36. Lonely Planet: Diving & Snorkeling Chuuk Lagoon, Pohnpei & Kosrae by Tim Rock. 1st Edition, May 2000, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased at Blue Lagoon, Weno, Chuuk, Micronesia]

To Do...

35. Lonely Planet South Pacific by Errol Hunt, Tony Wheeler. April 2000, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased Asia Books, Bangkok]

To Do...

34. Maldives (Travel Survival Kit) by James Lyon. 4th Edition, September 2000, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased at Powell's in Portland, Oregon]

Bought to help decide if I should go to the Maldives on my India / Tibet trip. I haven't looked at it yet.

33. India Handbook 1999 by Robert and Roma Bradnock. 8th Edition, 1998, Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England,

[Purchased used at Powell's in Portland, Oregon]

Bought to help with planning for my India / Tibet trip. I'm still hoping to get the 2001 edition before I leave, but meanwhile this should help me plan. I haven't looked at it yet.

32. Nepal Handbook by Tom Woodhatch. 2nd Edition, March 2000, Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England,

[Purchased at Powell's in Portland, Oregon]

Bought to help with planning for my India / Tibet trip. I haven't looked at it yet.

31. Lonely Planet Japan. 7th Edition, October 2000, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased in Bangkok, Thailand]

I was desperate for a guide book to Tokyo and since I couldn't find a specific city guide I panicked and bought this the night I was leaving. I've only used this in Tokyo - and not much there, but it seems pretty good. I'd say above average for Lonely Planet.

30. South-East Asia on a Shoestring. 10th Edition, May 1999, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased in Dubai, U.A.E.]

I've only used it in Thailand (where it was very good), and for Siem Reap in Cambodia (almost useless and not very accurate). Listening to other travelers it seems very well regarded, so it could be that Cambodia is just changing so quickly it's hard to keep up with.

29. National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife by Peter C. Alden, Richard D. Estes, Duane Schlitter, and Bunny McBride. 1998, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., Chanticleer Press, Inc, New York.

[Purchased at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania]

I didn't have the safari guides I had last time and I missed them. This book admirably replaces them. A lot more scholarly with way more than needed information, but the picture index makes identifying easy, it covers all of Africa, and the information is good. Highly recommend.

28. Malawi: The Bradt Travel Guide by Philip Briggs. Second Edition, 1999, Bradt Publications, Bucks, England, UK.

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

Amy liked this book - it got her excited about Malawi. I had my reservations as I've been less than impressed with the Bradt books before. When we got to Malawi we both agreed that the book was very difficult to use and just not very useful. It was a bit of a relief when it got stolen.

27. Tanzania, Zanzibar & Pemba by Mary Fitzpatrick. 1st Edition, August 1999, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

Pretty good, though not spectacular (I haven't been sucked in and started reading it for pleasure), and the cultural background is a little light. Prices are a little more out of date than I would expect, but the basic information is good and the book is consistently laid out.

26. Lonely Planet Sri Lanka. Seventh Edition, 1999, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia,

[Purchased in Sydney]

Only reasonable (non-coffee table type book) that I could find on Sri Lanka in Sydney. Certainly not a stunning guide book, but definitely above average. It was useful, informative, and reasonably accurate.

25. Middle East on a Shoestring. ?Second? Edition, 1999, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia,

[Purchased in Darwin]

Bought this when I was considering my around the world ticket (Cheaper than the one way fares for Sydney - Cairo - Dar es Salaam - Cairo) and was looking at some more time in the middle east. I hope this edition has improved from the last one (though I can't imagine it being worse). Definitely a step above the last edition (which was probably the worst guide book I've ever used). The section on Egypt was good. The section on Iran was frustrating when I was trying to get there, and the Dubai entry in the UAE section was confusing once I got there. All is all a sub-average guide book. Next time I go to the Middle East I'll bring Let's Go...

24. Let's Go New Zealand: 2000. 2000, St. Martins Press, USA

[Purchased in Sydney]

I wouldn't call it a joy to use, but it did what I wanted to and was way more current than the latest Lonely Planet I could get hold of. It seems that Let's Go has improved a lot over the last few years - nicer / more durable cover and pages. The writing is a lot more consistent and the content was pretty accurate.

23. Lonely Planet Australia. Ninth Edition, 1998, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia,

[Purchased in Sydney]

I can't say much about this book. The fact that I've used it for the last six months and I don't hate it is a good thing I guess, but it certainly didn't motivate me or excite me like most guides have. It's supposed to be spine stitched "for extra strength" but it started falling apart in just a month - and that was sitting on the seat of my car, not crammed and mutilated in a backpack.

22. Morocco Handbook by Justin McGuinness. Second Edition, 1999, Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England,

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

Brand new edition. I felt a bit funny buying this book as I love the Lonely Planet Morocco book, but I couldn't bring myself to buy the LP book after having used it so many times - I wanted something new. It's not hardback like the other Footprint handbooks I've used, but the cover is plastic-like and it seems very durable. So far my complaints are that it's hard to use to find hotels (often not even on their own maps), restaurants, Internet Cafes (their listed separately at the front of the book and not on any of the maps), etc. Also the maps are really bad (something that Footprints is normally very good about) and almost never to scale - making them useless for planning a walk. It is set up very well for the "I'm here, where / how do I want to go next?" problem. Over all not a bad guide book, but not even close to the guide that the LP Morocco is.

21. Insight Guide Iceland. 1999, APA Publications GmbH & Co., Singapore

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

Bought it because of the late publication date and because my parents like the Insight guides. It's got great pictures and background, but is almost useless as a guide book. It lists hotels and restaurants at the end of the book instead of with the places. It also really never actually recommends places, it just tells you they exist. And like many guide books it doesn't list prices, just a price range if even that. Would be excellent to use in planning a trip, but not so great for the plan as you go independent traveler.

20. Visitors' Guide to Madagascar by Marco Turco. 1995, Southern Book Publishers.

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

Ok at best. It's hard to use, doesn't have any pictures or very good maps. The information wasn't entirely current, and I didn't always agree with the authors opinions. Talking to other travelers it sounds like it's better than the LP book, but not even close to the Bradt guide.

19. Mauritius, Réunion & Sychelles by Sarina Singh, Deanna Swaney, and Robert Strauss. 1998, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

I only used this on Mauritius - it was fine. It gave me ideas for what I wanted to do and where I wanted to stay. Mauritius is a pretty easy travel destination so this book was probably even more than needed. I'd recommend it.

18. Insight Compact Guides Singapore. 1996, APA Publications, Singapore.

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

probably not a bad book to have while walking around the city, or on your bookshelf after the trip. But not much good for planning and figuring out where you want to stay / what you want to eat. It lacks that beautiful pictures that are generally in the full size Insight guides. Luckily Singapore is so easy that you really don't need a hardcore travel guide.

17. Bali & Lombok by Paul Greenway, James Lyon, and Tony Wheeler. 1999, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased at Amazon.com]

This was the most recently published book I could find. It was good, but Bali is someplace that's very easy to travel in. There are so many backpackers that you're best off asking around for peoples opinions. First hand advice is always better. The book had what I needed to answer my basic questions, let me plan where I wanted to go, and make me feel comfortable. But after the first day I don't think I ever opened it for anything other than the maps.

16. 1999 East Africa Handbook by Michael Hodd. 1998, Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England, UK

[Purchased at the Sheraton hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - no I wasn't staying there!]

The farther off the beaten path I've gotten I've heard more and more good things about this series. The major justification for buying this book was that it includes Ethiopia (The only LP book that has Ethiopia is Africa on a Shoestring - and there's not much there). So far I find it Ok, I'll probably like it more as I get used to the format. Hardbound means it's bulkier, but it also means they can use thinner paper and get more pages in the same volume.

15. East Africa by Hugh Finlay and Geoff Crowther. 4th edition, 1997, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased in Harare, Zimbabwe]

Ok. Much better than the all Africa book, and worlds better than their Middle East book, but not up to the standards of the Turkey or Morocco books. The more LP books I use the more I'm looking for alternatives. Since I used to love them I'm trying to figure out what's changed me or them. I'm tending towards me - when I see someone with an LP on the street I get the same feeling of disgust that I used to have when seeing someone with a Let's Go in Europe - I mean we all do it, but it shouldn't be in public.

14. Southern, Central and East African Mammals by Chris and Tilde Stuart. 1992, Struik Publishers Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa.

A Photographic Guide

[Purchased in Kruger National Park, South Africa]

I needed a game guide that was more than what was in the travel guides. This is a game book with good pictures, pocket size and has more than what's in the guide books (lots more).

13. Southern African Birds by Ian Sinclair. 1990, Struik Publishers Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa.

A Photographic Guide

[Purchased in Kruger National Park, South Africa]

Same reasoning as the Mammals book above.

12. East and Southern Africa by Philip Briggs. 1998, Bradt Publications, Bucks, England, UK.

The Backpacker's Manual

[Purchased in Cape Town, South Africa]

Lot's of people like this one. I'm not sure, I find it difficult to use. The information is laid out along routes, so it's great if you're following the authors route - but very difficult if you just want one thing (like the name of a hotel). Mostly I've used this book while traveling in the car and it's aimed at backpackers so maybe I'm not giving it a fair chance.

11. The Rough Guide: West Africa by Jim Hudgens and Richard Trillo. 1998, Rough Guides Ltd., Penguin Books Ltd., London

[Purchased in Dakar, Senegal]

I bought this book in Dakar. I was looking for something a little more recent than the Lonely Planet Africa book that I have (1995), plus I've been meaning to try the Rough Guides since I've heard good things about them. So far I love it. Lots of background information and readable as well. That plus the layout is excellent (ever tried to find a country code in a Lonely Planet book? They're not even there in the Africa book!). This book includes Cameroon which LP's West Africa doesn't. Most annoying issue I have with this book is that it's a 1998 reprint of the 1995 book - with no additional info - so it's just as old as my LP Africa on a Shoestring - at least LP adds an update section when they do this. The major drawback format wise is the way the book is laid out country wise - it's in the order that the authors expect you to travel - it's very frustrating when there's more than a few countries they need to be alphabetical.

10. Travel Survival Kit: Morocco by ?. 199?, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

Excellent. What expect from a guidebook, definitely up to standards for Lonely Planet. I think in the future I'm going to try to avoid their regional guides and stick with their survival kits. I don't have the full information on this book because I borrowed it from a friend and have since returned it (Thanks Amy!)

9. Africa on a Shoestring. 1995, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased in England]

Very brief. Like the Middle East book the information is difficult to understand, and is often not complete (I'm guessing that the people who distill down the information for this book are not the people who wrote it originally). So far I've only used it in Morocco and Senegal (Dakar actually). At least it seems to be a lot more accurate than the Middle East book was.

8. Let's Go Spain & Portugal: 1998. 1998, St. Martins Press, USA

(Includes Andorra and Morocco)

[Purchased in London, England]

Slightly better than their Europe book (at least the '97 version - maybe they're getting better across the board). The maps are still horrendous, and the text is often edited down to such a point that it's either useless or doesn't make any sense. Having said that its real strength is it was the only book that had Spain and Portugal in one book (except the all Europe books, and I didn't want to carry that much dead weight). The section on Morocco is not terribly useful, it's a different format than the rest of the book, the information is skimpy, and it doesn't often make sense. If you're going to be in Morocco for more than a few days get the Lonely Planet Morocco book.

7. Middle East on a Shoestring. 1997, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased in Istanbul, Turkey]

Not quite as good as I expected from Lonely Planet. It's hard to read (sort of reminiscent of Let's Go books, probably due to the large number of authors. Also I've found a lot of the information out of date. Especially Beirut, although to be fair it is changing at such a rapid pace it might be hard to stay current. All in all I'd have to say this is the worst travel book I've ever used, a real disappointment since I've been a total LP fan.

6. Travel Survival Kit: Turkey by Tom Brosnahan. 1996, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased in Istanbul, Turkey]

Excellent. The information is useful (and accurate!), lots of background information, and entirely readable.

5. City Guide: St Petersberg by ?. 1996, Lonely Planet Publications, Hawthorn, Australia.

[Purchased at the YHA in St Petersberg, Russia]

I loved this book. It might just be because of the trauma I suffered arriving in St Petersberg guide-less and clueless (never again). The book had lots of detail and wasn't to hard to read. Almost everything was right on with what I found.

4. Let's Go Europe: 1997. 1996, St. Martins Press, USA

[Purchased in Oslo, Norway]

Once again the best thing you can say about this book is that it covers all of Europe in a single book. That's important, you'd have to carry three Lonely Planet books to get the same coverage. Having said that I learned to hate this book. Information was missing, the layout and writing are inconsistent, information was plain wrong. I didn't meet a single person using this book that liked it. Having said that if I was going to do it all over again knowing what I know I would still buy it. One book instead of three is a powerful argument.

3. Europe Through the Back Door 1997 by Rick Steves. 1997, John Muir Publications, Sant Fe, New Mexico, USA.

"The Travel Skills Handbook for Independent Travelers"

[Purchased at the Travel Store in Pacific Beach, San Diego, California]

I bought this book on the recommendations of many. Honestly I found it difficult reading, The author borders on ego mania. The second half of the book is much better (on countries rather than on how to travel). There were a number of suggested "backdoors" that were excellent (The Cique Terre and Mt Blanc in Italy were definitely among the highlights of my Europe travels). Based on this I would guess that Steves' individual country books might be better, although my guess is you're still going to have to deal with his high opinion of himself.

2. Let's Go USA. 1996, St. Martins Press, USA

[Purchased the USA]

One, not to big (or heavy), book that does a reasonable job of covering the United States. I found most of the information accurate, and I agreed with most of the ratings. There were some cities that weren't covered, or weren't covered well. Still this was the only book I used (or needed) for my four plus months driving around the US.

1. The World Awaits by Paul Otteson. 1996, John Muir Publications, Sant Fe, New Mexico, USA.

"A Comprehensive Guide to Extended Backpack Travel"

This book is about how to travel, not where. I found the authors philosophies close to my own. The text is informative and entertaining enough for light reading. This book got me excited about my trip all over again!

ajones@pobox.com