Vidal's account of Lincoln's presidency paints a most vivid picture of a very uncommon man who rose to the challenge of his presidency. Lincoln, who many consider one if not the most important U.S. president, is shown with a genial mind, often deeply conflicted and uncertain, still humorous when faced with the political, strategic and moral trade offs. I found it a facinating book to read.

During a time, when hardly anyone knew that the red army had survived the long marsh and even fewer people expected the communists to play any significant rule in China's future, Edgar Snow travelled to the communist base in Ya'an. From his extensive interviews with Mao, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and many others Snow compilled a book, which would became not only a unique histroric document but also proof to be an insightful guide to the psyche of China's Communist Party.

I've read different guides on Japan and Tokyo, do to several trips I made over the years. Even trough there are some Lonely Planets I found really great - especially the earlier ones on China and Southeast Asia - this one seems to have copied a lot from other guide books. I tried hard but didn't find much new and unique information. And there are no walking tours, so you have to do homework before you start exploring. In my view, there are some much better guides

I brought an earlier edition of "Fodor's Japan" in the mid 90ies, before my first trip to Japan. Since than, I have been back in Japan several times and read several other travel guides, including the Lonely planet guides.
I found Fodor's really outstanding. The walking tours by district are really helpful when you don't prepare for hours in advance. If you do them, you have really covered 80-90% of the important sites. This is especially helpful for day trips to Hakone, Nikko or Nara. Longer tours include good restaurant and take out tips and the descriptions are short enough to read up on while walking while still offering interesting details. I think the sections on Kyoto and Tokyo are even better than the once in guide books focused only on these cities. The book features a good range of hotels as well, organized by area and prize, but I found the dinning part really outstanding. For example, the Kanda's hidden soba shops, the collection of stylish bars or world class tempura restaurants I found in no other guide. So, I would really recommend the guide book.