696a For the Love of Guidebooks; The Gulf; Greatest Art in Europe

Rick Steves' Best of Europe guidebook is designed for travelers on a whirlwind tour of Western Europe. It includes vivid photos, easy-to-scan layouts, and detailed information on sights, hotels, and restaurants. The guide covers popular destinations like London, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona, offering self-guided neighborhood walks and museum tours.

Written during a vacation on Florida's Captiva Island in the early 1950s, *Gift from the Sea* is an essay-style work where Anne Morrow Lindbergh uses seashells as inspiration to reflect on the lives of Americans, particularly American women, in the mid-20th century. The book explores themes of youth and age, love and marriage, peace, solitude, and contentment. It is often classified as inspirational literature and has been praised for its simplicity, solitude, and care for the soul. The book has sold over 3 million copies and has been translated into 45 languages[4][2][3].