This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 9 1/4 X 6 1/4 having 209 pages and 8 photo pages.
All in all this is an interesting concept and fairly well done although 'some' of the 4 stories sound somewhat 'plumped'.
I suspect that political correctness was a major factor in choosing the country of origin for the 4 stories and it becomes obvious that several of them fall FAR short in excitement of the others.
4 soldiers from 4 countries, Great Britain, America, Germany and Italy each tell of their adventures during the second world war and although 2 of them are almost exciting enough in themselves to be a book, the others are somewhat 'ordinary' and feel as if the author needed them to complete his 4 country theme.
Worth a read but a better selection of participants in some cases would have made a MUCH more exciting volume.
Recommended but not nearly as good as it could have been.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 10 X 7 3/4 having 256 pages and very generously filled with photos.
Firstly this is an impressive and well made book, as I would have expected from BBC.
As the name suggests this is about a journey the author took down the Amazon river but unfortunately for us much of the book is devoted to the issue of the deforestation, destruction and misuse of the Amazon forests.
Now I'm not going to argue the merits....good or bad of the western world's industrial might and influence in this destruction but I had hoped this book would BRIEFLY touch on that issue and then move on and show us the many wonders of the Amazon.
Unfortunately, despite his best efforts Mr Perry just can't seem to stick to the venue and repeatedly beats us with the evils of the civilized world and how we, directly or indirectly have destroyed much of the Amazon......enough already!
The stories of the travels are very well done and are seriously entertaining but one slightly annoying feature is the INCREDIBLE number of pictures of the Amazon that somehow seem to be more Parry and less Amazon.
While not exactly half I suspect that almost 1/2 of all the pictures are of Mr Parry himself.......can we say camera-hog?....I knew we could!
Despite it's minor shortcomings the book is still VERY entertaining and informative covering 5 or 6 major topics like gold mining, the production and refining of the now infamous coca leaf as well as several others.
Definitely worth a read if you are prepared to endure a little west-bashing.
Recommended.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 9 1/4 X 6 1/2 having 240 pages and sadly....no photos at all.
If you are unaware of exactly who he is/was....he was a member of the once famous rock group LLoyd and the Commotions....a name almost completely unknown in North America.
Never mind....suffice to say that had I known he was an ex rock star I might not have purchased the book.
Within 10 pages I was laughing so hard my wife came to see if I was OK.
Essentially it's a story of a once famous star who wants to return to the small town of his heritage and DOES SO.
Like a modern-day 'Green Acres' or perhaps Tom Good in The Good Life, he makes all the predictable mistakes and finds himself well out of his comfort zone.
After a disastrous and INCREDIBLE funny career start as a farmer's assistant he wheedles himself a job as a 'journalist' in a tiny local newspaper.
Written with the sensitivity of age and wisdom he sees the locals as they are....both charming and frustrating but happily he is able to inject his spin into their lives and come out the other side just slightly warped.
I look forward to reading more of his books although I fear this is the ONE & ONLY book he will write about country living in Ireland.
Very highly recommended.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 9 1/4 X 6 1/2 having 230 pages and 8 colour photo pages.
This book was written about a trip the author took published in 1991 so I will presume the trip was not long before that.
She used almost EVERY mode of vehicle imaginable in her voyage and her persistence stood her in good stead.
Despite many minor ( and some serious ) privations this indomitable lady soldiered on.
Illness and discomfort are obviously a normal state of her traveling experience and one admires her all the more for it as she tends to downplay them, a refreshing change from many other writer's constant whining about their plight.
Her interaction with the local people is considerate yet strong....she's no 'tourista' that can be easily taken advantage of yet her compassion comes through without being condescending towards them.
I wish there had been a better picture of her trusty bicycle 'Evans" kitted out so we could see the arrangement of her equipment but aside from that the pictures were a tasty addition to the writing.
All in all a very enjoyable read and I will certainly search out more of her books.
Highly recommended.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 9 3/4 X 8 having 272 pages and 16 photo pages.
ALL the photos are black and white and ALL depict pictures you've seen THOUSANDS of times...many of 'artist impression' drawings and 'newspaper' quality repros......COMPLETELY WORTHLESS....but at least they match the content very well.
For example...area 51 gets 1 column of a 2 column page.....hmmmm...while Alien...the movie, gets more than 2 columns.
Another of the entries ( I didn't need to quote any beyond the 'A' as the rest of the book is EXACTLY the same ) is called ABC's....or Alien Big Cats.
WHAT, you might ask have alien big cats got to do with alien encounters ( the title of the book )?
Turns out NOTHING.....except the word 'alien' which apparently is enough to get it entry in this preposterous, paper gobbling, time wasting over-sized doorstop.
Astronauts & amnesia are just some of the EXCITING ALIEN ENCOUNTER subjects the author is apparently interested in.
This giant-sized waste of time is slightly less informative on the subject of alien encounters than the 1960's TV show "A for Andromeda' was......and incidentally THAT too got an entry in this....'encyclopedia'.
PLEASE....save a tree and DON'T buy this monstrosity.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 8 3/4 X 5 1/2 having 152 pages and 8 photo pages.
WOW!
I've read lots by the much more famous Chris Bonington but this man's climbing motivations seem to FAR surpass those of Mr. Bonington.
Don't get me wrong, Bonington is a superb climber but he's even BETTER at self-promotion...and that's fine as well....if making money from climbing is what you need to do.
Mo Anthoine has a very successful business and this affords him the luxury of climbing for the pure joy of it.
He's a completely ( no pun intended ) off the wall character who often smokes a cigarette as he's climbing.
The writing is VERY competent but one particular description was WELL beyond competent.....all the way to BRILLIANT!
Mr. Alvarez's description of their ascent of the Old Man of Hoy, a sea stack near the island of Hoy, in 1985 left me breathless and dizzy from the vertigo.
So real I could feel the tenuous grip he had on the rock and I didn't relax until he ( they ) were back on Terra Firma.
My only reservation about this book is the short length of it.....I want MORE!
Many 'truths' are revealed about the disastrous 1977 climb of Ogre during which Chris Bonington and Doug Scott were seriously injured and previous published accounts by both those more 'famous' climbers left out the most relevant parts....namely the original error was Bonington's and the final rescue was done, singlehandedly after a 2 day walk by Mo.
Absolutely worth the read and short enough for a single sitting.
Highly recommended.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 8 3/4 X 5 3/4 having 204 pages and 8 photo pages.
This is the account of the author's military time so=pent mostly in China.
Although mostly, and unfortunately an unknown campaign he fought bravely and seriously under-equipped and manned for a long time.
Eventually captured he resolved to escape when the first worthwhile opportunity arose and did so, with bullets smacking the mud around him and his 3 companions.
The major part of this book concerns his exploits and adventures while he was in escape mode and with the generous help of civilians and the Chinese military ( some of them ) he eventually made good his escape.
If that weren't enough he chose then to RETURN to the same theatre of operations and continue his fight against the Japanese army.
Well written, if just a tad too egocentric this is nonetheless a VERY entertaining story of this soldier's escape and return to battle.
Highly recommended for the escape fan.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 8 3/4 X 5 3/4 having 218 pages and 8 photo pages.
This collection consists of about 50 % fairly well known cases and 50 % less known cases which is a fairly nice mix.
There are some cases which will absolutely ASTOUND you like the woman who kept her lover in the attic of her house while her husband was completely unaware....FOR YEARS.....even through 2 house moves....largely of her doing!
Many of the cases will absolutely mystify you and others which defy logic.
All in all, despite the presence of some, unfortunately well known cases, this volume is well written and entertaining thanks to the author's writing style.
Not too much here for the seasoned nonfiction crime buff but VERY ENTERTAINING for everyone else.
Recommended.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 9 1/4 X 6 1/2 having 192 pages and 8 photo pages.
Despite pre-wartime warnings and even a little training, WW2 Great Britain found themselves woefully, and dangerously unprepared for the number of unexploded bombs, ranging in size from 50 kg up to and including a MASSIVE 1600 kg one.
Hurriedly men were assembled from wherever they could be, many coming from conscientious objectors...renamed the non-commbatants corps and they too did their part in this EXTREMELY dangerous job.
Sadly it was, and to a large degree is still today often a trial and error learning curve and many brave men gave their lives defusing an unknown device.
Some amazing and inventive measures were taken to aid in the defusing including liquid oxygen and pressurized steam....among others much simpler.
To make things even worse the Germans ultimately designed and released bombs whose MAJOR purpose was not to explode....but as booby traps to injure or kill their defusers
Many personal memories are included in this book making it the best of it's kind I've read on this subject.
An easy and enjoyable 1 day read this will definitely keep you glued to the pages until you've finished.
Highly recommended for a subject not often written about.

This review is for the hardcover edition measuring 9 1/4 X 6 1/4 having 247 pages and NO PHOTOS AT ALL!!
This book is a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.
Nothing more than a REHASH of 44 different cases.....ALL OF THEM well documented already and he adds absolutely NOTHING NEW to the chronicle.
Having read Mr. Haines' newspaper column 'Crime Flashback' I have to observe the quality of these stories compared to his column.
At lease his column devotes a full page to each incident while these are so scanty and thin I feel I would get more information from an encyclopedia.
The writing is atrocious, verging on juvenile, with a Jack Webb 'Nothing but the facts' style.
To sum it up this book must be nothing more than a financial grab by the author in an attempt to produce a 'book' without having to do any new work on it....just yank out the old chestnuts from the archives and slap 'em down and see if anyone bites.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME on this pointless litany of well known crimes.
Even the true crime newbie will not be entertained by this thinly disguised reissue of previously released material.
If it were heavier it might serve as a doorstop but even the book quality is mediocre.
ABSOLUTELY NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL!