Eyewitness Travel Guide: Beijing and Shanghai
Author: DK Publishing
These two fascinating cities reflect different aspects of China - Beijing is the traditional capital, the seat of political power and home to the ancient monuments of Imperial China; Shanghai is both a financial powerhouse and a city at the cutting edge of fashion with an interesting modern history. This DK Eyewitness Travel Guide provides in-depth coverage of these cities, including Beijing's Great Wall and Forbidden City, Shanghai's Bund and the French Concession, as well as the water towns of Suzhou and Hangzhou, graced with serene and timeless gardens and lakes. Explore China's cultural heritage through richly illustrated features - on everything from Beijing Opera to Confucianism, Chinese Gardens and the Cultural Revolution. Illustrated food features highlight the differing regional cuisines, and resident China experts have provided detailed listings of the best places to stay and eat. Specially devised walking tours take you easily to the heart of these bustling, enigmatic and ultimately bewitching cities.
Melinda Stivers Leach - Library Journal
These two books are stellar additions to the exponentially growing travel library about China, site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. They are about the ancient and cultural capital of the quickly rising superpower, with the second title also covering the fiercely modern city of Shanghai. Each book has colorful photographs, maps (including subway maps), illustrations, indexes, recommendations for accommodations and eating, sight-seeing, history, phrase books, and travel information. Top 10 Beijingis particularly handy if one wants to study the one city, although its small size may concern some librarians. Humphreys lists Beijing's top ten highlights and then lists the top ten features of each. The book then compiles various other top ten lists such as the chief Chinese movies, teahouses, children's attractions, socialist monuments, galleries, museums, restaurants, and street food, and various recommended city neighborhoods as well as sites just outside the city. It also lists the top ten accommodations in the categories of budget, business, and high-end hotels and hostels. There are travel tips and references for further information.
The larger Beijing & Shanghaiis organized more like a traditional travel book. After comparing the two cities, so different in origin and nature, and informing readers about the country generally by means of sections on literature, language, religion, gardens, weather, and history, it is divided in half between the two famous cities and includes additional information-beyond Humphreys on Beijing-on festivals, art, architecture, parks, festivals, excursions, and walks. The final section, "Travelers' Needs," combines information onaccommodations and eateries for both cities. Both books are beautifully put together and will be eminently helpful additions to public library travel collections.
Interesting textbook: Multivariate Public Key Cryptosystems or Introduction to Computational Physics
Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear (500 Places Series)
Author: Holly Hughes
500 Places to See Before They Disappear enables passionate travelers and the eco-conscious to learn about and plan a visit to see rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever. Here are one-of-a-kind landscapes, fragile ecosystems, rare bird habitats, places to see the last remaining species of big game in the wild, cityscapes in peril, vanishing cultural kitsch, petroglyphs, and more—500 thoughtfully-chosen treasures that will inspire and enlighten travelers of all ages.
Each entry explains why it’s been included, gives its history, the nature of the threat against it, brief practical information on how to visit, and what visitors can to do protect it. A Geographical Index allows travelers to locate attractions across the world. Photos throughout the book help bring destinations to life.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Big Pictures.
One-of-a-Kind Landscapes.
Islands.
Ecosystems in Transition.
10 Places to See the Last Healthy Coral Reefs.
Chapter 2 Sea & Stream.
At Water’s Edge . . . 66
10 Disappearing Beaches.
A River Runs Through It.
Denizens of the Deep.
Chapter 3 From the Mountains to the Prairies.
Flowers.
Into the Woods.
10 Places to See North American Prairie.
Mountain Dwellers.
10 Places to Sight Big Game.
It’s a Jungle.
Run Wild, Run Free.
10 Places Where the Bighorns Still Climb.
Chapter 4 Big Skies.
Flying High . . . 201
10 Places Where the Sky’s Still Dark at Night.
10 Places to See Piping Plovers Nest.
Waterfowl.
Chapter 5 Going to Ruins.
Ancient Mysteries.
10 Places to See Petroglyphs.
10 Prehistoric Mounds to Visit.
Crumbling Classics.
10 Magical Stone Circles.
Chapter 6 City & Town.
Cityscapes in Peril.
Neighborhoods in Transition.
10 Last-of-Their-Kind Towns.
Chapter 7 Where History Was Made.
Historic Haunts.
Making America.
10 American Battlefields to Fight For.
Literary Landmarks.
Chapter 8 Tarnished Gems of Architecture.
Iconic Designs.
10 Ideas of a House.
Places of Worship.
10 All-American Lighthouses.
Chapter 9 Disposable Culture.
10 Classic Movie Palaces.
10 Signs That Go Blink in the Night.
Resource Index.
Geographical Index.
Alphabetical Index.
