America's Best Beaches [Paperback]

Stephen P. Leatherman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book is intended to pique your interest in exploring our nation's great beaches and to serve as a guide for beach lovers. Because people visit beaches for different reasons, I have included categories such as best swimming, walking, scenic, wilderness, city, sports, novelty, and surfing beaches. Not everyone has a ticket to Hawaii; therefore, the listings are regionalized so that you can find your place in the sun closer to home or while touring. I hope that this book will serve to enhance your pleasure in pursuit of the three S's - sun, surf, and sand.

About the Author

Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman is one of the world's foremost beach experts and a professor at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Each year Dr. Leatherman releases his ranking of America's Best Beaches on Memorial Day Weekend; the long-requested book America's Best Beaches was finally published in 1998. Dr. Leatherman has a Ph.D. in Environmental (Coastal) Sciences from the University of Virginia and a B.S. degree in Geosciences from North Carolina State University. He has authored and edited 13 books and written over 100 journal articles and technical reports. Dr. Leatherman has given expert testimony ten times to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the on-screen host and co-producer of the award-wining documentary "Vanishing Lands".

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1 edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096634510X
• ISBN-13: 978-0966345100
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,369,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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  Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Beaches

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Over promotes Florida Beaches / Wierd selection., January 15, 2005

By	G. Voevodsky "waves_dvds" (Portola Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: America's Best Beaches (Paperback)

Having shot many of the best beaches in Hawaii, California, Florida, The Bahamas, Virgin Islands and the Caribbean, I have been to most of the beaches on his lists. About half of them deserve the awards, the other half has no reason. For example St. George Island has a brownish beach which turns the greenish water into greenish brown. It's rugged and interesting, but not what you'd imagine a 'best' beach to look like. If you really want to see what the best beaches look and feel like, check out the "Best Beaches" under DVDs here on Amazon.com.

19 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beach Book overlooks Great Lakes beaches!, January 14, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Best Beaches (Paperback)

I am an expert on the Great Lakes, and was senior staff for 6 years for Great Lakes United, an international coalition that protects the Great Lakes. I think Dr. Leatherman's book is excellent except one great omission. HE TOTALLY LEAVES OUT THE GREAT LAKES! For those who dont live near them, yes, they have great beaches. The Great Lakes have 3800 miles of shoreline, longer than the entire U.S. Atlantic shoreline. 8-mile long Presque Isle Beach in Pennsylvania is used by millions of people a year. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, near Chicago, is nationally famous. Nottasawaga Beach in Ontario, Toronto's prime summer vacation district, is the longest freshwater beach in the world! NY, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ontario and Minnesota all have long, clean sandy beaches. And they have something ocean beaches DONT have: they are on freshwater (not salty). The Great Lakes are called the Sweetwater Seas, and they are the largest collection of lakes in the world (and contain 25% of the world's freshwater). If Mr. Leatherman wants to be fair and complete, he will expand his book to include Great Lakes beaches in the future edition.

11 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible Dribble!, May 28, 2001

By	Mr. Slabbaert (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Best Beaches (Paperback)

This is a terrible list of recommendation's "Best Beaches in the US". 1. Kaunaoa, Hawaii 2. St Joseph Peninsula State Park, Florida 3. Poipu Beach Park, Hawaii 4. Hanalei Beach, Hawaii 5. Kaanapali, Hawaii 6. Caladesi Island State Park, Florida 7. Fort Desoto Park, Florida 8. Hamoa, Hawaii 9. Cape Florida SRA, Florida 10. Ocracoke Island, North Carolina 11. St George Island State Park, Florida 12. East Hampton Beach, New York 13. Westhampton Beach, New York

14. Perdido Key SRA, Florida 15. Siesta Beach, Florida 16. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina 17. Hanauma Bay, Hawaii 18. Coast Guard Beach, Massachusetts 19. Carpinteria City Beach, California 20. Long Beach Island, New Jersey

Hanalei Beach, If that beach rates in the top 50 (And it doesn't) I would be surprised. Long Beach Island, New Jersey in the Top 20 Ha, There goes your credibility. I have been to many of your so called best beaches and they are NOT! This is a disservice to those who would plan a vacation based on this lousy group of "BEST BEACHES". I would be greatly disappointed if I thought I was standing on the top #1-20 beach's in the US. I would then plan my escapes outside the US., In search of the perfect Temp.,Water,Sand and Waves "BEACH". From the looks of this list anybody can write a book, I guess you can tell I think the list stinks!

Take my word and find your own Beach Paradise, these guys don't know what the HECK they are talking about! Hawaii at least has the top 10-15 beaches in the US.,If I wrote a book I would put more thought into what I would recomend!

Mr. Slabbaert