Exciting and thrilling is the reaction of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau to news that a new book lists the Dells as one of 100 best vacations in the world. Life Books has just published a 100 real-life examples of heaven on earth found within the pages of "Dream Destinations: 100 of the World's Best Vacations," which includes Wisconsin Dells.

Romy Snyder, VB executive director, said the Dells inclusion in the book is a "True testament to men and women of this community and what they do here" in terms of accommodations, restaurants and attractions to make them the best. The bureau worked with Life last fall in getting material for the book, but Snyder noted the bureau works with different media all the time but "you never get a guarantee" that the area will be included. "This is what we are looking at, what we hoped for, but until you get confirmation or until you see it in print, you never know. We've always known Wisconsin Dells is a great place to visit, now the whole world will know."

Snyder said she hopes the book gets extensive distribution and added that recent books listing "100 best" have become a "very popular way to position notable things to do. We're thrilled to be a part." The latest release from iconic Life comes in the form of a stunning, oversized hardcover book. Transporting readers around the globe to little-known gems such as the Masai Mara and iconic wonders like Montezuma, it hits bookstores May 1.

Over 100 alluring photos are complemented by evocative text, which provides further understanding of the culture and history, cuisine and accommodations, and lifestyle and lore of each storied locale. "Working on Dream Destinations was a dream assignment," says Life Books editor Robert Sullivan. "We got to travel to the most wondrous places in the world, right in our offices. Now we hope to share that experience with Life's readers."

"Life's editors assemble a master list of well over a hundred destinations that might be dreamy, then cull from this a collections of places that are varied, interesting, aesthetically beautiful, and, most importantly, truly a dream to visit. We talk to our army of photographers, who've been to these places, and we talk among ourselves — some destinations are personal favorites that we know to be sensational. I've been lucky enough to have visited nearly three-fourths of the places in the book. We want to have tried-and-true places (London or Orlando, for families) and many surprises (Transylvania, for instance, or Hemingway's Havana or Ireland's strange Burren)… We want the book to be an inspiration to get up and go, but also to be a lovely keepsake — and an entertaining one — in and of itself."

A book of distinctions — experiences, places and imagery — Dream Destinations is organized by specific types of vacations for easy navigation:

• For families. Destinations include London, Orlando, The Ahwahnee Hotel and the Wisconsin Dells
• For culture vultures. Giverny, France; The Rodin Sculpture Garden and Lenox, Mass.
• For sightseers. The Bosporus Strait, Ireland's Burren, The Inside Passage and Le Marche, Italy
• For sporty types. Golfing in Oregon, Denali and white-water rafting in the Sun Kosi River in Tibet
• For history buffs. Captain Cook's Polynesia, Crete and The Freedom Trail, Boston, Massachusetts
• For romantics. Montreal, The Point in the Adirondacks, Napa Valley and Saint Lucia

Life has also selected six of "The Impossible Dream" destinations that go above and beyond. For families, that destination is space; for history buffs, Lost Atlantis; for romantics, Kennedy Cottage in Montecito, Calif. With many of the dream destinations located here in North America, readers will have to fight the urge to jump right into their cars. Dream Destinations publishes on May 1, and is available wherever books are sold and at www.life.com/dream for $29.95.

Life Books carries on the traditions of excellence in photography, in journalism, and in telling the story of our country and our world which began with Life magazine in 1936 by founding editor and publisher, Henry R. Luce. Life Books publishes six to as many as 10 hard- and soft-cover books each year, as well as new volumes of the New York Times #1 Best Seller Life: Picture Puzzle.

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