Against the Wind: A Maine to Alaska Bicycling Adventure [Paperback]

Marty Basch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

Marty Basch chronicles his Maine to Alaska cycling adventure.

Product Details

• Paperback: 141 pages
• Publisher: Top of the World Communications; 1st edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964651009
• ISBN-13: 978-0964651005
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #637,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting tales, but poor proofreading, February 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against the Wind: A Maine to Alaska Bicycling Adventure (Paperback)

I tend to agree with the reviewer from Chicago - the author could have used a (better) proofreader. This is one of those books where the reader almost begins to look for the next mistake. At one point the last line on one page is repeated in its entirety as the first line of the next page. And, as was noted in the other review, the proper use of apostrophes is very inconsistent.

The adventures the author experienced cannot be discounted, however. There are many interesting stories that, if you're a cyclist, cause you to pause and try to imagine yourself in those situations. One that especially struck me - other than his "bear/human interaction" - was having a mechanical failure with the closest bike shop being 300 miles distant. Also, the number of "it's a small world" incidents Basch experienced on the trip makes for interesting reading.

If you are a cyclist who enjoys touring, and can overlook the typos and such, you will probably find this book a quick, entertaining read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, January 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against the Wind: A Maine to Alaska Bicycling Adventure (Paperback)

As a work of literature, this book doesn't quite make it. Sentence structure is poor, and it is riddled with grammatical problems and sloppy typos. However, this could be a very useful book for a cyclist planning a long-distance trip. Some of the author's observations are very interesting (although his way of describing them is often annoying) and he details some of the hardships and adventures involved in such a journey. His description of a temporary riding mate and their undesired reunion later was amusing.

Still, this book could have used a good proofreader, as the author (though he claims to be a journalist) has very little understanding of apostrophe and comma use, and his attempts to be amusing with wordplay end up looking clumsy. His writing style is often confusing and I found myself rereading passages several times to figure out what he was talking about. If you love biking and don't care about grammar, sentence structure or interesting writing, then this is a book for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Trip, Bad Writing, January 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against the Wind: A Maine to Alaska Bicycling Adventure (Paperback)

As a work of literature, this book doesn't quite make it. Sentence structure is poor, and it is riddled with grammatical problems and sloppy typos. However, this could be a very useful book for a cyclist planning a long-distance trip. Some of the author's observations are very interesting (although his way of describing them is often annoying) and he details some of the hardships and adventures involved in such a journey. His description of a temporary riding mate and their undesired reunion later was amusing.

Still, this book could have used a good proofreader, as the author (though he claims to be a journalist) has very little understanding of apostrophe and comma use, and his attempts to be amusing with wordplay end up looking clumsy. His writing style is often confusing and I found myself rereading passages several times to figure out what he was talking about. If you love biking and don't care about grammar and sentence structure, this is a good book for you.