His mission is urgent: Of the six thousand languages spoken in the world today, only six hundred may survive into the next century. Abley visits the exotic and frequently remote locales that are home to fading languages and constructs engaging and entertaining portraits of some of the last living speakers of these tongues. Throughout this exhilarating travelogue, he points out that the same forces that put biological species at risk -- development, globalization, loss of habitat -- are also threatening human languages, and with them, something very basic about their speakers' cultures.

    From Florida's Road to Flamingo to Hawaii's Oahu Coastal Loop . . . from British Columbia's Sea to Sky Highway to Cape Cod's Sandy Shores . . . each featured road trip is pictured in stunning full color and described in vivid text, keyed to an easy-to-follow newly revised map. Whether you choose a drive in a far corner of the continent or a back road in your own state, this book is your ticket to North America's most beautiful byways.Drives are grouped in four pictured-packed sections-Western, Mountain, Central, and Eastern states and provinces-and are accompanied by detailed, easy-to-use maps. New drives featuring some of Canada's most stunning destinations have been added. As a bonus, handy Trip Tip sidebars include: Mileage best season to travel nearby attractions special events "learn more" contact information including website addressesA special feature called Star Routes offers thumbnail sketches of shorter but especially scenic roads located in the same region as the main tours. Additional boxes highlight distinctive characteristics of the areas, including local plants, animals, customs, foods, and a variety of historical events.Whether on the road or in the comfort of your easy chair, this newly revised Reader's Digest travel guide will be a welcome companion.

    The result is a distinctive illustrated guide to the world. Categories of cartographic curiosities include: Literary Creations, featuring a map of Thomas More's Utopia and the world of George Orwell's 1984;Cartographic Misconceptions, such as a lavish seventeenthcentury map depicting California as an island Political Parody, containing the Jesusland map and other humorous takes on voter profiles; Whatchamacallit, including a map of the area codes for regions where the rapper Ludacris sings about having hoesbr; Obscure Proposals, capturing Thomas Jefferson's vision for dividing the Northwest Territory into ten states with names such as Polypotamia and Assenisipia; Fantastic Maps, with a depiction of what the globe might look like if the sea and land were inverted. The Strange Maps blog has been named by GeekDad Blog on Wired.com one of the more unusual and unique sites seen on the Web that doesn't sell anything or promote an agenda and it's currently ranked #423 on Technorati's Top 500 Blogs. Brimming with trivia, deadpan humor, and idiosyncratic lore, Strange Maps is a fascinating tour of all things weird and wonderful in the world of cartography.