Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding as a Fun Reading Journal and a Look at Oneself
Review: An awesome book. I just got back from a 1 week hike/camp of the Utah southeastern desert, and read the book along the way. I had admired Philip's photography for awhile and really loved his photo.net site (I learned a lot from it, and I like the layout).Several quotes from the book really stuck out, like the ex-Marine who said he learned that killing was not a sport, like the woman who put the death of George into a new light around his friends and friendship, etc. I need to go back through it and highlight my favorities, I did not have my handy yellow highlighter in my tent :-). I was struck about his return to MIT and his home, and the nature of his friendships and all of a sudden all he had to "do" - I struggle with the same things. But we really "do" it to ourselves, eh? Anyway, I really liked the book, and I also like the several episodes of self deprecating humor. Was amazed also at how much work it must have been, to capture events, record conversations, etc.. All in all, I had trouble putting this book down, one never knew what type of adventure Philip was going to run into next. Really thought his honesty was great, and I also thought he knew what to leave in and what to leave out (you have to read the book to know what I mean :-). In total - if you like Philip's photo.net site, you will love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding as a Fun Reading Journal and a Look at Oneself
Review: An awesome book. I just got back from a 1 week hike/camp of the Utah southeastern desert, and read the book along the way. I had admired Philip's photography for awhile and really loved his photo.net site (I learned a lot from it, and I like the layout). Several quotes from the book really stuck out, like the ex-Marine who said he learned that killing was not a sport, like the woman who put the death of George into a new light around his friends and friendship, etc. I need to go back through it and highlight my favorities, I did not have my handy yellow highlighter in my tent :-). I was struck about his return to MIT and his home, and the nature of his friendships and all of a sudden all he had to "do" - I struggle with the same things. But we really "do" it to ourselves, eh? Anyway, I really liked the book, and I also like the several episodes of self deprecating humor. Was amazed also at how much work it must have been, to capture events, record conversations, etc.. All in all, I had trouble putting this book down, one never knew what type of adventure Philip was going to run into next. Really thought his honesty was great, and I also thought he knew what to leave in and what to leave out (you have to read the book to know what I mean :-). In total - if you like Philip's photo.net site, you will love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Intensely personal, moving account of travelling in America
Review: As many others, I too discovered Philip's writings in the beginning of the WWW days. I am a fan of travel writing -- I read Theroux, Pico Iyer etc. But, I liked "Samatha" better than most of those books. Unlike professional travel writers, I could identify more with Philip, perhaps. I read some comments about how there is no theme in the photos, and prose is sophomoric. I disagree. I am not one to comment on photos, but for my untrained eye, they do look great! Of course, on the web, there is an advantage of being able to zoom into the depths one wants. Coming to writing style, it is personal, without being pedantic or profound. It is simple, without being simplistic. Well, perhaps, there may be material here and there that tries to fit the world into his pet theories. But, by and large, the author is honest, humble, and funny. Without trying to be comprehensive, it offers a personal account of an intelligent east coast urbanite visiting America. Just so that you know, it is not only about places, that he writes. You get to hear people from all walks of life -- scientists, stock brokers, waitresses, new age people, hippies, blue-collar workers, religious nuts... So many voices, and so many beautiful pictures, all in one book. I read it. I liked it. I bought the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining read, interesting photography
Review: Greenspun's 1993 summer holiday trip, 14 weeks from Boston to Alaska and back, turns out to be an interesting read. Although he often discribes himself as a typical MIT computer science nerd, he seems to have no trouble meeting people and engaging in various conversations with him. In fact, he's surprisingly good at it. Philip appears to have a very strong (American) opinion on just about everything and that is quite noticable in this book as well. Added to the constant stream of meeting people and summarizing his conversations with them, this can make TWS a somewhat though read after a while. The photography is very nice, very effectively showing the places Greenspun visited. It could also be classified as "calendar-type landscape/wildlife photography". Fortunately, the sheer beauty of landscapes, the Alaska bear photographs as well as several portraits to go along with the names in the story, make up for this. Summarizing, I should say that I am very happy that this 1994 web publication is available in print. I enjoyed reading it on the web while I was a student and happily re-read the print edition.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific travelogue for N America
Review: I am familiar with this book from its original incarnation on the Internet (see photo.net). In printed form, however, it is an even more engrossing read. The observations of cities, towns, and the people who inhabit them makes me want to start out now to tour the country. And the photos -- wow! They are beautiful and inspiring. As a dog person, I also enjoyed the author's dog-centric perspective.
Rating:
Summary: A "Must Read" for any introspective traveler/photographer
Review: I first ran across this book online in 1995 or so when the World Wide Web was just starting. The story of Philip's "time off" from MIT, the why and where, caught my attention immediately for a number of reasons: the excellent photography, the reason for his time off (the death of his dog) and the MIT connection. What Philip does is rather unique, that is, merge excellent travel writing with excellent original photography to tell the whole story (most books liek this rely on different authors and photographers, and hence there is a certain disconnect). Since discovering the online book, I have pointed dozens of friends to it, and I believe all have gone on to become fans of Philip's writing and photography. I imagine I will give away a number of copies of the printed versions as upcoming holiday gifts.
Rating:
Summary: A "Must Read" for any introspective traveler/photographer
Review: I first ran across this book online in 1995 or so when the World Wide Web was just starting. The story of Philip's "time off" from MIT, the why and where, caught my attention immediately for a number of reasons: the excellent photography, the reason for his time off (the death of his dog) and the MIT connection. What Philip does is rather unique, that is, merge excellent travel writing with excellent original photography to tell the whole story (most books liek this rely on different authors and photographers, and hence there is a certain disconnect). Since discovering the online book, I have pointed dozens of friends to it, and I believe all have gone on to become fans of Philip's writing and photography. I imagine I will give away a number of copies of the printed versions as upcoming holiday gifts.
Rating:
Summary: A Photographer's Midlife Crisis
Review: I gave this book to my wife and said "here's my midlife crisis trip." Greenspun takes a trip across the country that every photographer dreams about. Its one of those trips you could have taken during the summer break from college (as Greenspun does) but never thought you could. He hits all the big National Parks: Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, Katmai, Arches, Canyonlands and shoots rolls and rolls of film. The pictures are excellent; maybe not worthy of a National Geographic cover, but they are very good. One reason for taking the trip was to emulate Steinbeck in "Travels with Charlie" and get in touch with his fellow Americans. I think Greenspun does a good job recounting the stories of everyone he meets along his way. He comes across as very judgemental in his opinions and in the questions he poses. This can upset some readers, but I saw it as a way of arousing conversation from the people he talked to. Another aspect of this book was that it was a weekly travelogue that Greenspun emailed out to friends via the internet as he travelled. He did it essentially to prove he could. Now as the Internet is so pervasive, one gets an intriguing feeling reading this book thinking "Yeah, I could do that with my Thinkpad, too." Well, this guy DID it, albeit with his Apple, and before anyone else, too.
Rating:
Summary: A Photographer's Midlife Crisis
Review: I gave this book to my wife and said "here's my midlife crisis trip." Greenspun takes a trip across the country that every photographer dreams about. Its one of those trips you could have taken during the summer break from college (as Greenspun does) but never thought you could. He hits all the big National Parks: Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, Katmai, Arches, Canyonlands and shoots rolls and rolls of film. The pictures are excellent; maybe not worthy of a National Geographic cover, but they are very good. One reason for taking the trip was to emulate Steinbeck in "Travels with Charlie" and get in touch with his fellow Americans. I think Greenspun does a good job recounting the stories of everyone he meets along his way. He comes across as very judgemental in his opinions and in the questions he poses. This can upset some readers, but I saw it as a way of arousing conversation from the people he talked to. Another aspect of this book was that it was a weekly travelogue that Greenspun emailed out to friends via the internet as he travelled. He did it essentially to prove he could. Now as the Internet is so pervasive, one gets an intriguing feeling reading this book thinking "Yeah, I could do that with my Thinkpad, too." Well, this guy DID it, albeit with his Apple, and before anyone else, too.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational for someone without focus
Review: I got out of the Navy at 23 yrs old and realized that I didn't know what I wanted to do...a little too late-I didn't have a job or prospects. My family was helpful in that my mother bought me this book for my birthday while letting me crash at her house. Greenspun did not give me a goal so much as help me to focus my motivation toward a realizable goal. I am now back in school at UC Berkeley and well on my way to a career in the biomedical industry. I also live with a new-found respect for the people around me every day as a result of "Travels.." Thanks again.
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