Better than good

large pages and clear images make this atlas very easy to read. The spiral binding means the page stays open where you want it.The layout of the maps means fewer page turns- even for quite long journeys (Oxford to Cambridge for eg is on one double page),and a good price makes for excellent value<br />And a tribute to Amazon-ordered on Saturday pm and delivered on Tuesday at 6.30am!!<br />PS. I'm 64.7 now

FAB!!!

I really enjoyed this book and found it very helpfull and with great tips and info to my TRIP to Italy/

Useful overview of the area

This book covers Bangkok and the Centre and East (Issan) side of Northern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Yunnan in China.<br /><br />This is a very good loop for travelers who are going to be doing this circuit around Southeast Asia.<br /><br />The book is too condensed for my liking though. The book is small and lightweight (about 1/2 size of the Thailand guide book) but with that compromises have had to be made. It therefore seems to be similar in content to the Southeast Asia guidebook for the areas it covers. I would have preferred the book to be the size of the larger guides and covered more detail.<br /><br />The are also some quirks with the book. Although the sections (countries) have a similar look and feel there are major information emissions in some section that are in others. For example - the Yunnan section has a very useful"Visas for Countries in the Region" section, which gives prices and details for visas to neighbouring countries. In the other sections you have to look at the"Visa" section and the"Embassies and Consultates" sections. In fact for working out visa and the cheapest place to buy them from while doing the trip can have you searching tables in the front of the book, information in the back of the book, up to three categories in each individual section and maybe even the city section as well. All seems a bit disjointed.<br /><br />On occasions I've also found that information is missing but, bizarrely, is available in a different place in the book. For instance there are no bus times for crossing Thailand into Laos from Chong Mek to Vang Tao but if you were to look in the Laos section it does give the times for this crossing as well as the crossing from Laos to Thailand. Other than that and as long as you know this quirk, then the land crossings are very well covered.<br /><br />The language section is also another example of weird discrepancy between countries. All the language sections are at the back of the book together. The detail is very different though. Chinese tone description are too brief to be useful, but the other languages have a good explanation. The the Thai pronunciation tell you how to say just one letter whereas the Laos section gives you a rundown of all the important vowels and consonants covering the half a page.<br /><br />It does list a lot of the best and most popular traveler places in the area but does not cover very rarely traveled are. That said, I think maybe that is the purpose of the book and a greater level of detail would be found by buying the individual country guide. However some of the brevity, like not telling you it will cost 9000 Kip to cross from Don Det to Don Khon which would have taken just a few letters is bizarre seeing as it is mentioned in their normal Laos guide.<br /><br />Low budget travelers should beware that quite a lot of the emphasis on hotels, guest houses and restaurants cover the mid range. There is always at least one of the cheapest options in there but if they are full I have had to resort to other means to find budget options in town.<br /><br />Overall though it is actually a very useful book if you are traveling this area. Like every Lonely Planet (and perhaps every guide book) it does have you pulling your hair out from time to time. Some of the information is already out of date (all the Laos bus prices as they were all changed the month the guide was published) but most generally seems accurate. In such a fast changing area as this a guide book is always going to quickly show signs of age.<br /><br />If you are traveling this area with a maximum of 4 weeks in each country or you wish to use this as a pre-trip overview along with a detailed country guide in each country it is ideal. The capital city is always covered in good detail and transport connection are covered well. It's also good to see LP taking a chance on publishing such a niche book. It's just a shame the coordinating author didn't use a stricter template to ensure country information was the same.

Compact yet providing great ideas for reading directions

Covering just over 200 great novels, you can argue til the cows come home about the editor's choices - who was left out, why this novel and not that, etc, etc, etc. List books about books are entirely subjective, but can take you in totally different directions.<br />This book is split into 12 genres and has a world-wide breadth to it, and pleasingly for each book in translation (of which there are many), a suggested translator is given. For each novel a suggestion for further reading is given, plus the best film/TV adaptations where appropriate. <br />Some of the choices are not the obvious ones - for instance we don't have a Maigret book for George Simenon, but 'Dirty snow' about a teenage killer, although Maigret does merit his own sidebar.<br />Some of the genres used are the normal ones, but often with a twist - so we have 'Crime and punishment'; also 'Rites of passage', and 'Making it'; my favourite was 'A sense of place'.<br />The test I have of these catalogues is how many books I buy from it - I've already ordered half a dozen.<br />A great book to dip into and feed your bibliomania!<br />

Yes, but how to do it and stay green?

As you might expect from the Rough Guide, this is a pretty dependable guide in terms of its facts and figures, although as with any '10/100/1000 ultimate' experiences, it's entirely subjective. Furthermore, there's the added trouble nowadays of seeing something of the world without messing it up for future generations (and hey, our own too). Couple this with the vexed question of whether making the most of your time on earth is actually limited to going to see all the places everyone else goes to see, and you've got yourself into a bit of a hole. I personally got more out of the book"Places to Hide" by Dixe Wills which covers some more eclectic (and thus more intriguing) destinations within Britain that you can get to without hopping onto a plane - give it a whirl.

A reader from the UK

I used this book as the only reference to plan a 2 week holiday and to drive around Western Malaysia. It is stuffed with valuable information and organised in the usual fashion for lonely planet books. After arriving in KL and exploring the city for several days my wife and I drove north to Penang. Then we drove east to Kota Bharu and south via Terengganu and Pahang to Malacca and subsequently further south to Singapore. It is a detailed enough guide and shows the major areas of interest and is suitable for the independent traveller. I recommend it without reservation. The only and minor criticism is that the book is slightly larger than the usual small size guides from Lonely Planet and therefore I had to carry it in a rucksack and not in my pocket. However perhaps this is inevitable due to the detailed information it offers.

Rants about a Small Island

This was the fifth Bryson book that I have read and by far the most disappointing. The appeal of the other books of his that I've read (Short History, Thunderbolt, Mother Tongue, Walk in the Woods) is that they had provided a dose of iteresting trivia in an easy to read format (although I've seldom found them"laugh-out-loud funny" as many a reviewer seems to have done.) Small Island is just about as pointless a book as you could imagine. A journey around some random places in Britain with little in the way of description, history, geography, dialogue with locals or anything else. Instead we're treated to the sorts of rants that any person travelling on their own for eight weeks might have. He hates big dogs, people with interests that he doesn't share, anyone who makes an innocent mistake, architecture, etc. etc. etc. Almost anyone (with two months holiday and a limitless budget) could have written this book but I would suggest that most would have done it better.

Slow and green

First impression is what a lovely book this is - physically - an alluring photograph of an old-fashioned bicycle in a summer meadow, framed in subdued olive tones, positively exuding Slow and green. Pick it up, feel its weight and connect with its seriousness; hold and turn the pages gently as all good book-lovers do. Then see that this is not mere presentation but the paper and printer are FSC/ISO 14001 certified for low ecological impact. You are in familiar Alastair Sawday territory; principles worn on the sleeve, backed up with real commitment and action.<br /><br />Inside, we are invited to Go Slow too. After a concise and beautifully illustrated introduction to Slow values and a few of the well-known names of English Slow such as Riverford and Fordhall Farm, we are then taken on a geographical tour of England. The rest of the book is structured around seven clusters of counties such the expected Cornwall and Devon and the unfamiliar - not to mention unconnected - grouping of Suffolk, Norfolk and Northamptonshire. These seven sections are all structured alike with a clear & useful map followed firstly by Slow Travel, a gazetteer of attractions from gardens and farmers' markets to walks and cycleways, then Slow Food which has short entries for cafés, markets and pubs, and finally the bulk of the text which is Special Places to Stay. <br /><br />And this is the real pleasure of the book. We are introduced to the forty-eight Special Places across England through the owners of the properties and are shown how they have put their values into practice as well. In substantial and well-illustrated entries we meet families and pets, hear the stories and most importantly, what qualifies these them as Special and Slow places - and can almost smell the hand-made bread, touch the quilt and hear the laughter. These are the true heroes of Slow in England, who are rightly celebrated in this book.<br /><br />It is not a tome for the backpack or panniers but one for poring over at home: dreaming and planning. And that is what I intended when I dipped back into it for Slow ideas for a trip to friends. This was when I had a disappointment and my only quibble with the book - albeit a major one - there is a whole swathe of the midlands from Lincolnshire in the East to Cheshire in the West, including the delightful county of Derbyshire where my friends reside, with no entries in the book at all. This is an omission to be rectified next time and a challenge to discover the hidden Slow heroes who are surely out there. <br />

Big and Chunky

It's great because it covers so many places, with useful practical information (including a huge language section). It doesn't go into much depth so it leaves you to explore independently, which is great for the adventurous but not so hot for those who like loads of information before they get to their destination.

Best French road mapping

The big AA road atlas uses IGN mapping which really is the best for French roads. No annoying ring binder on this one either.

The man needs an editor!

How on earth could anyone think it was a good idea to publish a fairly bog-standard travel book that completely disregarded the rules of punctuation and grammar? If it was e. e. cummings I would be more sympathetic (though I would be unlikely to read it) - but this is just illiterate.

An excellent investment

The 2008 edition of the Unofficial Guide runs to over 800 pages, plus maps on the inside covers, and provides exhaustive coverage of Disneyworld, Orlando. Such a massive book looks quite daunting at first - but Disneyworld itself is far more daunting if you're not prepared, and it's well worth investing time in planning and research before you go.<br /><br />As in previous editions, there is a huge amount of information about hotels, particularly the Disney ones - even down to room plans and dimensions and the best room numbers to request: if you're considering staying in a Disney resort, it is certainly worth consulting this book before booking. Travelling times to each park from Disney and local hotels are listed, by car and Disney transport. There is a small section on vacation homes/villas including a nice little map showing the most popular locations - as many UK visitors choose villa accommodation, this is a very useful addition, though less detailed than other sections of the book.<br /><br />There is also extensive coverage (90 pages! plus a separate section on 'character dining') of the Disney and local restaurants, including tips for booking, ratings for value, service, etc. etc. Perhaps this reflects the concerns of the mainly American readership - personally, I wouldn't go to a theme park for the food.<br /><br />For the parks themselves, each attraction is described in detail and rated for various age groups, and there are plans for touring each park, one for adults, one for families, etc. which are supposed to help you get the most out of Disney with minimal queuing, though aren't so necessary if you go out of season. These touring plans are a big feature of the guide, and the authors reckon they can make the most of your holiday; as there isn't one tailored for the 8-year-old rollercoaster freak and family we've never tried them, but there is a huge amount of generally useful information which would apply to any visit.<br /><br />Previous editions included a calendar showing how busy each park is likely to be each day - so you could look up each day of your holiday, find out which park is quietest and how crowded it is likely to be on a scale of 1-10. This isn't in the 2008 edition for good reasons, but if you buy the guide, you can access an updated calendar online giving you the same information.<br /><br />The guide is unbelievably detailed on the subject of Disneyworld, and surprisingly readable and amusing, sprinkled with quotes from readers and witty asides. As the authors are independent of Disney, they are not afraid to be critical when appropriate. There are many more or less useful tips, from the best time to arrive at each park, which roads to take, how to get sought-after character breakfast reservations, even a chapter on preventing tantrums. There is also useful information about provision for disabled visitors etc. - well worth investigating if it's relevant to you. <br /><br />Although the guide only claims to cover Disney, there are also comprehensive listings and ratings for attractions at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and a few other attractions are also covered in less detail. Seaworld and Discovery Cove get only a couple of pages each, and Busch Gardens is barely mentioned (there is a separate Unofficial Guide which covers these and other Florida attractions but not in as much depth). There is a whole chapter about local golf courses, and some information about shopping opportunities etc.<br /><br />It is worth noting that this is written for a mainly US readership. The ratings for attractions should be treated with a handful of salt (3 stars for teens to see Winnie the Pooh and 2 stars for teens to see Barney the purple dinosaur? The representative sample of teenagers I consulted would sooner chew off his own foot.) As you'd expect, there is a shortage of information about booking from the UK, and about the Disney tickets only available in the UK, and not much to help with the cultural and practical differences. I would recommend that UK visitors, especially first-timers, use this book in conjunction with the Brit's Guide by Simon Veness - when you think how much you're spending on your holiday, it's well worth investing in both (and doing some online research too).

A must

Frankly this is one of the best books I have read in a long time - and I have read a few.<br /><br />It describes a French reality that is in contrast to official French history that, to anyone living here, is so contrived. <br /><br />The way of life of the past french population is not only realistic and remarkeable but, for a student of British history, gives a pointer to how many of our ancestors must have lived. This is not about Kings and aristocrats but of ordinary people (and their animals!).

More of the same

If you liked the first book, you're probably going to like this one too. Clarkson writes well, he is amusing and entertaining and provided you can see past his often boorish style, you have to acknowledge that a lot of what he says albeit often in an exaggerated and light-hearted style is actually very true. He is a bemused observer in a peculiar country at a peculiar moment in history, one in which we are no longer allowed to do certain things because some other people think it might be bad for us- a point he comes back to agian and again.<br /><br />Once again, he wisely chooses to keep his references to cars to a minimum, a welcome recognition from him that many of his readers actually have a life. It is truly the second volume, it offers nothing which the first volume didn't and for people who care what he thinks or enjoy the way he writes, the book offered here at the time of writing for four quid, represents good value.

Sticky title, great book!

I loved Annie Hawes earlier books on Italy, and having just got back from Morocco myself, I got hold of this one as soon as it came out. She clearly relished her time in North Africa. Handful of Honey is a kaleidoscope of fascinating characters and quirky encounters, each giving some new insight into North African reality. She portrays a lively, bustling world of colourful individuals with senses of humour as acute as her own. There are holy saints and dangerous djinns; there are ordinary, everyday people doing their best to make ends meet, Maghreb style; there are many hints at a long colonial history, as well as a noble pre-colonial past. There are also many deliciously spicy foodstuffs, prepared in extraordinary ways and in unlikely places: and there is much intriguing outer wear. (I laughed my head off at the scene where she attempts to don the hijab.) Hawes' great strength is her ability to empathize with anyone and everyone she encounters; from a cannabis-farming mother in the Moroccan Rif to university radicals in Algeria, from share-cropping date growers in a Saharan oasis to nomad blacksmiths in the Grand Erg mountains. A great book, which takes the reader deep behind the scenes of the usual facile stereotypes of Islam.

The Benchmark

Comparing this book with Ewan and Charley's is unavoidable. McGregor and Boorman have had all the hype and the star treatment however so maybe it's unfair. Did Ted have a support crew and 2 full sets of custom tools to fall back on? No he didn't. Neither did he have enough cash to buy a new bike and new four wheel drive wagon when the going got tough. Ted did it on his own and with a bike from a factory unable to spring to his aid if needed. Ewan changed some spark plugs, Ted rebuilt his whole engine. If you want a book that started it and all tells you how to with the minimum of resources then this is for you. As Ewan and Charley point out, he's the one who led and all the others follow.