I have dound out, Mark Twain once wrote, "that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." It was a lesson he had actually learned when, as a young journalist, he set sail for Europe and the Holy Land with "the first organized pleasure party ever assembled for a transatlantic voyage."

The high points in the story of Alaska since the American acquisition are brought vividly to life through more than 100 characters, real and fictional. Another told-from-the-beginning-of-time Michener saga, this one featuring Alaska. The book begins a billion years ago. Its first characters are the mastadon and the woolly mammoth, followed by such other settlers as the Eskimos, Athapaskans, and Russians. Vignettes of characters as varied as the Danish...

Rudy tours Sydney's famed Opera House, pubs in the old Rocks quarters, the Blue Mountains, the Featherdale Park preserve and Oceanworld Manly. In Queensland Rudy tours the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.

"Twain's firsthand portrait of the steamboat age and the science of riverboat piloting recalls the history of the Mississippi River, from its discovery by Europeans to the writer's own time." *** "Mark Twain's famous account of life on the Mississippi in the old steamboat days and his own experiences as a pilot. Its historical sketches, its frequent passages of vivid description, and its humorous episodes combine to make [this] a masterpiece of the...

Enter Kilauea and other legendary volcanoes. Hear the story of Hawaii's great warrior-king, Kamehameha. Share in the fun of Waikiki Beach and Lahaina, then catch an aerial view of the vast canyon lands of Kauai. Learn about Hawaiian customs and folklore, while Sea Life Park stages some amazing shows with porpoises, whales, and other crowd pleasers. Surfing, snorkeling, cliff diving, Hawaii has it all!

From hiking sandstone canyons to chowing down on southwestern cuisine, fall under the spell of the Land of Enchantment with Moon New Mexico. Inside you'll find: strategic, flexible itineraries with ideas for art lovers, outdoor adventurers, history buffs, and more. Top experiences and unique activities: Wander through a ghost-town graveyard, count the bullet holes in the ceilings of preserved 19th-century saloons, or visit the birthplace of the atomic...

A tour of Israel profiles such sites as the Old City of Jerusalem, modern Tel Aviv, and the Biblical Zoo while introducing the region's diverse cultures and customs.