“Compass American Guides: Montana” (Fodor’s Travel Publications, $18.95)
If you go in search of agates, go on the lower Yellowstone River, in Montana, in spring. Keep a sharp eye because the gems, they say, are hard to recognize. They’re a little like Montana itself: Sometimes the exterior is rugged, but there’s always a treasure inside. You’d think there would be more guidebooks on Montana, given the “star” attention the region has received — from Lewis and Clark, and Charlie Russell to “A River Runs Through It” and “The Horse Whisperer.” It’s a land sparsely settled, hard to get to — even these days — and harder to know. Just about any Montana book, however rough, would be welcomed by those who long to learn more. How fortunate then that this title, through its many color photographs, thorough text and frequent literary sidelights, does more than chip at the crust of our fourth-largest state. It polishes the gem.
“Walking in Italy” (Lonely Planet, $17.95)
There are places in Italy where it is right and good that one drive fast, preferably in a small, red convertible: Rome, perhaps, or the Amalfi Coast. But there are other places where only the grit of the trail crunching beneath the soles will do: those five villages, the Cinque Terre, perched above the Ligurian Sea; or the hike up and around Mt. Vesuvius. This first edition not only tells you how and shows you where, but also breaks the walks into timed segments, by fitness level, so you can plan accordingly, take your time and stay clear of little red cars.
“Great RV Trips” (Fulcrum, $16.95)
You can’t fault a guy for wanting to make a few converts. So we’ll indulge the author’s first few pages, which explain why people travel by RV. Those who are considering an RV rental or purchase will find many tips on making the best vehicle selection before the trip, and itineraries come with recommendations on where to park each night. After the preliminaries, it’s off to the Indian trails of the American Southwest, or Canada’s Vancouver Island, or Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. There’s even a route in Mexico where RVers can ride piggy-back on the flatbed cars of a train. (800-992-2908)
VIDEO
New York: First City of the World
OK, forget the cheesy parts where the narrators start singing New York songs. Forget the occasional pithy sentiments such as: “Miss Liberty! That’s what they call her!” There’s enough of substance here to make up for those wince-inducers. Try the tavern that has been serving dinner since the 1780s; visit the mansion governors have lived in since the 1790s. This video, one in the Museum City Videos collection, takes you inside the Rainbow Room, shows you the Radio City Rockettes kicking up their heels. It explains how New York came to receive so many of its landmarks from famous millionaires. It takes you from Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue to the Jewelry Center on 47th, where 80 percent of the U.S. diamond trade is conducted. But most of its 52 minutes are devoted to showing the content of the art museums — big ones like the Metropolitan, but smaller ones, too, like the Frick. The restaurant coverage becomes suspect when we see dining room staff extolling their menus. But for the price, this is an easy way to learn not only what’s in New York but also how it got there. From View Video, $19.98. (212-674-5550)
MAGAZINES
Adventure Journal (special summer issue, $3.50)
There’s nothing new about stories on the Amazon. But it’s a rare magazine that’ll tell you this: If you plan to cruise the Amazon, some of your most memorable moments will be spent in the shower/toilet, depending on what you can see through the porthole at the time. Adventure Journal is the newest incarnation of EcoTraveler, Adventure West and Outdoor Action, all combined in a fresh format that highlights rich photography and brisk writing. A rafting team finds whitewater on the Yangtze River; a snorkeler discovers the mineral pools of Cuatro Cienegas in the Chihuahuan Desert. Here’s advice on how to take a sabbatical and where to buy a bicycle ($2,195) that will fit in your carry-on luggage. (800-513-7112)
GEAR
Travel Lite shoe trees
Men who are inclined to travel with shoe trees are, very likely, the same ones who FedEx their luggage to the next hotel, or else they’ll tip skycaps, cabbies and bellhops to tote their bags for them. In other words, men who travel with shoe trees have little reason to take excessive interest in how much their shoe trees weigh. Or so we imagined. But a company based in Port Washington, Wis., has come out with shoe trees that it says are 50 percent lighter than most standard shoe trees. Woodlore’s new shoe trees are made of an aluminum tension rod that connects the aromatic cedar heel and cedar toe: The men’s small weighs in at 8 ounces, men’s large at 11 ounces. Travel Lites maintain a shoe’s shape in the same way that most standard shoe trees do, the cedar smells good, and they retail for $17.95. They possess that nice-but-impersonal quality appropriate in a business-to-business gift, even come in a box that’s printed with a scattering of vintage travel decals. But if 8 or 11 ounces can ease a traveler’s burden, wouldn’t you think they’d make the product in women’s sizes too? And if a few ounces truly are a weighty concern, wouldn’t no shoe trees at all be 100 percent lighter? (800-288-0200)
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Toni Stroud’s e-mail address is tstroud@tribune.com.
