Laura O. Foster, author

Portland has 196 public staircases, an irresistible asset to this pedestrian-friendly city. In The Portland Stairs Book, Portland's walking guru Laura Foster has gathered the best and most interesting in a handy pocket-sized guide.

From Mount Tabor's epic 282 steps to the glass cupola atop 115 steps in Pioneer Courthouse, The Portland Stairs Book features details on twenty outdoor stairs that have amazing stories and something unique to offer an urban explorer. The stairs include the Willamette River Bridge Stairs, The Westover Terraces Steps, and Rocky Butte's Grand Staircase. The book also features indoor stairs that are perfect for a rainy Portland day and five Stair Trails that lead readers on urban treks that contain hundreds of steps in five different areas of town.

Visitors and residents of Portland, Oregon will find this an ideal guide, full of fun information about the city and its neighborhoods. Each tour is clearly planned and includes a map, the total number of steps, amenities enroute, stairs up and down marked in the tour description by arrows pointing up and down, number of steps for each set of stairs, and a wealth of marvelous details of the surrounding neighborhood, architecture, bridges, roads, local history, local people and pets, as well as everything you wanted to know about stairs and stairways. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"The book is a feast of Portland stair facts and stories...with Foster’s keen eye for quirky detail." Oregonian

"Thanks to Laura Foster, the author of beloved local guidebooks, Portland Hill Walks and Portland City Walks, the city’s treasure trove of noteworthy staircases are back on display. Foster is known for her firm grasp on Portland’s long forgotten history, much of which we literally step over each day." Portland Monthly