PICK OF THE WEEK
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Maptech, $29.50)
It’s 10.485 miles from Gatlinburg to the rest area at Clingmans Dome, when you measure it point to point. If you were of a mind to attempt that distance in a straight line — fences, buildings and other obstacles be hanged — you’d start at an elevation of 1,394 feet and end at 6,065 feet. You’d know all that because you had just plotted the course on Maptech’s CD-ROM of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But that’s not all you’d know. You’d see where the real hiking trails are, where creeks and campgrounds and waterfalls can be found. You could come up with just about any route and see a profile chart of the step-by-step elevation changes and the accompanying grade percentages. You’d zoom in and out and scoot around all over the park by way of surface and digital terrain maps — with exact coordinates given as your mouse navigates the screen. All you need is Windows 98/95/NT, 486 CPU, 4X CD-ROM, 8 MB of RAM and a mouse. And some good hiking boots. CD-ROMs for 54 national parks are available individually at the price shown above, in regional sets for $69.50 or the entire set of 54 parks for $179.50. (888-433-8500)
CASSETTE TAPES
“French Phrase Cassette: French As It’s Really Spoken”
(Berlitz, $9.95)
That catchy ad slogan you secretly admire, that goofy song you can’t get out of your head. Chances are, those things wouldn’t have had near the staying power if you had only read them. They’re proof of the strength of audio, and living examples of why a language tape can teach you something in spite of yourself. In this Berlitz cassette tape, you’ll spend 90 minutes hearing French as it is really spoken in France, Belgium and Switzerland. And you’ll hear it in small conversational doses and from a variety of male and female voices, first at a speed that allows you to hear each word distinctly, then at a speed that would be natural to native speakers. You’ll hear, and have time to repeat, everyday expressions that have to do with ordering a meal, saying hello, telling time, asking for directions and so forth. The tape also comes with a written script, scarcely bigger than a credit card, so you can see what the language looks like on paper. By no means will you become fluent in French with this tape, no matter how many times you hit the rewind button. At the very least, you will have prepared yourself for one of the greatest culture shocks that Anglo-Americans experience abroad: the absence of English. Also available in German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Latin-American Spanish, English for Spanish speakers, and Japanese.
“Get Around in Spain”
(NTC Contemporary Publishing, $18.95)
This 75-minute cassette tape for European Spanish comes in a packet that includes the scarcely-bigger-than-a-credit-card phrase book and a 124-page travel guide for Spain. The travel guide has some tourist and cultural information and numerous color photographs, but its emphasis is on language instruction, and there is a Spanish-English dictionary in back. The tape is faster paced that the one Berlitz makes, mostly because all Spanish is introduced at conversational speed, and thus a bit harder to follow. But because it includes the guidebook, the Get Around series offers a visual context — one more aid to learning — in which to discover Spanish. Also available in French, German, Italian, Latin-American Spanish and Greek. (847-679-5500)
PHRASE BOOKS
“Pilipino (Tagalog) Phrase Book”
(Lonely Planet, $5.95)
Lonely Planet can’t resist peppering its pocket-sized language guides with cultural tips; shop early in the morning, the better to haggle a bargain price from vendors who believe that starting out with a happy customer sets the tone for the rest of the day. Such advice makes for a nice change of pace while wading through shopping terminology. At the back, an English-Pilipino and Pilipino-English dictionary wraps things up. Comes in a daunting variety of languages, including Mandarin, Thai Hill Tribes, Ethiopian and Australian English.
“Insiders’ French”
(The University of Chicago Press, $12)
It says here that Sidi Brahim is a chain of small grocery stores in France that are run by Tunisians or Moroccans. The chain has uprooted old-line French chains because the Sidi Brahim stores stay open later on weeknights and all day on Sundays. Of course, the French have a pet name for such stores: le petit Arabe. Just try and find a regular French dictionary that’ll tell you that. Out in April. (800-621-2736)
KID STUFF
“Where Will Nana Go Next?”
(Howling at the Moon Press, $15.95)
She’s a hip, state-hoppin’ granny who grabs her dog and her RV and hits the highways of America to see what’s out there. Follow her adventures in this 32-page, color-saturated hardcover picture book. Maps show where, for example, Nana goes surfing in California and where she goes fishing on the Mississippi. The book’s thick pages should make it easier for small fingers to turn — and perhaps hold up through numerous readings — all the way to the end, when Nana comes home. This one’s supposed to be out in mid-April (877-9-HOWLING).
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Toni Stroud’s e-mail address is tstroud@tribune.com.
