Epic, excellent resource.
581161
Michael Fridgen is the Disney Corporations best-kept secret and in his 2017 release, he takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of everything Disney into all the corners of the globe.
This epic resource is beautifully written by a true Disney disciple in a friendly, conversational voice. It covers anything and everything you  need to know about ALL of the Disney theme parks: the two in the US and those  in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai  as well as the cruise lines.  This book suggests how to get to them, where to stay once you arrive and a comprehensive guide listing in detail all park attractions and other things to do when you get there.
Each chapter is devoted to one theme park and begins with a brief history of the area, which is short enough to stay interesting and gossipy enough to stay fun.  These historical little nuggets as pertains to Walt Disney, his dream and his legacy are marvelous. Occasionally, a  little whale icon pops up, Dreamllys Disney Direction, to offer words of wisdom and quirky things to watch out for or be aware of.
This book is bursting with information, fun facts, travel and hotel recommendations, time zone changes, even weather warnings (do NOT go to Hong Kong between April and October). Other tidbits: you won't find sunscreen in Tokyo,  nor sunglasses, unless you want to wear the Mickey Mouse variety everywhere.
 Some other kitschy info: Disney Paris is the most visited attraction on the entire European continent and the Disney Parcs Sleeping Beauty Castle is by far (in Mr. Fridgens opinion)  the most beautiful of all the structures. You will appreciate and be amazed at the stories behind the actual construction of these parks. In fact, Peter Chapman, the worlds most renowned stained-glass artist, took time away from his restoration of  Notre Dame Cathedral  to work on the Parisian castle. These Disney folks don't fool around
I highly recommend this book not only as a travel  guide, but a darned interesting Disney history as well. Yes, the addition of photographs and maps would have guilded the lily, but the omission of which in no way detracts from the importance of this monumental,  must-have resource.
2334194
This book is an amazing resource. I used to be a writer and now I work in video games (which still involves writing stories and developing characters) and I generally turn to this book when searching for a good name. I find that if I don't use a rich resource like this one to look through and get some new name ideas I'll likely just keep reverting back to my own personal favorites... which leaves you with a lot of similarly named characters throughout projects. I have two "go to" books that I turn to for naming - this one is for those times when I just want a sea of names to choose from and sort through, basically whenever I have no real idea or starting point for a character's name.

I personally loved that the book also includes a lot of older names as well. Again, when writing you often need names that sound unique or even mythical, without actually being the names of mythological characters. Old names are great for that - they look and sound familiar enough to seem natural, but they're strange enough to sound magical.

Plus you never know what kind of name someone is looking for, everyone has a different idea of what sounds pleasant to the ear, and a lot of people go for older names. Also, names tend to rotate, something that was your great grandmother's name could easily now be the cutest, trendiest name of the year.

I don't really have any negative points to bring up about the book. There are times when it is a little difficult to navigate, but that's just one of the perils of having such a vast wealth of material to go through. There are also some filler entries where one name will be listed more than once with different spellings (even though there is an "alternate spellings" section under the names) but if I had to guess I would say that in those few cases it looks like it may have been done because the two spellings were equally popular. I can see where it would make it more convenient for those using the book to have the most popular spellings listed separately so as to make entries easier to find since everything is alphabetical.
4399361
Incredible epic poem at a fantastic price.  Beautifully illustrated.
2776702
What an amazing resource.  Filled with great ways to improve land no matter the situation.  Great pictures and illustrations.
2922628
This book is a masterful collection of counter-creationism claims, boiled down to simple points in order to fit as many counter-claims into one volume as possible. The arguments therein are simple and concise, cross-referenced and when necessary, backed up by reams of peer-reviewed publications. I am impressed, this book is simply epic, and it speaks my language without unnecessary text.  It is admittedly somewhat technical and thus possibly not accessible to a layman or someone looking to be entertained as well as informed, but that is not its purpose.
4812180
Excellent up-to-date archaeological resource to substantiate Biblical persons, places and events. Very good physical quality of the hardcover edition as well. Goes into a lot of detail concerning important subjects such as Sodom and Gomorrah, Babel, the James Ossuary, etc. The book also goes into a lot of in depth information about early texts that the Bible is based upon.
2768229
Informative and comprehensive. A great resource.
2353494
it is a good old epic with lots of history. Worth reading.
2306128
The content of this book is phenomenal. I've used my standard copy extensively, especially when trying to find shrines and collect korok seeds. I also haven't found an error thus far.

I got my copy for around $50. I think the book is worth it at that price for the beautiful cover. My only qualm with the design is that the pages are not edged in gold, like the rest of my deluxe collection is.
However, this book is absolutely massive. I don't have a book shelf that it can fit on. It doesn't match the sizing of the rest of my deluxe guides from Prima, and that's a deal breaker for me. I'll be sticking with my standard edition for the sake of convenience.
322183
A great resource, written well. Much of the content can be found on the author's blog or in his podcasts (and I highly recommend the podcast), but having it in one accessible place is great. Get this book and discuss it with a friend.
1806373
Epic book. Definitely not dated even though written some time ago. Benyus writes in a way that is both accessible language with learning new concepts/vocabulary as well.
4688772
Great big resource covering soooo many topics in detail! I've studied Spanish for awhile now, enough to take lit courses, but there's always more or things that just don't stick and this is a great book to have to be able to flip through or look things up in, but it's also very accessible if you're just starting out. Sava is also very cognizant of regionalisms and the many weird things that one comes across in trying to learn Spanish, so have no fear you're not just getting a printed version of a boring-ass class.
4385591
It's a pity this book seems out of print because it is/was an excellent resource.

While softcover the book is well bound and absolutely full to the brim of weapon descriptions, comparisons and line drawings. All sorts of weird and wonderful (real life) stuff is dealt with in this easily used work and the section on armour is great for anyone wanting an idea of what the various armours looked like when worn. I hasten to add there are no colour plates in this work, the only splash of colour is reserved for the cover but as something to be pored over by DM's, gamers and weapons nerds this is a very handy work to have lying around. The final section on castles is full of nicely rendered drawings - not technical in nature I should point out - but illustrations that aim to give the flavour of the fortification. Obviously whole books have been devoted to many of the subjects dealt with herein, this work isn't trying to be the last work in the history of swordsmithing for instance, but it is very good at what it sets out to do which is to thrown a heck of a lot of information at the reader in a presentable and logical manner.

A few years ago I sold off almost all my RPG books from my youth, but this one wasn't one I got rid of.
367461
"War and Peace" is undeniably epic, and consequently a prodigious read.  But as anyone who has finished it will tell you, it's well worth it (and more).  When deciding which translation to opt for, do yourself a favor and get the Maude translation (Norton), edited by Gibian.  Only in this edition will you find the interesting and invaluable scholarship Aylmer Maude so painstakingly assembled.
If you are poised to read "War and Peace" for the first time, the last thing you need is a wordy review by some git on amazon.com, so I'll exercise modest brevity.  There's no need to mention the love triangles, mystical persuasions or the finely wrought battle scenes, all of which are so prominent in "War and Peace."  This book is, simply, life.  Like the course of time, chugging it's way ad infinitum, the truths, ideas and emotions in this monumental work are universal; like earth, fire and water, Tolstoy is elemental!
4024077
What an astoundingly good epic read.

As a prospective writer I found this book amazing for resting and relaxing as well as a how to guide of how to write time lapses, logically and coherently in about 50 different ways.

The characters show real growth and in such an epic read it is a continual growth process not a onetime thing.
This is really one of the best ever epic fantasy books I have read in a very long list of books in this genre, I will most assuredly recommend this to all fantasy genre lovers.

I "read" this on audio and the mastery of the narrator . . . was worthy of a review and another 5 * review all on its own.

WaAr
1558682
Still worth 5 stars.  One has to overlook a couple of inconsistencies with LOTR, such as sleeping elves, Orcs attacking during the daylight (and all day long, for that matter), and some inconsistencies of logic, fauna "thriving" in a lightless middle earth, etc.  It also reads like a history book spanning thousands of years (which, of course, it exactly is, fictitiously) and therefore it leaves little room for character development.

Despite these problems, which would ruin any other book, the positive aspects more than offset the deficiencies. There are brave heroes with moral dilemmas, epic trials and travails, and above all an imagery and imagination that is other worldly, and on a grand scale and very rich in content.  One could well imagine dozens of movies being made from this collection, and all would fall short of the visions this book brings.  It is so rich in content, in fact, that unless you're already familiar with Tolkien's Middle-Earth, you may find yourself lost in all the names, times, and places.  It would be a very tough read, but ultimately, it would still be very rewarding.
3099134
This book is absolutely fascinating, explaining the detail and thought that went into making an epic of this proportion. I would have never considered all the minute details they so painstakingly devoted their lives to over the years of the pre-production and principle production period of the LOTR.  Every detail from designing the perfect Gandalf hat to finding ingenious ways to protect ancient moss in a particular location to makeup for horses (yes, even horses need makeup!) is explored.  Plus much, much more.
The book is as easy as it is enjoyable to read.  It is like reading a magazine article on each topic they covered. Concise and too the point, but with plenty of information.
If you can only buy one LOTR book, make this the one.  While the others are good, most of the information in them has also been presented in various documentaries or other media.  You'll find surprises in this one!