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• Unique method. Authentic interviews, "...a Must!" W. Martin, ex-political editor, Oakland Tribune
  
• 3 CDs w/booklet to learn french from real french people
  
• It uses colors to show what is and what is not pronounced in spoken French
  
• Conversations written down exactly as spoken to speak french like natives
  
• French lessons with rules of the french language explained in a simple way
  

This one is a "must" for learning how the French REALLY talk!
William Martin, retired political editor, The Oakland Tribune

I've tried them all and this one is it!
Joe Hogan, CBS

With these Audio CDs you will work on natural conversations with our unique Active Sensory ComprehensionTM method. You will learn your new language both effectively and efficiently. You will develop your listening skills. For reference, we give you a booklet with the transcripts and the translations. Our color-coding system will help you pronounce the words and sentences the way you will hear them pronounced in real life conversations. This step by step approach to the language will help you understand French, like no other method, early in your studies. With these CDs you will start to understand and speak the language as spoken in the real world.
If you are a true beginner, you might want to work with our SmartFrench Introduction to French, Vol.1 and SmartFrench Introduction to French, Vol.2 in order to work on the basic vocabulary, conjugation and grammar. Learning French requests that you learn to speak French and that you learn to understand it. Vol.1 and Vol.2 will teach you the basics in order to speak the language and these CDs will teach you to understand and be understood as you will develop strong listening skills. The best is to practice both exercises simultaneously.

No matter what other sources you use in your language learning, the Smart thing to do is give yourself this key to confidence.
Ian Jackson, CEO, Breathplay, Dallas

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You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go--they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Hawaii features gorgeous color photos of the stunning beaches and thrilling adventures that await you. Meticulously researched by one of Hawaii's most noted journalists, this is hands-down the most reliable, up-to-date, and comprehensive guide to the islands.

Each of our candid hotel reviews is based on a detailed personal inspection. You'll find lavish beachfront resorts, intimate rain-forest B&Bs, family-friendly condos, and much, much more. Our dining reviews are simply the best in the business, whether you crave cutting-edge Asian-fusion cuisine or a hearty, affordable plate lunch.

Our author makes sure that you'll truly experience the spirit of aloha, and she'll help you steer clear of anything that's overpriced, touristy, or inauthentic. With Frommer's in hand, you'll know where to find secluded beaches; secret spots for snorkeling; the best outfitters to choose for everything from diving to deep-sea fishing; and where to find the top galleries and shops.

Inside you'll find extensive coverage of family-friendly accommodations and activities; tips on how to get married in the islands; recommendations for the best honeymoon resorts; and valuable advice on finding the best airfares and package deals. Whether you want to watch the fiery spectacle at the Big Island's volcano, play a challenging round of golf, snorkel with sea turtles, or simply kick back with a mai tai to watch the sunset, you can design the perfect trip with Frommer's Hawaii. You'll even get a color fold-out map, and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!


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Not as good as I expected

I purchase Frommer Guides when I'm going someplace new, and I have always been happy with them. This one, however, is not up to their usual standards. I took it along on my recent trip, and it was less than helpful. Many towns and places in HI have native names, but the translation is not in the book, so asking for directions was harder than it needed to be. Several hotels and good local restaurants were not listed. Travel times (either by car or bus) between cities were mentioned in passing, if at all. Local landmarks might get a word or two in description, but there was a detailed listing of every mall and shopping plaza. Overall, I got the impression that this was written largely from an impression of HI that hadn't been updated in a while.

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Drive . . . and grow rich!

The bestselling author of Investment Biker is back from the ultimate road trip: a three-year drive around the world that would ultimately set the Guinness record for the longest continuous car journey. In AdventureCapitalist, legendary investor Jim Rogers, dubbed “the Indiana Jones of finance” by Time magazine, proves that the best way to profit from the global situation is to see the world mile by mile. “While I have never patronized a prostitute,” he writes, “I know that one can learn more about a country from speaking to the madam of a brothel or a black marketeer than from meeting a foreign minister.”

Behind the wheel of a sunburst-yellow, custom-built convertible Mercedes, Rogers and his fiancée, Paige Parker, began their “Millennium Adventure” on January 1, 1999, from Iceland. They traveled through 116 countries, including many where most have rarely ventured, such as Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Angola, Sudan, Congo, Colombia, and East Timor. They drove through war zones, deserts, jungles, epidemics, and blizzards. They had many narrow escapes.

They camped with nomads and camels in the western Sahara. They ate silkworms, iguanas, snakes, termites, guinea pigs, porcupines, crocodiles, and grasshoppers.

Best of all, they saw the real world from the ground up—the only vantage point from which it can be truly understood—economically, politically, and socially.

Here are just a few of the author’s conclusions:

• The new commodity bull market has started.
• The twenty-first century will belong to China.
• There is a dramatic shortage of women developing in Asia.
• Pakistan is on the verge of disintegrating.
• India, like many other large nations, will break into several countries.
• The Euro is doomed to fail.
• There are fortunes to be made in Angola.
• Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are a scam.
• Bolivia is a comer after decades of instability, thanks to gigantic amounts of natural gas.

Adventure Capitalist is the most opinionated, sprawling, adventurous journey you’re likely to take within the pages of a book—the perfect read for armchair adventurers, global investors, car enthusiasts, and anyone interested in seeing the world and understanding it as it really is.


From the Hardcover edition.

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New York City is known for its towering skyscrapers, world-class theaters and museums, honking taxis, and bustling crowds. But it is so much more. It is a smoky jazz club in Harlem, an All Saints Day feast in Queens, an extra-innings baseball game in the Bronx, a thrill-seeker's dream in Brooklyn's Coney Island. Ever since the isle of Manhattan expanded its domain back in the 1890's this megalopolis of five boroughs has encompassed a surprising mélange of neighborhoods, cultures, styles, and outlooks.
In a stunning celebration of New York and its boroughs, renowned photographer Carol M. Highsmith captures the diversity of this sprawling city in spectacular full-color images. This pictorial souvenir presents the best of New York and its environs, including architectural landmarks like Manhattan's St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Chrysler Building, elegant Park Avenue and the frenetic New York Stock Exchange; ethnic, eclectic, and fashionable neighborhoods throughout all five boroughs; wonderful parklands and botanical gardens; Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo in the Bronx; the Socrates Sculpture Park and the New York Hall of Science in Queens; the stately Brooklyn Museum and Staten Island's serene Snug Harbor.
A lively and fact-filled foreword and captions by award-winning writer Ted Landphair help paint the full picture of the undisputed capital of fashion, finance, publishing, performing arts, and more. New York City: The Five Boroughs, A Pictorial Souvenir is a wonderful keepsake of a memorable visit, and the ideal gift for anyone who savors the unforgettable architecture, unsurpassed cultural offerings, and sensational parklands of an eclectic metropolis that is arguably the most fascinating city in the world.

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The outstanding beauty and distinction of the small towns of Provence have proved irresistibly attractive to visitors from America for the best part of a century. From the hills and mountains of the Alps and the Lubéron to the rich vine-growing country of the Var and the delightful coastal resorts, these communities are special places indeed.

In the small towns one finds the true spirit of Provence. Terracotta roofs cling at strange angles to stone and plaster; deep, velvety shade covers the ground beneath tall plane trees in some peaceful square, enlivened by the sound of water from an ancient fountain. Sometimes calm, sometimes vibrant, but always timelessly appealing, the most beautiful country towns of Provence are presented here in Alex Ramsay's perceptive photographs and Helena Attlee's evocative commentaries.

This magnificently illustrated survey opens in the west of the province, marked by the Roman presence and home to the lively regional centers of Arles and Uzès. In the center of Provence—the départements of Var and Vaucluse—are such attractions as L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, famous for its antique markets, and Hyères, one of the first resorts on the Riviera. Haute-Provence and Maritimes, which sweep around the north of the province and finally descend to the sea in the east, embrace the varied gems of mountainous Saint-Martin-Vésubie, coastal and Italianate Menton, and Grasse, perfume capital of the world. The variety revealed in this visual and textual feast is incredible—and all set in the dramatic contours of one of Europe's most striking landscapes.

Like other volumes in this internationally best-selling series, The Most Beautiful Country Towns of Provence is completed by lists of sights to visit and places to stay and to eat. 260 color photographs.

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The beauty of Provence is captured in this book!

If you, like me, cannot afford to travel to the south of France, this large-format book is the next best thing!!! Its stunning photography will really enchant you and leave you with a sense of regret that you cannot be there now, at this exact moment. Looking at the beautiful pictures of old but graceful buildings, narrow streets and dramatic landscapes you can almost sense certain serenity permeating those ageless country towns of Provence, endlessly basking in the golden rays of sun... Aaah, Provence....

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• The record of a spiritual journey through an extraordinary land, and of the devoted pilgrims who seek to climb Mount Kailas.

• Two Americans recount their experiences during the sacred pilgrimage to one of the most remote places on Earth.

• With more than 100 color photographs that capture the awe-inspiring landscape and the tireless determination of the pilgrims.

In a remote corner of western Tibet, in one of the highest, most pristine places on Earth, rises a sublime snow-clad pyramid of rock and snow--Mount Kailas. To Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims this 22,028-foot mountain is the throne of the gods, the "Navel of the Earth," the place where the divine takes earthly form. For more than a thousand years these pilgrims have journeyed here to pay homage to the mountain's mystery, circumambulating it in an ancient ritual of devotion that continues to the present day. Spinning prayer wheels, chanting mantras, and prostrating themselves at shrines, the pilgrims make the arduous climb toward the physical and emotional high point of the journey, the lofty pass known as the Dolma La. 

With spectacular color photography and vivid travel writing, Tibet's Sacred Mountain provides a stunning account of this awe-inspiring landscape, and of the variety, vitality, and sheer determination of the pilgrims who venture there. Both photographer Russell Johnson and writer Kerry Moran have made the difficult pilgrimage around the mountain several times. Tibet's Sacred Mountain is the record of their inspiring journey that opens a window on a magical land of pure light and dazzling color where the temporal and the eternal unite and where every feature of the landscape holds its own divinity.

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Through Dorothy Camagna's artful photography and Jennifer Cording's essays, Chincoteague Revisited captures the essence of the community, ecology and the natural landscape of this unique place off Virginia's coast. Together, they tell Chincoteague's story—the life and history of the land, water and its people.

The first essay, "Community", welcomes readers to island life and to the islanders themselves—an uncommon culture of people who share a common bond. Local watermen, decoy carvers and shop owners ply their trade; visitors from everywhere transform the community in the spring; simple, whitewashed houses line Main Street, and the Channel Bass Inn bed and breakfast invites afternoon callers to tea. Townspeople and visitors enjoy the traditional Christmas parade and the tastes of the annual oyster festival. Chincoteague Island comes to life in poetry and pictures.

The next essay, "Refuge", centers on the mystery and beauty of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge—its seashore, marshlands, maritime forests and wildlife. Through Camagna's expert eye and Cording's sensitive language, the sun sets on the loblolly pine, and the great egret takes its majestic flight towards Chincoteague Bay. The most famous inhabitants of Assateague Island, the wild ponies, also call the refuge home. Each July, local cowboys herd the ponies for their swim across the channel to Chincoteague's shore, where the foals are auctioned at the annual Firemen's Carnival.

And finally, the essay titled "Transitions" focuses on the ecological and seasonal changes of Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. "It is a delicate balance," writes Cording of the fragile combination of a beautiful natural landscape and thousands of human visitors who descend on the island each season.

Chincoteague Revisited is a rare collection of over one hundred full color photographs with accompanying essays—from aerial shots of the coastline and barrier islands, to intimate portraits of the water, land and people that make Chincoteague Island a destination to be visited, revisited and remembered.

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"There is nothing out there." Such is the claim, at least, of politicians and oil company executives, amazed that anyone would fight to protect the miles of plateaus and canyon bottoms that stretch across southern Utah. Even tourists see this region as an empty spot on the map—an excuse to drive directly from Capitol Reef to Arches National Park. But it is precisely this—nothing—that writer Brooke Williams and photographer Chris Noble find captivating about Escalante. In this thoughtful and exquisitely illustrated rumination, the authors tour the network of chasms and gorges that began forming millions of years ago on the Colorado Plateau and today constitute a desert paradise of mesas, buttes, and boundless solitude. At the center of this landscape is the region known as Escalante, 1.7 million mostly roadless acres, where silence, darkness, and emptiness have no intrusions. With refreshing originality and a haunting rhythm to his prose, Williams reflects on the notion of space and seclusion both internally and externally. Williams also celebrates the landscape: its geology, flora and fauna, its people from the ancient Fremont to its Mormon pioneers, hiking aficionados and recluses such as Everett Ruess, and the controversial politics involved with the creation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Chris Noble's photographs break down the distinction often felt even in very fine photos, that between the observer and the place. These images pull the reader into the landscape, seamlessly merging the experience and the setting. Part narrative, part poetry, and part meditation, this book charts the quiet places where the human spirit delights in solitude. It reminds us of our intimate connection with the wild and of the landscape's powerful pulse especially when there is nothing to be found.

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Perhaps no state holds as many surprises as Arizona. To outsiders, Arizona conjures up images of the Grand Canyon, the saguaro cactus, and the O.K. Corral. Those who have experienced this jewel of the Southwest, however, know that Arizona is all these things and much more. Arizona on My Mind brings you the many faces of this diverse state in words and pictures. No matter where you are, you can open this wonderful collection of images and find yourself transported to a world of stunning beauty. A world where the forces of nature-wind, water, and time-have shaped the landscape in fantastic and unusual ways. You'll see towering, snow-capped mountains; eerie, spire-like volcanic cores; seemingly bottomless canyons; and impossible rock formations. You'll find roaring waterfalls; quiet, tree-lined brooks; massive reservoirs; vast painted deserts, and endless blue skies. Arizona is a land of open spaces-quiet, remote places where you can look in all directions and see no trace of the hand of man. In other corners of the state man's influence is more apparent. Spectacular ancient Indian ruins, carved into the landscape itself, are a mysterious record of Arizona's earliest inhabitants. Flat-roofed adobe houses recall the architecture of Spanish settlers. Towns like Tombstone are a step back to the Old West, where cowboys still ride through the streets on horseback. And Arizona's major cities are bustling urban centers, where skyscrapers and universities have taken the place of pueblos and one-room schoolhouses. This unique combination of wild landscape, historical interest, and cultural diversity has drawn many of the nation's best photographers to Arizona, where every budding cactus, every grand vista, and every sunset is a momentary work of art waiting to be captured on film. For these reasons, many of these photographers call Arizona home. The photographs chosen for this book are beautiful-because Arizona is a beautiful place-but they also have that something extra, that ability to capture the true essence, the spirit, the magic of Arizona. Arizona's natural beauty and its people have also spawned a wealth of literature and other written and oral tributes. You'll find these scattered through this book as well. Zane Grey, John Wesley Powell, Walt Whitman, John Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Barry Goldwater, and many others help articulate this complicated land that can often seem indescribable. Whether you're an Arizona resident, a frequent visitor, or someone who simply enjoys a beautiful places, Arizona on My Mind is the perfect way to remember a special place and to dream of Arizona days to come.

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The famous phrase from the nineteenth century, "Go West young man," still has meaning today. California is as far west as you can go in the United States—in geography and in mind—and has come to represent America's "land of milk and honey." It is still the destination of a never-ending influx of new arrivals looking to "reinvent" themselves—or their lives—and find the American dream. The Golden State is a haven for individualists, nonconformists, eccentrics, and restless souls itching for the laid-back life of "California dreamin'."
In California: A Photographic Tour, the reader is taken on a journey filled with the beautiful vistas and sights that have made the state famous. Photographer Carol M. Highsmith visits all of the state's great cities—Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco—as well as famed landmarks like the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in L.A. And, of course, there are California's celebrated tourist attractions: the La Brea Tar Pits with its displays of mastodons and other creatures; Knott's Berry Farm, the nation's oldest theme park; and the world famous Disneyland in Orange County. Then there is the ritzy glamour of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Palm Springs—the mecca for golfers, tennis players, and sun-worshippers. Also visited are California's natural wonders like Death Valley National Park and the world-famous Redwood Forest where visitors can see, and even drive through, monolithic sequoias.
These and many more points of interest await the reader. With its dazzling photos and lucid text, California: A Photographic Tour makes an excellent gift for anyone who has visited or wishes to visit this unrivaled state.

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