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Rating: 
Summary: An above average guide to the state of Idaho
Review: After reading some of the reviews on this book, I decided to reread The Idaho Handbook. The book that I read was quite a bit different than some of the reviews.While the author's position on land-use is well documented throughout the book, I would hardly classify those views as extreme. Quite a few of the Idahoans that I talked with in the two weeks that I spent in Idaho last summer expressed real concerns regarding land-use throughout the state. When I am looking for a tour book, I want something more than the AAA travel books. The book contains a significant amount of the history of the state. The book also contains all of the usuals for a tour book - an objective analysis of the lodging and food options in many small towns. This is very important as some parts of the state, the options are somewhat limited. In addition, he covers the major (and many of the minor) attractions in the state. A number of these attractions were not found in other books. I enjoy the Moon Guides a whole lot more than other guides. Their strength is that that they are written by people who spend a lot of time travelling throughout the state rather than the tourist areas. For example, Deke Castleman's Nevada Handbook dedicated 10-15% of the book on the Las Vegas area.
Rating:
Summary: An above average guide to the state of Idaho
Review: After reading some of the reviews on this book, I decided to reread The Idaho Handbook. The book that I read was quite a bit different than some of the reviews. While the author's position on land-use is well documented throughout the book, I would hardly classify those views as extreme. Quite a few of the Idahoans that I talked with in the two weeks that I spent in Idaho last summer expressed real concerns regarding land-use throughout the state. When I am looking for a tour book, I want something more than the AAA travel books. The book contains a significant amount of the history of the state. The book also contains all of the usuals for a tour book - an objective analysis of the lodging and food options in many small towns. This is very important as some parts of the state, the options are somewhat limited. In addition, he covers the major (and many of the minor) attractions in the state. A number of these attractions were not found in other books. I enjoy the Moon Guides a whole lot more than other guides. Their strength is that that they are written by people who spend a lot of time travelling throughout the state rather than the tourist areas. For example, Deke Castleman's Nevada Handbook dedicated 10-15% of the book on the Las Vegas area.
Rating: 
Summary: Idaho Guide filled with Bias and Discrimination
Review: I buy these kind of books to decide what activities to do on vacation with my family. I do not buy these books to listen to an author complain about peoples religion, political beliefs, or any of the sort. If this author would have made the comments about a Black Community about a community that has a large Mormon population he would have be censored and his writing rejected. Although the book does give some good information about local communities, it pales in comparison to the detailed information given in the Wyoming and Montana versions that I have. To bad the author was to busy bashing Amtrak, Mormons, and Conservatives, instead of giving accurate information. The author fails to point out several points of interest that I do know of.
Rating: 
Summary: Response to reviews
Review: Idaho is a truly wonderful state. I fell in love with the place and found it impossible not to write passionately about it--about both the good and bad as I saw it. I was determined not to succumb to spewing typical chamber of commerce pabulum at every turn. It's true, if I didn't like something, I pulled no punches. But it's also true that if I found something truly wonderful--as I did most of the time--I tried to be equally vigorous in conveying to the reader my love for the place. The reader from Spokane no doubt refers to my description of Rexburg, a town not high on my vacation list. I thought people planning a vacation would appreciate being made aware of what sorts of things you can and cannot do in Rexburg. I don't consider this Mormon bashing. Southeast Idaho is full of Mormon towns, many of which I found delightful. Rexburg just wasn't one of them. I don't know what the Amtrak bashing is about. And as for bashing conservatives, well, it pains me to see the fate of Idaho's resources in the hands of politicians motivated solely by money. This problem isn't unique to Idaho--it's a problem all over the West. I'm sorry my love of the earth over the dollar offends some people, but it offends me, for just one example, that there are no longer "red fish" (salmon) in Redfish Lake. That pretty well answers the Las Vegas reader, too, except for the laundromat and health-food store issue. It is Moon's evolving policy, and I concur heartily, not to take up space in a US domestic guide just listing places that the reader can easily find with a quick peek in the local Yellow Pages. I'll be updating for the next edition soon. Please give me your opinion; I don't consider three reviews a sufficient sample size to determine a consensus. You don't like political commentary? I'll consider holding my tongue. But you don't really want a wonder-bread travel guide, do you? I'd have to have a lobotomy first. Thanks, and have a great time in the great state of Idaho.
Rating:
Summary: A Toot for Root
Review: Idaho may not be everyone's idea of a "hot potato" destination. But if you want a clever, concise guide to a wonderful state -- this is it. Check out "Rural Bar Etiquette" on p. 78 for a sample of Root's humor. This is not your average dry guide (Although Root's sense of humor is indeed dry!) You will find instead detailed descriptions and opinions(some very funny) which can help you decide the places that might be of special interest to you. It is one of the best guide books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A Toot for Root
Review: Idaho may not be everyone's idea of a "hot potato" destination. But if you want a clever, concise guide to a wonderful state -- this is it. Check out "Rural Bar Etiquette" on p. 78 for a sample of Root's humor. This is not your average dry guide (Although Root's sense of humor is indeed dry!) You will find instead detailed descriptions and opinions(some very funny) which can help you decide the places that might be of special interest to you. It is one of the best guide books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Idaho Guide filled with Bias and Discrimination
Review: The 3rd edition of Moon's Idaho Handbook by Don Root is NOT a travel guide. Rather this is an Environmental Terrorists' Guide to Idaho. The author clearly has an agenda which so permeates the book that even the editor fell asleep on the job. The piece is peppered with comments such as "hydropower crappola" and exposes about salmon-saving such as the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery..."allows the salmon a slim chance, until some crazed environmentalist F-16 pilot from Mountain Home Air Force Base makes an unauthorized sortie up the Snake and takes out Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams with laser-guided missiles."(page 386) Government officials who don't agree with Root's point of view are routinely called "white wackos" (page 1 for starters). I bought this book because I was relying on Moon's reputation and experience in publishing travel guides which focused on outdoor adventure travel issues and places. Knowing the location of a major salmon hatchery is relevant. Knowing the author's political views and actions about it are not only irrelevant but insulting. Unlike other Moon guides, this author also apparently felt that travellers didn't need to know where laundromats or health and food stores were, just coffeeshops and bars. I would seriously reconsider any future Moon Publication purchases based on this book's editorial content. Maybe Lonely Planet is worth waiting for.
Rating:
Summary: Idaho Handbook off the mark for Moon travel guide standards.
Review: The 3rd edition of Moon's Idaho Handbook by Don Root is NOT a travel guide. Rather this is an Environmental Terrorists' Guide to Idaho. The author clearly has an agenda which so permeates the book that even the editor fell asleep on the job. The piece is peppered with comments such as "hydropower crappola" and exposes about salmon-saving such as the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery..."allows the salmon a slim chance, until some crazed environmentalist F-16 pilot from Mountain Home Air Force Base makes an unauthorized sortie up the Snake and takes out Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams with laser-guided missiles."(page 386) Government officials who don't agree with Root's point of view are routinely called "white wackos" (page 1 for starters). I bought this book because I was relying on Moon's reputation and experience in publishing travel guides which focused on outdoor adventure travel issues and places. Knowing the location of a major salmon hatchery is relevant. Knowing the author's political views and actions about it are not only irrelevant but insulting. Unlike other Moon guides, this author also apparently felt that travellers didn't need to know where laundromats or health and food stores were, just coffeeshops and bars. I would seriously reconsider any future Moon Publication purchases based on this book's editorial content. Maybe Lonely Planet is worth waiting for.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't be put off by the author's politics; a good book.
Review: This book covers the state reasonably well and will help you make good decisions about where to go and what to avoid. I used it during a recent three-week trip. It's not superlative, so normally I wouldn't post. After reading the first two reviews, however, I almost didn't buy the book, so I wanted to persuade others that the author's frequent political intrusions need not push you away. His opinions do slant the narrative and make some of the sidebars less attractive, but I found them easy to ignore. Given the absence of other guidebooks, the solid coverage of the food/lodging/activities stuff makes this a valuable resource. It's also consistent with Moon's emphasis on hidden places and the great outdoors. An added bonus is that the author has a talent for capturing the feel of a place; this doesn't suffer much because of his political views. Those who've come to trust Moon publications shouldn't hesitate.
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