, then its really good and will get you to some really interesting off-the-beaten-track places (and I do intend to try some of them out), but much less use as something you carry around in your panniers or glove compartment. ... Read More: