"Perpetually interesting," Henry James said of the history-rich Hudson, and so it is, with the stunning Catskill Mountains, the brooding intensity of the Hudson Highlands, the greatest city in the world at its mouth -- and an extraordinary bounty of things to see and do along the way. Now in its third revised edition, Tim Mulligan's engaging guidebook (formerly titled The Hudson River Valley: A History and Guide) provides invaluable, up-to-the-minute suggestions on how best to enjoy the region's treasures: -- Ponies and performing arts at Saratoga -- Old Masters at the exquisite Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, Early American master-works and paintings of the Hudson River school at the Albany Institute of Art, furniture and handcrafts at the Shaker Museum in Old Chatham, and natural history at the Museum of the Hudson Highlands -- Walking and driving tours of historic Hudson, Kingstons, Cold Spring, and Nyack, and the rolling farmland of Dutchess and Columbia counties -- A celebrated view from the site of the once-famed Catskill Mountain House -- Kykuit, the lovely Rockefeller estate, now open to the public for the first time plus -- Dozens of bed and breakfasts, inns, restaurants, and antique shops recommended by those who know the Valley best -- the people who live there